Ken Harker WM5R
Elecraft K2/100 HF Transceiver S/N 02645


Image of Elecraft K2/100
My Elecraft K2/100 was purchased Friday May 16, 2002 at the Dayton Hamvention. When complete, it will have the K160RX, KSB2, KNB2, KAF2, KPA100, KAT100-1, and MH2 options. I have performed the following Modifications to my Elecraft K2/100 HF Transceiver:

Grounded mic jack
Alternate wiring for AF gain potentiometer
CW filter rejection improvement through better grounding of crystals X7-X11
Improved second stage crystal filter flatness mod for SSB
Make current sensing circuit less sensitive to stray RF on 80 and 160
Modification of sidetone circuit for more sinusoidal waveform
Narrower 10/12M bandpass filter with better stopband attenuation
VFO ALC mod to reduce spurious emissions
Addition of DC blocking capacitor for AUX RF connector
Replaced optical encoder for 4X more tuning steps per knob revolution
Microphone wiring for both Electraft MH2 and Heil Pro-Set
Revision A to Revision B Upgrade
KPA100 Shield Upgrade

Things I still need to do:

  • Purchase, build and install the Elecraft XV50 six meter transverter.

Current firmware version:

  • K2MPU: 2.04A
  • K2IOC: 1.07
  • KSB2: 1.07
  • KNB2: 1.02
  • KAF2: 1.00
  • KPA100: 1.03
  • KAT100: 1.04

I have also built an N0SS wideband HF noise generator into an Altoids tin. The noise generator creates a broadband noise that can be used with PC soundcard-based spectrum analysis software such as Spectrogram as a tool to aid the alignment of the K2/100's crystal filters for best reception. It is a way cool little toy. I ordered a partial kit from Don Brown KD5NDB for $15 that included the circuit board and parts. I provided a small switch, the Altoids tin, and a BNC connector.


The Elecraft K2/100 as a Contest Radio

Rick N6XI has written an article about the Elecraft K2/100 as a contest radio choice that was published in the Mar/Apr 2003 issue of the National Contest Journal (NCJ.) It is definitely worth reading. Like Rick, I think the Elecraft K2/100 can be a great contest radio, but it's not perfect. The following is a collection of observations by contesters on the Elecraft K2/100 as a contest radio:

Some additional ideas that, while not as critical as the ones above, would make the Elecraft K2/100 an even better contest radio:


Last Updated 26 June 2020
wm5r@wm5r.org