[Elecraft] On the advisability of selling kit radios

[lstavenhagen]

JMO,

There're only a limited number of improvements you can make to a mouse trap
before you start getting diminishing returns. For the task of bouncing HF
sigs off the ionosphere, at some point more and more technology on that
isn't going to lead to any improvement. 
It's sort of like high technology being applied to, say, archery equipment.
In the end all you need is a stick with a string on it to do the job and
there's only so many ways to improve a stick and a string. After that you
have to resort to gimmicks to sell the new/improved ones and you're not
really getting too much better of a stick and string for the purpose of
propelling an arrow.

One of the reasons I went with a K2 (still under construction) is its lack
of frills for doing what I want to do with it (exchange CW sigs on HF) but
still has an RX with a performance level exceeding frankly most of the other
rigs on the market. 

Even so, the K2 is still going to end up being, how shall I put it, pretty
luxurious of a rig for what I'm going to do. yet it's considered kind of
"old" technology nowadays, especially with rigs like the K3 to compare to.
My other rig currently is a 706MKIIG and it's a high-tech beastie compared
to what I grew up on when I was a new ham (Heathkit DX-60B and a pair of
SB's when I was in college).

As for Elecraft going for it and becoming a big company, tell you the truth
that's a sure way to ruin a good company. In my career (software) I've
worked for one or two companies that were small when I joined and then
became big. I think those were the worst things that ever happened to those
places and that's in fact the major reason I don't work for those places
anymore.

I don't know what Elecraft's financial situation is but I sure hope they can
resist the urge to "go big". It's a privilege to be able to build a rig of
the K2's quality myself (tho it's pushing my soldering, building,
toroid-winding skills right up to the limit, but hey). And if everything
goes right in future, I hope to build a K3 too.

I know you have to keep up with the markets, but I hope at the same time we
little guys don't get forgotten about hi hi!

73,
LS
W5QD
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