[Elecraft] [K3] Filter prices

[Lennart Michaelsson]

Jerry,
I cannot comment on the price level over time even if I have been both in
the radio business and a ham for many decades.
One can always wish for lower prices, only way to make that happen is by
competition which Drake was utilizing.

Nobody forces you to buy a K3 with or without filters.
I can honestly say that during all my active years I have never listened to
a receiver as good as my K3 and yes I do have other rigs as well.
The front end at least of my K3 stands up very well in comparison and does
handle very high signal levels on the lower bands without any problems.
73
Len
SM7BIC

The high prices of the roofing filters for the K3 and optional filters for
other rigs reminds me of a little history.

In the very early '80s, I desired to purchase a CW filter for an Astro 200,
long after CIR went out of business. I happened to be visiting Phoenix, AZ
for a few days, so I dropped by Network Sciences, the company that had made
the Astro filters and had also been the filter supplier for Drake, Atlas and
other manufacturers. It was still there, but obviously about to fold. I met
with Howard Falk, the owner, who said he could supply me with an 8-pole CW
filter for the Astro. We chatted a bit while a technician, apparently the
only other person around, checked out my filter. Howard said that he had
essentially been driven out of business by the Japanese filter
manufacturers. Drake and others had switched to Japanese suppliers since
they could get the filters for a little over $1 each, whereas his cost was
over $2 each. Note that there were no middlemen. Drake was selling their
filters for $40 or $50 each, I forget which. A tidy profit. Howard charged
me $40 for that CW filter, by the way. Since Howard's tale was only one data
point for me, it would be interesting to verify it through other sources.

Inflation since that time has been about a factor of 2.6, according to
official US Government figures:

http://data.bls.gov/cgi-bin/cpicalc.pl

Some of us would disagree with the official numbers, putting it closer to a
factor of 10, but the official factor is close to the actual increase in
retail prices for the filters. If the costs have gone up in that proportion,
the profits are huge. Especially if one figures in the interim advances in
manufacturing, such as monolithic structures, etc. Of course, there is at
least one middleman involved with the Inrad filters, increasing the cost to
Elecraft. No doubt high markups are necessary along the line somewhere
because of the low volumes involved.

Nevertheless, I find it especially disturbing having to pay these modern
prices considering that the filters have apparently not been designed or
chosen for good IMD performance or advantageous group delay characteristics.
Also, some filters are reputed to have been defective. Of course, the
filters may not be totally to blame for the mediocre front end performance
of the K3 (compared with the professional-level performance that some of us
had hoped for.)

Jerry  AI6L