RE: [Elecraft] K3 #23 Up and Running
Good idea. But do the right thing and put it on eBay. You'll probably get more for your position in line than it will cost you for the K3, and someone else will get a shot at this great radio. Since yours is probably going to ship any day now, you'll probably even have the radio before the auction is over, so you'll be able to turn it around quickly for the buyer. Craig NZ0R K3/100 #25 -- worth the wait K2/100 #4941 -- worth the wait K1 #1966 -- worth the wait KX1 #1499 -- worth the wait -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of John [K7SVV] Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2007 10:08 PM To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]; elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 #23 Up and Running Doug, Well actually I am considering canceling my order. I placed my order on May 1 and I have no idea where I stand in line nor do I have any idea when I will receive my K3. I talked with them yesterday on the phone about changing my order to include the antenna tuner and another filter. They said they would email a copy of my invoice so that I would be certain what was included in my original order and I haven't seen or heard from them since then. The Flex 5000 is looking better all the time. John [K7SVV] - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2007 5:30 PM Subject: [Elecraft] K3 #23 Up and Running Should there be anyone out there considering canceling their K3 order or buying another radio because of slow deliveryDON'T DO IT, you WANT this radio!! For a variety of reasons it has been 2 weeks since I took delivery of S/N 23 and I just got it operational yesterday. I haven't actually worked anyone yet, I've just been enjoying getting myself familiar with the awesome receiver! The receiver is quiet...my K2 is quiet but the K3 more-so. The AGC is silky smooth both on SSB and CW. Filters are the stock 2.7 kHz SSB filter and the 5 pole 500 Hz filter for CW and the data modes. These in conjunction with the almost artifact free DSP I feel are all I will ever need for my operating style, though I might eventually spring for the 1.0 kHz filter. As others have observed, I've yet to find a signal that I can't hear on both the K2 and K3 but I'm sure that will come in due course. It is a real joy to listen to signals totally disappear as you tune across them. Audio quality and strength are excellent though the high frequency content is a little high for my liking. I haven't played with the equalizer yet but I suspect that will solve the problem. Now all I need is a 10 watt QSO before I install the KPA! As far as the build went it was pretty much uneventful. As always, the Elecraft construction manual was beautifully written and illustrated...follow the step-by-step and you can't go wrong. All of the parts were there and I'm almost to the point where I just won't bother to inventory an Elecraft kit (tnx Christine, Lindsay and Mariana!). The problems that did arise: 1. I was having difficulty mating J70 on the KANT3 board with P70 on the rf board. Looked at the connector and found that one of the holes was plugged. An email to Eric brought a quick reply that that was supposed to key the connectors but that the corresponding pin on P70 hadn't been clipped. 2.) While attaching the front panel to the front panel board it was virtually impossible to get the mic connector through the corresponding hole and keep the rest of the board aligned. The instructions make mention of this possibility and suggest wiggling the board and panel until they mate. In this case there just plain wasn't enough wiggle room so I used a sharp pocket knife to slightly increase the diameter of the hole with no harm to the panel. 3.) When I reached the smoke test stage all was well except that I COULDN'T TURN THE POWER OFF with the front panel switch despite the fact that it turned it on...very strange! A note to K3 support got a quick response suggesting it was probably a bent pin on one of the connectors between the FP board and the rf board...not so! There was some more back and forth and then Wayne asked if I had down-loaded the latest firmware...I hadn't but that particular problem was solved by turning the sub receiver rf and af pots fully CCW () don't ask me. ask Wayne! 4.) Firmware down load...I purchased the KUSB USB to serial port interface and it didn't work with my one year old Dell Dimension 3000 running XP. A standard RS232 cable direct to the serial port worked just fine. I plan to play with the USB configuration some more and either get it to work or figure out why it doesn't. And I assure you that the usual terrific Elecraft support is there! Doug W6JD K2 #1626, K3 #23 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post
Re: [Elecraft] K3 #23 Up and Running
