[Elecraft] K3 - Initial Thoughts

[Craig D. Smith]

WOW, what an announcement.  Before going any further, CONGRATULATIONS to the
Elecraft team for an awesome-looking product.  I didn't expect the K3 so
soon, and obviously it has been a monumental and well disguised effort.

As Background, I am a 95% CW operator who now has a K2 (15 W) and an Icom
IC-7000.  I think that both rigs are excellent in their own regard.  My
long-range plan is to use the ICOM for mobile/portable, build a K1 for
backpacking and get a new 100W class rig for permanent installation in the
shack.  I was leaning toward the FT-2000 for the shack rig, but may need to
rethink things now.

It is too soon for a meaningful analysis, but here are my first impressions
of what I like and don't like about the K3:

Like:
General Coverage
6 Meter coverage
Very versatile filter selection, both roofing and DSP IF
Hope for first-class noise blanker(s)
Hopefully excellent CW receiver specs
Modular construction
Well thought out computer I/F
PowerPole DC connector

Don't Like:
No Analog meter
No color LCD display
UHF connectors rather than BNC
Not enough dedicated knobs
Still too small (see "knobs")

When I first read the Elecraft K3 announcement, I was still thinking
FT-2000.   Then later Elecraft mentioned that a panadaptor would follow in a
few months.  I think that the panadaptor design will, for me, be the
deciding factor between FT-2000 and K3.  If it contains/supports a large
color LCD, has good features, is reasonably priced and also supports large
color display of K3 front panel info (ala IC-7000 remote display), then it
could have LOTS of appeal to these aging eyes and swing things back towards
Elecraft.  I don't think that price alone will be the deciding factor
between these two rigs for most folks.

Before closing, another word or two of praise for the modular construction
approach in the K3.  I like building things and totally enjoyed all the
soldering (yes, even the toroids) when building my K2.  But time marches on.
To make a competitive rig, SMD is the way to go, and the multiplicity of
fine-pitch SMD devices for a rig like the K3 would be tiresome even for me.
So the Elecraft K3 approach is an excellent decision.  If enough built-in
test and diagnostics are included so that failure isolation down to a single
board is possible, then this could be a new paradigm for the entire
industry.  Why ship a 50 pound rig to the west coast to repair a 4 ounce
circuit board???

I look forward to making an informed decision within the next year.  In the
meantime, I KNOW I will enjoy building and operating my K1  ;>)

73
         ... Craig AC0DS