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| Reviews Summary for Elecraft K2 |
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Reviews: 77
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Average rating: 4.9/5
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MSRP: $589
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Description: SSB/CW 160-10M HF Transceiver Kit
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More info: http://www.elecraft.com
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You can
write your own review of the Elecraft K2.
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NU4B
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 16, 2008 07:08
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Great Experience
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I just finished 1644 after shelving it for 8 years. There are many articles and even more reviews about this radio so no need to repeat all that and I certainly don't have the test equipment to do the measurements. But I do have a few things to comment on.
The kit is not particularly difficult to build, but there's alot there. And even more depending on the options you choose. So its important to take your time and not rush it. I think the manual is quite excellent. If you have a tendency to stray from instructions you might want to choose a manufactured rig or have someone build it for you. If you can't solder, once again you would probably not want to attempt this project. (There are several people that will build the rig for a small fee, or for free, if you have a disability that would prevent you from buildig the kit. More on the support group later.)
I did have a couple problems after I finished. One was a resistor that was way out. Replacing the resitor fixed that. The other was more difficult to find but an email to Elecraft support got a quick response that sent me in the right direction. I found the problem quickly after that. I might also mention the builder support group. I had a question on some updated firmware and posted a message. The same evening I received responses on the thread that clarified the firmware changes.
You really don't need much to get the rig going after its completed. Really just a DMM and a wattmeter. Another rig is helpful. (Obviously the more test equipment you have the better)
I've already made several contacts with it including several DX contacts. The options I have on it are the antenna tuner, the audio filter, and the noise blanker. The receiver is great, and I really enjoy the bandwidth filters. You can really hone in on a signal.
You really learn alot about the radio when you build it. One of the big benefits is the pride you get operating a radio you built. Another benefit is your able to work on it if something goes wrong. Currenty I'm bringing the rig "up to date" with the new firmware and changes that have been made during the last 8 years. I also have a couple more options I've built that I need to install.
Overall I have found the rig to be an excellent product. It has a ton of features and great company and user support. I'm not sure you can put a price on what you get out of building your own rig. Typically people look at building a kit as a cost saving option. I believe the experience you get is invaluable. One more thing I like is I can get the options I want and build the radio to suit my tastes. I guess I'm joining the list of thousands of satisfied customers as I hope to use this rig for years to come.
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K6WHP
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 6, 2008 23:43
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An important point about building your own
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned #999 since around 2000 and love the rig to death. I had some small problems building the radio but there were due to my stupidity and NOTHING that could not be resolved by the on-line Elecraft techs and (literally) hundreds of fellow K-2 owners people who were just an e-mail away.
For example, during the checkout, my rig was not performing per the procedure. So, I decided to take a break, make a sandwich, and relax for a bit. Before the lunch break, I put an e-mail on the K-2 list server and figured I'd get an anwer in -- what -- a day or so?
I came back after one hour and there were no less than 5 responses including one from Gary Surrency of Elecraft who traced down the symptoms and pointed out the problem.
On another occasion, I had returned from the mountains here in Socal after working the AZ Scqrpions FYBO and noticed a "watery" sound in the receive signal. I sent an e-mail out again and got a response from Elecraft telling me to call them on Monday. (This was a Sunday afternoon, mind you. ) I did so and they said my edition had some bad crystals and they were sending out the new ones NO CHARGE.
So the bottom line is that, aside from a great radio, if you invest the time and effort in building one, you pretty much can kiss the outrageous service bills goodbye because of Elecraft and other builders' support.
..and if you think the K-2's board is crowded, I'd suggest not doing any SMD work.
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N2DTS
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 6, 2008 11:41
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Very good radio
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I built #6065, I had no problems with it, I added the 100 watt amp, and the auto tuner.
I soon sold the 100 watt amp, as the basic K2 with the built in auto tuner is one slick package.
While the rig does everything well on CW, you might miss a few ssb features, you also might miss a few more buttons and knobs that would have eliminated some multi button pushes.
Its a trade off, more controls on a bigger radio, or less on a smaller radio.
They were VERY VERY good at making the radio do great things with a limited amount of controls.
It was great fun to build, and great fun to operate, the receiver worked better then the icom 756 pro, maybe not quite as well as the pro3, and the K2 lacks some nice (expensive) features on mega buck radios.
It also has a few design shortcuts mentioned here,
the odd noise it makes when tuning sometimes, the slight tone changes with filter changes, the hard to change CW pitch (filters need to be redone), the lack of a button for each band (you get up and down buttons), etc.
But YOU can build and fix (and modify) a K2, not sure you want to take the covers off the mega buck!
If you dont go nutz with the options, its inexpensive (very) for the fun you get out of it.
In raw receive performance, it beats radios selling for way more money.
