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Q: Building the K2

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Jean-Francois Joly

Q: Building the K2

Hi all,

I will be passing my morse code exam soon and I was looking for the best
radio to start with for CW. Up to now I'm pretty sure I will go with the K2.

I just wanted to know if any special tools are required to complete the kit?
I'm aware of what they say in the advertisement... But still, once I
bought an OHR100 kit, claiming that no special tools were required, but at
the end of the alignement stage, they *assumed* you already had another
transceiver as your main rig to tune the OHR. Is this the case with the K2?

Thanks,
Jean-Francois
VA2JFJ
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Don Wilhelm-3

RE: Q: Building the K2

Jean-Francois,

Yes there is one 'tool' that is assumed for the alignment steps, and that is
a dummy load. Every hamshack should have one. If you don't have one
already, I suggest the Elecraft DL1.

Other than that, a temperature controlled soldering iron, small cutters
(flush preferred), long nose pliers, #1 Phillips screwdriver, small
flat-blade screwdriver, and a DMM will get the job done. You may also want
some type of magnifying device to read the small markings on the capacitors,
and soldering inspection. De-soldering devices are handy if you get
something in the wrong place, but are not necessary for the K2 build if you
make no mistakes. Use small diameter solder to control the amount applied
easily - I recommend .020 inch diameter.

With the K2, as with any kit, take your time and understand the instructions
(and follow them), and you will get the job done. The K2 has a lot of
parts, but IMHO, it is the easiest kit of all the Elecraft transceivers - it
goes together one part at a time.

73,
Don W3FPR

> -----Original Message-----
>
> I will be passing my morse code exam soon and I was looking for the best
> radio to start with for CW. Up to now I'm pretty sure I will go
> with the K2.
>
>
> I just wanted to know if any special tools are required to
> complete the kit?
> I'm aware of what they say in the advertisement... But still, once I
> bought an OHR100 kit, claiming that no special tools were required, but at
> the end of the alignement stage, they *assumed* you already had another
> transceiver as your main rig to tune the OHR. Is this the case
> with the K2?
>
> Thanks,
> Jean-Francois
> VA2JFJ
>

Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy-2

Re: Q: Building the K2

Don W3FPR wrote:

> Yes there is one 'tool' that is assumed for the alignment steps, and that
> is
> a dummy load. Every hamshack should have one. If you don't have one
> already, I suggest the Elecraft DL1.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Also very useful when the rig is up and running. I'm not certain about the
K2's antenna tuner, but the KAT100 has two antenna coax connectors and I
keep a dummy load connected at all times to the 'Antenna 2' connector. By
switching to ANT 2 the K2/100 can be checked quickly at full power without
causing annoying QRM, although leakage across the KAT100's relay does allow
a milliwatt or so to get to the antenna feeder connected to the 'Antenna 1'
connector.

73,
Geoff
GM4ESD

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Tom McCulloch

Re: Q: Building the K2

In reply to this post by Jean-Francois Joly

Hi Jean-Francois,

Congratulations on your upcoming passing of the CW exam. Also, I think you've made a great choice in going with the K2, its a great rig.

I don't think that you need too many tools out of the ordinary to build the K2, but it is certainly is a great opportunity (or excuse) to buy a bunch of neat stuff.

Among the tools I bought, using the K2 as a reason (or excuse) were:

a Panvise with the Printed Circuit board holder attachment
a de-solder iron (got lots of use from that)
a magnifier/flourescent lamp
a temperature controlled soldering station (with lots of different tips)
Silver bearing solder (before they said not to use it)
Kesters multi-core solder (after they said not to use the silver stuff)
a solder pot and a bar of solder (which I used before placing my order with toroid guy!)

Of course after you finish the basic K2, they temp you with all sorts of things you just have to have, like dsp filter, ssb, et al.

All in all building the K2 was a lot of fun and a very satisfying experience. Have a lot of fun building it and don't forget to post your questions here, these guys have seen it all and they are a great help.

