[Elecraft] RE: K3 Thoughts

Mon Jun 2 01:21:44 EDT 2008

Well, both (all) of you are right!  How about that?  You've probably all 
heard the old story about the pessimist and the optomist.  A pessimistic 
child is put in a room full of wonderful toys.  An hour later they find him 
in the corner sitting quietly.  When asked why he is sitting in the corner, 
he says he is afraid he might break one.  The optomistic child is put in a 
room full of horse manure.  An hour later they find him digging feverishly 
through the pile.  When asked what he is doing, he says, "with all this 
manure, there has to be a pony in here somewhere!".

There has been a steady stream of suggestions for the K3.  Many of them are 
very individualistic preferences, and probably not practical or universally 
beneficial.  But there are probably some ponies in there too--quite a few in 
fact.  The real question is whether or not the folks at Elecraft have the 
time and/or the inclination to effectively evaluate them.  Well, they 
created a transceiver that is "upgradeable", and folks are just trying to 
help them accomplish that feat--at least by being part of the idea pool. 
But it probably would be a good thing if folks would contemplate the real 
value their suggestions might have.  Something that would seem to satisfy 
only a very limited number of users may not be a helpful suggestion.  But 
then again, you never know until you ask!  Suggestions that seem to be only 
achievable by redesigning the radio itself probably aren't helpful.  The 
physical limits of the radio have to be accepted.  Those ideas should 
probably be directed to the "K4" inbox.

But I tend to sympathize more with Steve's position.  For one thing, an idea 
that may seem even a bit "hairbrained" at first, might not be so once it is 
given consideration by someone capable of translating that to the radio's 
ability. I remember distinctly at Dayton in 2007, when we were given a 
preview of the K3 by Wayne and Eric, that some queries were put forth rather 
sheepishly, only to have Wayne respond "We can do that!".  In a couple of 
instances he simply turned to the K3 on display and pushed a button or two. 
Voila!  It was already doable!

So, I think suggestions are appropriate, at least in most cases.  The 
Elecraft folks have lots of idea, but they don't have nearly all the good 
ones in mind!  If you get a positive response, good for you.  Just remember 
there are only so many hours in the day in Aptos, just like at your QTH.  If 
you don't get the response you hoped for, try to be cognizant of the 
problems with which they are already dealing.  It's certainly 
counterproductive to become belligerent about it, or to start ranting about 
the K3 being inadequate.  It is what it is.  It can be (and will be) more. 
But it can't be everything!  If a suggestion or alternative offered doesn't 
satisfy you, it would be nice if it were accepted more gracefully by some, 
rather than pouting about it.  If you have a better option elsewhere, go for 
it!  Every radio out there has some disappointments--some more glaring than 
others.  The K3 has some warts, but most of them are being worked on, and 
feverishly.  Some warts won't be resolved.  At least with the K3 the motto 
seems to be "ask and ye shall receive---provided we can figure out how to do 
it!"

Dave W7AQK

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "n4lq" <n4lq at insightbb.com>
To: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2008 6:38 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] RE: K3 Thoughts

> This is all wrong. No one should feel guilty for bringing up problems, 
> making suggestions or discussing better ways to make the K3 operate. In 
> fact, Elecraft designed the K3 with just this in mind and has already made 
> dozens of firmware changes based on "Better Ideas".
> Therefore, I refuse to accept any of this reprimand and hereby relegate 
> the last posting to the scrap heap.
> I believe the K3 is without a doubt the best HF rig on the market right 
> now and Elecraft will continue improving it based on our experiences and 
> contributions. We should not be worried about accusations of whining and 
> "ME" generations. Our complaints and suggestions are being monitored by 
> Elecraft. Some can and will be adapted and some will not.
> The bandswitch issue is not a deal breaker for me or anyone else I know 
> of. Yes, I would have done it differently. I would have just put one knob 
> on the front panel for bandswitching instead of the band button. What a 
> nostalgic concept! 73
> Steve Ellington
> N4LQ at insightbb.com
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Dave Agsten" <w4txs at yahoo.com>
> To: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
> Cc: <john.lyon1 at comcast.net>
> Sent: Sunday, June 01, 2008 8:22 PM
> Subject: [Elecraft] RE: K3 Thoughts
>
>
>> Well said John,
>>
>> The ME, ME, ME generation is everywhere these days. Unfortunately, that 
>> includes ham radio. All of the "MEs" want their own custom K3. I love the 
>> K3 just the way it is.  I look forward to whatever Wayne, Eric and 
>> company decide to incorporate into the K3 or other radios in the future. 
>> I concede the fact that I don't know how to design a radio like the K3. 
>> Many on here apparently think they could do a better job with their 
>> "better" ideas. I'm willing to simply learn how to operate a new radio 
>> whether or not it has one button band selection, band "stacking" 
>> functions, or size issues, etc.etc.etc. So much of it comes across as 
>> whining, not constructive suggestions. Everyone has the right to make 
>> their own choice when purchasing a radio. If they don't like their K3, 
>> they can sell it and buy something that satisfies their "ME" without 
>> having to compromise. ( Good luck there!) Maybe these folks should spend 
>> more time operatng and less whining.
>>
>> 73,
>> Dave N8AG
>>
>>
>>
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