[Elecraft] Elecraft P3 panadapter at the Orlando Hamcation

[Dave - AB7E]

My comments actually had nothing to do with Elecraft.  I never said (or even implied) that Elecraft was slow or going about this wrong.  If I were them, I'd make sure that the P3 was as close to perfect as I could before I released it, and I'd preview the heck out of it to get as mich feedback as I could.  It's MUCH easier to address design/manufacturing issues when the only hardware to deal with are prototypes.  And in this case, I don't think the demand is going to suffer due to the wait.

I also think "customer-sourced capitalization" is a great idea for Elecraft and their customers, but that isn't at all what we're talking about here ... not yet, anyway.  Putting down a deposit on a piece of equipment with a reasonably firm feature list and published specs is a totally different thing than blindly ordering something before you know what it actually does.  The former makes good sense to me, the latter does not.

73,
Dave   AB7E



------Original Mail------
From: "Guy Olinger K2AV" <olinger at bellsouth.net>
To: "Dave - AB7E" <xdavid at cis-broadband.com>,
    <dave.quick at comcast.net>,
    <Elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sat, 13 Feb 2010 09:42:29 -0500
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft P3 panadapter at the Orlando Hamcation

On Sat, Feb 13, 2010 at 1:29 AM, Dave - AB7E <xdavid at cis-broadband.com> wrote:
>
> Are the feature list and specifications now firm?  And if so, what are they?  I would have thought that anyone contemplating spending $700 for any box, even with the Elecraft name on it, would want to know what it does before sending off the check.
>

I should note that putting a prototype, and then later a working early
model in front of the public for comment at some convention-style
event, is RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT.  Early ham feedback at hamfests is
essential, and it too is R&D.

It's only the customers (and pent up demand) that are mistakenly
insisting that they are slow.  You want the kind of innovation and
service they are known for, you have to wait.  It's not a flaw or
laziness, or some kind of commie plot to rob us of our toys.  It's
careful business.  Good stuff at good prices is the hardest thing to
do. What was that thing, you can have two of the three, quick,
quality, low price?  (Personally, I'm betting quality AND low price is
at the root of the amp thing, I'll wait.)

I wonder if anyone has noticed businesses going down for getting even
close to the edge these days?  Hello?  The early plunk for the K3 was
a VOLUNTARY early alternative financing scheme.  Lot better than them
being leveraged by a bank that pulls the plug on them for completely
unrelated reasons.  Any Rip Van Winkle types please check the
financials for the last couple of years for historical information and
note that Ronald Reagan is not president any more.

Personally, I want Elecraft around for a while.  Conservative business
practices with no screeching tires at cliff's edge is just super
peachy fine by me. There is no TARP fund bailout for Elecraft. They go
down, we're back to getting our stuff from Yakencom and stuck with
what they decide for us, whether we like it or not.

And some folks WOULD plunk now for unfirm features (and there's no big
gorilla around MAKING anyone plunk -- it's a CHOICE one makes), with
the personal SELF-assurance that if it isn't what they want, they can
come here and sell it on the reflector, fast.

73, Guy.