[Elecraft] K2 Question
elelist984
elelist984 at elitemail.org
Tue Dec 22 06:00:26 EST 2009
Dear oh dear, David, that really is like asking, :How long is a piece of
string?"
You will find that the time taken varies enormously, from the
experienced people who have built several K2s to those of us who struck
problems, got disheartened, put everything away for a year or so, only
to get a bright idea of where the problem may lie, take it out, find the
problem and happily finish it off.
It all depends upon what time one has available. A retired person could
easily build a K2 in a couple of weeks or less, I believe. I think
someone on this list built one in a weekend. However, IMHO it is not a
speed contest. There are no prizes for being the fastest builder. My
advice is, take your time and enjoy the process.
Make sure you have the right tools. Take the time to identify all the
packages and all the parts and take a careful inventory. Let Elecraft
know straight away if there are any parts problems. Resistors are on a
bandolier in the order in which they should be used, but the capacitors
are a different story. I am my pharmacist's third best customer, so I
have many empty pill bottles with tight fitting lids. Others may do
things differently, but I found that doing a bin sort (i.e. putting all
capacitors of a particular capacitance and voltage rating into one pill
box, and marking the value and rating with a felt pen) really helped.
Follow the instructions to the letter. Tick each component off as it is
installed.
Do look at the two products on the site http://www.unpcbs.com/ as they
can make life a lot easier.
As you are a VK3, feel free to call me - I am listed in the callbook - I
have built two K2s and feel I have learned a thing or two along the way.
Buying a K2 is OK, but the number on the used market in VK would be
fairly small. Buying a pre-built one from overseas exposes you to
possible workmanship problems and also deprives one of the challenge of
assembling a truly great radio - and one which the owner will be able to
maintain.
73
Kevin
VK3DAP / ZL2DAP
David Dunn wrote:
> On behalf of a friend (in Australia) who is thinking of a K2, can anyone
> give an approximate idea of the time needed to build a K2 kit
>
> Better still has anyone got a K2 to sell (In Australia)
>
> 73 David VK3DBD
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