[Elecraft] K3 Complexity

[wayne burdick]

Hi John,

Thanks for the feedback.

> ....concerned that the K3 is becoming just another menu driven radio - 
> with so many parameters that the result is brain  paralysis.

We only add new menu entries after very careful consideration. Any new 
entries come up at factory defaults, and most users who are not 
interested in that function can just leave them there. Most of them are 
in the "advanced" category are only visible in Tech Mode, reducing the 
chance of changing them accidentally. If you do change one, you can see 
what the default value is by tapping DISP while in that menu entry. 
(The default is the first thing shown, in parentheses.)

> How many AGC parameters does one person need, even with different 
> modes and band conditions?

The only AGC menu entry we've added since the pleistocene (2007) is AGC 
DCY, which is used to turn on an optional soft-decay characteristic. We 
did lots of lab tests, including building a highly stable 4-signal 
oscillator, before we concluded that an alternative AGC characteristic 
would be useful in pileup conditions. This had to be a menu entry, 
because we knew traditional AGC decay would still be preferred by most 
users.

I recommend using all of the AGC defaults except in special 
circumstances. Others are free to pitch their favored settings.

> I'd rather see Elecraft complete the original feature list. What ever
> happened to synchronous detection?

Lyle has been working on that, but basic performance issues get 
attention first. For example, there were claims of high-frequency AF 
artifacts that he had to investigate. Turns out we have a lot of 
customers with incredibly good hearing :)  We'll have more to report on 
this soon. But Lyle is getting close to having AM sync working.

> The hope of a keyboard connection?

This was supposed to be my project, but again, I've had a lot of basic 
firmware maintenance to keep up with. Everything is more time-consuming 
than you think it will be. This is especially true with the K3: it has 
appealed to a lot of new customers with different expectations. It 
isn't just QRP and full kits anymore. We've had to broaden our scope 
and take many new ideas into account in the design/refinement process.

> Or for that manner, a tightly integrated panadapter?

Now you *know* I can't talk about that :)

> An up-to-date, complete owner's manual?

I just completed a new revision last week. It's being reviewed. I'd be 
happy to send you a .pdf of it.

In short, I believe we're keeping up with K3 user needs, while not 
making the rig too complex. I understand your concern, though, and I'll 
continue to vet new firmware ideas thoroughly before making changes.

73,
Wayne
N6KR

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http://www.elecraft.com