troubles with kits
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I am Herb Winn a new ham (kc8ylj). I was going to try to build a kit for my first
rig but am not sure now. I found the elecraft web and have noticed that all that is posted is troubles with kits. Is this common ? if so i'm not going to try a kit. Thanks 73 Herb _______________________________________________ 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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Hello Herb!
> I found the elecraft web and have noticed that all that > is posted is troubles with kits. Is this common ? The Elecraft reflector is useful for folks who have questions or are looking for help. The kits are straightforward to construct, and there is plenty of help available via the reflector, as well as directly from Elecraft, so ensure your success. Thousands of Elecraft radios are on the air, and all of them are kits. You might consider downloading a manual from the Elecraft website and looking it over. It will give you a good idea of the ease (or difficulty) you might expect if you decide to build one. Personally, my first radio was a kit (Heathkit, 40 years ago) and there was a certain thrill to being able to say the the radio I was using was one I had constructed. I was 14 at the time. 73, Lyle KK7P _______________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by herbbonniewinn
Hi, Herb-
First off, welcome to the reflector as well as to amateur radio! You see troubles posted here because, among other things, this is a forum meant to field questions of a technical nature. You also see quite a few accolades and brags as well. When I was a first time builder I found it quite helpful having such a valuable resource at my disposal and looked at the Elecraft reflector as a boon rather than an indicator that kit building might possibly be fraught with peril- hi. In other words, *IF* you have any troubles (and there is absolutely no reason to think that you will), help is usually only a few keystrokes away. 73, and do some building. It is lots of fun! Mychael AA3WF K2#1025 _______________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by herbbonniewinn
Hello Herb
Welcome to the wacky world of ham radio. There are a lot of old timers here, as well as relative newcomers (less than 40 years :-) ). You ask a fair question for a newcomer. The truth is a lot less exciting. If you follow the building directions in the manual, it is hard to get into trouble, although not impossible. Most troubles seem to boil down to soldering problems. Overlooked soldering connection, cold solder connection, too much solder allowing a short to an adjacent circuit point. If your soldering skills are at all ecent, you should have no trouble building a K2 or any well-documented kit. These days, the spotlight is on kit manufacturers, and with the internet for instant feedback, when a manual is less than perfect, the world lets the manufacturer know about it. One reason you see a number of posts here discussing problems, is that this is a prime reason for this reflector. If a person does get into trouble, there is a very large commnity of folks who have already built their K2s and are willing to help debug whatever the problem turns out to be. Remember, there are over 4000 K2s out there already. Also, Elecraft monitors the reflector, and if there is a serious problem, it gets addressed. No sluffing off of the problem on the poor customer. Elecraft technical support is outstanding. You only have to ask for help and it is there. In a nutshell, don't be afraid of building a K2. Essentially, the K2 community won't let you fail. If you have any doubts about your soldering skills, I suggest you find some simple kit and build it just for the experience and building up your soldering skills. It really isn't hard at all. Good luck and 73 Bob N6WG K2 s/n 12 _______________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by herbbonniewinn
Hi Herb,
On Thu, Nov 18, 2004 at 11:48:04AM -0500, [hidden email] wrote: > I am Herb Winn a new ham (kc8ylj). Congratulations on the new ticket--you're in for a great ride! I've been a ham now myself for (counting on fingers) 17 years, and it's the best hobby in the world! I was going to try to build a kit for my first > rig but am not sure now. I found the elecraft web and have noticed that all that > is posted is troubles with kits. Is this common ? if so i'm not going to try a kit. Let me see if I can put this into some kind of perspective. First, a disclaimer: I'm all thumbs. I have never built an Elecraft kit. I've never built a Heathkit. About the most I've done is build a dipole antenna (with my elmer's assist)--I'm totally blind and haven't tried my hand at the soldering iron, especially not with those teeny tiny parts. OK, so now that you know I have absolutely no experience, I'll proceed to give some opinion on something I have no firsthand experience on. (Hey, if it's good enough for everyone else... :)) You say that all you see are troubles with kit building, and that's a fair observation. There are a lot of posts about different problems people have had putting their shiny new radios together. Consider, though, the nature of this list. It's a support list. By its nature, what you'll see here are requests for help. Naturally, you'll see a lot of people who are very happy with their rigs, too, but to expect a support list where no support is needed is at least unrealistic. So how about let's frame this a little differently, and maybe your perspective will change? If you notice the problem reports, you will also notice the number of solutions