[Elecraft] K3 #977

[Forrest Hudspeth]

Ordered: 12/19
Katiegram: 5/12
Shipped: 5/23
Received: 5/28
Assembly completed: 6/1

The rig is worth waiting for.  The construction is straight-forward,
although I recommend reading all of the posts of people gone before to make
it a smooth experience.  Make sure you check out the K3 Wiki and read and
post all of the manual changes before you start.

Some of the tips I found most worthwhile and other observations:

1.  Cut the materials list items into small strips and use them to label the
parts tray.  It prevents you from grabbing a 3/16" screw when it was
supposed to be a 1/4".
2.  Allow a lot of room to sort through your packaged items before
assembly.  They are packaged in quite a large assortment of anti-static bags
and it's easy to lose track of where you placed one.
3.  It is possible to have a defective item, just check it carefully before
you contact Elecraft.  I did receive a top stiffening bar that was drilled
incorrectly.  A replacement is on the way and the old one works fine in the
meantime.
4.  I found extra parts in quite a few bags, so you will most likely have
everything you need, even if one bag is short.  You will also receive a
dedicated bag of extra parts of most used items.  Very thoughtful.
5.  I did not find the painted surfaces particularly susceptible to
scratching while assembling.  Others had complained about scratching the
screw holes while assembling and disassembling but I moved slow and with
minimum force and didn't have a problem.
6.  The front panel went together much easier than others had stated.  Maybe
a production change.  A board I did find very tight - the KPA3IO board (part
of the 100W option).  It requires a bit of careful pressure to seat
properly.
7.  Another delicate area is the LCD clear plastic cover.  It uses 2-56
screws in the corners.  I found the metal front panel holes rather tight,
almost as if you were supposed to use the 2-56 screws as hole taps.  They
didn't want to start properly and required some finessing to get them
started.  It's almost as if they were painted after they were tapped, with
the paint filling in the holes.
8.  One last caveat, if you find something not working, search the forum
archives.  Someone has already stepped in that hole and the answer is
probably there.  It's most likely a step skipped or a config:item that you
haven't enabled or set properly.

To give you an idea of how good it plays, my first contact was on 20M CW
using a 25 foot piece of wire, no ground counterpoise and 50W.  Got a 5-9+
from RI.  Next QSO was SSB to SC - 5-9 with QSB.

I look forward to the back-ordered items to complete the best rig I have
ever owned.

73, Forrest WA3FAE