K1 Discontinued

[Jim Brown-10]

On 8/30/2017 7:30 PM, N4OI - Ken wrote:
> I do not understand the general fear of working with SMT components.

As you get older, you will. Eyes, steadiness of hand, eye-hand
coordination, all can make working with SMT a challenge. Mine will be 76
years old in a few months. Several years ago, I learned just enough to
do relatively simple SMT work with fairly large SMT components in a band
pass filter kit. I couldn't even SEE the smaller SMT components in that
kit, and called in reinforcements.

73, Jim K9YC

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[Petr, OK1RP/M0SIS]

Agree Skip...
My son Jakub (15) is using his K1 mostly on receiving and learning CW and
what is funny > time to time he is able to hear DX sigs better then on my
K3... :) He is really proud to have his K1 because of that, hi.
73 - Petr, OK1RP



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[Don Wilhelm]

Joseph,

Contact sales about the KAT1.  I have had official information that
options will be available until the current supplies run out.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 8/30/2017 9:04 PM, Joseph M. Durnal wrote:

> I'm going to try and finish it sooner than later.
>
> Any chance that KAT1 is still available?
>
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[Clay Autery-2]

Now THAT is intriguing to me...

______________________
Clay Autery, KY5G
MONTAC Enterprises
[phone]

> But how small would the K1 be if made with SMT's and a few toroids.  Ooohhh..
>
> 73, Byron N6NUL
>
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[Clay Autery-2]

Jim has a point here, of course.  I'm only 53, but my once
"aviator-quality" vision now requires quite a bit of augmentation to do
close work like SMT...

But I plan to fight it EVERY step of the way....  More magnification,
more light, hell...  I'll use robot hands if I need to.  I like building!

______________________
Clay Autery, KY5G

On 8/30/2017 11:00 PM, Jim Brown wrote:

> On 8/30/2017 7:30 PM, N4OI - Ken wrote:
>> I do not understand the general fear of working with SMT components.
>
> As you get older, you will. Eyes, steadiness of hand, eye-hand
> coordination, all can make working with SMT a challenge. Mine will be
> 76 years old in a few months. Several years ago, I learned just enough
> to do relatively simple SMT work with fairly large SMT components in a
> band pass filter kit. I couldn't even SEE the smaller SMT components
> in that kit, and called in reinforcements.
>
> 73, Jim K9YC

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[James Bennett]

Guys - I’m about to hit the magic “70” mark and have been using +250 readers for quite a while. I’ve also been a stamp collector since age eight. Bad eyes and stamp collectinig don’t go together very well! The readers are fine for reading (duhhhh) but when it comes to really small, close-up examination of stamps, I got out my checkbook several years ago and purchased a fairly inexpensive (~$350) stereo microscope. Couple years ago I took the plunge and built my first SMT-based QRP rig. In addition to some really small resistors and capacitors, it also had a couple of the 64 and 128 pin IC’s. Using that microscope made it a breeze. I’ve since built several SMT-based kits and find it quite easy with a microscope to see what one is doing. Now, unstable hands are quite another thing… :-(

So, if Elecraft ever starts offering SMT kits, one of this units is the only way to go.

Jim / W6JHB
Folsom, CA

> On Aug 31, 2017, at 10:50 AM, Clay Autery <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Jim has a point here, of course.  I'm only 53, but my once
> "aviator-quality" vision now requires quite a bit of augmentation to do
> close work like SMT...
>
> But I plan to fight it EVERY step of the way....  More magnification,
> more light, hell...  I'll use robot hands if I need to.  I like building!
>
> ______________________
> Clay Autery, KY5G
>
> On 8/30/2017 11:00 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
>> On 8/30/2017 7:30 PM, N4OI - Ken wrote:
>>> I do not understand the general fear of working with SMT components.
>>
>> As you get older, you will. Eyes, steadiness of hand, eye-hand
>> coordination, all can make working with SMT a challenge. Mine will be
>> 76 years old in a few months. Several years ago, I learned just enough
>> to do relatively simple SMT work with fairly large SMT components in a
>> band pass filter kit. I couldn't even SEE the smaller SMT components
>> in that kit, and called in reinforcements.
>>
>> 73, Jim K9YC
> ______________________________________________________________
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[roney]

Luckily to have mine K1, bought this year.
I intended to buy another one by the end of this year.
Now I have to safely keep it as a jewel!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/roney/34754819981/
Great little rig...

73 de PY1ZB

On Thu, Aug 31, 2017 at 3:00 PM, James Bennett <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Guys - I’m about to hit the magic “70” mark and have been using +250
> readers for quite a while. I’ve also been a stamp collector since age
> eight. Bad eyes and stamp collectinig don’t go together very well! The
> readers are fine for reading (duhhhh) but when it comes to really small,
> close-up examination of stamps, I got out my checkbook several years ago
> and purchased a fairly inexpensive (~$350) stereo microscope. Couple years
> ago I took the plunge and built my first SMT-based QRP rig. In addition to
> some really small resistors and capacitors, it also had a couple of the 64
> and 128 pin IC’s. Using that microscope made it a breeze. I’ve since built
> several SMT-based kits and find it quite easy with a microscope to see what
> one is doing. Now, unstable hands are quite another thing… :-(
>
> So, if Elecraft ever starts offering SMT kits, one of this units is the
> only way to go.
>
> Jim / W6JHB
> Folsom, CA
>
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Aug 31, 2017, at 10:50 AM, Clay Autery <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >
> > Jim has a point here, of course.  I'm only 53, but my once
> > "aviator-quality" vision now requires quite a bit of augmentation to do
> > close work like SMT...
> >
> > But I plan to fight it EVERY step of the way....  More magnification,
> > more light, hell...  I'll use robot hands if I need to.  I like building!
> >
> > ______________________
> > Clay Autery, KY5G
> >
> > On 8/30/2017 11:00 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
> >> On 8/30/2017 7:30 PM, N4OI - Ken wrote:
> >>> I do not understand the general fear of working with SMT components.
> >>
> >> As you get older, you will. Eyes, steadiness of hand, eye-hand
> >> coordination, all can make working with SMT a challenge. Mine will be
> >> 76 years old in a few months. Several years ago, I learned just enough
> >> to do relatively simple SMT work with fairly large SMT components in a
> >> band pass filter kit. I couldn't even SEE the smaller SMT components
> >> in that kit, and called in reinforcements.
> >>
> >> 73, Jim K9YC
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > Elecraft mailing list
> > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
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> > Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >
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> > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> > Message delivered to [hidden email]
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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>