offered and troubleshooting tips presented. I'd say at leasst 90% of problems posted here are solved, solved satisfactorily in fact. Problems that aren't immediately solved by the user community are solved in one way or another by the Elecraft team, a very professional, caring, and extremely competent lot who know their products inside and out, backwards and forwards, and can not only fix a problem but can tell the rest of us how, too. You sure won't find that with the Alinkenwoodcomesu rigs! But to your original question, implied if not asked; should your first rig be a kit? I guess the answer really depends. What are you looking for? Do you like the challenge of building? Do you want to be able to tell your friends you built your rig yourself? Do you want to see how it works, nuts and bolts, up close and personal? Do you like a technical challenge? If so, then a kit is likely for you. If, on the other hand, you want to pull it out of the box, hook it up, and make it go, you probably don't want a kit yet...unless someone else builds it for you. I won't lie to you. The K2 is absolutely a top-flight rig, and you'll be hard pressed to find one that's a better performer for its intended purpose. I'm a very happy K2 owner myself...also a happy KX1 owner. But is it for you? I expect you'll find a very strong positive bias on this list. Of course, you could compromise; get a mass-produced rig for your first (how about visiting a swap and finding something in good shape that isn't brand new but perfectly serviceable?) Get a mass-produced rig and then get a station accessory in kit form to see how you like building. BTW, if you're looking to save money by buying a kit, you may well find that you aren't saving a bunch...but on the other hands, diehard builders will tell you that the experience can't be bought at *any* price. Vy 73, and again--congratulations, and welcome aboard! -- Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV | Alena Grace's proud papa! Phone: (814) 455-7333 | Born: 04/06/2000 in Donetsk, Ukraine Email: [hidden email] | Adopted: 10/07/2004 in Mariupol, Ukraine http://buddy.brannan.name | _______________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by herbbonniewinn
Herb,
Please don't be discouraged with the reports of problems you see here on the Elecraft reflector. It is a place where builders can ask questions and help them resolve difficulties when they arise. These are exceptions rather than the norm. Those of us who have been around the reflector for a long time and have a lot of experience with Elecraft kits are here to help (and that includes the Elecraft designers too). I was one of the original 100 Field Testers for the first K2 kits, and much of that work was done to make the instruction manual the best it could be. There are really only two abilities you must possess to build an Elecraft kit -- 1). You must be able to produce a decent solder joint. There are soldering tutorials available if you need some help with soldering. 2). You must be able to follow written instructions carefully. Again, this reflector can help if you find something you feel you don't understand. You will find the Elecraft instruction manuals well written and easy to follow. Most kit builders develop a great deal of pride in the finished transceiver - and you can too. This reflector IS here to help you accomplish it, and the folks at Elecraft Support (Gary and Scott) are also available. It is difficult to fail with an Elecraft kit. If you feel you need some practice soldering, consider building a couple of the Elecraft mini-kits first - the dummy load is a good one because you will need a good dummy load in your station anyway, the NG-1 wideband noise generator is a useful tool for setting up the filter alignment on the K2 (but alternatives are available), and you may find the balun useful if you will be feeding antennas with parallel transmission line. 73, Don W3FPR ----- Original Message ----- I am Herb Winn a new ham (kc8ylj). I was going to try to build a kit for my first rig but am not sure now. I found the elecraft web and have noticed that all that is posted is troubles with kits. Is this common ? if so i'm not going to try a kit. Thanks 73 Herb _______________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by herbbonniewinn
[hidden email] wrote:
> I am Herb Winn a new ham (kc8ylj). I was going to try to build a kit for my first > rig but am not sure now. I found the elecraft web and have noticed that all that > is posted is troubles with kits. Is this common ? if so i'm not going to try a kit. Why don't you build a simple kit and see if you like it? You can get experience in soldering, familiarity with components, etc. Then you'll know better if kitbuilding is for you. Tentec makes some simple inexpensive receiver kits: <http://www.tentec.com/rcvrkit.htm> If you enjoy it, then maybe you'll feel more comfortable tackling a more complex kit, like an Elecraft transceiver. Obviously there are problems which may occur when you build a kit, especially if your soldering technique is weak. There is a lot of help available, but you need to be prepared for the possibility that you will need to do some troubleshooting. -- 73, Vic, K2VCO Fresno CA http://www.qsl.net/k2vco _______________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by herbbonniewinn
Buddy wrote:
