[Elecraft] K3 P3 SVGA - ?future firmware updates for K3/P3/SVGA?

[Sam Morgan]

first let me say to Wayne, this is not a spur of the moment, 'should 
have waited over night to cool off' email. I have been biting my 
tongue/fingers over this for a very long time.

After reading the recent   [Elecraft] K3/P3/SVGA   thread,
I felt it is as good a time as any to ask a few questions of the folks 
at Elecraft.

first a rhetorical question or two to set the tone, hi hi

1st
Is there any guesstimate when/if Elecraft's firmware engineers
will stop tweaking *ONLY* the new Elecraft hardware products?

2nd
...and be allowed to refocus on firmware promises made over the previous 
many months/year(s) for the K3/P3/SVGA

what promises you may ask? ...
check out the 'many' requests Wayne says he has on his 'to do' list. I 
haven't kept track of all of them, (I'm sure the ones I want may differ 
from others wishes) but Wayne often says he has a list of 'good ideas' 
that will be (or at least considered for) implementation in the future, 
maybe he will share with us what is actually on that list?


My fear is that Elecraft may have reached critical mass, like many other 
excellent small companies, that were great when they started, only to 
grow and become so well known, that they were unable to keep up with the 
expansions of their products and their reputations started to suffer.

Why do I say such blasphemous things about the company whose products 
and services I am truly in awe of? Because this dangerous downhill trend 
I'm speaking of, first becomes evident as shown by the companies 
inability/failure to keep promises made in their earlier years when they 
were building their reputations.

will I switch companies, never!
am I a kool aid drinker, always and forever!

However, am I kinda tired of waiting for promises made, as I watch all 
the 'new stuff' getting all the attention, you betcha!

Yes I understand new stuff will have bugs and will need special 
attention and the new owners of those products also deserve all the 
attention we K3/P3/SVGA owners used to enjoy.

Do I bad mouth you products to others asking about buying Elecraft, no I 
still speak well of their performance. But I have noticed my enthusiasm 
when recommending your products has taken a notable shift. I use to have 
the highest of praise for *every aspect* of Elecraft, the Hardware, the 
Service and the Firmware. Lately I have dropped off mentioning how 
awesome your quick firmware updates are and have to catch myself to be 
sure not to go off on a rant about the problems we are having these days 
with shelved requests and delayed promises.

all I'm saying is maybe it's time to reinvest some of that 'new product 
monies' that is taking so much of your current time and energies, back 
into the company and hire some more software engineers if the burden of 
support for your mature products is suffering as badly as it is now.

That is if you want to turn around the declining trend we see now, and 
not be perceived as changing modes to 'riding on your former reputation' 
like many other past companies did, that cost them their reputations. 
The 'we'll get around to it' responce, is getting extremely old!

my apologize for adding to your burden Wayne and the rest of the crew, 
but perhaps you need to hear how some of us among your loyal followers 
are feeling out here, if that's what it takes to get you to change back 
to the company you use to be.

signed NOT A TROLL!

-- 
GB & 73
K5OAI
Sam Morgan