Hi Don,
Not lately, but I've rented (Camaro); not with ALL the foo foo items,
but it went WAY fast in a big hurry! That was kinda the point of that
choice, apply more foot; go more fast. While waiting for the passenger,
I ran through the dash menu, made the readout settings the way I wanted
them (synched to my phone for tunes) and it was pretty simple. But I'm
also used to that brand, GM, since I own a couple and have driven many
other brands (International, Kenworth, Dodge, Ford and others). Another
brand, should be as simple (presuming US English is used in the proper
form in the menu). Reprogramming a key fob, read the manual, there's
nothing intuitive about it (purposely more difficult I suspect for
security reasons).
You're correct of course, but... how many really take the time (to
read?) before they fire up any new rig? No, they get the new rig
itchies, connect an antenna, power it up and start fiddling about
(guilty!). Only when they find an issue ("Your audio is lousy!") do
they really dive in. For almost every other brand, that's sufficient;
not Elecraft (who does things better).
When I first built the K3, that's what I did, dove in... Only when I
caught my breath, did I take time to learn (and redo in a couple minor
items) the Elecraft way. That is a testament to the intuitive set up
(and the durability for some folks that push those limits) of the line.
In fairness, I scanned the manual while waiting for the kits to arrive,
I wasn't totally clueless. Scanned does not imply study, it means a
basic review; much is the same as most any other radio. Audio is one of
the few things that requires a little more depth than with other brands;
also power settings.
Fortunately, the layout, by design puts the typically (played with) user
items 'on the surface' and the ones that can really screw up what is
heard and sent, deeper in the menus; and many of those deeper items
still use the default settings. But once the initial rush is over, read
the manual; you'll get a deeper understanding of WHY you want things,
THIS way. So the jump in and drive isn't always 'wrong', just uninformed.
Reading the manual(s) (NOT the Internet) isn't fun, it isn't sexy but
you might learn something new.
The rest of my lighthearted jab was that many 'things' fail in the
simplicity test; they're not intuitive, they're often inverted reverse
backwards logic only on second Tuesdays with a half moon, if they have
any sense at all. I submit that the Baofeng HT programming from the
front panel is one example of lousy, not intuitive, user interface,even
the menu is often wrong (program via software, save your hair; I gave
mine away).
That is one example of an instant fail on my rating system. One
shouldn't need a PhD to operate a device or software of any kind at a
basic level, if the engineer did their job. Elecraft has; it's not a
challenge on most things; subtle points matter though.
Rick nhc
On 3/27/2019 4:50 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
Rick,
Have you bought a new vehicle lately? My 2017 model (moving from a
2008 model) had more bells and whistles than I could imagine. The
salesman made an attempt at familiarizing me with the various
functions, but the mind became saturated during his demo, and I
concentrated only on what was necessary to drive it home!
I had to read the owner's manual to be able to deal properly with the
vehicle. So RTFM. All transceivers are not the same. What is OK
for some is not OK for others.
Case in point is the way the Elecraft transceivers control power.
Other amateur transceivers can control the power output in an open
loop with the amount of audio that is produced.
Elecraft transceivers control power output in a closed loop and must
be treated differently. The manual statement to adjust the audio for
voice operation for 5 to 7 bars on the ALC meter, and for soundcard
digital modes to set the audio for 4 bars solid and the 5th bar
flashing must be respected. The power output must be controlled by
the POWER knob, and not the audio level.
Read the manual - that information I gave above is not intuitive
because much internet advice and even the instructions for some of the
application software do not consider the Elecraft method of power
output control.
73,
Don W3FPR
On 3/27/2019 7:25 PM, Rick WA6NHC wrote:
Heh, I'm the exact opposite. It's one of my evaluation test points
that if the device/software is truly user intuitive, friendly etc,
the manual become superfluous, rarely needed. But for picking out
the nits and finer subtle details these days, one must read because
ultimately, they matter.
Hurray for PDF and the search function! You can keep a van load of
'books' on your phones now.
Rick NHC
On 3/27/2019 4:11 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
It's amazing the things you can learn simply by reading the manual.
It's the first thing I do with an new product.
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