[Elecraft] Dug my K2 out today

[Martin Sole]

Break the piggy bank, take out a loan, sell the kids, just do what it 
takes. I did back in 2017 and built 7723 while I was working in the 
desert. It has SSB, NB, 160 and RS232 options and was a lot of fun 
considering it works as well, if not better, than a lot of other radios. 
The KX series might have it beat on a lot of fronts but I don;t think 
they can compete in the smiles per qso at the same rate. Probably the 
last real kit radio, ever!

There is though another option, and one I'm about to start out on. 
Building a Heathkit, more correctly rebuilding. A lot were never 
particularly well built in the first place and many components were 
perhaps not the best quality so I plan to render an SB-102 to its 
constituent parts and start all over again, with new R's particularly, 
C's where necessary and other parts as required. There are so many out 
there that getting another one or two for parts is not too onerous. I'll 
still say the K2 will be the better radio, of course but I'd bet it 
starts batting up there in the smiles per qso stakes.

Kit building can be dismissed as soldering practice when you think all 
the hard work is done for you but that would be to completely disregard 
the plain fun factor. Get em while they're (still) hot!

Martin, HS0ZED




On 14/01/2020 16:25, Clay Autery wrote:
> Wish I could afford to buy one while they are still available....  I 
> would like to say that I had the experience of doing s solder 
> build...  <smile>
>
> ______________________
> Clay Autery, KY5G
> (318) 518-1389
>
> On 01/13/20 17:37, Wayne Burdick wrote:
>> And we're still selling them, too :)
>>
>> 73,
>> Wayne
>> N6KR
>>
>>
>>> On Jan 13, 2020, at 2:27 PM, Macy monkeys <macymonkeys at charter.net> 
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> Hard to believe 20 years have gone by since I built my K2. Well, I 
>>> think it's been close to 20 years. I have S/N 586. In any event, I 
>>> put it on air today. Somehow it got buried behind a flurry of other 
>>> late model rigs. What a pleasure to listen to the K2 receiver; 
>>> signals come in like there's a connection direct from the antenna to 
>>> my headphones.
>>>
>>> Looking back at over 50 years in the hobby I must say building the 
>>> K2 was one of the highlights. Thanks Elecraft!
>>>
>>> John K7FD
>>> _______________
>>
>>
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