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K2/10 upgrade question

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sidney sudberg

K2/10 upgrade question

I have recently bought a previously owned K2/10 & am thinking of upgrading
it to the 100 watt version. My question is:

Is there any reason or advantage to upgrade with the amplifier & radio in
one unit or in the EC2 with the KAT100-2? I suppose it is a matter of how
it will be used but I guess I am looking for the experience of how others
use either or both configurations & why.

Being somewhat of a ‘Rookie’ ham, I frequently make hasty decisions based
on my lack of experience, so I am seeking the advice from the collective
experience of this distinguished group. J I am not solely qrp/cw but my
goal is to be operating mostly qrp/cw but I will also be getting a KX3
within the year & I also currently own a K1.

I thought the K2 would be my home station for now & would like to have the
power available if I wanted or needed it.

Any thoughts, comments or suggestions would be appreciated.

73,

* *

* *

*Sidney Sudberg*

(K6DMT)**
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ed-ad7gr

Re: K2/10 upgrade question

Hello Sidney,

I've had my K2 in both configurations. I started out with the amp
built into my K2 and after a few years separated them and placed the amp
and the antenna tuner into it's own enclosure. With the units separated
I only need to disconnect a few things, grab and go to the field if I
want to, leaving the amp/tuner on the desk. I only wish I had made
this change sooner. If going to the field is not of interest to you
then just keep it in the K2.

72,
Ed - ad7gr

www.edlinko.net
jn3.16 | rev14.6-12

On 1/15/2013 7:16 PM, sidney sudberg wrote:
> [snip]
> Is there any reason or advantage to upgrade with the amplifier & radio in
> one unit or in the EC2 with the KAT100-2? I suppose it is a matter of how
> it will be used but I guess I am looking for the experience of how others
> use either or both configurations & why.
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ny4g

Re: K2/10 upgrade question

In reply to this post by sidney sudberg

I am quite the opposite. I kept the KPA100 on the K2. If I want to go portable QRP, I take the K2/100 and dial the power down to 5 watts. If I want 20 watts. I turn the knob for 20. I operated field day twice this way.

Nowadays the K2 stays at home. The KX3 goes portable.

Ariel NY4G

Sent from my iPhone

On Jan 15, 2013, at 10:16 PM, "sidney sudberg" <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I have recently bought a previously owned K2/10 & am thinking of upgrading
> it to the 100 watt version. My question is:
>
>
>
> Is there any reason or advantage to upgrade with the amplifier & radio in
> one unit or in the EC2 with the KAT100-2? I suppose it is a matter of how
> it will be used but I guess I am looking for the experience of how others
> use either or both configurations & why.
>
>
>
> Being somewhat of a ‘Rookie’ ham, I frequently make hasty decisions based
> on my lack of experience, so I am seeking the advice from the collective
> experience of this distinguished group. J I am not solely qrp/cw but my
> goal is to be operating mostly qrp/cw but I will also be getting a KX3
> within the year & I also currently own a K1.
>
>
>
> I thought the K2 would be my home station for now & would like to have the
> power available if I wanted or needed it.
>
>
>
> Any thoughts, comments or suggestions would be appreciated.
>
>
>
> 73,
>
> * *
>
> * *
>
> *Sidney Sudberg*
>
> (K6DMT)**
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html

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Jim Wiley

Re: K2/10 upgrade question

In reply to this post by sidney sudberg

I have the base K2, with battery pack and low-power tuner in one box,
and the 100-watt amp and high-power tuner in another. Very versatile,
and the battery powered K2 is ready to go on a moment's notice for fun
or emergency use. I also have the SSB, Noise blanker, and 160 meter
options in the K2. Consider those if you don't already have them. I
did put a dedicated KIO2 interface module in the K2, so I did not have
to depend on the amplifier for that functionality.

I have the KDSP2 DSP noise reducer. It works well as an automatic notch
filter, but only so-so for noise reduction. Not sure if I would do that
again. The KAF-2 audio filter can be a big help for the CW operator.
although careful choice and adjustment of the base K2 filters can
provide amazing results.

There are lots of places to find tutorials on how to build the rig as
"separates". It is easy. You will also need the EC-2 case kit and
another wire bail "foot". I chose to replace the K2 bail with the 1.5"
version, I like that much better than the taller version that comes with
the rig. I decided to leave the speaker in the base K2. Read the
manuals carefully before beginning construction of the amp in the EC-2
case so you don't do unnecessary work.

