UPDATE : here are pictures of MY unit.. completed testing and alignment this afternoon (13-August)..

Above : LEFT – the Tuner in the larger case KAT100-2    RIGHT: the K2 and KAT/KPA100 Combo


Above : LEFT – the rear of the K2 and Amp/Tuner Combo    RIGHT: K2 combo on bottom, K3 Combo on Top

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On the workbench are also one of my IFR-500 Service Monitors, Tektronics 2-channel 200mhz color digital scope, Tektronics Function Generator, Agilent High-Resolution DMM, B&K LCR meter, Elecraft N-Gen, 2T-gen and XG-3 Signal Generator
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Now here’s a novel idea.. and right down the alley that I’ve been pursuing for a couple of months now, but up till now, have been solution-less :
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  1. A Self Contained, full function HF (160-10m) radio that has at least 10w output (QRP), built-in 20w Auto-Tuner capable of 10:1 SWR or better, built-in Battery for 10-12 hour of operation, DSP filtering, noise blanker, SSB and CW and weights less than 6 pounds (ultra-portable),
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  2. but that can connect to an external box which will boost output power to 100+ watts AND have a built-in tuner capable of 10:1 or better SWR matching at the higher power. The enabling or disabling of the 100w feature should take less than 30 seconds and should be tool-less (should be plug-and-play, or unplug-and-GO).

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The Elecract K2 base unit is perfect for #1 above – it satisfies all of the requirement very nicely for field work. But it’s not ideal as a rapidly swappable base station to field rig. Normally, we’d have to replace the top of the K2 to enable the 100w amplifier, then connect the external 100w Auto Tuner (or vis-versa) – TOO MUCH HASSLE for this kid..!!

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In searching around, it seems that others had the same idea (years ago) and actually integrated the 100w amplifier along with the 100w tuner into a separate case (EC-2), making for a nice, stand-alone AMP/TUNER combination. That’s nice, but here’s the cat’s meow….  with this new configuration, ,the K2 Base Unit does not need to be changed IN ANY WAY – it stays as a QRP rig, with the built-in 20w antenna tuner and self-contained battery…!!  That means it can operate as a base station at home (connected to the 100w package), then be IMMEDIATELY disconnected and be portable, self-contained in less than 10 seconds – just disconnect power, then an RF cable and Control cable to the companion box. Assuming the unit has been plugged-into 13.8vdc power, the battery would have been trickle charging, so the unit is DEPLOYMENT-READY… .NOW..!!   I really like things to be simple – and this fits the bill nicely…

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Here are pictures of other people’s finished units – we’ll build this as well, as time permits. Just wanted to share the concepts and whys-whereforse with y’all..   Click on the pictures to enlarge

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Above – a typical Elecraft K2, but with an external 100w Amp/Tuner companion


Above – connections between the K2 and the companion Amp/Tuner – SIMPLE