I think its best as the basic 15 watt CW radio with the built in antenna tuner (2 ports) that remembers all the settings for each band.
I sold my K2 to put a deposit on a K3, but want to get another K2 and build it again, its just so slick. I just ordered a K1, the basic radio is cheap, I will review it after its done.
Brett
N2DTS
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KD0V
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 29, 2007 14:17
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Very Fine Radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Just over 12 months and 480 QSO's, I now feel qualified to review this very fine Radio. I only operate QRP CW with the K2, both from the base station and portable. The K2 rates a 7 out of 5, but you don't give that option.
I did have a few problems builting the K2, they were my fault. I have troubling reading instructions some times. The customer support was very good in helping me dignose the problems. As I have uncovered other self imposed problems they have been very helpful. The building instructions were much better than I remember Heatkit ever having.
The receiver is just out of this world. The filtering is excelent. I only have the standard filtering, so far, that is all that have been necessary. The skirts on the filters are very steep. The 700 HZ filter is sharper than most other 300 HZ filters and it gets better from there. The receiver is better than the very excellent Collins 75S-3B with all the filters and is also better than the TenTec Jupiter that I currently have.
The reports on the quality of the CW tone have always been excelent. The shape of the CW signal is such that it has much more punch than most QRO and QRP rigs.
QSO #6 with the K2 was with KH6X which was a very big surpise. He was checking on propagation into the midwest from Hawaii.
The K2 has far exceeded my expections. Keep up the great engineering Elecraft.
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N1CVX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 29, 2007 16:55
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Great - even its simplest form
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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What's sometimes lost on prospective buyers/builders is that, if you can reasonably solder and follow directions, you can build the K2 (I did - with only an AmQRP Tin Ear and a KX1 before it - and my K2 worked perfectly the first time). Sure, you'll need to be patient and to invest a reasonably amount of time - but if you do both, you'll be thrilled with your results.
Beyond that, what's sometimes forgotten is that even the basic radio, without any of the available options, is an incredible performer. Sensitivity is good, selectivity is incredible (stations sitting on top of each other can be completely separated with the included filters - one simply has to experience how good the built-in filtering is to appreciate it).
So, even investing the $629 or so the basic radio presently goes for, you'll be making a solid, long lasting investment in the hobby -- which you can add to or simply leave as is. Of course, you'll probably want to add the automatic internal tuner (would tune a wet string, I suspect) - and perhaps a replacement Yaesu FT-100 main VFO knob. ;)
Bottom line: even the most basic K2 compares very, very favorably with any "boat anchor" you might be considering. Plus, there are those bragging rights - and that famous Elecraft "mojo." ;)
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KB1FZA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 29, 2007 09:57
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Engineering marvel
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Wayne and Eric from Elecraft are the two people who designed the rig and they did absolutely amazing job. The K2's mechanical and electrical design rivals the one of the commercial rigs. After the radio is built it is hard to believe that the whole thing arrived as a bunch of bags filled with components. The K2's manual is the best kit manual I've seen. The building process is separated in few stages, with tests and alignment procedures after each stage. No fancy tools or equipment are required - DMM, dummy load, screwdriver, soldering iron, magnifying glass, sharp blade, flush cutters - that's pretty much it. The most important skills needed are soldering and the ability to follow instructions. Elecraft is advertising the kit as of medium to high complexity, which means it is a good idea to practice your soldering/building skills with something simple like the elecraft's mini kits or the K1. The radio is designed as a portable and it is indeed very small yet packed with features. As a result it has fairly high component count.
There are few things one should consider before buying the radio as kit - poor vision, tremors, attention deficit disorder, lack of ability to follow instructions or attention to details. If any of those factors are in place (or you feel more comfortable holding a blow torch than soldering iron :-) maybe you are better off buying an already built radio. There is a long list of builders who are ready to build the radio for a small fee or even for free if you are a disabled ham! I've built the whole line of K2 products and options and my troubleshooting time is 0 (zero). Everything worked from the first time and worked well. I was double checking every step from the building process, checking the components with DMM, checking the schematics and inspecting my solder joints with magnifying glass. The only mistake I’ve done during the soldering of hundreds and hundreds of components is soldering a varactor diode in the wrong location (due to outside distraction), which I discovered 30 sec later and I had to desolder it. The mechanical design is also excellent - everything - PCBs, enclosure, etc. fits perfect!
You can’t blame the designers for your own mistakes - we are talking here about high-tech, high-performance, state of the art rig, not a "dead bug" construction in a wooden box. After all K2 is not your grandfather's crystal receiver or tube radio. Btw. there are almost no wires in the radio too. The most important feature for me is that I feel confident to diagnose and repair any problem with this radio - something you don’t get nowadays. Should one needs help with the build - Elecraf's reflector is a great source of information and support, besides Elecraft's excellent technical support and customer service.
