[Elecraft] Very Dissatisfied With Elecraft Support

[AJSOENKE at aol.com]

Jon,
 
I haven't read all the replies on this list, it's getting late here in 
California, so I hope I'm not being repetitious. From what I read it sounds like you 
are having a rather normal experience.
I don't know how old you are, so I can't tell if this will be very helpful. 
Usually I can guess from the call sign, but a KB1 that's only a couple months 
old is a little difficult to 'decode.'
 
Anyway,  I wanted to tell you that I am a retired engineer who is teaching 
electronics at the local high school. I have actually been teaching part time 
for the last 23 years, partly for my own fun and partly to help make sure some 
of our youth gets more out of high school than most schools offer.  If you were 
living in Santa Barbara, I can guarantee you wouldn't be having this problem. 
Our local school district offers the classes I teach absolutely free of 
charge and there is no age restriction except we prefer students be over 15. ( I 
have several 9th graders that are barely 14 and several adults in their 40s.)  
We offer the training along with the books and online resources, and every 
imaginable test equipment you could need.
 
My class just completed a K2 10 Watt transceiver, and their antenna is going 
up tomorrow.
 
I suggest you get in touch with your local school district/community college 
and local ham clubs. You may have had some contact with a local club already. 
In fact the ARRL headquarters and their entire lab is only a short drive 
(~69Mi) away from  Stamford, where you live. And be sure to take your K1 with you.  
Take an adult ed class, maybe.
 
Hams are one of the greatest 'fraternities' I know of. Look at all the 
replies you got on this list!  We've all been through this and we rely on each 
other, most of us can't afford a lot of test gear, etc. either. So, we share with 
each other. 
 
Oh, yes! One other thing - don't be too hard on the Elecraft support people. 
After all, this list is their idea. Plus, they have don't a super human job of 
putting a new product on the market this past year and it may have them 
spread a little thin. What you have received from them isn't available from most 
companies at any level.
 
Good Luck, let us know how you make out. (Even experienced builders have had 
problems getting as far as you have).
 
Al WA6VNN and the Class of Dos Pueblos ARC (KI6PRK)



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