[Elecraft] TRANSLATION: K3 Subreceiver Status Update

[Stephen W. Kercel]

Fellow Elecrafters:

I have no doubt as to the integrity, honesty or technical excellence 
of Elecraft, and am delighted with the K2 that I have been using for 
the past two years.

As I posted on this list about 6 months ago, my impression of the 
release of the K3 is that it is a lot like release of the whatever is 
the latest version of Windows. At the time, someone responded to me 
that "thank God, Elecraft is not Microsoft." That much is true. 
Microsoft always makes its major releases several years before they 
are actually ready (and does not appear even to be embarrassed about 
it). Elecraft has dropped the ball only this once.

Nevertheless, they have indeed dropped the ball on the K3. I stand by 
my initial expectation that although I would like to have a K3, I see 
no point in ordering one until at least two years after the initial 
release date. The seemingly endless delay in delivering on orders 
prepaid 7 months ago, the indefinite unavailability of the 
sub-receiver (a prime motivation in my choice to upgrade from the K2 
when the time finally does come), and the rapid ongoing evolution of 
the firmware all indicate to me that the K3 was nowhere close to 
being ready when Elecraft started taking orders last spring.

I remain a loyal customer of Elecraft, but I do hope that they will 
take a lesson from this debacle.

Steve Kercel
AA4AK