[Elecraft] Knobs and Buttons

[Wallace, Andy]

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Lee Buller [mailto:leebuller@yahoo.com]
>
> American manufacturers in the 70s went to simplistic knobs 
> and buttons...the Triton V?  

If you're talking Ten-Tec, I think the last was the Triton
IV. I bought a used one a few years back, and had it sent to
Ten-Tec for an overhaul (sticky VFO etc) before giving it
to my brother, unfortunately still an inactive ham. Anyway,
the Triton was a very nice rig -- I used it on the air for
several nights once it was back, on CW, and the thing ran
very cool at 100W out. (Unfortunates: poor quality PC boards,
panel labels which wore off, and RF feedback in SSB.)

> The Japanese had a button and a 
> knob for everything.  The more buttons and knobs, the hotter 
> selling the radio was.  I think that most American hams like 
> to twiddle knobs and push buttons.

It could be -- but it sure makes it tough for someone walking
into a store. One of the salesmen at the local Ham Radio Outlet
couldn't even demo the FT-1000MP Mark V Field when I came in because
he didn't know what every knob and button did...

I can only speak about the K1 right now, but I think it has just
the right amount. I find myself using every button and knob
when I am on the air, except perhaps the MENU button. I think that's
a good judge of a radio -- if most buttons get pushed, most are 
useful -- and also, the menus aren't too "deep" to understand.

(Sidebar: if you bring the K1 to demo at a hamfest, you might lift
one leg of the resistor going to the MENU button to prevent someone
from undoing your calibration settings...)

A casual customer seeing a K2 for the first time may not be able to
figure some things out -- I mean, how many other rigs have push/hold
functions? Someone already in the K1 camp should have no trouble.
It comes down to ergonomics, and I think Elecraft is doing OK there.

-Andy