[Elecraft] TRANSLATION: K3 Subreceiver Status Update (KRX3 option)

Thu Jan 17 12:26:20 EST 2008

I would be interested in hearing from the Beta testers if any of them had the option in their hands for testing and a run down on the performance problems they may have seen.  I plan to use my K-3 for contesting/dxing so the sub rx is an important option. (I'd like to have somewhat the same capability my MKV had with the K-3).

Second question for the contest types on the list, what filters have you chosen for your K-3.  You can respond direct if you like unless the info is viewed to be enough of general interest.

Thanks
Mike/aj9c

---- Don Rasmussen <wb8yqj at yahoo.com> wrote: 
> >> For fun, I thought I'd provide an "East Coast"
> translation of this recent announcement from Elecraft.
> ----------------------
> 
> As Rodney Dangerfield would say "tough crowd - tough
> crowd"!
> 
> There is probably a fair amount of truth in Steve's
> humorous comments, but I balance them against what the
> Elecraft guys have on the table today. They offer
> several product lines that operate at the top of the
> specifications charts, without a revolving door to a
> huge service desk, there's immediate attention to each
> user on any specific product issue, and at a price
> that undercuts the competition.
> 
> I'm resigned that the highest cost of accepting
> Elecraft production model is time, and have planned
> accordingly. 
> 
> It's still painful, all this waiting. But with respect
> to the subreceiver it beats a weird alice design
> w/marginal isolation pushed out early. You might
> expect that in some of the competing manufacturing
> models. 
> 
> YMMV (your milage may vary). 
> 
> de wb8yqj
> 
> 
> [Elecraft] TRANSLATION: K3 Subreceiver Status Update
> (KRX3 option)
> Steve Sacco NN4X nn4x at embarqmail.com 
> Thu Jan 17 10:58:47 EST 2008 
> 
> Previous message: [Elecraft] Err TXF 
> Messages sorted by: [ date ] [ thread ] [ subject ] [
> author ] 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> For fun, I thought I'd provide an "East Coast"
> translation of this 
> recent announcement from Elecraft.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> 
> 73,
> Steve NN4X
> EL98jh
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >Message: 38
> >Date: Wed, 16 Jan 2008 10:18:06 -0800
> >From: wayne burdick <n6kr at elecraft.com>
> >Subject: [Elecraft] K3 Subreceiver Status Update
> (KRX3 option)
> >To: Elecraft Reflector <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
> >Message-ID: <6cc130c50266a27a945ae9276b85b9d1 at
> elecraft.com>
> >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII;
> format=flowed
> >
> >I wanted to give those who've ordered a K3
> subreceiver a status update.
> >First, thanks for your patience; I realize the
> subreceiver has been
> >significantly delayed. (This is also pushing out the
> DVR. Lyle, KK7P
> >and I are collaborating on the PCBs and firmware for
> both units.)
> 
> TRANSLATION: We've been stringing everyone along for,
> what...9 months 
> or so?  We promised that very useful KRX3 option, and
> we're pretty 
> sure that more than a few folks have ordered the K3
> based upon the 
> existence that option.  THANKS for buying our sales 
> puffery!  Unfortunately, we can't manage to bury the
> truth any 
> longer.  Here's the deal: We're nowhere close to being
> ready on the KRX3.
> 
> 
> 
> >When we release a product, it has to meet a number of
> criteria. Raw
> >performance by traditional measures is just one of
> these. Fortunately
> >the subreceiver has met our expectations in this
> regard, with dynamic
> >range virtually identical to that of the main.
> 
> 
> 
> TRANSLATION:  blah blah blah blah...this is filler to
> divert your 
> attention...let's hope they take the bait.
> 
> 
> >But there are two other requirements that we must
> meet: excellent
> >mutual isolation between the main and receivers, and
> ease of
> >installation. Recently, we made the difficult
> decision that both must
> >be improved.
> >
> >Isolation between the receivers is critical to
> usability. For example,
> >if you're listening to an extremely strong signal on
> one receiver, none
> >of it should leak into the other's I.F. After
> extensive testing, we
> >concluded that we were close, but needed more
> isolation.
> >
> >Regarding installation: Someone with no experience
> should be able to
> >install or remove the subreceiver without much
> difficulty. The present
> >installation process is just a bit too complex once
> all other modules
> >and their associated cables are in place; the left
> side, chassis
> >stiffener, and several cables have to be removed.
> This has a secondary
> >effect, which is to make it very time-consuming to
> change crystal
> >filters on either receiver. We felt that we should
> improve this now,
> >before all fabrications were cast in stone.
> 
> 
> TRANSLATION: Our first cut at a design, and the
> prototypes we've put 
> together from that, don't work very well.  We've tried
> and tried, but 
> they just don't.
> 
> 
> >Both isolation and installation can be improved with
> changes to our
> >original KRX3 PCB layout. I'm working on this now.
> Once the PC board
> >and shield designs are complete, we'll quickly build
> first articles and
> >run them through all of the tests again.
> 
> TRANSLATION: We're doing a major re-design.  Next come
> the prototypes 
> and testing.  No idea when it'll be ready.
> 
> >I'm confident that these improvements will allow the
> subreceiver to
> >live up to your expectations as well as ours. We'll
> post further
> >updates as we make progress.
> 
> TRANSLATION: We hope you'll latch onto this part of
> the spin, and not 
> think about how we've (once again) made promises we
> couldn't keep, 
> and didn't let you know until we couldn't explain it
> away anymore.
> 
> >(I know, I know -- "Stop rambling and get back to
> work!")
> 
> TRANSLATION: Let's hope the cute signoff will take the
> edge off of 
> any anger that we haven't managed to nullify with the
> earlier part of 
> the announcement.
> 
> 
> 
>   _.    _.   ...._   _.._   nn4x at embarqmail.com
> 
> 
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