[Elecraft] K2: The green glow returns!

[Marty]

I bought my K2/100 already built and use it as my Expedition radio and love it.  Though I’ve built a KX1 in the past I haven’t had the pleasure of building a K2.  I think I would enjoy building a bare bones QRP K2 just to have the experience. I built many Heathkits back in the day, and still use some of the test equipment I built.  

 Hmmm. So many projects, so short a lifetime!

73 Marty / W4MY

> On Jun 30, 2018, at 08:57, Gary Watson <whiskey7ee at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Great news for the K2 Wayne,
> 
> I finished my K2/100 Twins about 1 1/2 yrs ago.  It's the first rig I turn
> on in the morning and the last I turn off at night even though I have a
> K-Line.  I can't believe how much pleasure that piece of equipment has
> given me.  This morning I'll be disconnecting the K2 this morning and
> heading out to coffee with our little klub in Bigfork, MT.  BARK/K7CMT
> 
> We set up a little ham stick dipole up at 12 feet or so outside the coffee
> shop and operate CW.  Curious customers always are amazed the radio was a
> kit.  The CW ringing out from the speaker sounds so nice it  draws people
> over.  We worked ON4UN with 10 watts about 6 months ago from there. It
> shows how good his antenna's work!
> 
> I hope every ham on the reflector orders one from you.  Long live the K2.
> 
> Gary/W7EE
> 
> 
> 
>> On Fri, Jun 29, 2018 at 9:21 PM, Wayne Burdick <n6kr at elecraft.com> wrote:
>> 
>> A few years ago, in a distant land known for its modular seafood
>> delicacies, one of our vendors decided--without informing us--to stop
>> producing a critical item used in the Elecraft K2: the LCD backlight. We
>> got the news when we attempted to re-order early this year.
>> 
>> Worse, they could never make them again. Both the dusty scrolls upon which
>> the details were scribed and the monks who toiled in the secret factory had
>> vanished. We would have to reinvent this particular wheel.
>> 
>> That task has now been completed; we home-rolled our own backlight from
>> modern materials. We’re pleased to announce that the new green glow is the
>> equal of the old. Thus the K2 is reborn, on approximately the 20th
>> anniversary of its first beta shipments. It’s in stock and ready to
>> exercise kit-building muscles of all ages.
>> 
>> Why build a K2? To summarize what our thousands of builders have told us:
>> 
>>  - it’s fun, and the fun can be shared (with one’s progeny, for example)
>> 
>>  - educational (you’ll learn a *lot* about how a radio works)
>> 
>>  - rewarding (it’s still the only high-performance, all-band HF kit radio)
>> 
>> Regarding the K2’s performance, you may have read recent enthusiastic
>> Field Day reports from its owners. This is no coincidence. The K2 was bred
>> for success at battery-powered field outings, with both ultra-low current
>> drain (~150 to 200 mA) and high blocking dynamic range (it’s one of very
>> few low-cost transceivers to hit the magical 135 dB level, allowing
>> co-located rigs to play fair). The K2 is also an analog superhet design,
>> with crisp audio and very fast QSK.
>> 
>> This is a great time to embark on a K2 adventure, given various specials
>> in honor of summertime and the K2’s reemergence. You can find these
>> specials on our order page (www.elecraft.com/elecraft_prod_list.htm). Or
>> give us a call to talk about which K2 package would best suit your needs.
>> 
>> A K2 can be upgraded at any time by installing your choice of several
>> option modules. No particular order is required. The most popular options
>> are the wide-range ATU (KAT2) and SSB module (KSB2).
>> 
>> If I’ve left any of the K2’s technical or philosophical mysteries to your
>> imagination, feel free to email me directly.
>> 
>> 73,
>> Wayne
>> N6KR
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
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