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Reviews For: KLM Echo 2

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Base/Mobile (non hand-held)

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Review Summary For : KLM Echo 2
Reviews: 5MSRP:
Description:
2m SSB/CW transceiver
Product is not in production
More Info:
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0053
26JLH Rating: 2011-05-21
GETS THE JOB DONE OLD AND A BIT HARD TO USE Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
GOT ONE OF THESE FOR 33.00 POUNDS ON THE NET IT DOES WORK NO ONE ON 2 AT THE MOMENT TESTED WITH CLUB RADIO.
I THINK THIS WILL WORK BUT I DONT EXPECT A LOT BUT IF IT DOES WHAT ITS MENT THEN FAIR PLAY.
OVER IN THE UK ITS CALLED THE LINER 2,OR AS ITS KNOWN THE LINER SPEEEEEW,DUT TO ITS SPECIAL HAMONIC PROPERTIES...JEFF..M6GLH..ENGLAND
KB9YNJ Rating: 2009-05-14
Great audio! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was looking for a used MFJ 9402x over the last few months, but never found one. I found this on eBay and got it for a song. Before bidding, I read the e-ham reviews on this model and also on the clone (Belcom Liner II, which was the original model before KLM got involved.) It was made In Japan for KLM by Nikon Dengyo Co. Ltd in the mid to late 70's.
The received audio with the built in speaker is rich and loud! I have received good signal reports on 144.200 after calling CQ and was told that the audio is "very nice". I am using the stock hand mic and only have a Arrow dual band J-pole antenna at 30ft. True, it is a bit of work to get on the desired frequency, but it is kind of fun to fiddle with the VXO and the RIT,but that is just me. This unit has had a mod kit installed with a band knob on the rear panel. It will do 144.100 to 144.190 on one set of channels (10-19) and 144.200 to 144.330 on channels 20-33.Turn the band selector knob a step and you get 145.0 to 145.770. It has a input jack for a CW key and another jack marked "relay cont" None of these are shown in the owners manual. The manual only shows freq. coverage of 145.0 to 145.230 on channels 1-24.I think it was designed as a dedicated OSCAR rig,hence the name ECHO II. I use a hand held freq. counter from time to time, to check the accuracy of the knob settings. After warming up for a few minutes, there is very little drift. Power is set to peak at 8 watts and have not experienced any of the problems mentioned in the other reviews thus far. I have a all- mode 75 watt amp to use if I need any more power. Because I only spent a total of $45.00 for the rig, I am pretty forgiving about any shortcomings, but can honestly say that I would have enjoyed having one of these years ago when 2m sideband first began. 73 KB9YNJ
W8ZNX Rating: 2008-10-17
was ok at best 35 years ago Time Owned: more than 12 months.
bought one new over 35 years ago
good part
it runs and runs
bad part its a 23 channel lash up

pain in the ass to use
front end is anything but hot

its a pile on cw

but in its day it was a handy entry level
2 meter ssb xceiver

dit dit
Mac
K1ACK Rating: 2002-11-12
I remember this! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I had one years ago, it was basically a community radio to get people into 2m ssb,
many people used it, nobody paid for it. Its basically a 23ch ssb cb with a transverter
on the back, with a long case. Mine ran about 6 watts, it was amazing what kind of distance could be covered on that 6 watts, and 4 el beam. If it has the manual be prepared to laugh
(very bad engrish) An ok radio to get a feel for what 2m ssb can do, but dont pay too much (if anything, hihi), it will make you want to upgrade fast, but it will also get you on the air cheap.
KU4QD Rating: 2002-08-04
I'm sure it was great in its day, but... Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The KLM Echo II (a/k/a Belcom Liner II in Japan and Europe) is described by one British ham on his website as "ancient and awful". He still uses it, though. I was unemployed, had few financial resources, and wanted to get back on 2m SSB as cheaply as possible. This radio achieved that goal... just about.

In all fairness the rig is 30 years old or so. It probably was a great, innovative rig in it's time. That was then; this is now.

Picture a very large CB unit with channel numbers. Imagine that a given channel, #30 on my radio, corresponds to 144.200, give or take a little. Channel 31 is 144.210 or so. I want to get right on frequency and call the station I'm hearing so I very carefully adjust the little VXO knob. So long as I don't drift too much (and once the radio warms up it is stable) I might just be in business. Of course, tuning right on the desired station requires the fingers of a safecracker. I encountered this with a similar 15m rig by Belcom (the Kappa 15) and gave that rig an equally poor review. It's a royal pain.

A stock rig is limited to the bottom of the band, which is fine for terrestrial SSB/CW operation. Satellite ops? Forget it unless you feel like modifying the rig. In my case the previous owner did, so I have the frequency coverage. I do not have LSB, so no 2m downlinks. Oh well.

The rig came with a mounting bracket, but it's really big for a mobile. Receive audio is reasonably good. Transmitted audio is communications quality with the stock KLM mic. Output is a respectable 10W.

My rig is in beautiful shape, and it probably belongs in a collector's hands. Does it work? Yes. Is it practical? Not really.