• Have been thinking about building a K2
  • I built one in 2006 but sold it, along with the K1 I'd built in 2003
  • The K1 #1672 now lives with Will GM0HKS, in a new wooden enclosure https://gm0hks.weebly.com/shack-photos.html
  • I don't know where the K2 #5542 ended up, I'd love to find out where it is now….
  • The K2 had several options : SSB / 160m & RX antenna port / 60m / Auto-ATU

• I contacted Elecraft yesterday - the K2 is shown as “Back order, waiting parts” - to check that they aren't going to discontinue it and received a reply confirming that they have no plans to discontinue it at present. Kits will be available as soon as the parts arrive from suppliers - typical of the global problem with semiconductors at the moment.
• I decided to “get in the queue” for back-orders and placed an online order for the basic K2 kit and the 160m/RX antenna port module. Sadly the 60m module is no longer produced, and I have no interest in using SSB or digimodes with this K2. I want it as a pure CW transceiver.
• I've re-joined the Elecraft reflector https://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
  • Looking at the archive, at June 2006, I see my own posts
    • announcing the arrival of my first K2 kit on June 8th 2006 https://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2006-June/056712.html
    • and announcing completion and first QSO on June 17th https://mailman.qth.net/pipermail/elecraft/2006-June/057085.html
  • I remember having fun building it, but I didn't realize I'd done it so quickly.
  • The next one will be done over a longer timescale, to enjoy the process more without rushing through it.
• I plan to document the build - perhaps even with some YouTube videos.

• SFI = 189 A = 5 K = 1
• IC-M710 - set up serial control and my own Python control panel - modelled somewhat loosely on the Skanti TRP series control panel

The IC-M710 is a marine HF radio - SSB/CW/FSK - up to 150W. It's tuned by selecting pre-programmed channels, with separate RX & TX frequencies. There is no VFO tuning as we'd use it on the amateur bands - and this makes it awkward to use.

(There's a MIC plugged in mainly because the RX audio loops via 2 pins in the mic, so unless it's plugged in, or the link is made in another way, there's no RX audio!)

I wrote a few different control programs in Python to make things a bit easier. This one seems to work ok. There's also a user-programmable bank of presets - presets can be added from the main control panel by pressing the Store button.

• if I offset the RX tuning by +200Hz I can get a more pleasant 800Hz resolved CW tone.
• I'll do something in the code to do this automatically when CW mode is selected.
• 30m
  • Heard CQ from SM5OMP and replied - with 60W from the IC-M710 & BVp
  • QSO with SM5OMP - Georgios - Skaerblacka - BVp - RSt
• Using the M710 isn't going to be a frequent operation, but it's fun to do something different. There's no narrow CW filter - so it's 3kHz wide. The QSK works nicely though.

The desktop with both M710 windows open:

• Period 2 : 2015z
• IC-M710 @ 60W
• 30m : CQ call 10123kHz
  • Answered by ON4KCD - Claude - Liege - BVp/BVc - RSt+ - Age 63, ham 40 years, Begali key
• Discovered major drawback with IC-M710 - not “single signal” CW reception due to SSB filter and the position of the BFO - during QSO on 10123kHz heard strong signal from 2E0ISD on 10121kHz. Not good in crowded bands - I think using IC-M710 for CW is a bit of a dead loss, really. I've come to this conclusion every time I try it. Time to accept it, and move on.
• Back to the IC-7200…..
• CQ
  • Called by EA1ARW - Luis - nr Burgos - BVc - RCh - Age 46 - Nice long chat about keys, cooties, paddles, homemade keys, noise, QTHs, Summer & Winter in Shetland etc. Luis is on vacation away from his home QTH's urban noise and enjoying the bands noise-free.

