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write your own review of the Elecraft K2.
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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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NG0K
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 8, 2006 13:56
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Spectacular !
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I aquired a mint used K2 recently. (80m-10m, CW only, low-power, KAT2 installed). No other options. I wanted to use it as a portable for my car and patio, but now I have reservations because this is a kick@$$ QRP base station !!
In comparing it with my entry level Yaesu FT-840 on a quiet band, the practical sensitivity is about the same to my ears. However, this K2 just blows the doors off of it as far as selectivity goes. I have a decent 500hz filter in my Yaesu, but the filters in this K2 are spectacular!
I recently used it in the CQWW prefix contest. I casually tuned around the bands and logged 81 contacts with 79 mults in just a few short hours of operation. Several DX stations from Europe and Japan included. Never was there a time when a strong station wiped out a weaker one and I operated with 5 watts the whole time.
I'm not one to dwell on receiver specs. I just want a rig that is simple to use and performs. This one performs and really gives me confidence as a new QRP/CW operator.
73, Doug
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EA8AY
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 1, 2006 05:02
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k2 SN 5206 on the air
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Fantastic rig, was very funny building step by step with Kdsp2, Knb2 and Ksb2. My first experience with Elecraft was Kx1 and now I sold my Icom 706mk2g for buy the K2, I make a good change. In the first days with 10 w worked TR, I and K3. The tech support for Gary was very nice. Really is a great transceiver.
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KZ1X
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 20, 2005 18:45
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SIX years of Happy Hamming
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Our little blue planet has made nearly six trips around its Sun since K2 #0771 took to the airwaves. Therefore, this radio's first signals have now traveled past the nearest star system. Pretty heady stuff when you think about it. A radio that *I* built with my own hands ... well, who knows if "they" have heard me, and just don't have the ability to answer ... yet.
Back here on Earth, however, you won't find a radio that supplies more fun-for-the-buck. Sure - popping open the box of a new ready-built radio with the latest supercomputer inside is a lot of fun, and, I've done it more than once. Lots of sizzle. But no soul.
Credentials? This rig has street smarts, every electron earned ... more than five thousand of these rigs are now on the air, making it among the most popular of ham rigs ever. The Elecraft's receiver remains top tier, excelled only by radios costing $4k and up. And, value? Elecraft rigs are a bargain among bargains ... remember:
A loaded K2 costs LESS than just the FIRST-YEAR'S DEPRECIATION of one of these super rigs!
My six-year old K2 has every factory update, and in performance and features matches the newest 5000-series serial number units. No "forklift" upgrades where you have to sell the old rig to buy the newest model; instead, just a series of pleasant new building experiences.
Wondering where the magic in radio went, after Benton Harbor went back to making only washing machines? You can find it still, with a bit of effort.
There's a funky little town with an odd name - Aptos - on the central California coast.
Start by looking there. You won't be disappointed.
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KILOWATT
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 20, 2005 14:52
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Phenomenal Radio!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I've already posted a review of this radio in the HF Transceiver category but after a few weeks of use I thought I'd take the liberty of posting a follow up review here in the QRP category.
I began construction of my K2 the day after Thanksgiving and let me tell you, it consumed many evenings and a couple of weekends. It is quite tedious to assemble. Not difficult, mind you. Just tedious. There are so many components crowded onto such small pc boards that it is very easy to cause collateral damage to other components with the soldering iron.
The toroids? Good grief. Wind them yourself. It's not difficult in the least. I had read so much hype about them before I got the kit that I was actually scared of them! The worst thing that will happen is that you'll have some sore fingers for a couple of days. They're very small and I wound mine very tight and so my fingers hurt a little for a couple of days. Big deal. The tinning is even easier and actually one of the more fun aspects of the kit! For each lead I would just melt about a four inch piece of solder onto the tip of my soldering iron and then drag the lead through it. It worked great and I have to admit that I got kind of addicted to that smell. So much so that I've even considered offering to wind toroids for other kit builders. haha! Besides, coming from a "ham radio family", I grew up watching my dad, uncles and grandfather wind coils on varnished oatmeal boxes. To me, winding coils is the epitomy of homebrew ham radio! In short, wind them yourself. It's really no big deal.
I never kept accurate track of the time I spent building my K2 but I would say it was somewhere between 50 or 60 hours. Give or take, that is.
I purchased the noise blanker, audio filter w/RTC and also the SSB options. Now I'm thinking I might sell the SSB kit on Ebay because I love the radio so much as a "cw only" rig.
