[Elecraft] TS-990

[Al Lorona]

The weight of rigs from Japan has more to do with the choice of steel for the 
chassis instead of aluminum, and certainly the size of the TS-990 is the right 
size for many people. But another observation is that when you look at the 
schematic diagrams of Japanese rigs they are unbelievably complicated. There 
are easily ten times as many paths, components, connectors, and devices as the 
typical American rig, making it extremely difficult to follow signal flow on 
these enormously dense circuits. When I first obtained an Elecraft K2, I 
couldn't believe how simple it was. The schematic looked pretty much like the 
occasional homebrew transceiver you see in QST, and yet the specs were every bit 
as good as Japanese rigs costing (and weighing) way more. I have always wondered 
whether Japanese transceivers are way over-engineered-- and thus more expensive, 
heavier, and larger-- than they have to be.

Al  W6LX