Shane -
I understand what you are saying, but there may be more you can do. For example, building the kit does indeed give you insight on how it works, how it is aligned (tuned up), and how the parts look and feel and fit together. Not unimportant by any means. You gain lots of confidence for when it comes time to repair of modify the thing - - But as the Ronco ads used to say, "There's more!!" If you really want to get inside the nuts and bolts of your radio, look into purchasing a book called "The Electronics of Radio", by David Rutledge. This book is available from various vendors, including Amazon.com (no connection). The book breaks down each circuit and how it works, and you really learn something. The book is designed to be used while building (or at least having available for testing) a Norcal 40A Here is the blurb from the Amazon page: _______ This innovative book provides a stimulating introduction to analog electronics by analyzing the design and construction of a radio transceiver. The author provides essential theoretical background at each step, along with carefully designed laboratory and homework exercises. This structured approach ensures a good grasp of basic electronics as well as an excellent foundation in wireless communications systems. The author begins with a thorough description of basic electronic components and simple circuits. He then describes the key elements of radio electronics, including filters, amplifiers, oscillators, mixers, and antennas. In the laboratory exercises, he leads the reader through the design, construction, and testing of a popular radio transceiver (the NorCal 40A), thereby illustrating and reinforcing the theoretical material. A diskette containing the widely known circuit simulation software, Puff, is included in the book. This book, the first to deal with elementary electronics in the context of radio, can be used as a textbook for introductory analog electronics courses, or for more advanced undergraduate classes on radio-frequency electronics. It will also be of great interest to electronics hobbyists and radio enthusiasts. ______ As far as I know, the 40A is still available from vendors such as Wilderness Radio. Designed by Wayne Burdick, of Elecraft fame, too. <grin> This may be the answer to what you are looking for. The book is in the $55 range, the transceiver in the 150's plus postage. An excellent investment if you want to really understand what is going on. The Wilderness Radio Norcal 40A page is at: http://www.fix.net/%7Ejparker/wilderness/nc40a.htm <http://www.fix.net/%7Ejparker/wilderness/nc40a.htm> But, don't give up on building a K2. The build is enjoyable, and you end up with one of the nicest little sets around. - Jim, KL7CC Shane wrote: > Are you really learning anything from the assembly process. My career > in not at all in hardware, I'm totally 100% a software person, and > though I understand the concepts at a high level … after I saw how > many pieces came w/ this radio … I started looking to see if the > factory would build it. > > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
