> I don't have the temperament to sit down at a bench and build an > electronic device.... > > In addition, I like the idea of supporting the traditions of ham radio > by patronizing kit makers and kit builders, rather than appliance > manufacturers.
Let me offer the advice you didn't ask for, since that's what I'm good at. :-) And pardon me for posting to the list instead of sending it to you personally. I think it's a worthwhile topic for other lurkers. I think you should give some passing consideration to building this yourself. You can always give up and turn it over to a pro, but you might find you enjoy it. I built a K1 and like you had to purchase every single tool I used to build it. I've done some soldering before, but it was 30 years ago as a kid building a Heathkit HW-16 with my dad. That was a single-layer board with a lot of point-to-point wiring -- very different from the K1. I am a co-owner of my own business and work at home. I don't readily differentiate between work-time and free-time. It's hard for me to set aside personal time when I know there's work to be done. But building the K1 was exciting and enjoyable enough that I was able to focus on it. It was a good break from the 24/7 pressures of meeting payroll. The point is that, like you, my temperment isn't too suited to sitting in a chair looking through a magnifier at tiny electronic parts when there are other things that need to be done. I spent about 30 hours building my K1 with the 4-band board and ATU. Before I started I couldn't understand why there'd be people on this list who would offer to build your kit for free. After building the K1 I can begin to understand it. It was very enjoyable to carefully put the kit together, and very rewarding to plug it in and find that it worked. IMHO the Glory Years of ham radio are behind us. The days when you built your first rig from scratch, passed the test because you already knew the material because of your love of the hobby (instead of cramming over the weekend to learn just enough to pass), and climbed trees to hang your homemade dipole seem to be gone or at least disappearing. I think building an Elecraft kit is a great way for a new ham in 2005 to experience more of the hobby than most will ever take the time to do. Whatever you decide to do, I think you'll love the K2. Craig NZ0R K1 #1966 _______________________________________________ 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