I've received nothing but high praise and good reports on the air. Everyone says it's a "FB radio wid an FB sig." I live in CA and have even made a New Zealand contact with only 5 watts. A short-lived contact but a contact nonetheless.
It's a great little radio. You'll spend quite a few intense evenings and a couple of weekends putting her all together but you'll love the end result. Just take your time. Double and triple check everything before you solder and take breaks often. If you're a smoker, go smoke. There are some points during the build when you want to drive to Aptos, CA and strangle someone but they're few and far between. HAHA!
Highly recommended. Worth every bit of the work.
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KR4OW
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 23, 2005 08:27
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Excellent Gear
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The Elecraft K2 is great I have been running the radio for over a year now. I ordered the kit from Elecraft and the build went good except for a couple of mistakes that "I MADE". But had them straightened out. I also own a Yaesu Mk5 Field
What is interesting about the K2 is the lack of audio hiss that is present in my MK5. I can eliminate with the edsp and all but, that is not necessary with the K2. Receiver performance is outstanding on all bands. The crystal filter scheme in the K2 I believe is better than in MK5 I know that I can go narrower in the K2. This radio hears in my experience better than the MARK5 using the old tie em to the switch and switch it as fast as you can test. It is also a cleaner receive than in the MK5.
The CW works great on it and so does the side band. The performance on sideband is just as well as with the cw. I have also added the Timewave DSP 59+ to mine which takes out some atmospheric artifacts that can tend to be a distraction to ones ears when trying to copy weak signals on a noisy band. And most of all of what really impresses me about this rig is that here in the Static Crash capitol of the United States (FL)
That the filters perform well on 160m I am able to pull stuff out with the K2 that I cannot on the MK5 I believe that maybe be just an agc issue on the mk5 not sure.
In Summary I recommend this kit or if you cannot build one yourself there are plenty of builders out there that can help you. And support is just out of this world great support Elecraft user group. Great Rig. What More can be said. Other than at this point I am not getting rid of this rig unless they come out with another one that is better. (Good Job Elecraft)
Call Elecraft today and Get Yours! You won’t be sorry
GUD DX Hope to hear you on 160
David KR4OW
K2 4320
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NM6E
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 7, 2005 22:01
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Awesome RX and Fun to Surprize folks with
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I orderd my K2 in August and had Don W3FPR build it for me as I "constantly" travel for my line of work and with an 18 month old daughter and a new son a 3 months away, I knew I wouldn't have the time.
Don was great help in building my K2 #4409.
I really didn't use it until December 2004 due to work commitments and the arrival of a new son in November 2004.
Overall, the radio has one awesome receiver, better than my FT-1000MP MK-V. I used my K2 in the ARCI contests with my M2-KT-36XA and 5 watts and had a blast. I also used it to rag chew (I had Don wire up my KSB-2) for use with a Yaesu MIC with the added KI6WX mods for added gain using the Heil HC-5 Mini Proset headset. I use the Heil AD-1-Yaesu adapter.
The RX is great, I am hearing very weak signals on the K2 that I can NOT make out on the Yaesu MK-V. Having the M2 6-element beam helps.
The VOX leaves something to be deisred, it's not that great. For CW it is a champ, I have it working with Writelog and it works great and the rig control is awesome.
I have used it on a few portable trips up into the Sierra Nevadas at a family weekend home and with the MP-1 strapped to the stairs and using the internal battery, I have made many hundreds of QSO's and the battery lasts a while with all the "power save features".
I have used the K2 while in XE1 land with the MP-1 (antenna mounted INSIDE the room) on the 40th floor and worked LU's and CE's running kilowatts and recieved reports were in the 5x7 or 5x8 range with me only running 5 watts off of the battery on 20mtrs.
That is some serious K2 MOJO for me!
I had A&A Engineering make up a "special" Smart Charger design that allows me use the K2 and charge the internal battery at the same time. The Smart Charger is a 110/220Vac switchable input and switchable output between 1Amp or 1/4amp to charge the battery or supply the extra current during long transmissions. Don, W3FPR has a write up on his web site that describes the added components to accomplish this. The combination works quite well.
Overall, I am having a lot of QRP DXpeditioning FUN with my K2, MP-1, Smart Charger etc.
The radio is not a fancy do-all rig like the 706MK-IIG or 857D, but if you add the 100 watt option, it will easily hold its own and excell on the HF bands especially if CW is your main interest.
I am sure building it is an experience but there are folks to help out and I just didn't have the time.
The radio is a keeper and if you are thinking about getting one, this is a fun radio with a lot of travel potential in your future and comments of "I can't believe it's a K2 your using".
I dont regert it!
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