[Elecraft] K3 Broken AF knob and bad service togeta replacement.

[Paul Christensen]

First, I have no doubt the new polycarbonate knobs are much more resistant 
to cracking.  In my case two separate knob sets cracked shortly after taking 
the K3 out into 30-degree WX.  In both instances, the knobs were very 
loosely fitted during their installation.  Over-tightening was not the root 
cause.

The aluminum knobs from Mouser look significantly better on the radio than 
what you see in that photo.  In fact, under normal lighting, it's difficult 
to tell there's anything much different.  The K3 panel and the knobs are 
nearly identical in color.  It's a shame that the negative comments are 
coming from those who have never tried the aluminum knobs and the decision 
is being based on a single poorly-lighted photo and not even the cost of the 
knob set.

My guess is that those of us who have actually tried the premium Alcoswitch 
knobs would never go back to the old knobs -- even with a lifetime guarantee 
against cracking.  The multi-million dollar automotive aftermarket is really 
no different.  Plenty of aftermarket products are sold for our autos that 
don't quite match the rest of the vehicle.

Paul, W9AC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Grant Youngman" <nq5t at tx.rr.com>
To: "Reflector Elecraft" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Thursday, December 03, 2009 4:36 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 Broken AF knob and bad service togeta 
replacement.


> Elecraft has made available a new composition knob that will apparently 
> cause the set screws to pulverize before the plastic cracks.  Just contact 
> support.
>
> I'm wondering what all the hoot is, still, about knobs. The Mouser things 
> look like they don't belong -- like the chop jobs on radios that show up 
> everyday on eBay when somebody decided they liked something other than 
> originals.  I have 60 year old radios with original knobs, and as long as 
> I don't use a driver-drill to tighten them, I'm not too worried about 
> replacements from the long extinct manufacturer.   I wouldn't be inclined 
> to buy a radio that has aftermarket junk screwed to it -- and once 
> removed, originals tend to find their way to the same mysterious place 
> that missing socks go ... :-)
>
> Grant/NQ5T
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