Wow - disappointment with the KSB2 Kit

[John Hoaglun-2]

I am in the process of building my K2. This is my second Elecraft Kit
(XV222 being the other one.)  The XV222 and K2 kits have great
directions that are very precise and call out the details of the
resistor color codes, the exact details of the capacitors, and other
items very well.

What the heck happened to the KSB2 kit?  I am working on the Front Panel
Board Components on page 16 steps 3 & 4 that K2 book suggests that you
complete before moving on with the K2. The details on the parts on page
16 are horrible compared to the standards that I have seen in the other
Elecraft documentation.

As someone that is working on building a fully loaded K2 + transverters
and starting to look at the K3 as the next big toy the first steps of
the KSB2 have left me with sudden negative impression.

Doing a quick spot check of the rest of the KSB2 manual some sections
seem like they are very detailed and the next chunk of components lack
that same detail. What happened to the quality control on this?

Thanks, JH

--

John Hoaglun
NG0R - EN25
http://www.hoaglun.com


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[Mark, KJ7BS]

Have you ever written installation or assembly instructions?  Try it.  It is not easy.  Writing styles between people are different and technical writing is an art.  I don't believe any two people do it the same way or with the same precision and clarity.

I've been writing an assembly manual for a large model rocket kit and it has taken me over 6 months and several revisions to date.
--
Mark, KJ7BS
Glendale, AZ
Editor, The SKCC Centurion
Elecraft K2 S/N 0539
Fists # 2972 CC 1806
SKCC # 2240 C56 T20
MQFD # 128
QRP-ARCI # 12647
AZ ScQRPions
COGRC Emergency Communications

---- John Hoaglun <[hidden email]> wrote:

=============
I am in the process of building my K2. This is my second Elecraft Kit
(XV222 being the other one.)  The XV222 and K2 kits have great
directions that are very precise and call out the details of the
resistor color codes, the exact details of the capacitors, and other
items very well.

What the heck happened to the KSB2 kit?  I am working on the Front Panel
Board Components on page 16 steps 3 & 4 that K2 book suggests that you
complete before moving on with the K2. The details on the parts on page
16 are horrible compared to the standards that I have seen in the other
Elecraft documentation.

As someone that is working on building a fully loaded K2 + transverters
and starting to look at the K3 as the next big toy the first steps of
the KSB2 have left me with sudden negative impression.

Doing a quick spot check of the rest of the KSB2 manual some sections
seem like they are very detailed and the next chunk of components lack
that same detail. What happened to the quality control on this?

Thanks, JH

--

John Hoaglun
NG0R - EN25
http://www.hoaglun.com


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[Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ]

Hi John,

Wow. We've had almost 6000 KSB2s built over the past 9 years. This is
the first time I've seen a comment like this. If you are building the
KSB2 before your K2, that might explain some of the difference. For the
K2 options, we assume the builder has already built the K2 and has more
building experience as a result. We strongly recommend to all customers
that they build the basic K2 first, before options.

73, Eric  WA6HHQ
----

John Hoaglun wrote:

> I am in the process of building my K2. This is my second Elecraft Kit
> (XV222 being the other one.)  The XV222 and K2 kits have great
> directions that are very precise and call out the details of the
> resistor color codes, the exact details of the capacitors, and other
> items very well.
>
> What the heck happened to the KSB2 kit?  I am working on the Front
> Panel Board Components on page 16 steps 3 & 4 that K2 book suggests
> that you complete before moving on with the K2. The details on the
> parts on page 16 are horrible compared to the standards that I have
> seen in the other Elecraft documentation.
>
> As someone that is working on building a fully loaded K2 +
> transverters and starting to look at the K3 as the next big toy the
> first steps of the KSB2 have left me with sudden negative impression.
>
> Doing a quick spot check of the rest of the KSB2 manual some sections
> seem like they are very detailed and the next chunk of components lack
> that same detail. What happened to the quality control on this?
>
> Thanks, JH
>

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[ac0h]

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As someone who's built a K2/100 with ALL the options I don't remember
having a problem with any particular module. I thought the instructions
were top notch. All you have to do is follow the instructions after
applying the errata changes, do things in the right order, triple check
your soldering, and you shouldn't have a problem. It could be that the
level of "hand holding" changed on KSB2 because Elecraft rightly assumes
if you can build a K2 to this point the hand holding can be reduced.

~From what I've read on the reflector so far about the K3 it's easier to
put together than the K2/100 I built was. Basically if you can run a
screw driver and needle nose pliers competently your golden.

John Hoaglun wrote:
| I am in the process of building my K2. This is my second Elecraft Kit
| (XV222 being the other one.)  The XV222 and K2 kits have great
| directions that are very precise and call out the details of the
| resistor color codes, the exact details of the capacitors, and other
| items very well.
|
| What the heck happened to the KSB2 kit?  I am working on the Front Panel
| Board Components on page 16 steps 3 & 4 that K2 book suggests that you
| complete before moving on with the K2. The details on the parts on page
| 16 are horrible compared to the standards that I have seen in the other
| Elecraft documentation.
|
| As someone that is working on building a fully loaded K2 + transverters
| and starting to look at the K3 as the next big toy the first steps of
| the KSB2 have left me with sudden negative impression.
|
| Doing a quick spot check of the rest of the KSB2 manual some sections
| seem like they are very detailed and the next chunk of components lack
| that same detail. What happened to the quality control on this?
|
| Thanks, JH
|

- --
R. Kevin Stover, ACØH
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[Darwin, Keith]

-----Original Message-----
From: Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft

For the K2 options, we assume the builder has already built the K2 and
has more building experience as a result. We strongly recommend to all
customers that they build the basic K2 first, before options.
----

Ah, just as I suspected.  I too, noticed the KSB2 build instructions
were not the same level of detail as the K2 build instructions.  I
puzzled over the disparity for just a moment (while the soldering iron
warmed up) but shrugged and said "oh well, I'm a much better builder
now, having completed the K2."

I had a suspicion that Elecraft had planned it this way from the start
:-)

- Keith N1AS -
- K2 5411.ssb.100 -
- K3 Wave 3 -
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