Why?
Why would Elecraft want to (re)create what has already been designed,
built and currently being sold as a K4?
Why should Elecraft spend the MANY THOUSANDS of dollars to create a
bastard product line and muddy the market which has no hope of any
return on the investment that creates it?
Because they moved on, no product lives forever. They took the best
features of the K3 and created the K4 line.
Ham radio occasionally features "it's time to move on to newer gear",
exactly why you replace old cars, boats, favored toys, clothes, fridge,
CRT monitors, TV's etc. Yes you can keep them patched and repaired and
they're useful, but at some point it costs more in maintenance/repair
than it's value to keep it running. At some point it's time to say
goodbye to them.
The K3, wonderful as it is, has reached that point. Enjoy it while it's
still working because many parts are unobtanium now (no longer available
without tedious expensive redesign since parts are no longer made
either). Be happy that Elecraft is still able to do SOME repairs (but
if a particular board needs replacing, it's over).
I spent many thousands of happy hours on the K3, I get it.
So your real options (presuming you stay in ham radio) are:
* Suck it up and buy a K4 (yup, a not-cheap fair amount of money) or
* Buy another product brand item and not have Elecraft performance AND
support or
* Buy more K3's and use some for parts replacement. (Many have/will
do/done this.)
Eventually all things come to an end; that time is quickly arriving for
the K3 line (it had a good almost 20 year run, NO other brand can claim
that). When Elecraft can no longer do the K3 repairs, it's over.
I like the Elecraft products (own several) in part because of the
support (online and from Elecraft) and the simple integration between
the elements (tuners/amps/other). As a former Kenwood fan, it was a
simple learning curve/transition.
Now, I'm not being mean or snarky but I am being direct. I moved on to
the K4D (twice in fact) because the performance and quality are MARKEDLY
better than the K3 and it's a current, viable and living, growing
product. My (very well dressed) K3 (and P3, KAT500 and KPA500) are in
my storage bin; in case I want a rig in the RV. They sit in honor next
to the Kenwood TS-520S that I bought WAY back in the '70s that hasn't
been powered up in over 30 years (my first NEW rig). Other gear has
left the storage bin (i.e. TS-940S), those have deep sentimental value
to me.
Other product brands (YaeComWoodLex) are sell and never look back;
Elecraft creates near living lines until it's time to start over on a
new line. YOUR investment, grows in the process instead of replacing it
every few years. The K3 reached that point about 8 years ago.
I also sold a car in excellent, near pristine condition, because it was
13 years old and it was time to move forward. It was replaced with a
hybrid car that has more storage space, uses less gas (cheaper to run),
has more safety features and some fun user toys built in (and wasn't cheap).
The K4 is just THAT much better. And improving every year, for now.
It's time to move forward. The K4 is available TODAY, no waiting (and
cheaper for Elecraft to ship than start spending on what you suggest).
So my long winded answer is don't waste time wishing for something that
won't happen, ever. Be happy with what you have now or move on.
73,
Rick nk7i
On 5/12/2026 12:22 PM, Richard Pedowski via Elecraft wrote:
Good afternoon,
Given the recent announcement regarding the K4HD and the upcoming price
increase in May, I believe this presents an opportunity for Elecraft to
reintroduce a model positioned between the KX3 and the K4 series.
Based on the K4HD module description, it seems to feature a modernized K3S
front-end (synthesizer, filters, mixer, etc.). By combining this with the KX3’s
DSP and the K4’s PA, Elecraft could create a strong candidate for a 'K3S MKII.'
This would also create a 'unified hardware platform' allowing software
development across all radios (a current example being the implementation of
SSNR, which is unfortunately not available for the K3/K3S).
Alternatively, the K3S MKII could be realized as a new DSP board upgrade for
existing K3/K3S units.
So, just out of curiosity: Would you be interested in the K3S MKII, as I am?
73 Rick, HB9TQU
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