[Elecraft] Are you satisfied with your K3?

[Dyarnes]

Hi All,

Obviously most of the responders here are either K3 owners, or K3 potential 
owners, who have experienced the quality of this radio.  So, am I totally 
satisfied?  No!  Am I reasonably satisfied?  Absolutely!

The K3 is a wonderful radio, and something all of us who own one can be very 
proud of having.  However, it is not the "perfect" radio, nor will it ever 
be such.  But then, again, I never expected it to be the perfect radio!

I don't care how much money you spend, you will never own the perfect radio. 
No radio will ever have the complete (or even nearly complete) compliment of 
features and performance that we seek.  If that were possible, then most, or 
all, companies would go out of business!  More importantly, it just isn't 
achievable.

I don't care how many features you put in the K3, or any other radio, 
someone will have an issue--or ten issues!  What Elecraft achieved with the 
K3 is a top quality radio at a greatly reduced cost.  That's extremely 
significant!

The K3 is NOT the perfect radio for everyone, but it is the perfect radio 
for most of us.  There are too many variables, and personal preferences, to 
satisfy the entire ham community.  Many of the shortcomings are well 
founded, but not necessarily reasonable, for all that many users.  I see all 
this Sturm und Drang" about this feature or that feature, and I have to 
wonder whether or not it really matters!  Performance wise the K3 is near 
the absolute top end.  Ergonomically, it also is near the top.  Nonetheless, 
some folks are not happy, and never would be, with something specifically 
designed along the line of the K3.  To those folks I simply say "go ahead" 
and buy whatever better meets your wants and desires.  However, you won't 
achieve much, if any, improvement in performance.  If you can detect a 
significantly better performing radio, then your ear is much better than 
mine.

Elecraft has an incredible advantage over other manufacturers because they 
have a support team that is second to none.  If you have a problem, they 
will fix it--one way or another!!!  Other manufacturers will somewhat 
similarly "fix your radio", but not necessarily to the extent of making it 
better than it was when you bought it.  Elecraft will "fix it", and it all 
probability make it even better!

Some features are lacking in the K3, and some are very significant. 
However, just about everything that could be crammed into the K3 has been. 
If it isn't there now, it very well may be with software upgrades.  No other 
manufacturer is so dedicated to keeping their "top line" radio so forward 
capable.  Even though other manufacturers have adopted the "firmware 
upgrade" capability, nobody is doing more with that capability than 
Elecraft!  Pure fact!

If the K3 doesn't meet your expectations, sell it!  I seriously doubt you 
will replace it without spending a great deal more.  You won't gain much, if 
anything, in performance, but you might get something that "fits you" more 
appropriately.  If your problem with the K3 was a specific performance 
attribute, then possibly you will solve that, but somewhere there will be 
some compromise!

Right now I don't anticipate ever needing more than what the K3 provides me. 
That feeling may change, but I would bet large amounts of money that it will 
take a very serious "up scaling" cost wise to achieve that.  In the 
meantime, so many of the "deficiencies" in the K3 are being addressed by 
software upgrades, I can't imagine why I would become less convinced that I 
now have the right radio.  Who else is doing so much to achieve perfection 
than Elecraft?  They won't get there, but they keep trying!!!!

All you need to do, to truly see the value of a K3, is to compare features 
and cost.  If another manufacturer gets closer to your wants and needs, by 
all means go for it!  Somehow, though, I think you would be part of a very 
small minority.  The K3 was too well planned, and too well designed to be 
easily outdone.  Yes, something will come along that exceeds it, but not 
anytime soon.  When that happens, will it be enough better to justify my 
switching?  I doubt it.  Either the cost, or the marginal improvement will 
probably make that be unnecessary.  Unless I do something stupid, and blow 
up my K3, I'm probably set for a very long time!

Dave W7AQK