[Elecraft] Which ONE rig would I buy?

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

This seems to come up a lot, and I always have to wonder how such a question 
can be effectively answered, at least convincingly.  The problem is that 
everyone has different wants and needs.  Also, just about every radio out 
there is significantly different in various ways, whether it's price, 
features, size, or whatever.

In my view, the only way someone can really pick the radio that's best for 
them is to make a serious list of what's really important to their wants and 
needs.  You also need to actually get your hands on whatever radio you are 
considering, because the ads don't tell you everything you need to know!  We 
often tend to focus on features, while forgetting things like ergonomics, or 
maybe just how we really want to use it.  In my case, for example, I wanted 
the best radio I could afford, but one that I could also use in a variety of 
situations.  I travel, therefore, I want to be able to take my radio with 
me.  In the past, this usually meant having two radios, but the K3 allows me 
to accomplish just about everything with just the one radio.

Personally, I think the K3 is the best radio out there--at least compared to 
most anything even remotely close to it's price.  I also think it has more 
features, and better ergonomics than just about any other radio in its 
class.  I've not owned or used any of the higher end Yaesu's or Icoms out 
there, but I've seen and touched them, and I know they are definitely "one 
location" radios.  I did have an Orion II, but it was huge, and I didn't 
like the ergonomics at all--not to mention that I believe it was somewhat 
inferior to the K3.  I also owned a Yaesu Mark V, but you don't move that 
radio around much either.  It's possible, even still, to make a Mark V 
perform exceptionally well, but it takes lots of extra filtering, etc.

Some folks say the K3 is too small.  I don't get it!  Someone once actually 
measured the knob differences and spacing between the K3 and at least one of 
the much larger radio, and found almost no justification for the complaint. 
The fact that it has a smaller front panel is more than offset by the fact 
that Elecraft astutely incorporated multiple feature controls with a single 
knob or button.  O.K.--no separate touchpad for selecting bands.  That's 
about the only thing I don't have on the K3 that I had on the Orion II, but 
you can do a work-around with the K3's memory features.  The display was 
bigger, but no more informative, and the bandscope was worthless! 
Otherwise, I found the Orion's ergonomics to be inferior, and required 
considerably more button pushing that the K3.  The Mark V was so menu 
intense, I never got comfortable with it.

I am impressed with a lot that the bigger Icoms and Yaesus now offer, but it 
comes at a much bigger price.  Some of the features they have are wonderful, 
but I seriously question claims that they perform better than the K3--at 
least overall.

I guess what I would recommend is that you use the K3 as a "standard", and 
then compare the pros and cons with other radios.  You may well determine 
that some other radio has the features you truly prefer, but at least you 
are basing it off a radio with truly outstanding features, support, and 
adaptability.  If you do this, I think you will make a much more informed 
decision.  Also, don't be inappropriately mislead by the "pro and con" 
commentary you see/hear.  You need to evaluate these sources.  I have a 
short list of folks whose comments are, I believe, fair and informed.  Some 
folks are overly critical, and others are overly enthusiastic.  I'm no 
expert either, so the "grain of salt" process starts here!

I have one other suggestion, just based on my experiences.  I either own, or 
have owned, a lot of radios over my 57 years in the hobby.  The only real 
"buyer's remorse" I've had, other than from a radio that just didn't perform 
as advertised, was when I "under-bought".  If you spend a little too much, 
you can usually live with that after a bit of a struggle with your budget. 
However, when you "under-buy", there is almost an immediate sense of 
frustration, which often leads to making another purchase and taking a loss 
on your original one.  Sometimes, coughing up an extra couple of hundred 
dollars or so on the front end might save you a thousand dollars later on. 
I guess the old cliché' "penny-wise and pound foolish" fits here.  I offer 
this commentary because I know there are a few newer rigs out there that, 
although seemingly quite capable, and perhaps a few hundred dollars less 
than a K3, really may not be sufficiently cheaper in the long run 
considering what you lose in features.  But it's not just the K3 rivals I am 
thinking of--I could make the same argument as to all these Icom models that 
have come out, or the various models of the Yaesu 5000.  Much of this seems 
to me to be these companies trying to hit "price points" as their primary 
objective.  Also, don't be overly influenced by the "base price".  Many/most 
of these radios today need additional accessories.  Even Elecraft does it 
this way, but the point is that you really need to carefully analyze all the 
add-on you really need.  Nobody does this more effectively than the computer 
industry!  Have you purchased one from Dell or HP lately?

Dave W7AQK