[Elecraft] No matter what I do...

[Don Wilhelm]

Is the Subaru still under warranty? I am certain the Elecraft gear will need no warranty replacement.  It does sound like the shock absorbers may need service after that ordeal <G>.

73,
Don W3FPR

> -----Original Message-----
> 
> Does running over Elecraft kits with your car void the warranty?  
> I think we
> need some input from Eric or Wayne on this one.
> 
> John   [K7SVV]
> 
> 
> On 12/5/05, V Cortina <vcortina at hvc.rr.com> wrote:
> >
> > Hi folks.  Remember my last post about how the K1 I built in the spring
> > and the KAT1 I built just now worked great, thereby depriving me of some
> > "fun" troubleshooting?  Well, you're NOT going to believe this.
> >
> > Since it really had no bearing on the story, I neglected to 
> mention that I
> > had a  K1 tilt stand, an RF probe, and a DL-1 dummy load on order from
> > Elecraft.  Well, it arrived this morning (Monday the 5th).  I 
> discovered it
> > when I was leaving the house, and since I had an armful of 
> other items, I
> > "temporarily" put it on the roof of the car.  I know you know 
> what's coming.
> >
> > My intentions were to stop by the local diner, grab some lunch, then
> > double back to the Kingston area (the nearest city) for some quick
> > shopping.  Well I got about 3/4 the way to the diner, when it 
> hit me.  The
> > box!  Oh NO!  The BOX!  Obviously, I stopped immediately, and got out to
> > check the roof, just in case it got caught on the roof rack, 
> which obviously
> > it did not.  I then made a high-speed U turn, and began to 
> trace my steps,
> > as it were, in a desperate attempt to find my missing stuff.  I 
> got to the
> > final county route which passes my property, and was only about 
> 200 yards
> > away from the tiny dead end cut-off to my driveway when it happened.
> >
> > Since I had placed the box on the right side of the roof, I was thinking
> > maybe it would have fallen off onto the right shoulder of what 
> is now the
> > oncoming lane from my perspective.  So, my eyes were firmly 
> positioned to
> > the far left of my lane, with regular glances in front of me to 
> make sure I
> > didn't crash.  Suddenly, in one of my forward glances, I 
> noticed an object
> > in my MY LANE, just about lined up with my left tires.  At 45+ 
> M.P.H. and
> > with the distance it was, avoiding it was impossible.  The 
> realization hit
> > me just as the front tire of the Subaru whacked the package, 
> followed only a
> > few hundred milliseconds by the rear tire.  I managed to stop 
> about 70 yards
> > downrange.  I backed up (small county road, no one coming), and 
> picked up
> > the package.  It had my name on it, and looked incredibly 
> similar to the one
> > I had just put on my roof only 5 minutes ago, except it had 
> large tire marks
> > on it, and looked like it had just been beaten up very badly.
> >
> > Guess what?  I opened it up....
> >
> > No damage whatsoever.  So help me.  The box and the little 
> plastic peanuts
> > had taken a severe pounding, but they gave their lives to protect the
> > precious contents.  The circuit boards were untouched.  I even 
> checked the
> > diodes under a microscope, and they look OK.  Heck, even if 
> they're broken,
> > I will gladly buy new ones.
> >
> > So it seems I won't be able to enjoy any troubleshooting fun no matter
> > WHAT I do!
> >
> >
> > I need a few days off.
> >
> >
> > Vin Cortina  KR2F