[Elecraft] Clock Accuracy (the moral of the story)

[Tom W8JI]

Almost 30 years ago, when I designed the AL1200 amplifier, it included a 
rough  relative voltmeter like most other amps had except  I included a 
cheap peak voltage detector.

I thought I'd calibrate the cheap relative voltmeter scale, making the scale 
show peak watts instead of zero through ten like most other meters. I warned 
it was only accurate into 50 ohm loads, and was a relative meter that read 
PEP. It cost the customer nothing, and I thought it was better to have 
something that read power with pretty fair accuracy if the load was close to 
50 ohms j0 then to just say 0-10.

Over the years we had a flurry compliants like the clock complaints. Never 
once did I hear "Hey, at least that's better than zero through ten like my 
XYZ".

The lesson I learned was to never give the public some bonus-for-nothing 
unless the gift is flawless. Myself, I would be unwilling to pay even $1 
more to have an accurate clock in the K3.

73 Tom