If your K2 does not have the latest upgrades, I would strongly suggest
that you purchase and install them before building the amp.

- Jim, KL7CC

.
On 1/15/2013 6:16 PM, sidney sudberg wrote:

Rick Tavan N6XI

Re: K2/10 upgrade question

In reply to this post by sidney sudberg

The primary reason to put the amp in an EC2 enclosure is to preserve
portability of the K2/10. Since you already have a K1 and plan to get a
KX3, it would seem that your field operation bases are covered. Keep it
simple and put the amp inside the transceiver case to use as a base station
radio. Bonus: it's still pretty portable so long as you will have power
available.

/Rick

On Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 7:16 PM, sidney sudberg <[hidden email]> wrote:

--
Rick Tavan N6XI
Truckee, CA
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Don Wilhelm-4

Re: K2/10 upgrade question

In reply to this post by sidney sudberg

Sidney,

If you are considering going portable with the K2/10, then putting the
KPA100 and KAT100 in an EC2 enclosure is the way to go, you can
disconnect two cables and take the K2/10 on whatever excursion you desire.

But, if the K2 is to stay at the home station, put the KPA100 on the top
of the base K2.

In that configuration, if your desire is for easy switching between QRP
and QRO operation, put a small (5 to 6 amp) power supply into the base
K2 power jack and use a 20+ amp power supply for the KPA100. If you
turn off the power supply to the KPA100, the K2 will still be powered
and will revert to a 0.1 to 15 watt range. With power to the KPA100,
the power range will be 1 to 120 watts.

This action is automatic. If you use a battery or other source for the
base K2 that is not affected by a power outage, in the event of a power
failure, the KPA100 will no longer have power, but an ongoing QSO can
continue because the base K2 will still have power and you can still
operate even though the power level has been reduced.

Hint: if you include the KAT100 in your setup, power the KAT100 from the
same power source as the base K2. When line power drops, the KAT100
(which does not have latching relays) will continue to hold its settings
with the lower current power source..

73,
Don W3FPR

On 1/15/2013 10:16 PM, sidney sudberg wrote:

Millerhill

Re: K2/10 upgrade question

In reply to this post by sidney sudberg

I would agree with Don's most recent statement. My K2 is my shack rig and the KPA100 is built in and the rig sits on top of the KAT100. A fantastic combination to be sure. When I first built the KPA100 I ran the K2 with an outboard LDG auto tuner and there's simply no comparison. Sounds like you have your portable needs covered with the K1 (my choice for QRP) and KX3, so if you're like me and value space on your desktop, put the amp inside the K2.

Steve,
W1SFR

On Jan 15, 2013, at 10:16 PM, sidney sudberg wrote:

Tom McCulloch

Re: K2/10 upgrade question

In reply to this post by ed-ad7gr

To the group..

Do you need to use the KI02 to communicate with the amp if it is in the
separate EC2 enclosure? If so, do use lose use of the KI02 for
communicating with your PC?

(I bought a used amp in the EC2 a few years back and it's still in
mothballs because I don't have a working KI02)

Thanks
Tom wb2qdg

k2 #1103

On 1/15/2013 10:34 PM, EdKo wrote:

> Hello Sidney,
>
> I've had my K2 in both configurations. I started out with the amp
> built into my K2 and after a few years separated them and placed the
> amp and the antenna tuner into it's own enclosure. With the units
> separated I only need to disconnect a few things, grab and go to the
> field if I want to, leaving the amp/tuner on the desk. I only wish I
> had made this change sooner. If going to the field is not of
> interest to you then just keep it in the K2.
>
> 72,
> Ed - ad7gr
>
> www.edlinko.net
> jn3.16 | rev14.6-12
>
> On 1/15/2013 7:16 PM, sidney sudberg wrote:
>> [snip]
>> Is there any reason or advantage to upgrade with the amplifier &
>> radio in
>> one unit or in the EC2 with the KAT100-2? I suppose it is a matter
>> of how
>> it will be used but I guess I am looking for the experience of how
>> others
>> use either or both configurations & why.
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>

Don Wilhelm-4

Re: K2/10 upgrade question

Tom,

The answer is 'yes' or 'maybe'
You need a mechanism to carry the internal K2 signals needed by the
KPA100, and the KIO2 provides those. The KIO2 also provides 3 RS-232
signals that can communicate with a computer.

There are substitutes for the KIO2 that will provide the internal K2
signals to the KPA100, but do not provide the RS-232 capability.

