I really can't speak for the folks at Elecraft, but ... I take the fact that Elecraft has provided an Elecraft part number in the manuals as 'living proof' that they DO understand they have a need to be in the REPLACEMENT parts business. That assures continuing quality and uniformity of the parts though the product line. It is also a necessary part of product support. So if you need a part for an Elecraft product, why not order from Elecraft?
I assume that the parts are priced to be profitable, but I also know from experience that shipping a large number of small orders is labor intensive and can become a real pain - that is why many parts suppliers have found a need to establish minimum order levels or add handling charges to small orders (I really don't understand how Mouser has avoided doing that). Since Elecraft part numbers are already available, providing (and keeping current) a cross reference list of Mouser (or other supplier) part numbers would require a lot of people-hours to create and support. Now if someone would volunteer their time and effort to create such a list, I'm certain it would be appreciated by the Elecraft community, but it should be monitored and double checked for changes every time that supplier issues a new catalog - I would not want to assume that ANY supplier's part numbers are a constant thing, they have been KNOWN to change. 73, Don W3FPR ----- Original Message ----- > Do we know that Elecraft wants to be in this business? I have assumed this > was a service they provided as an accommodation to their customers. And, > they certainly provide superb service in every regard. > _______________________________________________ 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