[Elecraft] P3 firmware question

[Ron D'Eau Claire]

Yup - it's the business model of the 21st century. I've written product
manuals for Elecraft since 2001 but I, too, am NOT an Elecraft employee and
live 600 miles north of Watsonville on the Oregon coast. In addition to
handling most of Elecraft's manuals I have handled international training
and business studies for some of the big tech companies working on a daily
basis with teams in Japan, Europe South America and Africa using the VOIP
and video conferencing, as well as doing sales training and marketing
support for local businesses.

Instead of sitting in a cubicle after driving to work every morning, I get
to listen to the surf pounding below my house after commuting 30 feet from
the coffee pot in my kitchen and I only need to put on a shirt and comb my
hair before a video conference (no video below chest level, just like the
anchors on TV!). The downside includes occasionally being "at work" at 11
p.m. or 3 a.m. when working with international teams or pulling an
"all-nighter" to support a disorganized client's deadline. 

This is a revolution in working that Elecraft and other innovative companies
have embraced. It's something that will likely expand tremendously in the
future as more companies understand the benefits of a flexible work force
because we don't get paid for "showing up" - we're paid only for benefits
delivered. And we are not limited to the challenges (and dangers) of only
one source of income.  

But as I'm quick to point out to everyone who dreams of self-employment,
understand that, when self-employed, the employee has the most miserable,
demanding boss in the world, and that boss has the laziest employee in the
world. They do deserve each other, Hi! 

73,

Ron AC7AC






-----Original Message-----

Actually I'm not an Elecraft employee.  I work on a contract basis from my
home here is Santa Rosa, about a three-hour drive north of Aptos.
Elecraft has a number of employees and others like me working under various
arrangements and scattered all over.  Even one of the principals
(Wayne) does not physically work in the plant.

This kind of business model is one of the changes made possible by the
arrival of the Internet.  When I was still working at HP/Agilent I was on
several design/development projects with engineers located at other
divisions in Japan, Korea, Scotland, and Idaho.  The projects were tied
together with lots of emails and phone calls as well as occasional
video-conferences and trips to the other plants.  

Alan N1AL