The computer communication is not lost if you use the KIO2 - the cable
required is the same as the one diagrammed in the KAT100 manual. You
will not have computer communications capability from the AUX I/O
connecrtor on the external KPA100 - that is only available when the
KPA100 is mounted on the base K2. If you need computer connection to
the K2 when mounting the KPA100 externally, then the KIO2 is required.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 1/16/2013 8:08 PM, Tom McCulloch wrote:
> To the group..
>
> Do you need to use the KI02 to communicate with the amp if it is in
> the separate EC2 enclosure? If so, do use lose use of the KI02 for
> communicating with your PC?
>
> (I bought a used amp in the EC2 a few years back and it's still in
> mothballs because I don't have a working KI02)

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Jim Low man

Has anyone tried the Ten-Tec 418 amp with the K2/K3/KX3?

In reply to this post by Millerhill

Just curious if anyone has interfaced the Ten-Tec 418 amp with any of
the K-series QRP transceivers?
Since I have all of them, I thought a non-dedicated amp might be
versatile for those times that more power is required.

If so, what are you using for an ATU that will handle 100w?

Apologies if this question has already been answered, but these QTH.net
archives are not the easiest to search.

72/73 de Jim - AD6CW
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ny4g

Re: Has anyone tried the Ten-Tec 418 amp with the K2/K3/KX3?

I have been following reflector posts for a while now and I don't recall having seen any posts regarding interfacing with the TenTec 418. Since the Tentec 418 is sold out - I suspect some of those sales were to KX3 users. While waiting for the KXPA100 I have been using the Hardrock50 which puts out over 50 watts with 3 watts drive. Mostly though, I use the barefoot KX3.

Ariel NY4G

Sent from my iPad

On Jan 16, 2013, at 8:54 PM, "Jim Lowman" <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Just curious if anyone has interfaced the Ten-Tec 418 amp with any of the K-series QRP transceivers?
> Since I have all of them, I thought a non-dedicated amp might be versatile for those times that more power is required.
>
> If so, what are you using for an ATU that will handle 100w?
>
> Apologies if this question has already been answered, but these QTH.net archives are not the easiest to search.
>
> 72/73 AD6CW
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picmaster

Re: K2/10 upgrade question

In reply to this post by Don Wilhelm-4

Don,

You're absolutely right. The only limitation with such approach will be
that you can't use KAT2 as internal auto-tuner, and you'll have to bring
the KAT100 external tuner to the portable setup (adding more weight and
power consumption).

I'm in a similar cross-road with my K2. I finally decided for myself to
put a KAT2 into my K2, so I'll have a complete low-power station with
integrated tuner for portable operation. When K2 comes back on my desk,
I'll be able to connect it to the external power-amp and tuners (and
the internal tuner will have to be turned-off).

And finally - my understanding is that such decision definitely affects
the way K2 modules are mounted in the 2 enclosures, but there's nothing
that will prevent me to reorganize the modules if/when I change my
operating habits.

I adore my K2 for the fact that the system design is so open and does
not hide, but promotes knowledge about how the transceiver works. If I
want to change/repair something inside, it's done with a pleasure, not
fear that you'll bring it soon to the service center (try this with your
expensive Icom!).

Wish you a happy 2013!

73,
Nikolay LZ1NRD

> Sidney,
>
> If you are considering going portable with the K2/10, then putting the
> KPA100 and KAT100 in an EC2 enclosure is the way to go, you can
> disconnect two cables and take the K2/10 on whatever excursion you desire.
>
> But, if the K2 is to stay at the home station, put the KPA100 on the top
> of the base K2.
>
> In that configuration, if your desire is for easy switching between QRP
> and QRO operation, put a small (5 to 6 amp) power supply into the base
> K2 power jack and use a 20+ amp power supply for the KPA100. If you
> turn off the power supply to the KPA100, the K2 will still be powered
> and will revert to a 0.1 to 15 watt range. With power to the KPA100,
> the power range will be 1 to 120 watts.
>
> This action is automatic. If you use a battery or other source for the
> base K2 that is not affected by a power outage, in the event of a power
> failure, the KPA100 will no longer have power, but an ongoing QSO can
> continue because the base K2 will still have power and you can still
> operate even though the power level has been reduced.
>
> Hint: if you include the KAT100 in your setup, power the KAT100 from the
> same power source as the base K2. When line power drops, the KAT100
> (which does not have latching relays) will continue to hold its settings
> with the lower current power source..
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>

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