[Elecraft] Ideas - new Elecraft Products

[VR2BrettGraham]

A general comment (N3CSY gave me something to ponder
over this morning's tea - cheers ;^)...

The trend in amps results in nifty products coming out like the
big KPAs, but some of the extra features beyond the core
function of amplifying add fair amount to BOM cost & drive
prices higher.

Likewise radios.  I sure hope any future K3-like product doesn't
go that way, too (unless I work again, that would be only thing
I probably will be able to afford ;^(...

Plug 'n play SO2R in an amp is probably about as important
to most of market as some potential features in a future Elecraft
radio.  A transfer relay & little bit of logic & I can SO2R a
Hercules, an amp that can drive higher SWRs safely - no
tuner, thank you (if I need one, I already have - besides,
really don't put power into any antenna that needs matching
close to shack-in-flat).  Likewise sniff-n-switch bandswitching.

Nice features, but wish they could have been options.  To keep
up with the market, that Herc is unlikely to be retired anytime
soon.  There's nothing solid-state, moderate power, robust &
not quite dear.  The same for radios, they've snowballed & not
much choice in really good radios that aren't dear.

Being able to fix the rig & keep it going are becoming even
more important, as already have had a reasonably recent
rig from major brand pop a now-obsolete part.  A very popular
first-string performance radio already has a critical unable-to-
obtain part - I shudder to think what I will do when some of the
custom-but-currently-still-available critical bits in some of
my other radios finally go.

Affordability (sp?), core function performance & serviceability
are the key attractions with Brand-E to me & hopefully can be
kept in mind with future products.  At first it might not sound so
flash or appealing, but for something beyond the K2 a divide
down-from-VHF PLL or more significant IF filtering & trickery is
generally of benefit to more compared to what it might cost
compared to some other feature (say adding VHF/UHF).  For
general coverage receive to work & not wilt in some
environments without a significant beefing up of things in
general is another example (something I would like but not at
expense of BOM cost or OOB rejection performance -
increasingly important for everyone).

Though for all I know, I'm in an insignificant market
demographic - but I hope someday there will be a reason to
have to ration precious rice money for a killer post-K2 rig!

73, VR2BrettGraham