Wilcox Engineering

My K2 number 5373

In early March 2007, I had the opportunity to purchase a partially-built K2 from Dave, KA3EAJ. He had already completed the front-panel board, the control board, and had just started the RF board. Because I build Elecrafts, and also take over when folks run into trouble or just don't have the time to build, I was somewhat apprehensive about what I might have committed to. As it turned out, Dave's work was excellent! His workmanship was entirely satisfactory, and I simply picked up where he left off.

Quick comment on the photos: When you click the thumbnails, you'll notice that what you're getting is a "progressive" download of a jpg image. You get an overview and then the gaps are filled in as the download continues; the alternative is a slow high-resolution image gradually completing from top to bottom.

So here's the chronology as this nice little transceiver comes to life ...

K2 at the start

	Some parts were already on the RF board. There was also the familiar box of parts waiting to be assembled.
	Control Board. I've already put in the J1, J2 connectors for the audio filter.

And here we have the Front Panel ...

I put a Yaesu FT-100 knob on my first K2 (1077) . It was an excellent choice, so I got another one for this K2.If you want one, order knob and rubber ring from Vertex Standard. Knob is RA-006800B and rubber ring is RA-0068200.

I've already installed the SSB header and wired it for an Icom HM-36 microphone.

I installed the SSB parts in between the AF and RF gain controls. They're part of the Rework Eliminator set.

Time to apply our first power (the smoke test!)

	Here's the view when we power up for the first time.
When we look inside, there's not much on the RF board yet. At this point, we're looking for basic operation - but no radio.

At this point, I'm at page 60 and ready for the first serious calibrations

	The inside view is starting to look a bit more interesting. All the rework eliminators are plugged in as well. (They're hard to see unless you're looking for them!)

The RF board is finished and ready to put together again.

K2-5373 is finally finished on 4/24/07!

The KIO2 is to the left of the KAT2.	Inside view with Rework Eliminators. I installed a KAF2 later.

Then when I got into PSK31, I added the KSB2.

The KSB2 was a nice addition to the K2. It provides a nicely-shaped passband.

With both the KAF2 and the KSB2, it's getting busy in there.

Time marches on ...

After getting the K3, my little K2 hasn't seen too much action. So rather than leave it downstairs with the lab, shop, and station, I decided to bring it upstairs to my office where I could use it once in awhile.

One minor hitch: no antenna. Inspired by the "fan dipole" article in the June 2010 QST (page 41), I lashed up a spider's web of a fan antenna in the attic. Not sure if I'll be able to get out real well with it, but the K2 ATU handled the match at least.

The first view is with my old bottom-to-bottom J-38 paddle set, vintage 1950s. Time to upgrade a bit, and I just got one of the K8RA paddles. It's a wonderful improvement over my home-brew solution from when I was in high school.