[Elecraft] K3 where's the parts?

[Brett gazdzinski]

I don't think the K3 is an overly complex radio.
The computer control is likely complex, but looking at
the block diagram, its not a highly complex basic radio.

That is partly what makes Elecraft stuff so good maybe,
good simple basic designs with clever control through
software.

The KX1 is an example, the receiver is a mixer, a product detector
and an AF amp with agc built in.
The Sierra was more complex with an IF amp and agc amp,
and it's a simple radio...

In the K3, it looks like a lot of the receiver stuff is done
in the DSP, not many stages to the RX, 2 mixers, an IF amp,
the noise blanker and preamp/attenuator, crystal filters.
With surface mount, the stages get small, the IF amp is mostly
one small chip?
The AF amp looks to be a small section on the dsp board.
The actual I/O of jacks and so on looks to be larger than the working
parts....

But I bet there is lots going on with the front panel...

Brett
N2DTS



 

> On Tue, Sep 11, 2007 at 08:02:30PM -0700, David Fleming wrote:
> 
> > I was just noticing how few components are on the rf
> > board (the other boards as well). The result of
> > surface-mount I suppose. Seems like those boards could
> > be made a whole lot smaller. I'm envisioning a mobile
> > rig the size of a 7000 with the specs of a loaded K3.
> > Wouldn't that be something?
> 
> You would need to see the other side first.  :-)
> 
> When I opened the cover - the comments I got were like 
> "where's the radio?".
> 
> It's there - you just can't see it without removing the bottom covers.
> 
> > -David W4SMT
>