[Elecraft] [OT] [OT] [OT] K2a

[Doug Person]

I tend to think that a big, color display would provide a great deal 
more information including the state of all important controls.  I do 
believe that the K3 is a complex rig as it is.  Everything has been done 
to make its complexity as manageable as possible - but the size and 
nature of the display is limiting.  This is not negative criticism. The 
design is superb.

As I daydream of a K4, I don't think it's an issue of performance so 
much as enhanced usability.  It would not take much to add a keyboard 
input and a bigger display to add terminal-like capabilities for digital 
modes.  Integration of the P3 is hardly out of the question.  Given a 
much larger display, an evolved K3 could actually be made much simpler 
to operate.

I think Elecraft has spurred the Big Three to rethink their designs.  
Elecraft has reset the standards and forced the bar to be raised 
substantially.  There is a substantial push to color displays that 
graphically relate the state of most settings.  The concept works well.

The state of the art is never static.  The K3 and KX3 (and even the K2) 
are at the top of the list for performance.  But the state of the art 
for the user interface is being advanced rapidly by the Big Three.

So, I would speculate that in comparison, the K3 is becoming dated in 
its market appeal.  The Big Three have proven that when they try - they 
can come close the K-line performance class.  And now, clearly, they see 
the user interface as the defining difference.

Having worked for 2 decades as a Usability Engineer for Big Blue, 
product appeal is /greatly/ influencing in a person's initial impression 
of a product.  Our design goals where to design user interfaces so well 
that a manual was unnecessary.

I think the potential K4 could dominate not only the performance 
category, but also match or exceed the best transceiver interfaces 
available.  It really wouldn't hard with current technology.

Maybe, with inflation, this my 4 cents worth...

73, Doug -- K0DXV
(Senior Usability Engineer - IBM Usability Engineering National Practice 
(Retired))

On 4/12/2014 7:05 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
> With any transceiver, there is always the problem of the ham behind 
> the VFO knob.  If you can solve that, it would be of great benefit to 
> the entire ham community.
>
> An advanced transceiver will be more and more complex. but hopefully 
> as technologies advance, the manufacturers will provide default menu 
> items that will produce a workable transceiver.
> The Elecraft K3 default menus do provide a quite workable transceiver 
> (although the kit version does need to be calibrated). Many users will 
> want to optimize the menu settings for their particular operating 
> desires and environment, but a factory built K3 will work FB "out of 
> the box".
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> On 4/12/2014 8:52 PM, Phil Wheeler wrote:
>> Yes, technology does advance. In addition to "Perhaps a portion of 
>> the firmware can be user updated.  The user display for example." -- 
>> Maybe there will be a way to fine tune the user as well. That seems 
>> to be the weak point of many rigs (at least my rigs!) :-)
>>
>
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