[Elecraft] A few questions before ordering the K2 kit...

[Peter Wollan]

Thomas,

I have a 10-watt K2 with several options.  I'm comfortable building
kits, but I'm not a "home-brewer" or designer.  The instructions are
clear and thorough, but it's necessary to be careful, and not keep
going too late at night.  So far I've always been able to back out my
mistakes, but some errors require new parts to fix, which Elecraft is
very nice about supplying.

Tools:  in addition to a multimeter, you'll need a good soldering iron
or soldering station, and several hand tools for stripping and shaping
wires (pliers, cutters -- fingernail clippers work well).  Some kind
of static discharge protecter is needed -- mat or wrist strap.  To
calibrate, you need to receive a known frequency -- in the US, the
broadcast time station WWV is sufficient.  And to set the filters, it
is very helpful to have a computer running one of the audio frequency
spectrum displays.  (I use the display in the CocoaModem program for
Macs).  To connect to the computer, all you need is an audio cable
with stereo plugs on each end, going from headphone jack on the K2 to
audio input on the computer.

A dummy load is helpful, but not needed right away.  The Elecraft
dummy load is easy to put together, providing good soldering practice,
and also allows power output measurement using a multimeter.

The K2 and K1 kits include a barrel plug for power, which you need to
solder a wire to.  The K3 uses an APP connector.  The APP connectors
have become a defacto standard -- I have a foot or so of wire running
from the barrel plug to an APP connector, with APP connectors on
everything else so anything can plug into anything.  The power needs
to be 12 volt DC (actually something like 10.5 to 15 or so).  Instead
of buying a 230AC to 12 volt DC power supply, you may want to run the
radio off a battery.  I use a 7 amp-hour 12 volt gel cell, which is
plenty for a week of light use, or maybe 12 hours of a contest.

The KAT2 can be set to read out SWR, digitally.  It's a particularly
nice module, and I recommend it highly.

It works well to start with a stripped-down K2 and add modules over
several years.  In fact, you assemble in stages, and get each stage
working before moving on the the next.  However, some modules require
connectors in places that are easy to put in on original assembly but
significant effort later.  If you think you might maybe someday want a
particular add-on, read the manual to find out what connectors it
needs and consider buying and installing the connectors during your
initial assembly.  Ask here on the list about any specifics.

And finally:  consider the K3.  The K2 was designed as the ideal Field
Day radio, and I think it is.  However, the 100-watt version is less
elegant than the 10-watt (my opinion only, of course), and the K3 has
several advantages:  it's more modern technology, it's more capable,
and it isn't much more expensive for comparable features.  The CW-only
K2 is an incredible value, but if you add SSB, KAT2, KIO2, and 6
meters the K3 is cheaper (? is that true?  pretty close, anyway.)

   Peter W0LLN

On Sat, Jul 3, 2010 at 2:34 PM, jez <jez at gmx.de> wrote:
>
> Hi,
> being a SWL for more or less about 20 years I just completed my HAM license
> in germany.

>
> So here my questions:
- apart from maybe a
> multimeter, there is no additional measurement equipment needed to build up
> and adjust the K2 (e.g. no noise generator, spectrum analyzer needed). Am I
> correct?
>
> # Power connector...how do I connect the K2 to the 230V we are using in
> germany?

>
does
> the KAT2 (20 watt internal ATU) also include a SWR meter?
>

>
> thomas
> --