Elecraft K2 Menus 4 k2 menus Submitted by Jerry Neufeld, VE3QSO E-mail: ve3qso@rac.ca Phone: 613-828-0959 Notes 1. Because of the design of the K2 transceiver, one rarely needs to visit the menus once set up. In fact, it is quite possible that the default settings will be appropriate in your case, thus requiring no sighted assistance. For those who wish to make changes via the primary and secondary menus in the rig without assistance, the KRC2 morse code readout device or something equivalent to it will be required. Before attempting to go into the menus on your own, your KRC2 should be running and one of the four buttons, normally key 2, should provide you with a full readout of the K2 display.      2. The Primary menus are those you will most frequently use. You may either simply view the contents with no intent to modify them, what I will call simple display mode, or you may go one step further into edit mode to affect your changes. The procedure is simple but potentially confusing if you forget which mode you are in. To view the last Primary menu accessed, tap but do not hold the menu key, the bottom left-most key in the six-pack on the left-hand side of the front panel. Now tap the display readout button on the KRC2 to find out in which menu you are and to hear the current status of that menu. In most cases because of space restrictions on the K2 display, the name of the menu will be abbreviated e.g. STL for sidetone level, INP for input mode for a paddle or a straight key. While you can use the main tuning knob to scroll through the menus, visually-impaired users will find it much preferable to step forward or back one menu at a time by tapping either the band-up or band-down keys. Continuing to go in one direction will bring you full circle to your starting point. To illustrate how to make a change in a parameter, locate the STL sidetone volume level in simple display mode. Once there as determined by the KRC2 display readout, locate the K2 menu button again and press and hold. You should now hear a steady tone. Although you can use the band-up key to increase the volume level or the band-down key to reduce it, the increment or decrement will be so small as to be scarcely noticeable. In this situation, rotate the main tuning knob to affect a sharper change. Once at a desirable level, tap the menu key to return to simple display mode, then tap it again to exit the menus. Note: it is important that you remember to tape the menu key twice when entering the menus in the normal manner since failure to do so may cause some confusion later. Viewing and changing Primary menus is just that simple, provided the KRC2 is performing appropriately. To go to the Secondary menus as listed below, tap the menu key as before, then tap the display key, the top right-most key of the six-pack. The last-accessed Secondary menu will now be displayed and readable with the KRC2. To exit simple display mode and the Secondary menus, tap the menu key. To exit edit mode of the Secondary menus, tap the menu key twice as before. To go back to the Primary menus from the Secondary menus, tap the display key.      3. When either primary or secondary menus are brought up, the K2 will display the last parameter visited or edited. While this is convenient most times, rather than proceeding backwards or forwards menu by menu to reach the one you wish, you might wish to go immediately to menu 1 as appears in the lists below as a convenient reference point. I use programmable keys 1 & 2 to do this, 1 to take me immediately to sidetone volume edit and 2 to take me to SLCH squelch level in the secondary group, those rarely needed. Following is a segment of the menus list that tells you how to program the PF keys, 7 & 8 on the numeric pad. Programmable Function Switches (PF1/PF2) The PF1 and PF2 switches (below RIT and XIT, respectively) can be programmed as direct edit shortcuts to any two menu entries of your choice, including secondary menu entries. Two special functions can also be assigned to PF1 or PF2: Fast Play and SCAN RESUME. To program PF1 or PF2: Enter the menu and scroll to PF1 or PF2, then change the parameter to the desired entry. Exit the menu. To use PF1 or PF2: HOLD one of these switches to activate the selected menu shortcut, then change the menu parameter (which will be underlined) using the VFO knob or BAND-up/BAND-down buttons. Note: Understand that this will place you in edit rather than simple display mode as described in the previous note. To return to normal operation, tap any switch or the keyer paddle. Exceptions: the FPon, SCAN and RANT functions take effect immediately. Using PF1 or PF2 as secondary menu shortcuts: Enter the menu and scroll to PF1 or PF2 in the manner described in note 2 above. To switch to the secondary menu entries, tap DISPLAY. (Tapping DISPLAY again will return to the primary menu entries.) Select the desired parameter, then exit the menu.      4. As I have done for the Table of Contents in the operation manual, I