On 12/26/2010 11:10 AM, Gary K9GS wrote: > Your thoughts and comments are appreciated.
Some observations. You've pretty well hit many of the K3 advantages. One BIG one you left out is the very strong customer-oriented, customer-responsive Elecraft management, and easily accessible support by phone or internet. Users want new features, Elecraft often delivers them in updated versions of operating firmware, all of which are no cost to the user. Users discover problems, Elecraft fixes them, either with hardware fixes that the user buys at a nominal cost, or with updates to firmware that are no cost to the user. The OWNERS of Elecraft read this reflector daily, and respond directly when needed. The design and operating features of the K3 are STRONGLY influenced by users of K3s, many of whom are some of the best operators in the world. . By contrast, Yaesu has a HISTORY of taking a decade to fix major problems (the infamous key clicks of the MP and its decendents that make an MP user 5 kHz wide), to to fix them, you don't upgrade the radio you already own, you must buy the new model. Or you must open it up and do the surgery yourself, on the instructions NOT of Yaesu, but of third parties. Other advantages of Elecraft -- you buy the options YOU need, not the ones you don't. All documentation is on the website, including complete schematics. Manuals aren't perfect, but updates are pdf's, published on the website. As to the 2nd RX -- I owned an MP before buying a K3, and that sold me on the advantages of a 2nd RX for DXing and for contesting. For DXing, you can listen on the split frequency where you're transmitting to help you figure out WHERE you want to transmit. For contesting, you can use the main RX to listen on your run frequency, while you use the sub-RX to search for multipliers to work. VERY useful. Reasons to NOT buy a K3? You have far more money than you'll ever need so that cost is no object, and you want this monster box on your desk with a big screen and lots of knobs. And you've got this insecurity thing about needing something BIG! :) 73, Jim K9YC ______________________________________________________________ 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