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N5SM
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Rating: 2/5
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Jan 28, 2007 18:58
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Bad news
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have built just about every ham radio kit that
Heathkit ever came out with, so thought I wouldn't have any trouble with the K2. I didn't
have any trouble with the building, but I had a
solder bridge in the wrong place that totally
destroyed the rig. Smoked every IC in the rig,
along with most of the transistors.
If they had designed the rig to be one half larger than it is, solder bridges wouldn't be so
common. They put way too many parts on
boards that are too small to hold them. So there
is just hairline cracks between solder pads. When they tell you that you will need a powerful
magnafying glass and a bright light to build a kit, you better back up and reconsider.
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GEIIM
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Rating: 3/5
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Jan 15, 2007 11:19
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Good for a kit - can do better with other radios.
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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This is a very good radio and as a kit it cannot be matched. The receiver is very good but it does have it's shortfalls, however, that many builders overlook since they have a personal stake in it from the building process. I've built a few now with identical results so I've found them to be consistent. Here's what I found:
- Accuracy in alignment - the best you can do is to get within about 10 - 20hz of the correct frequency. This has to do with the design. Not much of an issue but it exists. It varies from band to band - you can be within 10hz of frequency on 80 meters and be 150 hz off at 10m and there's no way to tighten it up across all bands at all times.
- There is no line-level audio out. You can mod the radio to get it to work, but it's not in the original design. This would be very handy for digital modes.
- Filter accuracy - there are four receive filters per CW and sideband (USB/LSB) modes and they can be configured as you'd like - a great thing! Problem is that there is frequency shift between the receive filters and the transmit filter making PSK and other digital modes difficult since you are always off by a few Hz and tend to "walk" up or down the band. The solution is to use the same filter for transmit & receive but then you don't have any filter options.
- Drift - these units will drift as they warm up - typically 50-120hz within the 1st halfhour for the QRP model and more for the QRO model which generates a lot of heat. I found the QRO model constantly drifting up and down as the radio heated up/cooled down. Not a major problem but a real pain. There is no TXCO option
- Good and bad support - email support is outstanding and they get back to you quickly. Getting missing parts replaced can be a different story. I've had three parts missing in all the kits I've built and in each case I needed to re-send the email request after not getting the part within a couple of weeks. They react quickly at this point, maybe Elecraft is growing too fast and getting too busy but it's very frustrating to wait that long for a single part.
- Cost - for the money you can do better with a non-kit radio and get much better functionality. Still it is a fine kit and you'll be proud you built it but you may find yourself frustrated is you make this your primary rig.
I would still recommend this radio to anyone who wants to built the kit - it is a good radio. This radio is not that great for AFSK digital modes, usable but not as nice as it could be. CW is very nice once the drift is stabilized. If you love building kits this is a fun kit to built with great results. If you're looking for a solid rig to use all the time, you find other radios to be more economical and with greater overall results.
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AD5YU
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 27, 2006 12:55
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It only gets better with use.
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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There's been a lot said here already about this fantastic radio, so I won't bother repeating all the usual stuff about how much fun it is to build or how great it works.
What I will tell you is that the more you use the K2, the more you undertand how it all works, and how well thought out the rig really is.
I must admit, I struggled with the filter set up initially, even with all the recommendations to use some spectrgram software etc, I just didn't get it. But after using the rig for phone, PSK and CW operation for a few months now, I get it! And I have them set up just the way I want them. Sure, the software can help, but until the penny drops and you figure out what you want to do with each of the four filters in each of the 3 modes (if you haven't already set up the RTTY mode - do so...) you don't really know what you're looking at.
Setting the BFO frequency is a little tricky, even daunting at first, but once you have the filters set, you can start pulling signals out of the noise with spectacular results, even with heavy QRM only a few hundred Hz away... So if you're like me and not sure what's really going on - persevere, it's really worth it.
Like so many other K2 builders, this rig re-ingnited my interest in AR, and I am truly thankful to Elecraft for that. I'm now part of a thriving HAM community and enjoying every minute of it.
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K1DWZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 24, 2006 16:19
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Great radio
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I purchased a built K2 with the KBT2,KSB2,KAT2. I built and installed the KNB2. I chose to purchase the toroids from the "toroid guy" and glad I did. On my K1 I wound my own but found it much easier just to install built ones. The noise blanker does a good job of eliminating the type of noise it was designed to eliminate. The rig runs perfectly and am talking with DX stations with ease using a G5RV. I never mention I am running 10 watts or less and I get good sig. reports on SSB. The rig also has the fingle dimple which I like. Great radio.
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