K2 - How good on SSB?

[Fred (FL)]

Thinking about building my 2nd K2.  First # 54xx,
was a very sucessful build.

Does anyone have thoughts on how well the K2,
operates, by itself, as a SSB HF rig?  It would
seem 15W is kind of pushing it for a suitable
signal - but just wondered if any successful
K2 SSB ops are around.

And I've always had this belief that 15W is not
enough to drive many or any amps?

Thanks,
Fred, N3CSY


 
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[Curt Milton]

Very interesting question.  When sunspots were good, i never hesitated even on 20m (unless there was a huge pile-up) to speak into the mic of my QRP K2.  It rewarded me with lots of QSOs (using a vertical antenna).    

Recently I decided to check out its IF filtering across busy bands in the ARRL DX SSB contest.  The narrower settings on the main board filter did do a good job of reducing QRM, as it improved with each toggle from 2 to 1.8 to 1.6 settings.  

Things I don't know are:

(1) How well the K2 shape factors of the main board filter compare to typical 1.8 kHz accessory filters in higher end rigs.  Note these typically have a wide ~ 2.4 kHz or wider stock filter and a single selectable narrow filter.  

(2) How well the K2 speech processor works in comparison to other rigs.  

I have no reason to discern any limitations for these - i just don't have any information other than casual use.  

At one time I thought that not having passband tuning (IF shift) was a 'big limitation.'  But now I realize its only a big factor on SSB when your filters is wider than needed (as is on many lower end HF rigs).  Some folk have set their SSB filter up to be a quasi-IF shift by having one oriented down and one oriented up on say a 1.8 kHz BW -- but I can't say this is the best use of the 4 available settings.  

(Gee - I know the enterprise would appreciate you buying a second K2, but you can only do one mode at once.  No reason why your existing K2 can't be a CW QRP machine, a SSB machine, and by flipping the lid also a 100w multimode rig. )

73, curt


----- Original Message ----
From: Fred (FL) <[hidden email]>
To: [hidden email]
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 11:35:05 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] K2 - How good on SSB?


Thinking about building my 2nd K2.  First # 54xx,
was a very sucessful build.

Does anyone have thoughts on how well the K2,
operates, by itself, as a SSB HF rig?  It would
seem 15W is kind of pushing it for a suitable
signal - but just wondered if any successful
K2 SSB ops are around.

And I've always had this belief that 15W is not
enough to drive many or any amps?

Thanks,
Fred, N3CSY



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[Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy-2]

Ran my K2 barefoot on SSB and CW for about a year before getting around to
building the KPA100 amplifier, was having too much fun jousting with the big
boys over 'Outside of Europe' DX on 40m. K2 earned its keep on SSB and the
old story is true, it's the antenna's performance that counts.

73,
Geoff
GM4ESD


Fred N3CSY wrote:

> Thinking about building my 2nd K2.  First # 54xx,
> was a very sucessful build.
>
> Does anyone have thoughts on how well the K2,
> operates, by itself, as a SSB HF rig?  It would
> seem 15W is kind of pushing it for a suitable
> signal - but just wondered if any successful
> K2 SSB ops are around.
>
> And I've always had this belief that 15W is not
> enough to drive many or any amps?
>
> Thanks,
> Fred, N3CSY

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[n6wg]

Hi Fred
I run my K2 at 5w all the time as a QRP station.
I enter many of the major contests and have a
great time.
You do need to be a bit thick-skinned, though, as
you will often be walked on by higher power stations
that just don't hear you.  Or they call the station you
are calling at the same time, and just outshout your
signal.  But a little persistence pays off and you can
get your QSO eventually.
Like most everything else we do in radio, the antenna
will have a bigger effect on your success than the rig.
If you have a decent antenna, you can have a ball.
Good luck and 73
Bob N6WG

----- Original Message -----
From: "Fred (FL)" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 7:35 AM
Subject: [Elecraft] K2 - How good on SSB?

