Thank you Don, this is good information, especially eliminating the
support worry. I am pleased at the possibilities ahead and have some
leads on a few radios. I need a decent CW decoder to help me as my speed
increases; I'm using a soundcard decoder with N1MM but it's hit and miss
with my current setup.
73, Tony
On 12/19/20 6:07 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
Tony,
The K3/K3S is a very good transceiver. I can't answer your question
about the speaker jack, but I assume it is because of the lighting in
the photos. You can easily replace the SO-239 jacks with the
connector of your choice, but IMHO it will not make any difference. I
once changed those connectors to type N because that customer did not
trust the UHF connectors.
Support of the K3 and K3S will not end just because they are not
shipping. I worked Elecraft Support for the Legacy Gear from 2004
until Feb 2019, and every product that Elecraft has produced is
supported as long as parts are available. My experience with Elecraft
goes back to the start of the company in 1998.
The CW decode will work with SubRX on or off.
The KIO3 or KIO3A is adequate if you connect to RS-232 ports or a good
USB to RS-232 adapter (FTDI chipset). If something happens and it
fails, you will have to upgrade to the KIO3B.
Similarly, the synthesizers - the old ones are no longer available
from Elecraft, and in case of failure, the new synthesizers would have
to be used as replacements. If your K3 has the old synthesizers,
replacing them would give a big advantage - the K3S already has the
upgraded synthesizers.
So as long as the parts are available, Elecraft will continue to
support their older products. The only products that are no longer
supported (for lack of replacement parts) are the K1 4 band board
(should the trimmer capacitors fail) or some of the parts for the
XV50, XV222, and XV432 transverters - again only for lack of some
replacement parts. Even those older units that have parts availability
problems may be sent in for service, and will be repaired unless the
failure is because of a no longer available part. I expect this
practice to continue for many years with the K3 and K3S as well as the
Legacy Products.
I am quite pleased with my K3 upgraded with the new synthesizers, and
it will likely be my last transceiver, although I also have my
original Field Test K2 (fully upgraded) and a KX3/PX3/KXPA100 and KX2
for field work. All carry SN 000020 except for the KX2. Both the K3
and the KX3 have been sent through the Elecraft repair facility, while
I upgraded my K2/100 myself because it was the same as I was doing for
customers.
73,
Don W3FPR
On 12/17/2020 12:05 AM, Tony KX3H wrote:
Sorry but I just need a little help with this - I'm in the K4 Group 3
list and know it will be a while before I get the call, so
considering buying a used K3(S) in the mean time. This would be my
first Elecraft and I am hesitant to jump in knowing the support has
ended. Are there any guidelines to consider if I do purchase one?
Things like:
1) Find the KIOB3 card that has ACC/RJ45/USB or doesn't that matter?
2) What's the deal with the SPEAKER jack always looking like a
horseshoe with the chrome ring missing? Is that an easy part
replacement or does it mean something else? I tend to see this a lot
in listings and that concerns me.
3) Why on some radios the ANT jacks are different colors? I'd
like to have both teflon white but also see the old brown bakelite
color in pictures.
3) Any serial number above range to pick from? I know these are
all 5-15 years old but I'm still running a 33-year old Icom Superhet
with a 250hz xtal filter; not a real fan of visual eye-candy
waterfalls or the Pan adapters - call me crazy but it seems
distracting. Maybe the K3 with a regular screen would be better for
me long term than the fancier K4 (although it's beautiful).
4) Does the CW decoder display work when you have the second RX
installed/enabled?
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