[Elecraft] Will the K2 and KX3 work with the P3?

[Mike]

I just  completed adding the Softrock and Clifton Labs buffer to my K2 and it works nicely!  Tony does have a crystal available for the SoftRock Lite II kit so that it works at 4.9152.  For about $75 you can have a decent, but not great, panadapter for a K2.

Mike - W0AG

wb4jfi at knology.net wrote:

>Wouldn't a Softrock Ensemble II receiver for less than $80, feeding a 
>soundcard, and some free SDR software, be a much cheaper but effective 
>answer?
>
>The K2 appears to have a 4.9152MHz IF, so using an Ensemble II, with it's 
>Si570 tuned to 4.9152MHz, should work fine.  Then, you feed the Ensemble II 
>I/Q outputs to either an internal sound card if stereo, or inexpensive USB 
>sound card (like an iMic?) if not.  Rocky, PowerSDR-IF, SDR#, or other SDR 
>software will provide the spectrum display.  If an iPad or iPhone, use iSDR.
>
>I'm not sure if Tony Parks has a rock-bound Softrock that is close enough to 
>the 4.9MHz IF of the K2.  If so, that's an even cheaper answer.
>
>I would definitely put a buffer stage like the Clifton Labs mentioned 
>earlier, in the rig.  Not only does it buffer the IF output of the K2, it 
>also prevents interference getting back into the K2 from the Ensemble or 
>Flex 1500 LO.  QSD-based receivers are known for generating RF signals on 
>the carrier frequency BACK OUT the antenna port.
>
>Seems like using a Flex 1500 just to provide a QSD-based demod/display is a 
>little like towing a Hummer behind your Suburban in case the Suburban breaks 
>down.  And if you ever accidentally transmit on the Flex 1500 back into the 
>K2 - uh-oh.  Having a "spare" rig could be handy though.
>73, Terry, WB4JFI
>
>-----Original Message----- 
>From: Michael Babineau
>Sent: Thursday, August 29, 2013 10:22 AM
>To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Will the K2 and KX3 work with the P3?
>
>Bruce et al :
>
>Using N4PYs RCP  (or maybe even DDUTIL) it is possible to slave a Flex-1500 
>off
>of a K2, or other radio, to use it as a Pan Adaptor. So for about the price 
>of just a
>Pan Adaptor (P3 or LP-Pan) you can actually get a Pan Adaptor (Flex-1500) 
>that can also
>be used as a transceiver. I guess that it depends on what you are looking 
>for, but if you can live without the
>K2s full break-in on CW, the Flex-1500 just by itself makes a pretty 
>formidable little radio.
>
>The point I was trying to make is that given the base price of the K2, how 
>many people
>are going to want to almost double the price by adding a P3 as Pan-Adaptor? 
>I guess that it depends
>on how "tricked-out" your K2 is. If you already have DSP, KPA100 then maybe 
>it makes some sense.
>I am not saying it is wrong to do so, it is just that there a lots of other 
>Pan Adaptor options, some lower
>cost and others similar cost but offering more flexibility.  It really comes 
>down to wants, needs and the users budget.
>
>Personally I looked at this option myself (I love my K2) and decided that 
>the P3 or LP-Pan options
>didn't compute "dollar-wise" for me  and if I really wanted SDR, buying a 
>Flex-1500 to go along with my
>K2 works out better for me.  (Selling my K2 isn't an option).
>
>So my comment regarding the original post is, before adding support for the 
>K2/P3 to an existing
>control program, the author (Tom VA2FSQ) might want to assess whether this 
>is something that users are
>really going to want to do frequently enough to justify the time and effort 
>for the new software development.
>Given that the WIN4K3 software is targeted specifically at Elecraft 
>products, then maybe the answer
>is that the K2/P3 combination should be supported anyway, just for WIN4K3 
>product completeness.
>It is possible to make a P3 work with a K2.
>
>Cheers
>
>Michael VE3WMB
>
>>From: "Bruce Beford" <bruce.beford at myfairpoint.net>
>>Date: August 28, 2013 7:50:38 PM EDT
>>To: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
>>Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Will the K2 and KX3 work with the P3?
>
>
>>Yes, but it would -still- be a Flex-1500, not a K2 with panadapter...
>>Bruce, N1RX
>
>> To get back to the original question, I am not sure how many people would
>> want to add a P3 to a K2 ? For the price of the P3 (or even an LP-Pan) you
>> could pick up a new Flex-1500.
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