Sunspots and the K2, K1

[Elecraft mailing list]

I built my K2 and then a K1 during the solar maximum in 2001/2.  One of the hallmarks of the K2 is it strong signal rejection.  It was one of the best radios of the time and is still among the better radios today.  The K1 isn't really in the same league, but it's no slouch either.  The worst test I put it to was operating in CH on 40m during a contest weekend during a business trip.  Huge wall to wall signals but I was able to participate fine.
Somebody mentioned switching in the K1's attenuator.  Originally, doing so created a loud audio pop.  I came up with a mod to eliminate this, adding a RFC across the contacts of the relay K1 (coincidentally) which was adopted as part of the design. 

I grinned when I saw Wayne N6KR's terse response.  He's still justifiable proud and protective of his babies.
Lou W7HV
______________________________________________________________
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
Message delivered to [hidden email]

[Jim Sheldon]

I had just gotten my K2 after having problems with a close neighbor ham
that ALWAYS ran his 2KW amp full bore, even for crosstown QSO's, had an
early  Yaesu FT-1000 with super key clicks.  He refused to do the key
click mod (so he could grab and hold a frequency in a contest without
people encroaching on it).  He overloaded a Yaesu FT-897 which I
replaced with an ICOM 706 MKII and overloaded that too.  I ordered &
built a K2 which took care of the overload, if not the key click
problem.  I loved that K2 and had a lot of nice successes with it.

First off, I was working 160 meters one early morning, heard a Caribbean
station (will remain nameless to keep from shaming him) calling CQ (not
CQ JA or CQ DX) so I called him.  He acknowledged but refused the
contact because he said he was only working JA stations.  I continued to
listen to him call CQ for a while when a JA station answered him.  After
he returned the JA's call, the JA station said "Sorry, I'm only working
USA stations this morning and then the JA called me!  - Wow.  I was only
running the K2 at 5 watts on 160 and that was totally unexpected.  Had a
nice chat with the JA station (got the QSL card to prove it about a
month later).

Later, I inherited a tidy sum of money when my favorite Aunt passed away
and got a full K line.  Final to the story, the FCC got on the local ham
with the key clicks so he had to fix them, I now had a KPA500/KAT500
behind the K3 and in a contest I could operate within a couple KHz of
this guy with the K3's attenuator on and not have a problem
copying/working weak signals.  Back when he was overloading the Yaesu &
ICOM rigs I had, I asked him to turn the amp off in local QSO's but his
comment was "Get a real radio!".  Well after I got the K line and ran
the amp in contests, he asked ME to turn MY amp off.  My response to
that was -- "Like YOU said, get a real radio!".  Shortly after that he
moved out to a farm he inherited about 35 miles from me and I haven't
heard him since - LOL.

Speaks extremely well for the Elecraft line's strong (even extreme)
signal handling capability.  It was good, but not perfect with the K2
but even better with the K3 and now a K3S.  At 78, I doubt I'll ever
have a K4, but I fully expect the K3S to just keep on truckin' as it has
for the last few years.

Thanks Elecraft for some of the best rigs of the age.

Jim Sheldon, W0EB

______________________________________________________________
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
Message delivered to [hidden email]