I recently ordered the 2 meter transverter option for the Elecraft KX3 and did the install. Here are the photos.
This is the final assembly of the board, absent the shield that snaps on top:
To install the board, you have to remove the tuner (if installed), add the SMA connector, then replace the mounting screws for the tuner with posts, and then reinstall the tuner. This procedure is all very simple and only takes a few minutes. You also have to install two cables, one that runs to the local oscillator and the other that attaches to the 2m board for the antenna. These cables simply snap onto the mounting posts on the KX3 board. Lastly you mount the 2 meter board and then attach the RF shield (not shown.
Here are the pics that show the two cable runs.
Antenna:
Local oscillator:
When installing the LO cable, you have to temporarily remove the filter (if installed).
If you haven't already done so, it's a good idea to run the extended temperature compensation procedure to ensure maximum stability. The whole procedure only takes 30 minutes at most and is a very simple process. There are a few config settings in the firmware that need to be set and then you've got an all-mode transceiver for HF+2 meters.
The 2m board does about 3 watts output. You can turn off the transverter to conserve battery power, which is nice when using the rig on internal batteries. You can even adjust the deviation with a simple menu setting. The 2 meter option supports DTMF and PL encoding, but does not support other encoding methods like DCS.
Initial audio reports were really pretty good on the local FM repeater, SSB reports were even better. I plan on using this as my primary 2 meter SSB rig (it is now my only one) using either a portable Arrow beam antenna or the Gizmotchy beam on the base. I also have a little 35 watt 2 meter Tokyo Hi-Power mp that works great, with this rig and if I want serious power, I can produce close to 200 watts using the Mirage B-320-G amp at home.
This is going to be fun!
This is the final assembly of the board, absent the shield that snaps on top:
To install the board, you have to remove the tuner (if installed), add the SMA connector, then replace the mounting screws for the tuner with posts, and then reinstall the tuner. This procedure is all very simple and only takes a few minutes. You also have to install two cables, one that runs to the local oscillator and the other that attaches to the 2m board for the antenna. These cables simply snap onto the mounting posts on the KX3 board. Lastly you mount the 2 meter board and then attach the RF shield (not shown.
Here are the pics that show the two cable runs.
Antenna:
Local oscillator:
When installing the LO cable, you have to temporarily remove the filter (if installed).
If you haven't already done so, it's a good idea to run the extended temperature compensation procedure to ensure maximum stability. The whole procedure only takes 30 minutes at most and is a very simple process. There are a few config settings in the firmware that need to be set and then you've got an all-mode transceiver for HF+2 meters.
The 2m board does about 3 watts output. You can turn off the transverter to conserve battery power, which is nice when using the rig on internal batteries. You can even adjust the deviation with a simple menu setting. The 2 meter option supports DTMF and PL encoding, but does not support other encoding methods like DCS.
Initial audio reports were really pretty good on the local FM repeater, SSB reports were even better. I plan on using this as my primary 2 meter SSB rig (it is now my only one) using either a portable Arrow beam antenna or the Gizmotchy beam on the base. I also have a little 35 watt 2 meter Tokyo Hi-Power mp that works great, with this rig and if I want serious power, I can produce close to 200 watts using the Mirage B-320-G amp at home.
This is going to be fun!
