[Elecraft] K2 #7997 is alive

[Doug Person]

Building a K2 takes quite an investment of time. But, once you've 
completed it and made your first QSO where you proudly say "Rig here is 
an Elecraft K2 that I just finished building...", you have a sense of 
ownership unlike anything you just took out of a box and plugged in. 
It's a marvelous little transceiver. It's truly fantastic for cw but 
shines in SSB as well. I can't recommend the experience enough. I've 
learned to have a very ZEN mind when I built them. Total focus on 
exactly one thing - a resistor, capacitor... what ever it is... do it 
perfectly and don't think of anything else. And then admire its 
perfection when its done. When I finish a board, I inspect it with a 
quality magnifying glass. I look at every solder joint, every part 
placement like it's a work of art - which, in many ways, it is. Whether 
it becomes your main radio or sits on a shelf awaiting an occasional use 
- it is always a source of personal pride. To me, building something 
like the K2, is a very important part of the Ham Radio Experience.

73, Doug -- K0DXV

On 5/10/2021 1:08 PM, David Haines wrote:
> I wish you all would stop talking about how much fun it is to build a 
> K2!  It makes we want to order one or two!  But I'm trying to save up 
> my pennies for when the K4 comes out in kit form.  And I'm still not 
> tired of my trusty KX3, yet!
>
> david
> KC1DNY
> in the forests of Maine
>
> On 5/7/2021 8:46 PM, Doug Person wrote:
>> I've built 5 K2s. The last one is a keeper. I built several for other 
>> people. I still get a kick out of turning it on and making contacts 
>> with a "kit" radio. Mine is a 100 watts, ssb adapter and the outboard 
>> tuner. Wired for a Kenwood hand mike. I often think that if it was 
>> the only rig I owned I would be completely satisfied. Receiver sounds 
>> great and I get great audio reports. If anyone has ever considered 
>> building one - go for it. The satisfaction of turning it on and 
>> making contacts with something you put some serious time in to build 
>> is an experience I highly recommend. I don't know if I've ever 
>> operated a better cw transceiver. And even in a crowded band on 20, 
>> it can hold its own. I love it.
>> 73, Doug -- K0DXV
>>
>> On 5/7/2021 5:50 PM, Carl Clawson wrote:
>>> I'm 20 years late to the game but I finally built a K2. What a 
>>> satisfying
>>> project to build, and a delightful rig to operate. It doesn't have 
>>> all the
>>> performance and features of my fully-updated K3, but it's a great 
>>> little
>>> radio nonetheless.
>>>
>>> I finished the final alignment and test Tuesday and have used it a 
>>> couple
>>> evenings now.
>>>
>>> Now to build the SSB adapter and the 100 W amp.
>>>
>>> 73, Carl WS7L
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>
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