[Elecraft] Contests and the K3

[Tony Estep]

On Sun, Dec 4, 2011 at 1:54 PM, Ralph Parker <ve7xf at dccnet.com> wrote:

> ...I think the comment on them not being contesters has some merit....

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Well, I would have said the opposite. Elecraft is definitely tuned in to
the needs of DXers and DXpeditions, and a glance at the 160 reflector after
a contest shows that plenty of low-band contesters are using K3s and giving
feedback. Note that more than half the World Championship contestants used
K3s.

I subscribe to reflectors devoted to radios from two other manufacturers.
In one case, the radios get plenty of contest use and plenty of feedback,
but the manufacturer simply never responds to anything that users do or
say. In the other case, the only mention of contests is to gripe about the
congestion on the bands. The radios are by, of and for the casual SSB
ragchewer, and the hams on the company's staff apparently operate little.

Contests,  DXing in pileups, split operation, meteor scatter and EME, are
all modes that expose every foible in a radio's performance. Testing the
radio in tough conditions and responding to user experience are the only
way to get optimal results, and mush or no mush, I think Elecraft is trying
hard to do just that.

Tony KT0NY