>...if you're looking to save money by buying a kit, you may well >find that you aren't saving a bunch...but on the other hands, diehard >builders will tell you that the experience can't be bought at *any* >price. I agree about the price-savings aspect. Good quality kits are not cheap to produce. A few people are like me...I don't really value kit building as an end in itself, though I've built a few since that Heathkit HW-101 took me four months to put together in 1976. However, the completed K1 and KX1 kits (both far simpler than the K2) are products of a unique nature that can't be found from any other source. I would have preferred a factory assembled K1, but the features of the K1 that were available in no other rig convinced me to put up with the (to me) uninteresting task of assembly. In other words, I bought a K1 in spite of, rather than because of, it being a kit. More than four years later it's still my favorite QRP rig. 73, Mike / KK5F _______________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by herbbonniewinn
I am going to reply in an odd way and let me explain why. When I first got
into the hobby I wanted to build a kit and I brought the following skill set to the table; All thumbs Eyes are not what they should be {components are really small} Did not know much about components Knew a little about soldering My theory was really [,really] rusty I looked at the K2 [a buddy built one] kit and I got to tell you while the manual is laid out well, Elecraft takes a lot of user input and makes changes for the better, but it was intimidating to me. I went to www.smallwonderlabs.com and found Dave Benson kits and I have built two of them. They were a bit easier and less components than the Elecraft kit. Are they as good, nope but I have worked a lot of states with them. I have friends with good trouble shooting skills {mine still need work} Do they have all the features, nope they are mono-band kits. Why did I get it...... it was easier to start with for me with the time I had available. Anytime one of the folks say I built this kit in 10 hours, I know I have to double it at least! Will I ever build a Elecraft kit........ I got to be honest I still have to hone my building and trouble shooting skills [IMHO] and get a glass to magnify the parts. My eyes are not what they should be. So after I have retired and the novelty of the grandkids has worn off [more time] I may try one. But if you decide the try a K2, K1 or KX1 the folks on this list will not let you fail!! Help is always there and people are available to repair what ever mess you make. -- 73 Chuck AA8VS www.aa8vs.org/aa8vs FP #113 MI-QRP #1212 SOC #445 Firebird #2117 TSARC #3952 -----Original Message----- From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of [hidden email] Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2004 11:48 AM To: [hidden email] Subject: [Elecraft] troubles with kits I am Herb Winn a new ham (kc8ylj). I was going to try to build a kit for my first<snip> _______________________________________________ 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 |
Re: OT: troubles with kits - my comments
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Why wait -- consider that even a kit with a large number of parts goes
together just like any other kit, one part at a time. A large kit just takes longer to complete, but that does not make it more difficult than a small kit. There are checks along the way to check your work up to that point. In addition, Elecraft kits with their quality PC boards containing thru-plated holes are much easier to solder than many others without thru-plated holes. 73, Don W3FPR ----- Original Message ----- > ... > Will I ever build a Elecraft kit........ I got to be honest I still have > to > hone my building and trouble shooting skills [IMHO] and get a glass to > magnify the parts. My eyes are not what they should be. So after I have > retired and the novelty of the grandkids has worn off [more time] I may > try > one. > ... _______________________________________________ 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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In reply to this post by herbbonniewinn
Herb: Congratulations on getting you license. I'm in the middle of
building a K2 and having a great time with it. If you watch the e-mail reflector, there are not really that many problems being posted. Most of the messages (excluding the net schedules, for sale and contest items) are responses to questions. I've posted one queston here, and received two responsed within 2 hours, and several more over ths next two days. So far I have no regets about the K2 decision. That siad you may want to consider starting with a simpler kit. There are a lot of others available. Small Wonders Labs http://www.smallwonderlabs.com/ makes several nice kits for under $100.00 I built one of thier kits as practice for the K2. TenTec http://www.tentec.com/ also has kits, including a 2-meter transcevier that you could use immediatly. When you are ready to upgrade to General and looking for a HF radio the K2 is one of the best available, and the support is excellent. Any way, good luck with what ever you decide, and welcome again to Ham radio. 73 Mike, W8ENG ---- Original Message ----- From: <[hidden email]> To: <[hidden email]> Sent: Thursday, November 18, 2004 11:48 AM Subject: [Elecraft] troubles with kits I am Herb Winn a new ham (kc8ylj). I was going to try to build a kit for my first rig but am not sure now. I found the elecraft web and have noticed that all that is posted is troubles with kits. Is this common ? if so i'm not going to try a kit. Thanks 73 Herb _______________________________________________ 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 _______________________________________________ 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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