[Elecraft] K2 vs K3 ?

[Mike-WE0H]

My opinion, keep the K3 & the K2. You may later on regret selling 
anything and then the money might not be there to build another one. 
Just put it on the shelf for now.

Other options are the AN762 amp that FAR circuits sells a board for and 
eBay has 2SC2879 transistor's for it and they are dirt cheep. That'd be 
well over 100w output just idling. Communications Concepts sells the 
complete kit for it with the more expensive MRF transistors if you don't 
have a stash of components for it already.

Mike
WE0H



Randy M wrote:
> Well, this is interesting!  I'm agonizing over this very issue.  I have 
> K2 #337, built in late 1999, that has served me extremely well.  I have 
> always watched this reflector, so I was one of the first non-field test 
> people to notice Wayne's announcement of the K3.  Then I read every word 
> about it, including the manuals, and saved my pennies (and quarters and 
> dollars!) until I was able to order one last year, taking delivery of 
> K3/10 #2006 in late October.  I have been delighted with it, both 
> performance wise and operationally.  I've downloaded all the beta 
> firmware releases and never had any issue with them that wasn't taken 
> care of within about 24 hours of the beta release.
>
> I operated SSCW and then ARRL DX CW with the K3 and that's when I began 
> to have some doubts about whether the K3 is for me or not.  Running QRP 
> during these contests with simple wire antennas, I found that I couldn't 
> usually be heard through all the QRM by anybody who wasn't S8-9 at my 
> QTH.  That means that the outstanding features of the K3 receiver 
> weren't doing me much good in those circumstances.  In a more normal 
> situation of working a weak station with little or no QRM, I believe the 
> K2 does just as well as the K3 for me.  So I've about decided that the 
> K3 is just not a cost effective solution for my style of operating.  I 
> really love it, but I just can't justify keeping both it and my 
> venerable K2!   I'm seriously bonded with the K2,  so I'm on the verge 
> of offering my K3 for sale.  But it hurts to even consider it :-(
>
> 73,
> Randy, KS4L