[Elecraft] K3 VS. Omni VII

[David Yarnes]

I am a long time Ten Tec user interested in upgrading.  I have never
used a piece of Elecraft equipment but am very intrigued by the K3.
Are there any Elecraft users who can give me some advice about what I
may expect from the K3 vs the OMNI VII since they are both near the
same price?
Thanks,
Anthony
AA9OC

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Anthony,

I doubt a fair comparison can be made without "hands on" with both radios. 
But I strongly suspect that the K3 will outperform the Omni VII, at least in 
most areas.  Personally I think Wayne and Eric had the Orion clearly in 
their crosshairs when they designed the K3.  The Omni VII will surely not be 
equal to the Orion, and the K3 will probably give the Orion a very good run 
for the money.  There have already been inferences that the K3 specs will be 
better than the Orion.  I'm betting they will be.

If Ten-Tec gets its act together on software, the Omni VII will probably be 
a very good radio.  I've been a Ten-Tec fan for a long time, and currently 
have an Orion II.  I really like it!  But I could not resist the K3, and I 
doubt I will be disappointed.  You may spend as much on a K3 as you would an 
Omni VII, but you won't have to pay the price of an Orion II to get 
something that will probably beat both of them.  But if there is any doubt 
in your mind, you might want to wait for the "tale of the tape".  I suspect 
that QST (and others) will be all over the K3 as soon as it hits the street. 
It shouldn't take too long thereafter to get some really meaningful 
comparative data.  One thing for sure though, as good as Ten-Tec support has 
been over the years (notwithstanding all the software issues), you won't get 
better support than you get from Elecraft.  And if for some reason you buy a 
K3 and don't like it, I'm reasonably confident you could sell it for little, 
if any, loss as the demand is apparently quite high.  So, if it fits your 
budget, go for the K3!

Dave W7AQK