Hello Elecrafters. My name is Ron Hauser, and I'm a new ham, KC0TLN. I got licensed in November, got a radio at christmas time, and have been enjoying the new hobby quite a lot. I currently have an ICOM 706mk2g as a "first radio," I've been using it in the shack for a few months now. However, my plan when I bought the 706 was to eventually put it in my van to use mobile. I'm planning to start work on the mobile installation as soon as the weather warms up (hopefully pretty soon!). I know that when I put the radio in my van, I'll want another radio in the shack. So I've been looking around, thinking about what my second radio will be.
There is a lot of positive talk about the quality of the K2. I have done some SSB, and still do, but I've been bitten hard by the CW bug. The glowing recommendations that the K2 garners from CW operators are what brought me to look at it. I looked around quite a bit on the website, and have been following along on this list for a bit. I have just one problem... I'm much more of a pipe-wrench kind of guy that a soldering-iron kind of guy. While I've put up some antennas and soldered some UHF connectors, I don't have the temperament to sit down at a bench and build an electronic device. After reading around, I see that there is quite a group of builders who enjoy the work, who have honed their skills, and who sometimes build for others. I would much rather develop a relationship with a skilled builder, than try to match their skills. I might someday achieve a level of competence in electronic building, but with kid, significant other, work, etc., I'm not going to have the time to build up that skill set anytime soon. In addition, I like the idea of supporting the traditions of ham radio by patronizing kit makers and kit builders, rather than appliance manufacturers. (I like my appliance just fine, it was the perfect first radio for me, but I'd like to support the kitbuilding side of the hobby). Thus I would like comments from people who might consider building a radio for me. If this topic is not appropriate for this list, please accept my apologies. Thanks! --Ron KC0TLN _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