> Thinking about building my 2nd K2.  First # 54xx,
> was a very sucessful build.
>
> Does anyone have thoughts on how well the K2,
> operates, by itself, as a SSB HF rig?  It would
> seem 15W is kind of pushing it for a suitable
> signal - but just wondered if any successful
> K2 SSB ops are around.
>
> And I've always had this belief that 15W is not
> enough to drive many or any amps?
>
> Thanks,
> Fred, N3CSY
>
>
>
>

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[Darwin, Keith]

Then there's my experience.  I ran the barefoot K2 in one of the big SSB
contests this past fall (Nov SS?).  I got buried.  In the CW contest, I
easily worked 50 people.  With the same effort in SSB, I worked maybe 15
and several of them were really struggling to copy.  That was on 40
meters with a 32' vertical.

I put in the KPA100 and things are easier now.

- Keith N1AS -
- K2 5411.ssb.100 -

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Geoffrey
Mackenzie-Kennedy
Sent: Friday, March 16, 2007 12:53 PM
To: Fred (FL)
Cc: Elecraft Discussion List
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K2 - How good on SSB?

Ran my K2 barefoot on SSB and CW for about a year before getting around
to building the KPA100 amplifier, was having too much fun jousting with
the big boys over 'Outside of Europe' DX on 40m. K2 earned its keep on
SSB and the old story is true, it's the antenna's performance that
counts.

73,
Geoff
GM4ESD


Fred N3CSY wrote:


> Thinking about building my 2nd K2.  First # 54xx, was a very sucessful

> build.
>
> Does anyone have thoughts on how well the K2, operates, by itself, as
> a SSB HF rig?  It would seem 15W is kind of pushing it for a suitable
> signal - but just wondered if any successful
> K2 SSB ops are around.
>
> And I've always had this belief that 15W is not enough to drive many
> or any amps?
>
> Thanks,
> Fred, N3CSY

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[Bekir Kemal Ataman]

I have made more than 1000 QSOs (85 DXCCs so far) using QRP K2 and have
always got excellent reports, using a simple inverted vee dipole antenna
ONLY.

It is true I have missed a few DXCC entities like Aghanistan, Korea,
Jibouti and South Africa because I could not get over the pileup of big
guns, but these are about all that I have missed. If you are patient
enough, you eventually get through. So I never bothered to use a PA.

73!
de TA2RX

>Thinking about building my 2nd K2.  First # 54xx,
>was a very sucessful build.
>
>Does anyone have thoughts on how well the K2,
>operates, by itself, as a SSB HF rig?  It would
>seem 15W is kind of pushing it for a suitable
>signal - but just wondered if any successful
>K2 SSB ops are around.
>
>And I've always had this belief that 15W is not
>enough to drive many or any amps?
>
>Thanks,
>Fred, N3CSY

Bekir Kemal Ataman, Ph. D.
Assoc. Prof. of Archives, Records
   and Information Management
Marmara University, Faculty of Engineering
Department of Industrial Engineering
Goztepe, Istanbul, Turkiye
Tel: [phone] Ext. 225

ArchiMac BBS Sysop & Webmaster
http://www.archimac.org/


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[Marteinn Sverrisson]

SSB ... No problem..

I got my K2 in the middle of 2001, KPA100 in late 2002,
now mostly use SSB and 100W, (after mars 2005 sometimes 1kW)
Antennas dipole, vertical

Results:
QSO's: 6181 From {17 Feb 2001} to {11 Mar 2007}
Countries: 219, SSB: 208, CW: 123

Now I use the 2.4kHz SSB filter,

No problem using qrp, 15w during the first years, specially on the high
bands. Now as we are in the bottom of the sunspot cycle,
I have to use the kW linear, specially on 40 and 80

73, Matti
--
   Marteinn Sverrisson    TF3MA
          Langitangi 2    Internet: tf3ma [at] raunvis [dot] hi [dot] is
        270 Mosfellsbær   http://www.raunvis.hi.is/~tf3ma
               Iceland
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