[Elecraft] UK source for K3 headphone socket (was: Elecraft Digest, Vol 76, Issue 42)

[David Woolley (E.L)]

Ian White GM3SEK wrote:

> CPC are also worth a look for this particular item  because they have a 
> vast range of stock including audio-visual items down to the component 
> level <www.cpc.co.uk>. They used to be 'trade only' but are now a 
> mainline consumer outlet advertising on TV, and with much larger stocks 
> than Maplin.

My own suspicion is that those adverts are targetted at a certain sort 
of small business.  They tend to do things like only sell cable by the 
drum, which is not particularly friendly to real consumers.

> 
> Farnell have by far the biggest stocks of RF-related parts and are also 
> very easy to deal with. Amateurs can register for online shopping using 
> the 'other' options on the drop-down lists, and receive the same good 

I think you still have to lie when you say you agree to the terms and 
conditions, as I think they still stress it is a B2B only company.  I 
suspect their marketing people welcome others, but their operations 
people are afraid of people exercising consumer rights, and I suspect 
anyone who did would risk losing their account.

> service as commercial customers 
> <https://uk.farnell.com/jsp/profile/register.jsp>

Rapid are also a cable by the drum company, but their main market sector 
seems to be schools, so I think they consider hobbyists part of the 
educational market.  They did hand out old catalogues at a rally once.
> 
> RS, on the other hand, have never been comfortable with private 
> customers. It still isn't possible for a private individual to register 
> without being forced to tell lies.

Yes.  They've never cottoned on to the idea that today's teenage 
hobbyists are tomorrow's electronic design engineers.  At one time, the 
used to mark their catalogue as being strictly confidential.  They did, 
however, run a consumer catalogue, Doram, I think, for a short time.


-- 
David Woolley
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