[Elecraft] Which ONE rig would I buy?

[David Gilbert]

I have to fully agree on both points.

When I bought my K3 I kept hearing all the comments about the density of 
the knobs on the front panel, so I actually did a comparison to my old 
756Pro.  I measured the area of each front panel and divided by the 
number of knobs and buttons.  Guess what ... the K3 was about 25% less 
dense than the 756Pro, and none of the K3 knobs are as inaccessible as 
the five ridiculously small ones at the bottom left of the Icom.

I did indeed spend quite a bit of time in the menu when I originally set 
up my K3 but I've had my rig for over three years now, I'm reasonably 
active in contests, and I honestly cannot remember the last time I used 
the menu for anything.  Once it is set up to suit your operating 
preferences you can access just about everything you operationally need 
from the front panel ... the obvious exception being quick changing of 
AGC parameters.

I'm not saying that the ergonomics of the K3 are ideal, but in my 
opinion most people who complain about it either are too lazy to learn 
the rig, haven't actually tried it, or what they really want (without 
admitting it) is simply a rig that is impressively large.

73,
Dave   AB7E



On 4/4/2012 3:53 PM, Nate Bargmann wrote:
> My hands are not small and the K3 has plenty of spacing between its
> buttions and knobs that inadvertent contact is due to my sloppy reach
> rather than an issue with the K3.  Like any other radio it does take
> some time to learn well.  The menus are for configuration and once you
> have it working as you like it, you're not going to be getting back into
> them.  In other words, menu access is rarely needed for day-to-day
> operation.
>
> If performance is anywhere in your list of desirable features, then the
> K3 is the only choice, IMO.
>
> 73, de Nate, N0NB>>
>