Ray, Thanks for your wonderful praise and support.
However, at my age, I do not intend to put up the bucks to purchase a K4. My fully loaded K3 and P3 along with my KX3/PX3/KXPA100/KXAT100 stations along with my fully loaded K2/100 Twins are more than adequate for my wants and needs and will remain my 'lifetime stations'. I know I have a limited number of years left in my lifetime and I cherish each day even there is no evidence that it will be ending soon, but realistically, there will come a time in the future - I hope it is a longer time, but I just don't know, but nothing major is apparent at this time.
If Elecraft wants to advance me a K4 as a loaner, I would certainly be willing to participate fully in that initial field testing. I believe hardware Beta testing is already underway with a small group of targeted users, but I have nothing on which to base that assumption.
To clarify, I was not one of the hardware beta testers for the KX3, I was the recipient of the first production unit. I had a local Elecraft trade show booth to run here and the decision was to either ship me a prototype KX3 or to ship my own KX3 at that time - the decision was to ship me my own KX3 (serial # 00020 which matches my K2 and my K3).
I was a Firmware Field Tester for both the K3 and the KX3 - that is a bit different than the true Beta testers who evaluate the placement of the knobs, viewing angles and things of that nature. By the time of the Firmware Field Test is started, those aspects are already "glued in place".
Yes, I was a Hardware and Firmware Field Tester for the K2 starting back in 1998, and I fell in love with Elecraft gear during that hardware build. There were many others involved in that K2 Field Test that became close friends and associates, Tom Hammond N0SS (SK) in particular, but others who are now SK, and I miss many of them.
I have enjoyed a close relationship with Elecraft since the beginning back in 1998, and have been a part time employee from 2004 until mid February this year when I decided it was time to retire for my 3rd and final time.
So now you have my complete Elecraft history along with some nostalgia added.
73, Don W3FPR On 11/23/2019 3:27 PM, Raymond Sills via Elecraft wrote:
I sure hope that one of the beta testers is Don, W3FPR. He's done so much for the Elecraft community, and is so widely respected, that he -deserves- to have an early crack at the K4. IIRC, he did receive one of the first production units of the KX3, which is my favorite rig. Of course, I know that neither he nor Wayne will confirm or deny who's getting to put the K4 through it's paces. 73 de RayK2ULRKX3 #211
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