[Elecraft] K3 - Ergonomics

[Johnny Siu]

Hello Richard,

I am user of both K3 and IC7800.  To me, the learning curve of Icom radios is not as deep as K3.  I would even say my Icoms are very user friendly.

K3 is good for Dxpedition for its size - the smallest radio with true dual receivers.  However, the NR of my Icom is far better than K3 especially in terms of listening fatigue.  One thing more important, the manual notch of Icom is within AGC loop.  This feature is very important for SSB operators when there is a strong S9+ carrier adjoining a weak desired + sought after SSB station.  Manual notch within AGC will simply eliminate the desensing effort on AGC by the strong carrier.

Fortunately, the NR of KX3 is now very similar to that in my Icoms.

K3 is also good for its modular design.  I can always simply send the defective PCB / modular back for repair instead of sending the whole radio back to mother-ship.

Ergonomics is a fairly personal feel and some one may feel it more important but not the others.  This also applies to audio.  I may be fortunate or unfortunate that I can still hear up to 13KHz. I still don't like the artifact of the K3 DSP.

Elecraft is very thick skin and they listen to our discussion.  The DSP and NR in their KX3 demonstrated that they did listen.

73

Johnny VR2XMC
 

________________________________
 寄件人︰ Richard <hb9anm at bluewin.ch>
收件人︰ elecraft at mailman.qth.net 
傳送日期︰ 2014年04月3日 (週四) 10:49 PM
主題︰ [Elecraft] K3 - Ergonomics
  

Is there a rig out there that doesn't require a learning curve? Are hams 
mere  plug-and-play guys and too lazy to "read the manual"? Can anyone 
break a pileup the first hour after purchasing an FT5K or IC7800? I 
remember a comment I read just after I got my previous rig (an FT1000MP) 
in 2001: "carefully study he manual, as with this rig, it is easy to 
turn buttons until you don't hear a thing!"

The K3 has 44 buttons. My FT1000MP had twice as many, which would hardly 
accommodate the size of a K3...

During the first K3 DXped (to Ducie Island), I read on their website 
that none of the op's had had any problems using the K3, although most 
probably not everyone of them - if at all - had one in his own shack at 
the time. And now, it seems to have become the standard rig for many 
DXpeditions! That tells a lot.

Gary's comment is right on target:
"Beauty is in the eye of the beholder somebody once told me!
Performance to me IS everything....eye candy has never helped in a pileup."
I second that...

Maybe they could get an empty enclosure "with curves and swirls or 
plastic molding" from one of the K/I/Y and place it next to the K3 so 
they get both: performance AND eye candy...

73
Richard - HB9ANM