[Elecraft] Is the K3 a "fun" radio to operate ?

[Jim Brown]

On 1/16/2013 10:03 AM, Phil Hystad wrote:
> My question is what is a fun radio?  I have heard that some think the K3, being somewhat menu driven, is not a fun radio where as something like a Yaesu with a button and knob for every function is fun.

You have heard wrong.  The radio is VERY easy to operate.  Menus on the 
K3 are used to change SETUP functions -- that is, to tailor the radio to 
the way you want to use it.

Virtually everything you would normally do while USING the radio on the 
air is on the front panel in the form of knobs or buttons. Most have 
multiple functions -- a short push does the most commonly needed thing, 
a long push of a button does something else. Both functions are printed 
on the panel, in different colors. Likewise, knobs have multiple 
functions, activated either by mode (CW, SSB, or digital), or by 
toggling between functions, with LEDs telling you which function is 
selected. Again, most commonly used functions are the default.  For 
example, one knob is mic gain in SSB, or CW speed.  Another knob is 
Power Out, or Compression.  Two knobs set the IF bandwidth, and can be 
used as either Bandwidth and Shift, or as Low and High audio frequency 
of the IF. Toggling is done by simply a push on the knob.  There's a 
button that turns the second RX on and off, puts the radio in Diversity 
Mode, or sets in Tracking mode (that is, for things like Satellite work).

There are two levels of menus -- the first level accesses those things 
you are most likely to want to change, like VOX sensitivity, and whether 
you want to use only the mic as a source for SSB, the mic plus the line 
input, or only the line input.  The radio is VERY flexible, and can be 
used in many different ways, and can be optimized for many different 
applications.  You can, for example, change AGC slopes, have the radio 
remember most settings, including Power Out by band, remember Mic/Line 
choices by mode, and so on. Another menu function is to set the 8-band 
equalizers for TX and RX (separately).  Again, these are functions you 
only do when you either start with the radio or start using a new mic or 
headphones.

Another feature is that ANY two menu functions can be assigned to two 
"soft" buttons.  So far, I've found a need for only one of them -- I 
have my Yamaha CM500 plugged into the rear panel, and I sometimes want 
to use the speaker at the same time, so one of those buttons Toggles the 
Speaker on and off without turning off the Phones.

So, bottom line, the K3 is VERY easy to operate, everything you normally 
need is on the front panel knobs or buttons, the menus are rarely used, 
and easy to use if you RTFM.

73, Jim K9YC