[Elecraft] K3 Bandswitching-My experiences to Date

[Craig D. Smith]

<> I'm a little mystified by the "passion" some folks seem to have about
<> accelerating the band switching process.  Do you really switch bands that
<> much?  I suppose some do.

The issue (at least for me) isn't speed.  The issue is reliability and user
friendliness.  

The reason why so many of us are concocting band-switching mechanisms using
the various memory options is that the supplied band switch buttons, at
least with the present firmware, can become corrupted with other frequencies
when listening outside the ham bands.  I find this unsettling.  In my
opinion there are at least two controls on a ham rig that should be totally
intuitive, robust and definitive in their operation - the on/off switch and
the band switch.  The band switch, in its present form, does not meet these
criteria.

For the K4 I would recommend a dedicated switch with detents, tactile/audio
feedback, a DEDICATED keypad or some other method of accomplishing this.
For the K3, I am hopeful that a future firmware release will make the
current band switch operate as expected as well as provide for a convenient
method for shortwave listening and general "browsing".

          ... Craig   AC0DS