My K2 is unbelievable!

[Gary D Krause]

I had a blast on 20 meters last night.  The band was really bad and there were
very few weak signals.  I installed the SSB board a couple of nights ago and I
wanted to test it out on the air.  I called and called CQ most of the evening
but, no luck.  So, I went to the CW portion of the band and just happened to
hear Pedro in Mexico calling CQ.  We had a great chat and we were both running
5 watts QRP.  He is my first DX contact with the K2.  I went back to SSB but,
there wasn't much to listen too.  I tried calling again.  At eight o'clock I
gave up.

Thirty minutes later I tried again.  I called with no response.  Tuning
further up the band I came across Mike in Farmington, Maine booming in here
(Wyoming) with a 20 over nine signal.  I figured if anyone can hear me, he
could.  We had a great conversation.  He was running 1000 watts and a
tribander.  I told him that I was running 10 watts with a quarter wave
vertical.  He couldn't believe it.  Anyway, he was my first contact with SSB
and I am pretty excited to know that it works great even in crummy conditions!

I just had to tell someone.  This rig is fantastic!

Thanks,
Gary, N7HTS

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[Gary D Krause]

Hi Greg,

It think there is a lot to that.  I use to tell my art students that creating
a painting or drawing entailed the aritst putting part of himself or herself
into it.  I think the K2 mojo is the same thing.  I guess that means I could
never sell it, not that I want to, becuause, it just won't work for anyone
else. :-)  By the way, mine is #6113.

Gary, N7HTS


On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 11:16:20 -0400
  "Greg Derda" <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Gary - Like somebody told me last month, when I made my first QRP contacts
> on K2 #6100, it's "K2 Mojo"!  I plan on seeing what I can do on SSB with a
> Pac-12 portable antenna this weekend ;-).
>
> 73,
> Greg
> KI4MMM
>
> On 6/15/07, Gary D Krause <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> I had a blast on 20 meters last night.  The band was really bad and there
>> were
>> very few weak signals.  I installed the SSB board a couple of nights ago
>> and I
>> wanted to test it out on the air.  I called and called CQ most of the
>> evening
>> but, no luck.  So, I went to the CW portion of the band and just happened
>> to
>> hear Pedro in Mexico calling CQ.  We had a great chat and we were both
>> running
>> 5 watts QRP.  He is my first DX contact with the K2.  I went back to SSB
>> but,
>> there wasn't much to listen too.  I tried calling again.  At eight o'clock
>> I
>> gave up.
>>
>> Thirty minutes later I tried again.  I called with no response.  Tuning
>> further up the band I came across Mike in Farmington, Maine booming in
>> here
>> (Wyoming) with a 20 over nine signal.  I figured if anyone can hear me, he
>> could.  We had a great conversation.  He was running 1000 watts and a
>> tribander.  I told him that I was running 10 watts with a quarter wave
>> vertical.  He couldn't believe it.  Anyway, he was my first contact with
>> SSB
>> and I am pretty excited to know that it works great even in crummy
>> conditions!
>>
>> I just had to tell someone.  This rig is fantastic!
>>
>> Thanks,
>> Gary, N7HTS
>>
>> _______________________________________________
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[Curt Milton]

Gary

very FB.  sometimes the missing 10-13 dB (2-3 S-units)
is not so big a loss on a clear freq, on bands where
you can get above the QRN.  

when you have the itch for some SSB activity see who
is strong on 20m, and look for sporadic E on 10
meters.  

it is not so hard to wire this rig up for PSK31 - see
the app note on the elecraft site.  and its too good
of a CW rig not to use it on this mode.  

i may take my recently completed 100w addition to the
K2 for a spin this weekend in the WV contest.  i
enjoyed this rig for several years without the extra
8-10 dB, so do appreciate your rig as is.  

73, curt


--- Gary D Krause <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I had a blast on 20 meters last night.  The band was
> really bad and there were
> very few weak signals.  I installed the SSB board a
> couple of nights ago and I
> wanted to test it out on the air.  I called and
> called CQ most of the evening
> but, no luck.  So, I went to the CW portion of the
> band and just happened to
> hear Pedro in Mexico calling CQ.  We had a great
> chat and we were both running
> 5 watts QRP.  He is my first DX contact with the K2.
>  I went back to SSB but,
> there wasn't much to listen too.  I tried calling
> again.  At eight o'clock I
> gave up.
>
> Thirty minutes later I tried again.  I called with
> no response.  Tuning
> further up the band I came across Mike in
> Farmington, Maine booming in here
> (Wyoming) with a 20 over nine signal.  I figured if
> anyone can hear me, he
> could.  We had a great conversation.  He was running
> 1000 watts and a
> tribander.  I told him that I was running 10 watts
> with a quarter wave
> vertical.  He couldn't believe it.  Anyway, he was
> my first contact with SSB
> and I am pretty excited to know that it works great
> even in crummy conditions!
>
> I just had to tell someone.  This rig is fantastic!
>
> Thanks,
> Gary, N7HTS
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Post to: [hidden email]
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
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> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>

