[Elecraft] Guidance

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

I'll second the vote by Geoff and the others that 40 meters is an excellent
band to start with. It almost always has some activity. It's high enough in
frequency to allow decent distance on daytime contacts so you can usually
find someone to have a QSO with, and high enough in frequency that you'll
experience DX at night when conditions are right with most common antennas.
It's neither the most stable local ragchew band or the easiest DX band. But
it does offer a mix for the beginner with a modest amount of experience and
antenna! After half a century (plus) on the HF bands, were I limited to one
band, 40 would be my first choice.  

You'll enjoy the K3. I haven't been able to operate one from my home QTH
(yet) but I sure demo'd one many, many times at the SeaPac Hamfest. It's a
rig that will let you explore very simple CW or SSB operation with a minimum
of experience, yet it's features and operational capabilities will exceed
your expectations for many years to come.

Picture learning to drive in a special Ferrari - one that lets you operate
it like a golf cart while you learn the basics but which will then behave
like a world-class race car when you have the experience to "put the pedal
to the metal"! The K3 is that for the Amateur Radio community, except you
don't need to be a millionaire to own one! 

Ron AC7AC