[Elecraft] Re: Wording

[Mike]

After I said, perhaps too emphatically:

>> Actually building a kit is the most mindless and menial part of the
>> whole process.

Rod N0RC wrote:

> Perhaps, comparatively, but stated that way trivializes the proud
> efforts of many builders.

Yes, I agree.  I was too aggressive in my characterization, and I should
have left off the word "mindless."  However, I *was* comparing the act
of kit construction vs. kit design.  Any way one looks at it, the former
does not come close to the latter in terms of intellectual challenge.

> With your experience the process may seem easy.

I've made some really stupid mistakes in a couple of the kits I've built
since getting bit by the QRP bug a few years ago, including winding all
the toroids in the first kit with one extra turn each!

> I can assure you that kit building is not "mindless and menial"; aside
> from various assembly, trouble shooting skills, the ability to "read
> and follow instructions" is paramount to success.

Certainly, there are mentally challenging aspects to kit construction,
namely:
(1)  Post-construction alignment,
(2)  Post-construction troubleshooting should problems arise, and
(3)  Post-construction modifications to tweek the original design.

I'll still stand firm with my characterization of the hours spent
bending component leads and soldering and clipping as menial.  I don't
know how else to describe it.  I personally don't like it much, and I'd
be happy to see more kits available that had most of the mundane work
completed on a surface mount PCB.  The MFJ Cub uses this technique, yet
still gives the builder two to four hours of kit building experience. 
How much more can one learn about soldering resistors and capacitors on
a PCB after the first couple of resistors and capacitors are installed? 
I'm sure that as a result of using a mostly pre-assembled surface mount
PCB, less errors are made, less tech suppport time is consumed, and the
point at which the rig is ready to go on air is reached much more
quickly.

I'll admit my viewpoint is likely not typical on the Elecraft list. 
Even back in Heathkit days, I never *ever* bought a kit for the joy of
building it.  I only purchase a kit if the features I want are not
available factory-built.  The K1 is a good example.  There is no other
product out there, kit or not, that fills my need for a relatively
full-featured, low power consumption, multi-band CW rig as well as the
K1 does.  Were it available factory-built, I would have bought it that
way.  Kit building for me is a means to an end, not an end in itself.  I
recognize that many others will not share my attitude in this respect.

My earlier characterization of the kit building process was a little too
strong, especially if read out of context of the comparison that was
being made.  It was certainly not intended to offend.  I will simply
state again my tremendous admiration and respect for the monumental
effort that is required by any decent kit manufacturer to produce a
successful product.  Elecraft is certainly the master of this process. 
My efforts as a customer putting the resulting kit together is
insignificant by any fair comparison, though perhaps not insignificant
compared to many other activities.

73,
Mike / KK5F