[Elecraft] Fw: Why I won't purchase K3

[George A. Thornton]

I have a different opinion.

I like kits.   The stereo I used in college was a Heathkit I built
myself.  

I built the K2 and learned a great deal from the experience.  I had at
least as much fun building the radio as using it.

Building the K3 is indeed much less of a kit experience.  This is
inevitable because technology has moved forward.  High end equipment now
extensively uses surface mount parts.  It is impossible to practically
market a kit requiring extensive assembly of boards using surface mount
parts.  The equipment and skills needed for that type of work is beyond
the casual amateur.

That does not mean there is no advantage to having built the K3 as a
kit.

Recently I had a problem with the B VFO.  After a call to the factory I
was able to do a test and determine the B VFO encoder was going bad.
They sent out a replacement and I was able to swap the parts in about
fifteen minutes.  No charge and no radio down time.

If this had not been a kit I would have had to return the radio for
service.  That would have meant a multi week delay and considerable
expense and frustration.





-----Original Message-----
From: elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net
[mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Alexey Kats
Sent: Sunday, March 06, 2011 6:45 AM
To: VE3GAM Allen McRorie
Cc: Elecraft List
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Fw: Why I won't purchase K3

Allen, you misunderstood me. I have no problem with using owning K3 - it
the
best radio I around, no matter which day you ask it.  My problem is with
K3
in its "kit" form. I don't have a problem buying it as an assembled
radio.
But I have a problem with buying it as a kit and then claiming that "I
built
it". All this "kit" form does is saving some money. It does not make me
proud of achieving anything - that's what I was griping about. I don't
mind
bying K3. I don't like "building" it, that's all

Actually, I think I should apologize to everybody - the subject of my
original post was probably misleading.  The better way to phrase it
would be
"why I won't purchase K3 KIT".

On Sun, Mar 6, 2011 at 6:29 AM, VE3GAM Allen McRorie
<ve3gam at rogers.com>wrote:

> interesting comment!
>
> if you want to use one of the best radios around, I really don't get
why it
> is so
> important that you BUILD the rig. Hopefully the END product is more
> important
> than the process used to get there. if not, then I guess you will miss
out
> on using
> one of the best radios around.
>
> that is why I don't consider the BUILD question important at all .
>
> Al ve3gam
>
>

-- 
Alexey Kats (neko)
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