[Elecraft] K2 Line Out Mods

[Sean Michael Johnston]

Hello All.

I’m a newbie here and about to embark on building a K2. One of the many uses I have planned for the radio is to send emails over Winlink 2000 while at sea on a sailboat.
I'd like to communicate with the SignaLink USB sound card through Winmor first and then eventually with a PACTOR 3 or 4 modem.

I was thinking of building the fixed audio out designed by W3FPR & NØSS. My plan is to fabricate a pcb using the laser printer transfer method. I have recreated NØSS’s layout as a printable pdf (https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_D41ceK5uSqM3VGa05BWXBhYkE/edit?usp=sharing), and am thinking I’ll run the line out to pin 5 of the  8-pin mic connection so I can have a single cable between the K2 and the SignaLink. 

My question is where is the best point in the K2 to source the AF inputs from? Is it cleaner to tap into the control board as is illustrated by W3FPR’s great instructions (http://www2.opparc.org/mirrors/n0ss/www.n0ss.net/w3fpr_fixed_af_output_for_the_k2_v2r1.pdf), or would it be a better signal if I tap into the KDSP2  board as recommended by EA3BLQ (http://www.qsl.net/ea3blq/downloads/k2di-pci_const_manual.pdf) for his Sound Card Interface? And is this the best way to get a line out from the K2, or has there been any newer advancements along those lines? 

I realize that I’m building a legacy product here, but from the activity I’ve seen on this mailing list, it’s definitely not dead yet.

Thanks -  Sean (working on the call sign)