[Elecraft] RSGB RadCom K3 review posted on RSGB Members web page

[Ian White GM3SEK]

Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft wrote:
>Looks like he clearly had a bad 500 Hz filter. It does not match our 
>measurements here or Sherwood's.  We'll make sure the customer gets a 
>replacement.
>
>We were not contacted prior to publication so we were unable to replace 
>it ahead of time.
>
Like the ARRL review, this one was very much a first shot -  and as we 
all well know, the K3 is a moving target.

A few words about Radcom reviews may help put this into perspective. 
Availability of new models is typically several months behind the USA, 
and quite frequently the QST review is already in print before a 
reviewer in Europe can even lay hands on the hardware. This puts 
reviewers under intense time pressure.

On receiving the equipment, the reviewer has a very short time to make 
some basic functional checks, just to confirm that the equipment is fit 
to be reviewed. More than once, I have rejected equipment at this point, 
and I'm sure Peter Hart has too. But once a reviewer commits himself to 
the magazine's production schedule, the process cannot be stopped. If 
subtle issues emerge from the detailed measurements, the reviewer will 
report whatever he sees.

The issue about the 500Hz filter was one of that kind, and I don't 
believe it was dealt with unfairly. All parties agree that it would be 
extremely hard to spot by a normal user. The problem does need to be 
investigated  - was it confined to that individual filter, or could it 
affect any or all of them... or is there a measurement problem? - but 
all that needs to be done on a much longer and more (ahem) measured 
timescale.

The reason Elecraft didn't make the front cover seems perfectly simple - 
no dark conspiracy but simply that Alinco provided superb photo artwork 
that no editor could possibly resist. Sorry, folks, but editors of radio 
magazines see far too many pictures of black boxes with glowing 
displays...


>Also, their TX tests were incorrectly run at 120W instead of at our 
>spec limit of 100w.  TX IMD will degrade at least 5 dB at 120W. That's 
>there for the CW guys ;-)
>
Equally important would be that Peter's editorial deadline (which is the 
same as mine) would have been before the major firmware update that 
considerably improved the SSB performance. It's pretty certain that he 
didn't try any upgrades himself, or else he'd surely have mentioned how 
simple it is.

All of these issues could perhaps be addressed in a "10,000 mile report" 
sometime down the road.

(I'll be away now until Tuesday. Mike - listen out for me in Abingdon... 
you won't need a radio :-)


-- 

73 from Ian GM3SEK         'In Practice' columnist for RadCom (RSGB)
http://www.ifwtech.co.uk/g3sek