[Elecraft] K3 Build comments

[K4IA at aol.com]

I am 3 hours into the K3 build and a little more  than half way through the 
manual.  Here's some comments:

1.   Wow - I can not believe how everything fits together, including the 
shipping  package.  Kudos to Wayne and Eric - you guys are incredible.    

2.  If you are worried about electronics, winding toroids,  soldering etc. - 
forget it.  Building the K3 is more like assembling an  Erector set.  I am 
looking forward to going back later and reading about  what all the various 
modules are doing.  Right now, I am just enjoying  seeing it come together.

3.  Lots of little screws, washers and  nuts.  You need to keep your head 
straight to be sure you keep the 3/16  apart from the 1/4.  After a while, you 
can see the difference but in the  beginning all the parts look the same.  Also, 
I would have appreciated some  larger pictures so I knew where I was supposed 
to be looking on the board.   But, if you take your time, have a bright light 
and think about what you are  doing, this is not difficult.

4.  There is no warning when to remove  the protective film from the LCD so I 
got past that point and had to  disassemble.  You want to leave it on as long 
as possible to protect the  LCD, but it should be removed when you place the 
light blockers.  I think I  had the same issue with the K2.

5.  There are 2 set screws in the  concentric knobs and since they are tiny 
and black on black, they are hard to  see.  I could not figure out why my knobs 
would not slip over the  shaft.  Duh

More tomorrow.

Craig  "Buck"
k4ia
Fredericksburg, Virginia USA  




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