73 de
Tom
WB2QDG

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Jean-Francois Joly" <[hidden email]>

> Hi all,
>
> I will be passing my morse code exam soon and I was looking for the best
> radio to start with for CW. Up to now I'm pretty sure I will go with the K2.
>
>
> I just wanted to know if any special tools are required to complete the kit?
> I'm aware of what they say in the advertisement... But still, once I
> bought an OHR100 kit, claiming that no special tools were required, but at
> the end of the alignement stage, they *assumed* you already had another
> transceiver as your main rig to tune the OHR. Is this the case with the K2?
>
> Thanks,
> Jean-Francois
> VA2JFJ
> _______________________________________________
> 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

Tom McCulloch

Re: Q: Building the K2

In reply to this post by Jean-Francois Joly

Hi Geoff,
Yes the basic K2 with the ATU also has 2 antenna jacks. I also put a dummy load on 'Ant 2', I can't tell you how many times I tried to auto tune into an empty 'Ant 2', before I finally caught on.
Tom
WB2QDG
K2 1103

>
> Also very useful when the rig is up and running. I'm not certain about the
> K2's antenna tuner, but the KAT100 has two antenna coax connectors and I
> keep a dummy load connected at all times to the 'Antenna 2' connector. By
> switching to ANT 2 the K2/100 can be checked quickly at full power without
> causing annoying QRM, although leakage across the KAT100's relay does allow
> a milliwatt or so to get to the antenna feeder connected to the 'Antenna 1'
> connector.
>
> 73,
> Geoff
> GM4ESD
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Post to: [hidden email]
> You must be a subscriber to post to the list.
> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
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Solosko, Robert B (Bob)-2

RE: Q: Building the K2

In reply to this post by Jean-Francois Joly

Jean-Francois,

Of course, you don't need most of these neat things - I have a Panvise (an old one) and found it not very useful because it wouldn't hold the board once the components very close to the edge were put in. For de-soldering, I've been using de-soldering wick, which looks like a roll of very fine copper braid and sucks up an amazing amount of solder... best of all, a roll costs only a dollar or two from your local RadioShack or equivalent. A temperature controlled iron is a must, but you really need only one tip - I bought several, in several different sizes and temperatures, and after building the K2 and most of the options that would fit into it (plus some other add-ons), I'm still using the first soldering tip I started with.

One tool that hasn't been mentioned but is cheap and very useful is a surgical hemostat - this looks like a cross between a small scissor and a locking pliers, and it serves as a small needle nose pliers that also locks. RadioShack and other electronics suppliers are now selling these for a few dollars for building electronic stuff.

Bob W1SRB

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]]On Behalf Of [hidden email]
Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 3:18 PM
To: Jean-Francois Joly; [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Q: Building the K2

Hi Jean-Francois,

Congratulations on your upcoming passing of the CW exam. Also, I think you've made a great choice in going with the K2, its a great rig.

I don't think that you need too many tools out of the ordinary to build the K2, but it is certainly is a great opportunity (or excuse) to buy a bunch of neat stuff.

Among the tools I bought, using the K2 as a reason (or excuse) were:

a Panvise with the Printed Circuit board holder attachment
a de-solder iron (got lots of use from that)
a magnifier/flourescent lamp
a temperature controlled soldering station (with lots of different tips)
Silver bearing solder (before they said not to use it)
Kesters multi-core solder (after they said not to use the silver stuff)
a solder pot and a bar of solder (which I used before placing my order with toroid guy!)

Of course after you finish the basic K2, they temp you with all sorts of things you just have to have, like dsp filter, ssb, et al.

All in all building the K2 was a lot of fun and a very satisfying experience. Have a lot of fun building it and don't forget to post your questions here, these guys have seen it all and they are a great help.

