Hi Paul, While the decision is of course highly individual, there are many good reasons to upgrade to the K4.
Most obvious among them: the K4’s quantum leap in user interface. Second is perhaps the expansion of digital audio interfaces, including HDMI video, multiple USB ports, and ethernet. The K4 also has unlimited expansion capability, both in software and hardware, to adapt to future needs. The HDR and transverter modules are only two examples. The ADCs and DAC are also located on small, easily upgraded modules, ready for whatever exotic technologies the future may bring. The internal main CPU is also in an industry standard form-factor so it can be easily upgraded. Wayne N6KR ---- elecraft.com > On May 28, 2021, at 10:55 AM, Paul GACEK via Elecraft > <elecraft@mailman.qth.net> wrote: > > Congrats Wayne and team on the K4 evaluation. > > The two other responses do somewhat beg the question about what happens to > the K3s used market and pricing. Not a lot of K3s for sale unlike the trickle > to flood of k3. > > At one point, I thought people were hanging on to their K3s waiting for a K4 > upgrade which might well still be valid but I also wonder if people will > simply stay with the K3s as the performance is clearly great and forgo the > flexibility an SDR rig brings. > > Paul > W6PNG > www.nomadic.blog > >> On May 28, 2021, at 10:32 AM, Henry Pollock - K4TMC <kilo4...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >> I Love my K3+(new syn)! >> >> 73, >> Henry - K4TMC >> (K3 #98) >> >>>> On Fri, May 28, 2021 at 1:22 PM BRUCE WW8II <wa8...@gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>> I LOVE my K3s >>> >>> Bruce >>> WW8II >>> >>>> On Fri, May 28, 2021 at 12:31 PM Wayne Burdick <n...@elecraft.com> wrote: >>>> >>>> Sherwood has posted his measurements of the K4D's receiver performance in >>>> his table: >>>> >>>> http://www.sherweng.com/table.html >>>> >>>> We're quite pleased with his test results, which confirm that the K4/K4D >>>> is near the top of its class (direct-sampling SDRs). A K4HD would provide >>>> somewhat higher dynamic range for those stations in extreme signal >>>> environments, but the vast majority of operators will find that the >>> K4/K4D >>>> more than meets their needs. >>>> >>>> I'd like to highlight a few important items in Rob's chart. >>>> >>>> First, the K4D has a high 2 and 20 kHz dynamic range value of 101 dB. >>>> Because it's a direct-sampling radio, this figure will hold at nearly all >>>> offsets from strong signals. Second is the block dynamic range number >>> (128 >>>> dB), higher than almost every other "pure" SDR measured. Finally, there's >>>> the LO noise (local oscillator; 148 to 155 dB) -- again, very favorable >>>> compared to all competing SDRs. This is an important number correlated >>> with >>>> reciprocal mixing dynamic range (RMDR). >>>> >>>> Taken together these demonstrate that the K4D will offer excellent >>>> performance in crowded band conditions. >>>> >>>> Inevitably a question will arise regarding the chart position of the K4D >>>> relative to a couple of our other transceivers: the K3S and KX3. There's >>> a >>>> bit of "apples to oranges" in both comparisons. >>>> >>>> The K3S uses a superhet receiver architecture. The K4HD will provide a >>>> receive setting that emulates this superhet performance when and if it's >>>> needed. But the "pure" (direct sampling) method used by the K4 (all >>> models) >>>> has many advantages. One is the elimination of artifacts associated with >>>> crystal filters. Another is that, as a pure SDR, the K4 has a far more >>>> flexible architecture. We'll be able to provide updates to the receive >>> and >>>> transmit digital signal chains that cannot be added to a superhet like >>> the >>>> K3S or its competitors. >>>> >>>> The KX3 is another Elecraft radio high on Sherwood's chart. Its >>>> performance is excellent, especially at its price point. But its numbers >>>> relative to the K4 are somewhat misleading, as hinted at by Rob's >>>> footnotes. The KX3 uses a quadrature downsampling architecture, which >>>> digitally samples at baseband audio rather than at RF. This is ideal for >>> a >>>> radio like the KX3 that has to have very low current drain for portable >>>> operations. The K4 uses a direct-samping architecture that requires a >>>> higher power digital signal chain, resulting in important benefits over >>>> quadrature downsampling including much higher and more consistent >>> opposite >>>> sideband image suppression and 2nd-order intermod rejection. So the two >>> are >>>> really designed for different applications. >>>> >>>> Overall, this first independent test of the K4 validates the performance >>>> of our SDR architecture. Feel free to send us any further performance >>>> questions. >>>> >>>> 73, >>>> Wayne >>>> N6KR >>>> >>>> >>>> ______________________________________________________________ >>>> Elecraft mailing list >>>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >>>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>>> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >>>> >>>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>>> Message delivered to wa8...@gmail.com >>>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> Elecraft mailing list >>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >>> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >>> >>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >>> Message delivered to kilo4...@gmail.com >>> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> Elecraft mailing list >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm >> Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net >> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html >> Message delivered to paul.ga...@mac.com > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > Message delivered to n...@elecraft.com ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
