> I too would have bought a K4 variant were it available - the K3 with a > full-sized front panel.
One future possibility is to merge K3 and TS-480 technologies to allow the end-user the purchase of a control panel as a remote head -- and offer it in small, medium and large sizes. The data to/from the base unit to the panel remains the same, regardless of the panel. One base module fits all. It's the panel that picks off the appropriate data based on number of panel knobs, switches and display type. The technology and feasibility are already here: The TS-480 has allowed many of us to plug the '480's remote head into our laptop USB jacks (through a simple FTDI data converter) and control the station from thousands of miles away -- and yet still have the look and feel of the real rig sitting in front of you, complete with panel switches and a VFO knob to spin. I take a small Pelican case with me on my travels that contains the TS-480 control head, WinkeyUSB keyer (w/ local CW sidetone injection), Begali Traveler paddle, and a collapsible set of Sony headphones. That, together with my Dell notebook PC allows for all-mode operation, including the use of CW paddles from anywhere I can find a Wi-Fi connection. In the case of the TS-480, there's not a whole lot inside the control head and I could see three inexpensive panels being offered into a future Elecraft product at a reasonable price. Then, as you go from mobile, to portable, to base operation, one just picks the appropriate panel size. Allowing the selction of economical panel sizes is an untapped feature with an awful lot of powerful capabilities. Paul, W9AC _______________________________________________ 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
