[Elecraft] k2/k3

[WILLIE BABER]

Hello All,

I have been reading the mail of this reflector for some time, and thought I would join today and include my two cents; after all I own so2r K3/P3/K-Pod.  However, I do enjoy other radios, mainly an IC 7600 which isn't a K-3 in handling strong signals but it does just fine here is rural Idaho, and the qsk is just as good.  Shamelessly, I like the colorful screen.

On K3 audio:  After finishing the build on a K2/100 recently (a field model purchased in 1998 and never completed) I was surprised at the overall performance of K2 and decided that K3 can have too much gain.  I now have no gain on each filter, and 2db on the 200 hz one.  If K3 seems noisy then after adjusting agc and RX EQ (like most others I have the cw offset at 500hz), you may want to use 0 gain on the filters.  Maybe this point about I-F gain has been covered but if so I don't recall reading about it. Moreover, I don't normally use a preamp 160m through 20m, except on beverages.

K2 does not have objectionable phase noise as I read somewhere, that noise is the need to do the keying modification.  K2 is a real sleeper of a radio, and it taught me something about K3.  Of course you have to build it, but K2 is contest competent though with far fewer features than K3.  

BTW, I had no difficulty getting the parts to finish K2, including the keying modification, 18 years later.  

73, Will, wj9b


CWops #1085
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