Doug, Well actually I am considering canceling my order. I placed my order on May 1 and I have no idea where I stand in line nor do I have any idea when I will receive my K3. I talked with them yesterday on the phone about changing my order to include the antenna tuner and another filter. They said they would email a copy of my invoice so that I would be certain what was included in my original order and I haven't seen or heard from them since then. The Flex 5000 is looking better all the time. John [K7SVV] - Original Message - From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Sent: Wednesday, November 07, 2007 5:30 PM Subject: [Elecraft] K3 #23 Up and Running Should there be anyone out there considering canceling their K3 order or buying another radio because of slow deliveryDON'T DO IT, you WANT this radio!! For a variety of reasons it has been 2 weeks since I took delivery of S/N 23 and I just got it operational yesterday. I haven't actually worked anyone yet, I've just been enjoying getting myself familiar with the awesome receiver! The receiver is quiet...my K2 is quiet but the K3 more-so. The AGC is silky smooth both on SSB and CW. Filters are the stock 2.7 kHz SSB filter and the 5 pole 500 Hz filter for CW and the data modes. These in conjunction with the almost artifact free DSP I feel are all I will ever need for my operating style, though I might eventually spring for the 1.0 kHz filter. As others have observed, I've yet to find a signal that I can't hear on both the K2 and K3 but I'm sure that will come in due course. It is a real joy to listen to signals totally disappear as you tune across them. Audio quality and strength are excellent though the high frequency content is a little high for my liking. I haven't played with the equalizer yet but I suspect that will solve the problem. Now all I need is a 10 watt QSO before I install the KPA! As far as the build went it was pretty much uneventful. As always, the Elecraft construction manual was beautifully written and illustrated...follow the step-by-step and you can't go wrong. All of the parts were there and I'm almost to the point where I just won't bother to inventory an Elecraft kit (tnx Christine, Lindsay and Mariana!). The problems that did arise: 1. I was having difficulty mating J70 on the KANT3 board with P70 on the rf board. Looked at the connector and found that one of the holes was plugged. An email to Eric brought a quick reply that that was supposed to key the connectors but that the corresponding pin on P70 hadn't been clipped. 2.) While attaching the front panel to the front panel board it was virtually impossible to get the mic connector through the corresponding hole and keep the rest of the board aligned. The instructions make mention of this possibility and suggest wiggling the board and panel until they mate. In this case there just plain wasn't enough wiggle room so I used a sharp pocket knife to slightly increase the diameter of the hole with no harm to the panel. 3.) When I reached the smoke test stage all was well except that I COULDN'T TURN THE POWER OFF with the front panel switch despite the fact that it turned it on...very strange! A note to K3 support got a quick response suggesting it was probably a bent pin on one of the connectors between the FP board and the rf board...not so! There was some more back and forth and then Wayne asked if I had down-loaded the latest firmware...I hadn't but that particular problem was solved by turning the sub receiver rf and af pots fully CCW () don't ask me. ask Wayne! 4.) Firmware down load...I purchased the KUSB USB to serial port interface and it didn't work with my one year old Dell Dimension 3000 running XP. A standard RS232 cable direct to the serial port worked just fine. I plan to play with the USB configuration some more and either get it to work or figure out why it doesn't. And I assure you that the usual terrific Elecraft support is there! Doug W6JD K2 #1626, K3 #23 ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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 -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.5.503 / Virus Database: 269.15.24/1115 - Release Date: 11/7/2007 9:21 AM ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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:
Re: [Elecraft] K3 #23 Up and Running
John, We respond as quickly as possible to customer calls and email, almost always on the same day. But we've had to staff up a bit to handle all of the K3-related communications, and getting everyone trained on the details takes some time. I can assure you that your changes will be acknowledged tomorrow morning. 73, Wayne N6KR John [K7SVV] wrote: I placed my order on May 1 and I have no idea where I stand in line nor do I have any idea when I will receive my K3. I talked with them yesterday on the phone about changing my order to include the antenna tuner and another filter. They said they would email a copy of my invoice so that I would be certain what was included in my original order and I haven't seen or heard from them since then. --- http://www.elecraft.com ___ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net 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