• SFI = 219 A = 16 K = 1
• Period 1 : 0700z
• 30m
  • Heard G4XRV working N1GKE - bug/bug - N1GKE only 339 here, so no point trying to call him
  • CQ @ 10123kHz - BVc
    • Called by G4XRV - Rupert - nr London - B.U.G member - BVc - RCh - nice catch-up and chat about bug group & our bugs - Rupert using McElroy 1937 - had to cut QSO short to get ready for work - will have more QSOs (last one in 2021)
• Period 2 1700z
  • 30m
    • Had an idea to try using the IC-M710 marine transceiver on CW - it's not a nice CW radio for the crowded HF bands but might be okay on 60m?
    • Wired up the rear-panel DIN plug with the switched key select line (allows me to switch the bugs/keys between different rigs) for “rig #2”
    • and sent a few RBN TEST DE GM4SLV GM4SLV calls to see how it fared
      • Called by OS5Z - Marc - nr Tournai
    • I don't think I'll be using the IC-M710 much on CW - perhaps with my Python Control panel it'll make a “fun alternative” rig - like an old Skanti marine radio - but not for most HF operations - the fixed BFO offset of 1kHz is not pleasant, either.
• Period 3 : 2215z
• IC-7200
  • 40m
    • Band very quiet - not much activity heard…..
    • Heard a CQ from DL2FCN and replied - Bo - nr Darmstadt - BVc - RSt
  • 30m
    • Sent a few CQ calls on 10.123 - no replies
    • Heard a CQ on 10.108 from SA0BFW which sounded manual/bug sending - I replied and…
    • QSO with SM0BFW - Wittich - Stockholm - BVc/BVp (& SKh briefly) - RCh - he was using Vibroplex Original Standard from 2022 “bought it direct from Vibroplex in USA” - had a nice >30min chat about bugs etc. Will look for him again - always good to have a Bug-Bug 2-way QSO

• SFI = 180 A = 24 K = 3
• Membership of Bug Users Group confirmed : #318
• Period 1 1015z
• 40m
  • Heard end of a QSO of GM4OAS - Gordon - Mallaig - so I tail-ended and had nice catch-up chat - BVc - RCh
• Period 2 2015z
• 20m - thought I'd try 20m for a change…
  • CQ - called by LZ2UG - Angel - Tirnovo - BVp - RSt - + Age = 79
  • Called by RU9UX - Geo, Belovo (Siberia) - BVp - RSt - + Age = 73
  • Called by 4O6DN (Montenegro) - Don, Podgorica - SKh - RSt
  • Called by SP3DGV - Genek - Przeclaw - BVp/SKh - RSt
  • Called by IZ1NQY - Enzo - Camburzano - BVp - RSt + Born 1942/ham 1977
  • Called by HB9DAX/qrp - Fred - BVp - lost him when I tried to QRP to match his 5W…. QSB?
  • A strange sort of evening - all the people calling me were on the slow side which is fine, but it tends to make me switch to a straight key in case my slowest bug speed (~18wpm) is either to fast or too buggy for someone who's only sending at 16-18wpm themselves.
• 30m CQ…. no replies…..
• Just before leaving shack heard CQ DE PH2CV on 30m…
  • Worked PH2CV - Okko - Rotterdam - BVp - RSt

• SFI = 184 A = 10 K = 4
• * Period 1 : 1400z
• CQ 30m 100w - BVp / BVc
  • RBN Spots
    • 10124.3 : OH6BG SE5E TF3Y TF4M ES2RR G4HSO DC8YZ DF1DN DL8LAS ON6ZQ G0KTN OK1FCJ DL1HWS OE9GHV DL0PF DF2CK G4ZFE
  • No replies…
• Bug sending practice at ≥ 25wpm - BVc - for 30+ minutes
• Period 2 : 2050z
• SFI = 184 A = 10 K = 2
• CQ 60m - BVp - no reply….
• 40m
  • Heard EA3PP calling CQ - distinctive bug sound - have QSOd already on 30m and 17m, so 40m is a new one…. I called him and had QSO - BVp - RSt
• 30m
  • Heard CQ from IZ0FBJ - not strong but workable -BVp - RCh - nice QSO - Alex - nr Rome - Age 50 (someone younger than me!) Xiegu G90/20W - been 40C during day! Then QSB and rising QRN made it too difficult to continue