73 de
Tom
WB2QDG

-------------- Original message ----------------------
From: "Jean-Francois Joly" <[hidden email]>

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Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy-2

Re: Q: Building the K2

In reply to this post by Tom McCulloch

Tom WB2QDG wrote:

> Yes the basic K2 with the ATU also has 2 antenna jacks. I also put a
> dummy load on 'Ant 2', I can't tell you how many times I tried to auto
> tune into an empty 'Ant 2', before I finally caught > on.

-----------------------------------------------------------

Hi Tom,

I did not want to make that confession :)

73,
Geoff
GM4ESD

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Jean-Francois Joly

Re: Q: Building the K2

In reply to this post by Solosko, Robert B (Bob)-2

Thank you all for your responses... You people are much helpful.

Jean-Francois VA2JFJ

On 6/21/06, Solosko, Robert B (Bob) <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Jean-Francois,
>
> Of course, you don't need most of these neat things - I have a Panvise (an old one) and found it not very useful because it wouldn't hold the board once the components very close to the edge were put in. For de-soldering, I've been using de-soldering wick, which looks like a roll of very fine copper braid and sucks up an amazing amount of solder... best of all, a roll costs only a dollar or two from your local RadioShack or equivalent. A temperature controlled iron is a must, but you really need only one tip - I bought several, in several different sizes and temperatures, and after building the K2 and most of the options that would fit into it (plus some other add-ons), I'm still using the first soldering tip I started with.
>
> One tool that hasn't been mentioned but is cheap and very useful is a surgical hemostat - this looks like a cross between a small scissor and a locking pliers, and it serves as a small needle nose pliers that also locks. RadioShack and other electronics suppliers are now selling these for a few dollars for building electronic stuff.
>
> Bob W1SRB
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: [hidden email]
> [mailto:[hidden email]]On Behalf Of [hidden email]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 21, 2006 3:18 PM
> To: Jean-Francois Joly; [hidden email]
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Q: Building the K2
>
>
> Hi Jean-Francois,
>
> Congratulations on your upcoming passing of the CW exam. Also, I think you've made a great choice in going with the K2, its a great rig.
>
> I don't think that you need too many tools out of the ordinary to build the K2, but it is certainly is a great opportunity (or excuse) to buy a bunch of neat stuff.
>
> Among the tools I bought, using the K2 as a reason (or excuse) were:
>
> a Panvise with the Printed Circuit board holder attachment
> a de-solder iron (got lots of use from that)
> a magnifier/flourescent lamp
> a temperature controlled soldering station (with lots of different tips)
> Silver bearing solder (before they said not to use it)
> Kesters multi-core solder (after they said not to use the silver stuff)
> a solder pot and a bar of solder (which I used before placing my order with toroid guy!)
>
>
> Of course after you finish the basic K2, they temp you with all sorts of things you just have to have, like dsp filter, ssb, et al.
>
>
> All in all building the K2 was a lot of fun and a very satisfying experience. Have a lot of fun building it and don't forget to post your questions here, these guys have seen it all and they are a great help.
>
> 73 de
> Tom
> WB2QDG
>
>
>
> -------------- Original message ----------------------
> From: "Jean-Francois Joly" <[hidden email]>
> > Hi all,
> >
> > I will be passing my morse code exam soon and I was looking for the best
> > radio to start with for CW. Up to now I'm pretty sure I will go with the K2.
> >
> >
> > I just wanted to know if any special tools are required to complete the kit?
> > I'm aware of what they say in the advertisement... But still, once I
> > bought an OHR100 kit, claiming that no special tools were required, but at
> > the end of the alignement stage, they *assumed* you already had another
> > transceiver as your main rig to tune the OHR. Is this the case with the K2?
> >
> > Thanks,
> > Jean-Francois
> > VA2JFJ
> > _______________________________________________
> > 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
>
>
> _______________________________________________
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> Post to: [hidden email]
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>

Nick Waterman

Re: Q: Building the K2

In reply to this post by Tom McCulloch

[hidden email] wrote:
> Hi Geoff, Yes the basic K2 with the ATU also has 2 antenna jacks. I
> also put a dummy load on 'Ant 2', I can't tell you how many times I
> tried to auto tune into an empty 'Ant 2', before I finally caught on.

