[Elecraft] Unhappy with your KX3

[Jim Brown]

On 8/5/2012 2:10 AM, emanning at csc.uvic.ca wrote:
> I agree. Selling a computer with incomplete software is a well-understood
> practice;  customers know that the hardware is just the pizza-box and the
> software is the pizza.

SNIP

> As far as I know the KX3 is the first to be sold in this manner. So some
> marketing thought may be called-for.

You have apparently failed to notice that the K3 and P3 were first 
shipped with not all planned features implemented in firmware. Over a 
period of months most were completed, and could be downloaded from the 
Elecraft website, and the firmware utility makes it VERY easy to 
download and install updates. In addition to PLANNED features, 
UN-PLANNED features and control behaviors have been added in response to 
user requests.

Why would Elecraft sell an incomplete product? Have you not noticed the 
many hundreds of emails literally CRYING for the announced new product?  
There have been times when half the traffic on this list has talked 
about nothing more than shipping and delivery dates.

A contrast with other manufacturers is appropriate. Yaesu's flagship 
radio, the FT1000 series in all its variations, is notorious for REALLY 
BAD keyclicks, and three of the four DSP mic processing settings can 
best be described as awful.  It took them ten years and three model 
changes to fix the clicks, and you had to BUY the replacement (a new 
radio) that fixed the problem, and I don't recall ever seeing anything 
about owners of the problematic radios even being offered a discount. 
:)  I don't know if they ever fixed the mic DSP.

The original Ten Tec Orion was beset with LONG ongoing firmware issues, 
and you wouldn't believe the bitching on the Ten Tec email reflector 
about the new bugs in the bug-fixed firmware.  The eventual solution was 
the Orion II. Again, you had to BUY a new radio, and again, no discount. .

73, Jim K9YC