[Elecraft] Future Kradio?

[Gil G.]

On Wed, 2013-08-21 at 12:24 -0700, EricJ wrote:
> The charm of the K1 is that it is NOT a tiny surface mount CW radio.
> My K1 gets dusty from camping. My KX1 gets dusty from the shelf.
> Eric

Certainly.. I built one, and it is a great radio. I would think the KX1
would make a better camping radio though.. Why do you prefer the K1 in
the field? When I go camping, I take my Weber MTR with me while my K1
and KX3 stay home. I am talking real camping here, where you have to
hike miles to get there and there are no facilities... I would actually
take my K1 before my KX3, because the latest does cost more and is
bigger..
I might yet build a KX1 because of the four bands and the included
batteries.. I am waiting to see what the next Weber MTR will offer, but
I might lose patience and pull the trigger on a KX1..
Of course if Elecraft would make say, a three-band surface-mount kit,
I'd buy it immediately. I was worried bout building the MTR, but
surface-mount kits are really not much harder than through-hole ones,
except that the components being smaller, they are harder to identify
and easier to lose. I built my MTR with a fine-tip soldering iron. It
was much easier than I thought. The hardest being the ICs..
My KX3, surprisingly, though it is my best radio, gets used the least..

Gil.