I have the dummy load in ANT1 of my KPA100, and the real ant in ANT2. I
have this crazy idea that ANT1 is selected when powered down, so I have
just a teeny tiny bit more lightning protection with the real ant
disconnected, even if it's only a fraction of a mm gap in a relay.

--
"Nosey" Nick Waterman, G7RZQ, K2 #5209.
use Std::Disclaimer; [hidden email]
I'm a forgotten man in his (Bobby Robson's) mind.
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k6dgw

Re: Q: Building the K2

Nick Waterman wrote:

> I have the dummy load in ANT1 of my KPA100, and the real ant in
> ANT2. I have this crazy idea that ANT1 is selected when powered
> down, so I have just a teeny tiny bit more lightning protection
> with the real ant disconnected, even if it's only a fraction of
> a mm gap in a relay.

Sorry Nick, "Teeny" and "lightning" in the same sentence is oxymoronic.

For small static charges, maybe, if there's a bleed path (I think
Elecraft rigs have one). For direct hits (or near direct hits, or hits
on your power or tel lines some distance away followed by flames), call
the fire department, assuming the phone still works. Make sure your rig
is grounded from the chassis to the "real Earth," as our UK/VK
colleagues call it, which is a much better way of looking at it
actually. Our use of the word "ground" calls up a steel tent stake in
the dirt. "Earth" is often not what you stand on, it may be unreachable
electrically.

Lightning strikes are really RF ... DC to light (OK ... we all know
that, we've seen them, they're scary). A good DC ground, like the one
the power company uses and might be required by your building codes, may
be an open circuit for RF.

Disconnect your K2. Disconnect all your gear. Unplug it from the surge
protectors in a thunderstorm. Consider the size of the surge protector
compared to the distance between the cloud and the powerline that takes
the hit. If the static voltage was enough to make it from a cloud to
anywhere near your antenna, the liklihood that the relay contacts are
going to stop it approach zero ... really fast.

Fred K6DGW
Auburn CA CM98lw

Nick Waterman wrote:

> [hidden email] wrote:
>
>>Hi Geoff, Yes the basic K2 with the ATU also has 2 antenna jacks. I
>>also put a dummy load on 'Ant 2', I can't tell you how many times I
>>tried to auto tune into an empty 'Ant 2', before I finally caught on.
>
>
> I have the dummy load in ANT1 of my KPA100, and the real ant in ANT2. I
> have this crazy idea that ANT1 is selected when powered down, so I have
> just a teeny tiny bit more lightning protection with the real ant
> disconnected, even if it's only a fraction of a mm gap in a relay.
>

Ian Stirling, G4ICV, AB2GR

Re: lightning

On Wednesday 21 June 2006 19:50, Fred Jensen wrote:

> Disconnect your K2. Disconnect all your gear. Unplug it from the surge
> protectors in a thunderstorm.

Fred,

I agree on the first two, but not the third.
If I see thunderstorms predicted, or I predict a
local one myself, I will disconnect all my equipment.
During a thunderstorm, which your third statement
suggests, I will never do. I'd rather my radios
fry than me.

Ian, G4ICV, AB2GR, K2 #4962
--
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k6dgw

Re: Re: lightning

Good point! I didn't actually mean as the T'storm is raining electrons
on you, but if the Triple Mega Viper Doppler Radar on the TV (don't
laugh, we have those here in the Colonies, we've come a long way since
Boston Harbor ... or maybe not) says it's about to be over you in 15
minutes, head for the basement and forget about the rig.

