[Elecraft] New (second-hand) K2 owner, what now?

[Francis Belliveau]

Daniel,

1,3. As I first rig I might be inclined to check through all the calibrations, but there is no reason to not assume that all is okay for now and see how the rig performs; although filter tuning can be a little personal.  So maybe get a copy of spectrogram, hook the rig to your computer and see what the filters look like.  Again others can help you with this better than I can.

2. Others are likely to give you advice on firmware, but what you have is likely close enough.  I expect that some of mine are older than yours.

4, 5.  Both of the KNB2 and KAF2 are useful, but the KNB2 only functions for certain types of noise so it might be lower priority.  I could be wrong, but I believe that the chip in the KDSP2 is no longer available so there are no more kits available from Elecraft.

6.  I would never think of having the KBT2 and KPA100 installed at the same time.  I am not sure if they even can be.  My personal choice was to not get a KBT2 and always use an external power source.  I have specialized battery setups for what you are thinking of.  Although that means carrying two packages, it greatly simplifies things when the battery dies in the field and you want to continue operating.
  I actually put a KPA100 and KAT100 into an EC2 enclosure that looks nice next to my K2 with KAT2 installed.  The EC2 is also no longer sold, but others on the list have talked about alternatives.  I suspect that Elecraft may still have some front panels for this setup available.

7.  A cable is easy enough to make for yourself, just look up the diagram in the manual so that you get the t]=pinout correct.  There is always a lot of discussion regarding USB interfacing.  Near as I can tell, it can be problematic so take heed of what others tell you on the list about what to get for a converter.

Good Luck and 73,
KA4FRH, owner of K2 S/N 314


> On Jun 17, 2019, at 18:25, Daniel Solano Gómez <elecraft at ag5ut.radio> wrote:
> 
> Hello, all,
> 
> My name is Daniel, AG5UT, and I recently purchased a second-hand K2 (#5240) as my first HF rig.  I believe it’s in good working condition—I haved been able to successfully confirm it transmits, but have yet to have a QSO.  It has the following options installed:
> 
> * KSB2 (1.08b)
> * KAT2 (1.07)
> * KIO2 (1.09)
> * K160M
> 
> I have purchased the KBT2, since I like the idea of taking this car camping and being able to operate without having to be plugged in.
> 
> So, I have a few questions:
> 
> 1. It seems like since it’s a later serial number, so I shouldn’t need to worry about doing any upgrades of the main system.  Is this right?
> 
> 2. I think I also have the latest firmware versions, is this correct?
> 
> 3. Is there any type of calibration I should do to make sure everything is fine?  I don’t really have much in the way of test equipment, such as frequency counters, signal generators, or oscilliscopes.  Should I be worrying about this?
> 
> 4. Should I consider some of the options I don’t have, i.e. the KNB2 or KAF2?
> 
> 5. I see references to a KDSP2, but that no longer seems to be available, is that right?
> 
> 6. Any thoughts if getting the KPA100 would be worth it for base station use?  Can it be used externally?  Is it fine to use it with the internal battery installed?  Would it be better to just buy a KXPA-100 in case I ever decide to upgrade to a KX3?
> 
> 7. I didn’t get the cable for KIO2.  I mistakenly purchased the W1SERKT thinking it was what I needed.  Would the KUSB the right thing to get?
> 
> 8. Are there any questions I haven’t asked, but should?
> 
> Thank you for your patience, and I appreciate your help with my newbie questions.  I am super-excited to finally get on the air with HF.
> 
> 73,
> 
> Daniel, AG5UT
> 
> 
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