In a message dated 9/30/07 6:17:24 PM Eastern Daylight Time, [EMAIL PROTECTED] writes:
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > > > Will it be possible to keep a K2 working 35 years? I don't see why not, > given > > that almost all the parts are readily available, the documentation is wide > > > open and free, and expert assist is available from several sources. Plus > when > > Most of the documentation is closed, as, as you point out yourself, the > radio does a lot in software, and the software source isn't released; > not even the AuxBus protocol is documented. It's documented, just not publicly. That could always change. It's also the case that > > component substitution, including piggy backed surface mount parts, have > had to be made already. > > The impact of the closed software is that, even if you can get the PIC > chips, you won't be able to program them. Also, where the firmware has > restrictions for legal reasons, and these go away (e.g. the Thai > government permits use of additional amateur radio frequencies, or, on > my reading of the UK licence, and assuming the situation has arisen and > > Elecraft have actually complied, if a UK Novice gets a Full licence and > is therefore allowed to operate equipment that is not restricted, by > design, to authorised frequencies, the user may have trouble getting an > upgrade). > > ncidentally, making the software public domain is not a good idea, as > it will be ineffective in the UK, and most other countries, with the, > probable, exception of the USAb, and doesn't allow one to restrict > implied warranties. It's better to use a liberal and perpetual licence. > WHich could happen in the future. > The other issue is that Elecraft is a small company and we have > discovered, this week, that one of their founders is turning 50 and > another key technician learned algebra in the late 1950s, it seems to me > that a lot of the key personnel are reaching the point where they think > about retirement. Heck, I'm 53, and I was thinking about retirement 20+ years ago! As well as losing the product knowledge, founders of > > startup companies in that position often want to turn the value of the > company into cash to fund their pensions. To me, the K3 could well be > there in order to make the company sellable. My experience of > innovative startups, where the founders sell out, is poor. I've had to > leave my old ISP, because of the consequences of that. > Of course that could happen. But support of older products is an issue with *any* company nowadays. How many ham-rig manufacturers today give full support to rigs they made 20, 25, 30, 35 years ago? > From what I know of the hardware, I would be most worried about the K2 > headphone jack, as it is not particularly generic and a known weak > point. I'm also somewhat concerned about the relays. They are almost > > impossible for an individual to source and they have a limited life, and > the KAT2, in particular, hits them hard. > I didn't know they had a limited life - how many operations? What is the failure mode? --- It should be remembered that in most cases, the way old rigs are kept alive is a combination of: - replacing old parts with new equivalents (orange drop caps replacing old wax-and-paper caps), - custom-making new parts to replace the old (usually done to mechanical pieces) - finding old caches of parts (this is how I fixed a GE Fanuc Workmaster unit to program Series Six PLCs a few months ago) - cannibalism of parts-rigs to keep good ones working. 73 de Jim, N2EY ************************************** See what's new at http://www.aol.com _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [email protected] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