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[Gary D Krause]

Oh come on Kent! :-) You are missing the point.  I know it's mostly about
propagation but, when you build a rig yourself and it performs better than
your expectations, it's hard not to react like a novice (which I am not) with
your first contact.  You may look at it as just progagation, a bunch of
diodes, capacitors, resistors, etc., but, there is a lot more to it than just
that.  For me, ham radio is about making new friends, talking with people in
far away places, imagining what it's like where they are, what they look like,
spending time in the glow of the radio on a dark winter night.  It's about
sending and receiving QSL cards, building antennas, sharing ideas and learning
about different cultures and people.  It's about connecting with someone that
you have never met and probably never will.  Yep, for me there is a lot more
to ham radio than just technical stuff.

Gary, N7HTS




On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:03:19 -0500
  K9ZTV <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Gary . . .
>
> The rig is indeed fantastic, but RF is RF regardless of what brand produces
>it.
>
> Chalk up your Maine QSO to propagation.  Any other 10 watt rig and a
>vertical would have sounded just the same to him.
>
> What sets the K2 apart from other rigs are the dynamics of the receiver
>during contest conditions.
>
> Since his signal was "booming in with a 20 over nine signal," with no
>crowded band, the K2's close-in advantage contributed nothing.  Any other rig
>would have heard him just as well.
>
> I'm not writing in order to "rain on your parade," but to temper your
>knowledge of what contributes to successful QSOs.  In a contest, the K2
>shines by itself.  In other situations, it shines equally with most other
>modern rigs.
>
> My opinion only . . .
>
> 73,
>
> Kent  K9ZTV
>
>
>
>

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[Julian, G4ILO]

On 6/15/07, Gary D Krause <[hidden email]> wrote:
> Oh come on Kent! :-) You are missing the point.

[snip]

> Yep, for me there is a lot more
> to ham radio than just technical stuff.

I have always felt that my K2 has punched above its weight as a QRP
radio. No rational explanation for it.

The K3 will have a lot to live up to. (And yes, I can't see myself
selling my K2, even though I really don't have a use for two radios.
Three actually, as I have an FT-817 as well.)
--
Julian, G4ILO
G4ILO's Shack: www.g4ilo.com
K2 s/n: 392  K3 s/n: ???
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[Vic K2VCO]

Julian G4ILO wrote:

> (And yes, I can't see myself
> selling my K2, even though I really don't have a use for two radios.

When I get the K3, I am planning to put the QRP lid back on my K2 and
use it for field operations. After all the building, modifying, and
experimenting that I've done on mine it's really an old friend. I can't
imagine parting with it.
--
73,
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco
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[Gary D Krause]

Hi Brian,

I totally agree.  I enjoy soldering and trouble shooting also.  I was just
trying to convey to Kent, that for me, it's more than that.  I certainly
wasn't trying to say that it should be that way for everyone.

I probably should have changed the subject of my post to something like, "This
thing is friggin amazing", to borrow your term, instead of what I used.  I
certainly wasn't trying to imply that my K2 is better than anyone else's.

Anyway, I'm excited about the K2 as I'm sure everyone else is.  That's a good
thing, no?

Gary, N7HTS


On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 13:45:48 -0700
  Brian Lloyd <[hidden email]> wrote:

>
> On Jun 15, 2007, at 11:51 AM, Gary D Krause wrote:
>
>> Oh come on Kent! :-) You are missing the point.  I know it's mostly  
>> about propagation but, when you build a rig yourself and it  
>> performs better than your expectations, it's hard not to react like  
>> a novice (which I am not) with your first contact.  You may look at  
>> it as just progagation, a bunch of diodes, capacitors, resistors,  
>> etc., but, there is a lot more to it than just that.
>
> Yes, but it is also about propagation and components. That doesn't  detract
>at all though. There is something very satisfying about  putting a radio
>together, debugging it, aligning it, and putting it  on the air.
>
> And you know what? We forget just what a marvel radio is. I still get
> excited about the ability to send data, audio, and video long  distances
>without wires. It is just friggin' amazing!
>
>> ...Yep, for me there is a lot more to ham radio than just technical  
>> stuff.
>
> But for some of us it is the science and technology that just tickles  us no
>end. Isn't it great that ham radio lets us do all this!
>
> Brian Lloyd                         3191 Western Drive
> brianl AT lloyd DOT com             Cameron Park, CA 95682
> +1.916.367.2131 (voice)             +1.270.912.0788 (fax)
>
> There is a time to laud one's country and a time to protest.  A good
> citizen is prepared to do either as the need arises.
>
> PGP key ID:          12095C52A32A1B6C
> PGP key fingerprint: 3B1D BA11 4913 3254 B6E0  CC09 1209 5C52 A32A 1B6C
>
>
>

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[k6dgw]

Vic K2VCO wrote:

> When I get the K3, I am planning to put the QRP lid back on my K2 and
> use it for field operations. After all the building, modifying, and
> experimenting that I've done on mine it's really an old friend. I can't
> imagine parting with it.

My plans exactly.

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the 2007 CQP Oct 6-7
- www.cqp.org

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[Brian Lloyd-6]

On Jun 15, 2007, at 11:51 AM, Gary D Krause wrote:

> Oh come on Kent! :-) You are missing the point.  I know it's mostly  
> about propagation but, when you build a rig yourself and it  
> performs better than your expectations, it's hard not to react like  
> a novice (which I am not) with your first contact.  You may look at  
> it as just progagation, a bunch of diodes, capacitors, resistors,  
> etc., but, there is a lot more to it than just that.

Yes, but it is also about propagation and components. That doesn't  
detract at all though. There is something very satisfying about  
putting a radio together, debugging it, aligning it, and putting it  
on the air. (It also makes you *really* appreciate what went into  
designing it, no?)

And you know what? We forget just what a marvel radio is. I still get  
excited about the ability to send data, audio, and video long  
distances without wires. It is just friggin' amazing!

> ...Yep, for me there is a lot more to ham radio than just technical  
> stuff.

But for some of us it is the science and technology that just tickles  
us no end. Isn't it great that ham radio lets us do all this!

Brian Lloyd                         3191 Western Drive
brianl AT lloyd DOT com             Cameron Park, CA 95682
+1.916.367.2131 (voice)             +1.270.912.0788 (fax)

There is a time to laud one's country and a time to protest.  A good  
citizen is prepared to do either as the need arises.

PGP key ID:          12095C52A32A1B6C
PGP key fingerprint: 3B1D BA11 4913 3254 B6E0  CC09 1209 5C52 A32A 1B6C





73 de Brian, WB6RQN
Brian Lloyd - brian HYPHEN wb6rqn AT lloyd DOT com


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[WA2SI]

> On Fri, 15 Jun 2007 12:03:19 -0500
>  K9ZTV <[hidden email]> wrote:
>> The rig is indeed fantastic, but RF is RF regardless of what brand
>> produces

I beg to differ. While "technically" correct from a scientific standpoint,
what brand produces the RF from your rig could potentially make the
difference wrt someone's job remaining in the U.S.A. Part of the
satisfaction (A very subjective subject in and of itself.) for me in running
Elecraft and Ten-Tec gear is the fact that it is substantially domestic.
"Substantially" because you will, of course, find foreign produced
components within them, however, I know the bulk of my $$$ went to someone's
salary (R&D, assembly, shipping dept., facility janitorial svcs., etc.)
right here in CA or TN as opposed to someone in Tokyo, Osaka or Kyoto. The
same applies to my keys, paddles, antennas, accessories and power supples.

After having worked in the IT world for the past 16 years, I have grown
tired of watching company executives (Usually CPA's.) outsource entire IT
sub-departments duties offshore and pat themselves on the back for "cutting
the bottom-line" while losing sight of the bigger picture and not realizing
that the jobs they eliminate equate directly into real folks' dinner tables.
I've been made fun of for buying an American car as opposed to a 300k mi.
wonder-import but I really do believe that the whole (effect) can be far
greater than the sum of its parts. (each of us) Some folks say that that car
or rig won't make a difference. I stand here as a witness that large
corporations literally bank on us believing just that.

Wayne and Eric, sorry for the slightly off-topic rant. As noted by other
posters, AR's not always about RF. My money proudly goes to the folks in
Aptos, CA and Sevierville, TN!

Take care all es...

Vy 73 de Bert
WA2SI

P.S.    Happy Father's Day! :-)

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