have placed qq numbers for ease of location of sections with the find command. K2 Menus qq001 Primary Menu Functions qq002 Secondary Menu Functions ::: To access the menu: Tap MENU. The display will show the menu entry last used, with an underline.You can scroll to a desired menu entry by turning the VFO knob or by tapping the BAND + and BAND – switches. To modify a menu entry’s parameter: Hold EDIT to move the underline to the parameter, rather than the menu entry name. In the case of LCD , the parameter can be DAY or NITE . Change the parameter using the VFO knob or BAND+ / BAND- . When you’re finished, tap MENU to return to scrolling. Another tap of MENU will return you to normal operation. DISPLAY Switch Usage in EDIT Mode: The DISPLAY switch is used to access supplemental parameters when editing certain menu entries (marked "*" at right). You will normally not need to change these settings. Entries which use DISPLAY include: Entry DISPLAY witch Usage in EDIT mode STL Selects the sidetone source, U6 – 25 or U8 – 4 . Use U8 – 4 (default). T – R Specifies "8R" behavior, 8r hold or 8 r nor . "Hold" mode (default) holds the 8R line low during the user-programmed QSK delay. INP Selects auto-detect mode, ADETOn (default) or ADETOff. EDIT Shortcut: If the menu entry you want to change is the last one used, you don’t need to tap MENU; just hold EDIT. Change the parameter as usual, then exit by holding EDIT once more. ::: qq001 Primary Menu Functions STL: sidetone level (volume): 0-255 (Tone Source) ST P: sidetone pitch: 0.40 to 0.80 kHz in 10 Hz steps T-R: QSK delay: 0.00 to 2.55 sec. (8R Mode) RPT: CW message repeat interval: 0 to 255 seconds INP: CW input selection (Auto-detect on/off): PDLn (internal keyer/norm. w/auto-detect12) PDLr (internal keyer/reversed w/auto-detect) HAND (hand key or external keying device) 6. IAB: iambic mode: A or B 7. SSBA: SSB audio level (mic gain): 1 , 2 , 3 , or BAL 8. SSBC: SSB speech compression level: 1 – 1 through 4-1 ; in RTTY/data mode, a separate compression level is provided, and the menu entry is SSBCr 9. LCD: DAY (backlight off, bargraph bright) or NITE (backlight on, bargraph normal) 10. GRPH: LED bargraph selection: OFF , DOT , BAR (OPT BATT overrides GRPH BAR , forcing DOT mode) 11. OPT: receiver optimization: PERFormance or BATTery 12. ATU: ATU operating mode 13. RANT: RX antenna: OFF or ON , per-band (page 100) 14. CAL: calibration submenu The CAL menu provides the following functions: FCTR: Frequency counter CALFCTR displays the frequency of the signal at P6 on the Control board during alignment. CUR: Programmable transmit current limit CALCUR allows you to set a safe maximum transmit current. The recommended setting is 3.50 A. A lower setting may be appropriate if you’re using 5 watts or less, or if your power supply has a lower current rating. TPA: PA temperature set (see KPA100 manual) SLO: S-meter zero set S HI: S-meter full-scale sensitivity set S-meter Calibration (CAL SLO, CAL S HI) To set the S-meter zero level: Disconnect the antenna. Make sure the RF GAIN control is fully clockwise (max gain). Select CALSLO in the menu. Turn the VFO knob until the left-most bargraph segment is just barely turned off. 5. Exit CAL mode by tapping MENU. To set S-meter sensitivity: Disconnect the antenna. Turn the RF GAIN control fully counter-clockwise (minimum gain). 3. Select CALSHI in the menu. 4. Turn the VFO knob until the right-most bargraph segment is just barely turned off. 5. Exit CAL mode by tapping MENU . Note: The S-meter must be recalibrated anytime the AGC threshold is changed. PLL: VFO linearization The CALPLL function automatically calibrates VFO fine-tuning13. You can repeat CALPLL at any time, although this should not normally be necessary. One reason you might re-run CALPLL is after calibrating the frequency counter. In general, you’ll need to re-run CALPLL and CALFIL anytime you change the setting of C22 (Control board), which is used to align the 4 MHz crystal oscillator. To Linearize the VFO: Remove the top cover. The bottom cover must be installed. Allow a 10-minute warm-up period at room temperature. Connect the internal frequency counter cable to TP1 (VCO). Exit the menu if you were using it. Switch to 40 meters and set the VFO anywhere in the 7000-7100 kHz range. 6. Use the menu to activate CALPLL. 7. When calibration is completed (4-8 minutes), you’ll hear a short alert tone and see E n d on the LCD. You can then tap any switch to return to normal operation. FIL: Filter settings This section explains how to use CALFIL to select the bandwidth and BFO settings. An example appears on the next page. The Elecraft web site provides information on other filter setup methods, including a method that uses a personal computer sound card. For a discussion of how the crystal filter and BFO settings are related. Basic CAL FIL Setup Connect the frequency counter test cable to TP2 (BFO). Set AF GAIN high enough to hear some background noise. Switch to a band between 160 m and 17 m. (The sideband is inverted on 15 m and above, which may be confusing during filter setup.) 