[Elecraft] The K3 and "homebrew": view from the E-lab

[wayne burdick]

First, let me say that I like Jim's sliding scale of what constitutes 
"homebrew" (reproduced at the end of this email from his recent QRP-L 
posting). Translating that into contest multipliers and 
building-contest rules is another story.

I've been engaged in "building" at every level of the N2EY Scale. I've 
designed a lot from scratch (including--with a lot of help from my 
friends--the K3/K2/K1/KX1/Sierra/SST/NC40A). I've built PCs from 
modules, built Heathkits, borrowed circuits from Hayward and DeMaw, and 
tried everything in between, sometimes with comical results. I had *no* 
clue what I was doing -- at first. The important thing is this: Every 
level of building is rewarding in its own way, because you have to 
learn something to do it well.

I have no qualms at all when I see the K3 at #6 on the scale. Skill is 
still involved: using tools, aligning hardware and panels by eye, 
calibrating trim-caps, reading instructions. A modular K3 is, clearly, 
not what you'd think of as homebrew, but it certainly is a kit, and 
will still take considerable time to complete. I'm content to have the 
subject debated by the many enthusiastic builders on this list, and 
will accept your judgment.

But I'll leave you with an interesting story. Once, at a wireless 
seminar, I had the opportunity to show one of my little projects 
(NorCal Sierra prototype) to Wes Hayward, W7ZOI. Wes is the famous 
co-author of Solid State Design, EMRFD, and other books, and was a 
mentor of mine, though he didn't realize it. At first he tossed a few 
compliments my way. But then he firmly chided me for having 
single-handedly stunted the intellectual growth of a generation of 
potential engineers -- by offering PC boards pre-made!

I countered that I might just have *helped* some future engineers by 
giving them something cool to start on. Something to stimulate their 
imagination. And over the years this has proven to be true: I've been 
contacted by many hams who hadn't built a thing until they'd 
encountered a kit (one of Doug's, or mine and Eric's, or Bob Dyer's, or 
Dave Benson's), and had then moved successively higher up the rungs on 
N2EY's hierarchy.

So when I think about the K3 and its pre-tested, no-soldering modules, 
I don't see a swath of destruction in the ranks of the technically 
inclined. I don't see a impending precipitous drop in IQ. Instead, I 
see hundreds of ordinary folks -- who might never have touched a 
soldering iron or even a screwdriver -- take their first tentative 
steps towards learning the skill of building.

With our help (and yours), some of them will make that same leap of 
faith that we did. They'll modify something. Or fix something. And 
before you know it, they'll be slapping 0402's on hand-etched 
microstrips   ;)

73,
Wayne
N6KR


* * *

N2EY's homebrew/kit scale:

1) Homebrew (scratch built): Original unit, designed and built by the 
ham,
including circuit design, mechanical layout, coil winding, etc.

2) Homebrew (article project): More-or-less copy of a project designed 
and
documented by others, such as an HBR receiver.

3) Surplus conversion: Adaptation of an electronic unit meant for one 
purpose
to a new purpose, but not a completely new design. Usually applied to 
WW2
military surplus but really applies to almost anything, such as 
land-mobile VHF
FM rigs converted to ham use.

4) Semi-kit: Construction of a kit that requires more than electronic
assembly, such as a QRP rig that consists of a PCB and most parts but 
leaves the
chassis and some other details up to the builder. Limited instructions 
are part of
the semi-kit class.

5) Heath-kit: Construction of a kit that requires only electronic 
assembly
(and possibly coil winding) from components. Extensive instructions, as 
in most
Heathkit and Elecraft products.

6) PC-kit: Construction of a kit from modules rather than components. 
Similar
to building a computer from a pile of goodies, hence the name. Elecraft 
K3.


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