While I agree with many of Wayne's thoughts about the K3 or the K2 on the matter of emergency communications I would like to add a few more thoughts for consideration.
There were initially a number of reasons why I purchased my K3, one of which was field service-ability for such a high end transceiver. Yes I realize I'm probably not going to trouble shoot a board in the field, but that said, if one of the sub-assemblies goes belly up, I don't need to return the entire radio to Elecraft for repair, simply order a new board. The K2 however, I would not be afraid to replace a single part with something close from a junk box or even Radio Shack's dwindling parts supply. Of course the chance of needing to replace an antenna or mic connector that got banged might be more common than needing to cut out an IC and replace it. However, if I needed to head into a serious emergency situation I would probably take my "Go Box" which has a Kenwood D700, an Icom 706mK2g, a AC/DC switcher, and 24Ahr battery supply, power poles, antennas, jacks, modems etc all in one package. Why the 706? Yes, it's a mediocre receiver at best, but honestly, it's a small, fairly un-destructible work horse. Having used these in harsh marine environments I know they can be relied upon. I'll bet that more 706s are the main SSB on more sailboats than any other rig, and unless you've been at sea for a couple of weeks, it's hard to understand how stuff just craps out! I don't wish to start a big discussion on the merits of this rig over that one in an emergency. I really love my K2 and especially my K3. Could it be used in an emergency because of Wayne's reasons? Absolutely! Would it be my first choice to take?........... John K2QY Deputy Radio Officer Albany County RACES ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