4. Select CW mode using MODE . If a bar appears above the C, the K2 is in CW Reverse mode; hold CWRV to select CW Normal mode. 5. Tap XFIL until FL1 is selected. 6. Tap MENU and scroll to CAL . Hold EDIT to move the underline to OFF , then scroll until you see CALFIL . Finally, hold EDIT again to activate the filter display. After selecting a CAL function, hold EDIT to activate it. 15. PF1/PF2: programmable functions; can be assigned to any menu function, SCAN , or FPon (Fast-Play) ::: qq002 Secondary Menu Functions To access the secondary menu, tap MENU, then tap DISPLAY. You’ll see SEC. All secondary menu functions are listed and described here. 1. SLCH Squelch level Squelch defaults to OFF. You can set the threshold to 1-10, corresponding to the S-meter’s bargraph segments. Transmitting holds squelch open for about 10 seconds. 2. RATES RATE switch selections Tuning Rate Selection (RATES) The RATES menu entry lets you specify how the RATE switch works. The four options are: 3N3 rates, normal order (10/50/1000 Hz steps) 3R3 rates, reverse order (1000/50/10 Hz steps) 3C3 rates, CW optimized (10/20/1000 Hz steps) 22 rates (10/50 Hz steps only) 3. DOT Dot/space ratio (keying weight) Keying Weight (DOT) DOT sets the internal keyer’s dot/space ratio (keying weight). The range is 0.90-1.40, roughly 90% to 140% of "normal" weighting. The default is 1.1 4. FPLY Fast Play switch selections Fast-Play CW Messages (FPLY) CW messages are normally played by tapping MSG, then 0-8 . During contests, some operators prefer to have one-touch access, which we refer to as Fast-Play. To use Fast-Play: First, program PF1 or PF2 as FPon for use in turning Fast-Play mode on/off. Next, use the FPLY menu entry to select a switch group. For example, if you have FPLY2-5 selected, you can use 2,3,4, and 5 for Fast-Play. (The TAP functions of these switches won’t be available in CW mode; HOLD functions are unaffected.) When Fast-Play is on, the letter F will replace the mode letter c once every few seconds as a reminder. A tap of any Fast-Play switch will play its message buffer one time. To auto-repeat, you must still use MSG. 5. PORT RS232 interface on/off (Port Test) RS232 Interface Setup (PORT) Use the PORT menu entry to turn on 4800-baud RS232 communication. When PORT is ON , tapping DISPLAY sends an "FA" command (VFO A frequency) for test purposes. Refer to the KIO2 or KPA100 manual for details. 6. SPLT SPLIT, RIT, XIT configuration SPLIT/RIT/XIT Configuration (SPLT) Normally, the K2’s SPLIT, RIT, and XIT selections stay the same as you switch from one band to the next. To have these selections stored on a per-band basis and retained when power is off, set SPLT to PER(per-band). 7. Po2810/12 meter SSB power output limit 10 and 12 m Power Limit in SSB/RTTY Modes (Po28) The highest distortion-free single-sideband power output level may be less than 15 watts, especially on 10 and 12 m. We recommend leaving Po28 at 10.0 watts. (Does not apply to CW mode.) 8. RTTY RTTY (data) mode control RTTY/Data Mode (RTTY) RTTY/Data mode (mode letter lower-case r ), if enabled, provides four independent crystal filter settings for use with data modes. To enable RTTY/Data mode, set the RTTY menu parameter to ON. The MODE list will then include C,L,U and r. r-NORMAL mode uses lower sideband, and r -REVERSE (with a "bar" over the r ) uses upper sideband. To select r -REVERSE, hold the CWRV switch. (FINE RIT is also very useful in data modes). Filter configuration (CALFIL): r mode defaults to the same settings as LSB and USB. Use CALFIL (on 17 meters or below) to modify the r -mode filter bandwidths or BFO settings as needed. Speech compression (SSBCr): The SSBC menu entry will change to SSBCr when r mode is selected. A setting of 1-1 (1:1, or speech compression off) is recommended for RTTY/data. 9. RTC Real-time clock control Real-Time Clock (RTC) If RTC is set to ON and a KAF2 or KDSP2 option is installed, the DISPLAY switch can access a time or date display. (The KDSP2 also provides DSP features which are accessible via the DISPLAY switch.) Refer to the KAF2 or KDSP2 manual. 10. RIT RIT/XIT offset range (up to +/- 4.8 kHz) RIT/XIT Range Selection (RIT) RIT is used to select one of four RIT/XIT OFFSET ranges. If the selected range is +/- 1 . 2 kHz or higher, the RIT/XIT annunciators flash whenever RIT or XIT are turned on. 11. ACC Accessory output control Accessory Outputs (ACC) This menu entry can be used in conjunction with the Elecraft KRC2 programmable band decoder to control equipment external to the K2. Refer to the KRC2 manual for details. 12. D19 Leave at default (n ) unless K60XV option installed Extended VFO Range (D19) Leave D 1 9 set to the default, n (no), unless you have installed varactor diodes D19 and D20 in conjunction with the K60XV option (60 meters plus low-level transverter I/O). At that time the parameter should be set to Y . Note: Do not install D19 and D20 until the K60XV option is installed. 