[Elecraft] loaded K2 vs K3

[sheajohnw at aol.com]

Why not have both?:) Actually, its all a matter of what features one 
needs most and the type of building experience wanted.

K3 appears to have been designed to be the best competative full 
featured HF + 6M or contest rig possible that could be assembled, 
aligned, and repaired by the user from premade SMT circuit boards and 
components.  SMT technology was necessary to achieve the high 
performance design objectives for the K3 wanted by the designers and 
requested by K2 users.

The K2 was designed to be assembled from individual components and be 
the best possible portable QRP CW/SSB rig having the lowest electric 
power demand possible.  The K2 design objectives limited certain 
features desirable for a base/contest rig, but it is still arguably the 
best rig for its intended purpose.

Although the K2 has been found to perform unusually well as a 
base/contest rig, that was not its intended purpose as it is for the 
K3.  The K3 should be better as a base rig as it did not have the K2's 
design goals limiting its performance possibilities for base rig use. 
The K3 should also be a good portable rig for Field Day type events 
where moving weight and the provision of electric power is not overly 
difficult.

The KX1 and K1 are best for backpacking to distant remote sites using 
CW mode on minimal battery power.  The K2 can provide greater TX power 
and performance features where it is possible to transport some 
additional weight and battery power as well as TX/RX in SSB mode.

Although the K3 is not able to provide the individual component based 
construction desired by many, others will prefer the simpler 
construction for the user, or wish to forego building entirely.  The K3 
may be less user repirable than the K2, K1, and KX1 as replacement 
surface mount circuit boards are likely to be available only from 
Elecraft while the other Elecraft kits have circuit board components 
that are not only more user replacable but available, if necessary, 
 from multiple sources.  The K3 should be well ahead of other rig makers 
products when it comes to repairability as K3 users should be able to 
easily repair their rigs through board replacement and perform 
realignment.

de KB1IKD

-----Original Message-----
From: dougzzz at gmail.com
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Sent: Sat, 12 May 2007 8:56 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] loaded K2 vs K3

Hope I've done the math correctly. 
 
K2 $629 (40 hours average 1st time build?) 
KSB2 $ 99 
K160rx $ 39 
K60XV $ 89 
KNB2 $ 39 
KDSP2 $229 
KIO2 $ 89 
Total $1,213 
  K3/10 $1,399 (tons more features/ability than K2) 
 
---OR---- 
 
K2 $629 (50++ hours average 1st time build??) 
KPA100 $389 
KSB2 $ 99 
K160rx $ 39 
K60XV $ 89 
KNB2 $ 39 
KDSP2 $229 
KAT100 $239 
Total $1,752 
  K3/100 $1,749 (7-10 hours mechanical assembly) 
KAT3 $ 259 
total $2,008 
 
Comments? 
 
de Doug KR2Q 
_______________________________________________ 
Elecraft mailing list 
Post to: Elecraft at mailman.qth.net 
You must be a subscriber to post to the list. 
Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): 
http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft  
Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm 
Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com 


________________________________________________________________________
AOL now offers free email to everyone.  Find out more about what's free 
from AOL at AOL.com.
=0