Bill, Reliability must be weighed against the repeatability of a problem in numerous similar radios. I purchased my first Elecraft product in Sept 2010 which was a K3 kit and I've been reading the Elecraft reflector messages since then. My K3 continues to work fine after assembly without any catastrophic problems necessitating a trip back to Elecraft. My experience suggests the occasional catastrophic failures we read about are the result of a series of preceding events including but not limited to; Assembly mistake(s) Configuration mistake(s) Firmware loading mistake(s) Interfacing mistake(s)
I'm sorry to read that your K3 is giving you trouble but rest assured that short of electrocuting the radio any problems with it are repairable and Elecraft will get it working. 73, Gary N6LRV -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Bill Sent: Saturday, August 04, 2012 7:08 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [Elecraft] K3 - reliability I have been reading the posts about the KX3 and it brings up a question about K3 reliability. Prior to my purchase of a K3 last winter, I did all the usual research on reflectors and boards. I was looking for real-life user information and experiences. What impressed me most was the lack of reported serious failures - those requiring a visit to the factory. I do know that some K3s have required factory level warranty repairs. The question is: how many or what percentage. And, is there a particular problem(s) that appears often. Most rigs, after being on the market for a period of time, have known short comings. Not so for the K3. I have read nothing that indicates a chronic problem(s). Based on the above, I purchased and built a K3. Five months after completion - the rig is at the factory awaiting warranty repair (dark display with MCU LD shown). Needless to say, I do question the K3's reliability factor and would be very interested in the particulars of other failures requiring a return to the factory for warranty repairs. I am still on the air, using my trusty Kenwood 480 while on vacation - so no total washouts. Kindly keep the flames to a minimum - this is a serious question that I should have pushed prior to purchase. Thanks, Bill W2BLC -- IN GOD I TRUST (but, NOT a single politician) ______________________________________________________________ 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 ______________________________________________________________ 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
