[Elecraft] K3: Request for some stats

[Stewart Baker]

The latest "White Smoke" says approximately May 14th to May 19th.
Whether that moves again is anybody's guess.

73
Stewart G3RXQ
 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 22:26:44 +0000, G3SJJ wrote:
> Doug, I might be able to slightly clarify soon! Received 
shipping
> notification today of my 14 May with deposit order. I think 
things have
> got fudged now but initially the 1st prodn run with deposit was 
to be
> 200 units. This was increased but supposedly ended on 14 May at 
1800,
> four hours after I placed my order. I have thought for some time 
that
> 250 would be the 1st run figure, but with 241 being a May 8 
order I
> guess that is blown. 260 maybe!
>
> It seems to me that the idea of the 1st prodn run was to 
generate
> interest and therefore income! I suspect having done that the 
idea of
> discrete prodn runs will have been phased out as far as we are
> concerned, again probably more of a revenue generating idea. I 
don't
> think they will release figures of orders placed on their 
suppliers.
>
> I am disparately frustrated about the 2nd Rx as the hype about 
this was
> a major influencing factor in my decision to purchase.  What I 
find
> disturbing is all along the lack of cogent information and of 
course
> paying $600 up front, 8 months ago, for no reason, and almost as
> worrying, the number of people who defend this as being 
acceptable practice.
>
> I am truly puzzled at the latest statement about the 2nd so 
close to its
> published launch date. There is either a duff batch of populated 
2nd rx
> boards, maybe $50,000 worth or the problem was known a long 
while ago
> and a decision made not to go ahead with ordering the boards, in 
which
> case an announcement could have made much earlier. I don't go 
along with
> the "debacle" theory but there is a strong smell of the 
"mushroom"
> theory (kept in the dark and fed s---t!!)
>
> I think the product is brilliant, the workforce is excellent, 
but the
> communication is extremely weak and has really soured the 
situation. It
> will be recovered but many people will now be much less 
confident when
> they open their National Contest Journal and see a full page K3 
advert!
> It will certainly take me a long time to believe any future 
Elecraft
> updates or press releases.
>
> ESD mat at the ready, diary clear for when Mr UPS calls in a few 
days
> time. Yippee
>
> Chris G3SJJ
>
>
> DOUGLAS ZWIEBEL wrote:
>> Eric, Wayne:
>>
>> I am requesting that you (A) release the size of "production 
run 1"
>> and also please tell us (B) how many K3s are still pending 
"without
>> deposit" from run #1.
>>
>> I know that initially you indicated that such information was a 
proprietary.
>>
>> However, at this point:
>>
>> 1.  Everybody will know the prod run size once we see orders 
going out
>> past the order date that you have already stated is the end of 
run #1.
>> Will another month (I hope not more) of secrecy provide any
>> additional or continued protection from whatever you viewed as 
somehow
>> valuable to be kept as proprietary?
>>
>> 2.  I am in  Run #2 and I would like to get some idea (stress 
on
>> "some") of when my radio (or all prod run #2 radios in the case 
of
>> others who might share my thoughts) might be going out.  I am 
not
>> asking you for an estimate, but I (meaning me, myself) would 
like to
>> make some basic assumptions (not entirely accurate) about when 
I might
>> expect my radio.  I can't speak for others, but from what I've 
seen
>> posted, everybody is interested in every single scrap of 
information
>> available to help ease the frustration from the very long and
>> unexpected delays.  My approach would be to take the number of 
ordered
>> radios divided by the empirical data of past shipments 
(average) per
>> week.
>>
>> 3.  I am also in Run #3 (ordered my 2nd K3 on Nov 21), but I 
have
>> little confidence in my ability to project the real ship date 
for that
>> other than that the original estimate provided of "mid 
February" will
>> clearly not be accurate.
>>
>> Respectfully submitted and anticipating a reply,
>>
>> de Doug KR2Q
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