Johnny, The beautiful thing about Elecraft products is that you don't have to make the final decision now. You can purchase the rig without the second receiver and buy it when you figure what you need it for.
That said, I think the question you want to ask yourself is, "What could I do if I had *two* K3s?" I can scarcely think of a day that passes that I *don't* use the second receiver. For example, at sunrise and sunset, I scan the 160m band with one receiver and listen with the other receiver to see who comes back to the big guns who are calling CQ. It's a great way to see where the band might be open to and sometimes I can call the same stations a kc or two up and get a reply. With the forthcoming band independence between the main and sub receivers, I plan to enjoy a shortwave station on one receiver while I troll a "dead" band for signs of life. Come on, sunspots!! Perhaps the most common practice is listening to both a DX station and the pileup at the same time. I became accustomed to this with my FT1KMP, but lost the ability when I switched to my K2 for its more bullet proof receiver and also missed it with my Ten Tec Omni VII. Since having it again in the K3, I spend *a lot* less time trying to bust a pileup simply because I have a lot better chance of putting my signal in a quieter spot where the DX will hear it. Sure, you *can* sort of do this without the second receiver, but in my experience not nearly as effectively. I plan to take this to the next level and use the radio as a single-box "SO2R" in future contests - that should be interesting!! Like most engineering questions, the answer is, "It depends." It depends on what you want to do and what you're comfortable doing. I admit that after 40 years in the hobby, it has taken a little practice to integrate "two K3s" into my operating style. Now I definitely would not want to do without it. 73, Brian K1LI
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