Fred K6DGW
Auburn CA CM98lw

Ian Stirling wrote:

> On Wednesday 21 June 2006 19:50, Fred Jensen wrote:
>
>
>>Disconnect your K2. Disconnect all your gear. Unplug it from the surge
>>protectors in a thunderstorm.
>
>
> Fred,
>
> I agree on the first two, but not the third.
> If I see thunderstorms predicted, or I predict a
> local one myself, I will disconnect all my equipment.
> During a thunderstorm, which your third statement
> suggests, I will never do. I'd rather my radios
> fry than me.
>
> Ian, G4ICV, AB2GR, K2 #4962
> --
> _______________________________________________
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> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>
>

PA3GYU

Re: Q: Building the K2

In reply to this post by Jean-Francois Joly

Tom WB2QDG wrote:
> > Yes the basic K2 with the ATU also has 2 antenna jacks. I also put a
> > dummy load on 'Ant 2', I can't tell you how many times I tried to auto
> > tune into an empty 'Ant 2', before I finally caught > on.

Been there, done that, still do it occasionally....

As I seldom have my K2 at full power, I ended up using a 50 ohm
'terminator' on 'Ant2'. It looks like a BNC connector and has a small chain
that you can screw down so you can't loose it. In the old days these were
used to terminate 50 ohm Ethernet networks. I'm not sure about the power
they are supposed to be able to handle, but this particular one has
survived many of my attempts to tune 'Ant2' ....

Bart de PA3GYU.

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Geoffrey Mackenzie-Kennedy-2

Re: Re: lightning

In reply to this post by Ian Stirling, G4ICV, AB2GR

On Thursday, June 22, 2006 1:50 AM, Ian Stirling wrote:

> If I see thunderstorms predicted, or I predict a
> local one myself, I will disconnect all my equipment.
> During a thunderstorm, which your third statement
> suggests, I will never do. I'd rather my radios
> fry than me.

----------------------------------------------------------------

It's those sneaky but rare single big flash - big bang strikes that appear
out of nowhere on a nice day, or during a snowstorm, that can test the
defences ( and nerves).

73.
Geoff
GM4ESD

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Nick Waterman

Re: Q: Building the K2

In reply to this post by k6dgw

Fred Jensen wrote:
> Sorry Nick, "Teeny" and "lightning" in the same sentence is
> oxymoronic.
[...]
> Disconnect your K2. Disconnect all your gear. Unplug it from the
> surge

Perhaps you misunderstand me, or perhaps I wasn't making myself clear. I
have my KAT100 switched to a dummy load by default and my antennas on
ANT2 are disconnected by the relays when there's no power...

... BUT I'm not going to pretend that this is going to protect me from a
direct strike, or even something nearby, probably not even something in
my village. I nearly ALWAYS remember to completely unplug my antennas
when not using the rig, but IF, just IF I forget to, and a thunderstorm
passes, I suspect that having my antennas the other side of a relay gap
is still considerably better than having sensitive front-ends directly
connected. I'm not pretending it's adequate lightning protection, but
it's got to buy me a few more miles of safety margin just IF I forgot to
disconnect my K2.

pa3gyu wrote:
> I ended up using a 50 ohm 'terminator' on 'Ant2'. It looks like a BNC
> connector and has a small chain that you can screw down so you can't
> loose it. In the old days these were used to terminate 50 ohm
> Ethernet networks. I'm not sure about the power they are supposed to
> be able to handle

Usually about half a watt.

> but this particular one has survived many of my
> attempts to tune 'Ant2' ....

You're quite lucky, but I guess auto "TUNE" never lasts longer than a
second or two at about 2W, so you'll tend to get away with it. Like my
"slight lightning protection", it's not a real solution, but bound to be
better than "none at all" :-)

--
"Nosey" Nick Waterman, G7RZQ, K2 #5209.
use Std::Disclaimer; [hidden email]
Many a man's tongue broke his nose. -Seumas MacManus
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