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[k6dgw]

There is one infirmity that has not yet been mentioned that degrades
one's ability to work with SMT devices ... allergies.  One sneeze and
your project is over.

73,

Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
Sparks NV DM09dn
Washoe County

On 8/31/2017 11:00 AM, James Bennett wrote:
> Guys - I’m about to hit the magic “70” mark and have been using +250 readers for quite a while. I’ve also been a stamp collector since age eight. Bad eyes and stamp collectinig don’t go together very well! The readers are fine for reading (duhhhh) but when it comes to really small, close-up examination of stamps, I got out my checkbook several years ago and purchased a fairly inexpensive (~$350) stereo microscope. Couple years ago I took the plunge and built my first SMT-based QRP rig. In addition to some really small resistors and capacitors, it also had a couple of the 64 and 128 pin IC’s. Using that microscope made it a breeze. I’ve since built several SMT-based kits and find it quite easy with a microscope to see what one is doing. Now, unstable hands are quite another thing… :-(
>
> So, if Elecraft ever starts offering SMT kits, one of this units is the only way to go.
>
> Jim / W6JHB
> Folsom, CA
>

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[Clay Autery-2]

LOL!!  Well, yeah, if you have all the parts out in a pile...  I have
organizers I use so that I never have more out on the work surface than
absolutely required.  And I don't even have allergies...  but I have had
a sneeze scatter little parts before.

______________________
Clay Autery, KY5G

On 8/31/2017 1:21 PM, Fred Jensen wrote:
> There is one infirmity that has not yet been mentioned that degrades
> one's ability to work with SMT devices ... allergies.  One sneeze and
> your project is over.
>
> 73,
>
> Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
> Sparks NV DM09dn
> Washoe County
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[Wes Stewart-2]

Coffee.

In the early 1980's I was working on a new PA design for Phoenix Missile.  The
original design used relatively narrow band klystons, and we needed more BW for,
well, never mind.  So the new design used a three-stage IMPATT diode amplifier
(injection-locked oscillator in reality). A single diode driving a three-diode
combiner driving a 16-diode combiner.  The IMPATTs needed to be pretty well
matched, a real problem with the state of the art at the time.

So before we characterized each one in a test fixture, we serialized them.  Mind
you these were microwave packages with a ceramic pill mounted on a 1/8" diameter
gold-plated copper flange with a 3-48 stud on the bottom.  We just used a very
fine probe to scratch the 10 digit serial number on the flange.  I could do
about 30 diodes first thing in the morning.  After that and a cup or two of
coffee I was done for the day.

Wes  N7WS


  On 8/31/2017 11:21 AM, Fred Jensen wrote:
> There is one infirmity that has not yet been mentioned that degrades one's
> ability to work with SMT devices ... allergies.  One sneeze and your project
> is over.
>
> 73,
>
> Fred ["Skip"] K6DGW
> Sparks NV DM09dn
> Washoe County

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[Bill Frantz]

I started with a magnifier on an arm with a circular florescent
lamp. I still use this device for anything which needs a bit of
magnification including inspecting thru-hole boards and fixing
knitting mistakes. I assembled a number of kits with SMT parts
using this magnifier.

I then got a cheap head-mounted magnifier with a built in LED
light. It gives more magnification, but I haven't used it in any
important project yet. It has the advantage of being portable,
so it can go to field day to makes repairs.

Then I came across a Bausch and Lomb zoom binocular microscope
with a ring light for $120 at an electronics flea market. After
checking it out, I quickly paid the seller. It is excellent for
inspecting SMT parts for good solder connections.

All of these devices can help with construction projects.

73 Bill AE6JV

On 8/31/17 at 11:00 AM, [hidden email] (James Bennett) wrote:

>Guys - I’m about to hit the magic “70” mark and have been
>using +250 readers for quite a while. I’ve also been a stamp
>collector since age eight. Bad eyes and stamp collectinig
>don’t go together very well! The readers are fine for reading
>(duhhhh) but when it comes to really small, close-up
>examination of stamps, I got out my checkbook several years ago
>and purchased a fairly inexpensive (~$350) stereo microscope.
>Couple years ago I took the plunge and built my first SMT-based
>QRP rig. In addition to some really small resistors and
>capacitors, it also had a couple of the 64 and 128 pin IC’s.
>Using that microscope made it a breeze. I’ve since built
>several SMT-based kits and find it quite easy with a microscope
>to see what one is doing. Now, unstable hands are quite another
>thing… :-(

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[Petr, OK1RP/M0SIS]

Roney,
congrats for your K1 jewel > nice pics on Flickr.
Yes, I am sure you will be really satisfied with that little rig. If it is properly aligned then it works like champ anywhere you are.
Maybe it is time to buy some additional parts until they will be gone...
Good luck!
73 - Petr, OK1RP



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