Fellow Elecrafters:
I need help with this one. During the entire construction process everything went fine until the very last step; I wired up the internal speaker, powered on and the audio sounded horrible. Very raspy with cw signals having a hollow, high pitched ring to them. 1. Headphones sound fine. 2. External speaker sounds good. 3. Loosening or tightening the speaker screws changes the sound but still distorted. I contacted Gary. He suggested checking speaker installation and external speaker jack wiring. All okay there. I removed the K2 speaker and replaced it with the internal speaker from my K1. It sounds good. So I let Gary know and Scott mailed me a replacement speaker. I wire it up and it sounds the same as the first one. What's going on here? For the last several days I've been checking and rechecking. Everything looks okay. Headphones and external speaker okay. At present I have the K1 speaker back in and it's okay. The K1 is 8 ohm, .5 watt and the external speaker is also 8 ohm. Can this mean something? It does not seem possible to get two bad speakers. Suggestions will be appreciated. Joe K4NVJ K1#764 K2#4155 _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
> I need help with this one. During the entire construction
> process everything went fine until the very last step; I > wired up the internal speaker, powered on and the audio > sounded horrible. Very raspy with cw signals having a hollow, > high pitched ring to them. .. The magnet is very heavy in the K2 speaker, and the frame often gets distorted (bent) as a result. I had terrible audio and had to straighten the speakers in two of my radios. It's easy to do, no tools required. Now they sound great! Lyle KK7P _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
> The magnet is very heavy in the K2 speaker, and the frame
> often gets distorted (bent) as a result. Let me clarify. The speaker frame can get distorted in shipping while not installed in the radio. I've never had a repeat problem after correcting the initial distortion. Lyle KK7P _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
In reply to this post by Joe Ford
Let me clarify. The speaker frame can get distorted in shipping while not installed in the radio. I've never had a repeat problem after correcting the initial distortion. To check for a twisted speaker, carefully move the cone in and out by hand. Just push straight down on it gently, and then let go. The cone should move perceptibly, but the voice coil should not rub. K3UJ _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
I had a bent speaker frame on K2 S/N 1289 when I built it several years ago.
The problem showed up very clearly as a "fuzzy" addition to what should be a clear audio tone. This is caused by the voice coil touching the magnet. Several of us discovered them at that time. Elecraft immediately replaced any upon request. I fixed mine instead. I did it as follows: I tuned in a station like WWV that produced a clear beat note in the speaker (or should have). The sidetone might work too, but the early K2's, at least, do not have a clean sine wave sidetone and so it's harder to hear the "fuzz" on it. Using a wide blade screwdriver, I placed it between the frame and the edge of the magnet, and twisted it just enough to move the edge of the magnet slightly while listening to the tone. If no change, I released the pressure and moved on to a new spot. At one point moving the magnet caused the tone to clear up. Twisting the screwdriver a little harder put a permanent bend in the frame to hold the voice coil in the clear. Just try it in small steps, twisting a little farther each try until the tone stays clear when you let go. Don't press hard on the screwdriver. You don't want it to slip through the gaps in the frame and punch a hole in the cone! I fixed mine several years ago and I've not had any trouble since. I suspect that it takes a huge "whack" to make the magnet bend the frame even though it is a fairly heavy magnet and a simple stamped metal frame. It was probably bigger "whack" than the kit would experience being shipped, but it could have happened at any time before Elecraft got the speakers, or they could even be something not being caught at the factory. If I recall correctly, the speaker in my K2 came from China. Ron AC7AC -----Original Message----- To check for a twisted speaker, carefully move the cone in and out by hand. Just push straight down on it gently, and then let go. The cone should move perceptibly, but the voice coil should not rub. K3UJ _ _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
Just a sidebar.
I work in the service department for a company that sells professional photographic equipment. We often deal with FedEX and UPS with claims for damage that occurs during shipping. The FedEX guy was telling me how carefully stuff has to be packed, because when a package hits the bumper stop at the end of one of those sorting conveyors, it can be exposed to as much as 11 G's !!! Lots of inertia there! It seems to be a minor miracle that stuff comes undamaged at all, anymore. 73 de Larry W2LJ - Vivat Morse! © ® [hidden email] http://www.qsl.net/w2lj ARRL Lifemember QRP ARCI #4488 NJQRP #47 FISTS #1469 QRP-L #778 FP #612 QRPp-I #759 ARS #1528, AmQRP, CQC #746 K1 #1647 - K2 #4090 for QRP Icom IC-751A for QRO Butternut HF9V and G5RV antennas Ron wrote: I suspect that it takes a huge "whack" to make the magnet bend the frame even though it is a fairly heavy magnet and a simple stamped metal frame. It was probably bigger "whack" than the kit would experience being shipped, but it could have happened at any time before Elecraft got the speakers, or they could even be something not being caught at the factory. If I recall correctly, the speaker in my K2 came from China. Ron AC7AC _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
In reply to this post by Ron D'Eau Claire-2
Hello all: I've just purchased a used K2, #3269. I find that the audio output to the internal speaker, while clear has limited volume, especially when I want to use the rig with full AF gain, turn off the AGC and manually adjust the RF gain control. Is this situation unique to my rig, or have other people also noticed this? If so, is anyone aware of a mod to increase the AF output level? Thanks, Paul Rubin N8NOV Houston, Texas _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
I also received a built K2 recently. Love the radio accept the speaker audio is very raspy and distorted even at low volumes. I'll check my speaker as well. I know that the ATU became unplugged when it was shipping. That would have to be a pretty hard hit for that to happen.
73's Demian (KA2ZEY) |
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