[Elecraft] To The K3 Design and Production Team

[N2EY at aol.com]

In a message dated 7/27/07 7:49:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
gelambertpe at yahoo.com writes:

> It is amazing to me that such a small group of individuals can design and
> produce a product of this complexity and quality.

Amazing, but not surprising. After all, they are complex and high-quality 
individuals!
> 

> That a handful of people did this is just . amazing. Where is their
> multimillion dollar research department, their HR department, their
> executive support?

All right there, except for the multimillion dollar part. 

 How could they possibly have accomplished this without
> 
> the support of the Harvard Business School? 

The question I would ask is how any radios manage to get built *with* the 
support of that school......;-)

A handful of people have risked
> 
> almost everything to participate in a project in which they believed. 
> 
> 

I don't know the financials nor the actual risks. And it's not my company. 
(I'd by Elecraft stock if I could, btw).

But when you look at the pre-K3 Elecraft products, the company's reputation 
and repeatedly-proven track record, I'd call it more of a slam-dunk situation. 
> 
> Maybe I'm just grouchy sitting here on the backside of the clock in Shanghai
> but the sniping at the design by some of us who did nothing to contribute to
> the project is starting to get irritating. (Yeah I know, irritation can
> produce a pearl.) I apologize in advance for being such a curmudgeon but I
> would say to the outside experts:"Lead, follow, or get out of the way."

I sort of agree and sort of disagree.

I don't know if anyone other than the Elecraft team could have given us the 
K3 - or the K2, the K1, the KX1....you get the idea. Maybe there *are* other 
folks out there who could have - but they didn't. Eric, Wayne and the rest of 
the team *did*.

One of the key elements of the Elecraft story is that the team blends their 
own genius, experience and resources with the feedback from the amateur radio 
community - both Elecraft customers and others. None of their products is the 
result of ivory-tower design! The process includes those who will buy, build 
and use the rigs.

Part of that process is sorting through the gripes and snipes and figuring 
out what can be included and what can't. Sure, a band-scope would be nice - but 
at what cost, in size, dollars and performance?  All designs are compromises, 
and deciding what to trade off is one of the most difficult parts of any 
design, because no matter what decision you make, some folks won't like it. 

The thing I keep seeing in the "complaints" is that they're about minor 
things, not major ones. And often they turn into educational opportunities: no band 
stacking registers? Not a problem, the K3 has something much better. 

Another part of the process is that Elecraft products aren't really meant to 
be direct competition to other ham rigs. By that I mean they are built to a 
different paradigm, one that some will like and some won't. Remember when the K2 
appeared, almost a decade ago? Who woulda thunk that a *kit* that cost almost 
$600 and in its basic form was QRP CW only would ever sell? Particularly one 
from an unknown new company with no advertising? 

6000+ K2s later, it seems a slam-dunk....
> 
> I salute Eric, Wayne, et al for even having the ambition to start such an
> undertaking.
> 

Me too - but then again, did we not ask for it?
> 
> Thank you, Elecraft, you are an inspiration for more than just your radios.
> 

And they make it look so easy - even though it's not.

73 es TNX de Jim, N2EY






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