13. PAK2/100 final stage mode selection (Fan Mode) K2/100 Mode Selection (PA) If you have the KPA100 option installed, the P A menu entry shows the 100-watt stage’s operating mode. While editing the P A parameter, tapping DISPLAY selects the fan mode (nor, LoHi, Hi). For more details, refer to the KPA100 manual (Appendix G of the K2 owner’s manual, which is supplied with the KPA100 kit). 14. TRN1-3/4-6 Transverter band setup (Parameter) Transverter Bands (TRN1-TRN6) Six user-definable bands are provided for use with transverters. Once enabled individually using the TRN1-3/4-6 menu entries, these bands will appear in the band rotation following 10 meters. You can use Elecraft XV-Series transverters and most other transverter types with the K2. Transverter switching: Up to six Elecraft XV-Series transverters can be controlled automatically using the K60XV option (60 meter adapter and low-level transverter I/O). Refer to the K60XV manual for further details. Transverter configuration: These bands are set up using the TRN1-3/4-6 menu entries. First, tap MENU, select the secondary menu (SEC) using DISPLAY, and scroll to TRN1,2, or 3. (Tapping ANT1/2 switches to TRN4-6.) Next, hold EDIT to highlight the first parameter. You can then tap DISPLAY to rotate through the parameters. Finally, change parameters as needed using the VFO knob or BAND+/BAND-. Changes take effect when you exit EDIT mode. ON/OFF Set to ON to enable this transverter band RF Transverter operating frequency (0-999 MHz; GHz digits not used) IF K2 band to use as the I.F. (7, 14, 21, or 28 MHz)19 OFS Display offset (+/- 9.99 kHz); calibrate based on transverter oscillator offset, if any OUT Power output limit, L0.01-L1. 27 mW (requires K60XV) or H00.0-H12.7 watts; can reduce setting using POWER control ADR Elecraft XV-Series transverter selection address (see K60XV manual) Using transverter bands: When you switch to a transverter band (using BAND+/BAND-), the message TRN1, 2 or 3 is flashed. The LCD shows up to 999 MHz by shifting one place to the right. Note: If you select 10 Hz tuning steps with RATE, the hundreds of MHz digit will briefly disappear so you can see the 10-Hz digit. Direct Frequency Entry on transverter bands is in-band only. For bands over 99 MHz, the first digit is made part of the prompt. For example, on a transverter band in the 430 MHz range, you’d see – – – – 4 when you hold BAND+ and BAND- together to initiate Direct Frequency Entry. To get to 432.100 MHz, you’d then enter 32100. Controlling transverter relays: The 8R HOLD feature can prevent excessive transverter relay switching in CW mode. To change the 8R HOLD setting, locate the T-R menu entry (primary menu), edit the parameter, and tap DISPLAY to select 8rhold. (This is the default setting and is recommended for use in all operating modes, whether or not transverters are used.) Using the K60XV option with transverters: In addition to 60 meter coverage, the K60XV option provides a low-level, split RX/TX path transverter interface. This interface can be selected on a per-transverter-band basis by adjusting the OUT field for an output value in milliwatts (L0. 01-L1.27). In T U N E mode, power in mW is displayed, plus LP for "low power" (e.g. P1.00LP). The K60XV also provides a buffered relay keying output, and logic outputs for transverter switching. Additional control capabilities are available with the Elecraft KRC2 programmable band decoder. (Refer to the K60XV and KRC2 manuals.) ATU considerations: Use caution when connecting both a transverter and an HF antenna to the KAT2: you could accidentally transmit at high power into the transverter. For example, suppose that you have TRN1 set up for an I.F. of 14 MHz and a 1.0-watt power limit. If you switch the K2 to 14 MHz– where there is no power limit–you must remember not to transmit into the KAT2 antenna jack that is connected to the transverter. DISPLAY Switch Usage in EDIT Mode: The DISPLAY switch is used to access supplemental parameters when editing certain menu entries (marked "*" above). You will normally not need to change these settings. Entries which use DISPLAY include: Menu Entry DISPLAY Usage PORT Sends an RS232 test message if PORT is ON PA Selects PA fan mode (see KPA100 manual) TRN1-6 Selects transverter parameter D19 Selects PA low-pass filter to use on 60 meters. PA60 = 80 (80 m filter) or PA60 = 40 (40/30 m filter). See instructions in K60XV manual. ================================================================================ **Disclaimer:** This guide is volunteer-submitted and provided "as is" without warranty. Use caution and verify all information before proceeding. "I Can Work This Thing" assumes no responsibility for accuracy, safety, or any damage/injury resulting from use. For complex or dangerous procedures, consult qualified professionals. Report issues or suggestions to https://icanworkthisthing.com ================================================================================