[Elecraft] How long until K3 is declared the greatest rig of all time?

[Gary Smith]

I had a TR-7 that was pre-warc. The optional Aux-7 board had IC's to 
populate to allow you to Rx/Tx on a band of your choice. Remove 
specific pins on the IC and a broad range of frequencies would be 
opened. The Aux-7 and the ICs were very expensive from Drake so there 
came a mod that required cutting one or two solder traces & (I 
believe) adding a few diode jumpers and you had a general coverage 
Rx/Tx transceiver.

I opened up its double balanced mixer with a dremel and rebuilt its 
double balanced mixer using a set of then "impossible to get" diodes 
(don't recall the specific number as it was in the 80's) and the 
sensitivity of that TR-7 was markedly improved. I sold it to a fellow 
doing EME. Apparently the TR-7 was coveted for that purpose at the 
time and then bought my first TenTec which was a new Corsair II.

The TR-7 could clean up well but it took a lot of effort. But it was 
worth it. I've always thought the TR-7 was a rig ahead of it's time 
that got passed by technology. I see the K3' role today, much as the 
TR-7's role was then, just 30 years of technological improvements 
later. 

Gary
KA1J

> --- On Tue, 2/17/09, Vic K2VCO <vic at rakefet.com> wrote:
> 
> > Wes Stewart wrote:
> > 
> > > Herb Johnson and Swan were the Eric, Wayne and
> > Elecraft of the day.
> > 
> > I hardly think W & E would sell a product designed to
> > appeal to CBers operating with illegal power and VFOs!
> > Consider the Swan 1011:
> > 
> 
> OK, I considered it:  The Swan was a ten-meter transceiver that received on 11-meters. My K3 receives the BC band to 30 Mhz, including the CB band. So what?
> 
> I once owned a KWM-1 that was removed from a B-47. (Likely one that had been overflying the Soviet Union)  It tuned and transmitted anywhere between 14 and 30 MHz given the correct crystal plugged into a removable box on the front panel.
> 
> I believe that rig has been mentioned before in this thread as a milestone radio.  Should we did up Art Collins and chastise him?
> 
> 
> 
> 
>       
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:Elecraft at mailman.qth.net
> 
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>