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What have I gotten myself into???

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David Dietrich

What have I gotten myself into???

Hey all!

As I am looking at all the documentation that goes along with my K2 (10W) and it's options, I have to ask myself this question: What have I gotten myself into??? I am not a novice kit builder...I have built a K1-4, two other Wilderness Radio QRP radios (Wayne's early work), and some other station gear. However, I think the K2 is by far the most complex kit build I will ever do. I don't think anything else comes close to it except for the Sienna.

Well, I know I can do this! It is going to be a lot of fun! I will be snapping some pics of the build and posting them to my Facebook page. Since I cannot attach files to these E-mails, I will attach the link to the photo album for anyone who is interested once I start working on it hopefully starting this week.

73,

David, KC9EHQ
K2 s/n 7164
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RobertG

Re: What have I gotten myself into???

David...

It's no more difficult than one solder joint at a time. Yes, there are a
lot of parts, but again, just one part at a time. Watching the
"Elecraft" come on the dial the first time is a thrill hard to beat.
Have fun.

...robert #5957

On 7/17/2011 04:09, David Dietrich wrote:

> Hey all!
>
> As I am looking at all the documentation that goes along with my K2 (10W) and it's options, I have to ask myself this question: What have I gotten myself into??? I am not a novice kit builder...I have built a K1-4, two other Wilderness Radio QRP radios (Wayne's early work), and some other station gear. However, I think the K2 is by far the most complex kit build I will ever do. I don't think anything else comes close to it except for the Sienna.
>
>
> Well, I know I can do this! It is going to be a lot of fun! I will be snapping some pics of the build and posting them to my Facebook page. Since I cannot attach files to these E-mails, I will attach the link to the photo album for anyone who is interested once I start working on it hopefully starting this week.
>
> 73,
>
> David, KC9EHQ
> K2 s/n 7164
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
>

--
Robert G. Strickland, PhD, ABPH - KE2WY
[hidden email]
Syracuse, New York, USA
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George Winship, NC5G

Re: What have I gotten myself into???

In reply to this post by David Dietrich

What have you gotten yourself into? Probably more fun than you deserve. HI!
Don't get in a hurry, read each step two or three times, install the part, double
check to make sure it is in the right spot and orientated right and solder.

I had not soldered anything more difficult than a PL259 on a piece of coax in
20 years when I got my K2. A little solder practice and then a blast to see the
radio come to life. After 10 years, it is still a thrill every time I turn it on.

Enjoy the journey.

73,
George, K2/100 #2217

Andrew Moore-3

Re: What have I gotten myself into???

In reply to this post by David Dietrich

David - same situation here - built K1 and a bunch of other stuff - then
when I lifted the cover of the K2 box when I got it, and saw all those
parts, I had exactly the same feeling: "What have I done?!"

Turned out great. One piece at a time. Don't rush and don't worry about
it.

--Andrew, NV1B
..

On Sun, Jul 17, 2011 at 12:09 AM, David Dietrich <[hidden email]>wrote:

> Hey all!
>
> As I am looking at all the documentation that goes along with my K2 (10W)
> and it's options, I have to ask myself this question: What have I gotten
> myself into??? I am not a novice kit builder...I have built a K1-4, two
> other Wilderness Radio QRP radios (Wayne's early work), and some other
> station gear. However, I think the K2 is by far the most complex kit build
> I will ever do. I don't think anything else comes close to it except for
> the Sienna.
>
>
> Well, I know I can do this! It is going to be a lot of fun! I will be
> snapping some pics of the build and posting them to my Facebook page. Since
> I cannot attach files to these E-mails, I will attach the link to the photo
> album for anyone who is interested once I start working on it hopefully
> starting this week.
>
> 73,
>
> David, KC9EHQ
>

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Bruce McLaughlin-2

Re: What have I gotten myself into???

In reply to this post by David Dietrich

Everything will go just fine. As I'm sure you know, you should take your time and work slowly but carefully. I managed to build a K2/100 with a number of accessories over an approximately 2 month period. Everything worked well when it was finished. It is a lot of fun. Best of luck and I'm sure we'll have fun working you when it is finished.

Bruce-W8FU

On Jul 17, 2011, at 12:09 AM, David Dietrich wrote:

aj4tf

Re: What have I gotten myself into???

In reply to this post by David Dietrich

Don't worry... the instructions are first rate. Don't skip steps, and do them in the order that the instructions say.

You can look at build pictures of K2 7006 here:
http://sled351a.dyndns.org/images/K2-7006/

and the KPA100 here:
http://sled351a.dyndns.org/images/K2-7006/KPA100/

73, de AJ4TF

Tom McCulloch

Re: What have I gotten myself into???

It took me about 80 to 100 hours - spread over 6 to 9 months -- but that
was just my own pace...if I would have done it in 6 to nine weeks it
undoubtedly would have gone quicker. I took my time and enjoyed it.

Lots of guys on this list can offer lots of top notch advice based on
their own experiences -- my 2 cents is as follows: I like to check each
solder connection to make sure I don't have a cold solder joint or put
the lead in the wrong hole -- so to facilitate this I made a photocopy
of each of the PC boards so I could easily check the traces...If 6,000
guys built a K2 (what s/n are they up to anyway?), you'll get 6,000
building different tips -- and they'll all be good! This is a fun kit
to build and this list list is a great resource---have fun

Tom
K2 s/n 1103

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