[Elecraft] K3 on 40 meters

[w7aqk at cox.net]

Hi All,

If there is a downside to the K3's size, the problem described in this 
thread demonstrates that.  The rig is small, and so is the display.  So, 
some of the displayed info gets overlooked easily.  Still, there is a lot of 
info shown on the display, but much of it is in "fine print"!  Which antenna 
you are using is one of those small print items.  Or, maybe it's just that 
the info as to the antenna in use gets lost amid all the other info being 
displayed!!!  Since my eyesight is slowly but surely going south on me, I 
tend to suffer from the small print issue--at least on occasion.  In any 
event, I've committed the same "sin" as Fred did, and more than once.  Most 
recently was when I was hearing about all sorts of activity on 6 meters, but 
I was hearing none.  That went on for days until I realized I was listening 
on "no antenna"!  Ask me how dumb I felt when I finally realized my error!

I think Elecraft did a pretty good job arranging the K3's display of info, 
but surely it could have been a lot better.  After all, nobody is perfect! 
Actually I strongly suspect that designing a proper display (regardless of 
how big or little it is) is more than just good organization.  It's an art 
as well as a science!  Probably there is some very esoteric psychological 
set of issues that would suggest that certain things be displayed a certain 
way, or with bigger font size, or whatever else you can do to make each 
piece of info stand out as necessary.  Maybe if enough people are 
overlooking a key indicator on the display it could be enhanced by making it 
blink?  I don't know what the solution really is.

This may be a poor metaphor, but Fred's post made me think about all the 
times I went to a seminar, and the presenter had flip charts covered from 
corner to corner with all sorts of info listed in a very mundane way.  In 
essence, the visual aids were so "busy" that not much of it sunk in. 
Compare that to someone who approaches making charts like this with a more 
modest amount of info on each page, or at least does a much better job of 
highlighting key info.  Color coding helps, as does varying the size of key 
items.  Underlining works too!  Elecraft does employ a lot of techniques, 
but I can't say that they have done it as effectively as it could be.

The point is that communication tools, such as displays, do present some 
significant opportunities to EFFECTIVELY convey various pieces of info.  It 
probably takes a real expert to do it right.  I don't know if we have any of 
those in the ham radio business!  At least I can't think of a radio that had 
a display that struck me as being really efficient.

Dave W7AQK