[Elecraft] Fun To Use

[Steven Kline]

Exactly, great summary and very well stated Gary - 73 Steve W5JK

On Jan 16, 2013, at 3:24 PM, Gary Gregory wrote:

> I have read all the posts to date and FWIW I have this personal view.
> 
> All the major manufacturers make Fun transceivers. By this I mean many here
> in VK simply use amateur radio on 40/80M daily to chat with friends and
> acquaintances on a daily basis and do little if no other operation and
> therefore many use older transceivers and enjoy what they do obviously.
> Then there are those who for whatever reason feel a need to have a 'new'
> transceiver, be it high end or low varies greatly but they too appear to be
> having fun with their chosen transceiver.
> 
> I have also listened to 'other' operators who seem to want a technically
> superior transceiver and will not be put off by a higher dollar value if
> they are convinced that their choice of model/manufacturer will give them
> what they perceive to be the best transceiver. Then there are those that
> are Brand Loyalist and by this I mean it must be from one manufacturer that
> they feel is the only one that does it right and all others fall short.
> 
> Finally there is the group of avid contesters who often don't care what the
> brand is but they do care greatly what the receiver can do for them and
> they are results oriented and usually do not swap transceivers all that
> often when compared to the 'other' style of operators I mentioned above.
> 
> 
> I have had many and varied models/brands over the years too and I am a DX
> chaser and part time contester as I enjoy the personal challenge of
> contesting but I do not participate in every contest. I have had some
> 'dogs' along the way too as well as a couple of the so called high dollar
> models and when I discovered Elecraft by accident (fat finger web browsing)
> and the soon to be released K3 I wondered what all the hue and cry was
> about. I dove in early and have never been more happy with a choice. Is it
> fun for me to use my K3...you betcha sweet bippy it is.
> 
> I don't vary my settings very often at all and yet I was told just the
> other day by a "Collins Owner/Lover" that he thought the K3 was 'too
> fiddly' to use. He sat down on 40M with my K3 hooked to his 40M beam and
> worked several EU stations and a few NA stations and announced that he
> thought it was not nearly as difficult as he had first thought. He never
> once objected to the lively receiver and enjoyed the Hi/Lo Cut settings and
> he didn't even whine about the small speaker some have commented on. He had
> me reset the RX EQ for his ears and I thought it sounded better than the
> external speaker he uses with his Collins gear. All of this is of course
> purely subjective on my part.
> 
> My opinion is certainly biased otherwise I would not be posting this,
> however, I just wanted to say I have fun every time I turn the K3 on and
> hear the bands occupied. My idea of fun is to wave the aluminum in the air
> around a bit till I find another operator wanting to have a chat. A one on
> one for an hour, a pileup into EU, 24 hours in a contest...it doesn't
> matter for me, I reckon I am having fun every time I hit the Power
> button(s) on the K-Line and that is what it's all about...for me.
> 
> I have wasted a lot of money over the years looking for a 'keeper' and
> Elecraft and the K-Line have done what no other previous choice I made has
> done and now I can really have Fun on a daily basis operating what I now
> see as a simple to use transceiver. Yes I agree with those who suggested
> the learning curve can be steep for some. There are those I am sure who
> tried a K3 and just didn't 'get it' and moved on to yet another
> transceiver. Sadly, we do make mistakes or let ourselves down by not being
> more determined to try all the features of a new transceiver over time.
> Many jump to an early belief and never get passed that point and so for
> them the search goes on.
> 
> Like many I suspect, I have been fortunate to have had my K3 long enough
> that it has proved it's worth every day with many contacts and for that I
> am thankful to Wayne, Eric and all the fine engineers both at Elecraft and
> those who contribute to them. Thanks to all.
> 
> 73
> Gary
> -- 
> *Gary - VK1ZZ
> Motorhome Portable
> The Shack*
> *Elecraft K3
> P3 Panadapter
> KPA500FT
> KAT500FT**
> KX3-K
> *
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