<<<<<<<<< Certainly there is no good reason to start a company selling a 100 Watt kit SSB/CW rig....OTOH Elecraft bet it could and it would appear that they are successful. >>>>>>>>>>
There are some flaws in the logic. The K2 wasn't just another 100W HF and it still isn't today. A base K2 was and is a CW QRP rig with a top-end receiver and very low current draw. There was nothing competing with it then, and there isn't anything competing with it now. If you want a QRP rig with a top-end receiver and the lowest current consumption possible, then even the K3 doesn't complete as it draws 4 times the current on receive. the K1 and KX1 don't have the top-end receiver, but current consumption is a fraction of the K2. I love my K1, and the receiver is plenty good enough for the "wire in a tree". With the internal batteries and tuner, I don't need to carry more then a paddle and wire to operate for a long time. Yes, you can add all the options to a K2, and have a excellent 100W rig, but if it had been introduced as an "all options only" 100w kit, it would have been expensive, and I don't know if Elecraft would be around today. Elecraft started out making a rig that was like nothing else available. There was a big void to fill. Amplifiers are a different story. Where is the void? If you have the money, there are amps that do the job automatically, without any user input needed, other then the ON/OFF switch. As for a loss leader, high power SS amps are great, but those transistors aren't rugged like tubes, and oscillation problems and other issues blowing very expensive transistors could become a big drain on Elecraft's profits. With the design issues and expense, and after the sale expense, I think Elecraft would be wise to stay out of the amp business. It would be a big risk. -- View this message in context: http://n2.nabble.com/On-the-advisability-of-selling-kit-radios-tp4539424p4543194.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
