[Elecraft] Elecraft customer service: appreciate it!

[Vic K2VCO]

Craig Rairdin wrote:
> As an early adopter of many new devices and technologies I fully understand
> that my serial number < 100 device will probably require some updates, and
> may require them at my expense. I refuse to demand that Elecraft "cover me
> like a blanket" for any necessary updates. If I wasn't willing to take some
> risk in order to be among the first owners of this radio, I wouldn't have
> placed my order within 30 minutes of the announcement being posted to the
> list.

There are several reasons why the K3 pioneers will not be taking too 
many arrows in their backs.

First of all, the K3 has a good balance of technology between the 
hardware and the firmware. Most upgrades will be firmware-only, and 
since it will be downloadable, you won't even need to worry about 
zapping a chip.

Second, the K2 is modular. Even if a board has to be replaced, I expect 
that the cost will be reasonable.

Third, the development process has been thorough as is the testing 
process. Elecraft has been working on it for more than three years (I 
know, because I found out about it in 2004 and actually kept my mouth 
shut -- it wasn't easy), and their development team has been wringing 
out the prototypes for months. Beta testers (non-Elecraft people) will 
continue to test it before the first 200 orders are shipped. The K3 will 
not be released half-baked, as some recent products of other 
manufacturers have (they know who they are).

I waited for a while before getting a K2 -- my K2 is serial no. 709. The 
above considerations plus my experience with Elecraft has convinced me 
that I don't need to wait for the K3, and I am going for the lowest 
serial number I can get!
-- 
73,
Vic, K2VCO
Fresno CA
http://www.qsl.net/k2vco