[Elecraft] The Cost Of Amateur Radios

[Doug Person via Elecraft]

For casual SSB use my HW-101 was awesome.  So was/is (still have them) 
my Swan Cygnet 270B, TS-140, and Icom IC-746.  Each represented a 
significant technological step forward.

A year or so ago, my XYL and I decided to start planning to move out of 
our rural QTH to something more convenient considering our ages and my 
health issues.  I thought it was important to downsize the collection of 
transceivers.  I decided to sell the K-line and go with the rather 
pricey but well-designed  "I" line.  After a year or so of exclusively 
using this setup, it became extremely clear to me that I had made a 
mistake.  As nice as this station was, there were many irritating flaws 
that kept bugging me.

I quickly sold the "I" line and repurchased a K-line.  Over the past 20 
years I have a bought and sold just about every significant radio on the 
market.  It's hard to compile a list of features that make the K3 
standout in the large field of competent products. I had a few favorites 
like the TS-850 that just seemed to contain some kind of magic that made 
it stand out in a way that is nearly impossible to define.  The K3 
receiver obviously is virtually unmatched.  But there is so much more.  
The best way to sum it up is to say that the K3 user interface was 
designed by someone who had enormous experience operating a transceiver 
in all types of conditions and who knew what parameters needed to be 
adjusted easily and quickly and which took a second level of priority, 
and which a third. Design based on pure experience rather than a committee.

I tried a Flex.  It is a nice radio.  But being tethered to a computer 
all the time makes it not so much of a "Flex"able platform.  When I 
unhook my K3 and carry it someplace else to use, it contains everything 
I need.  and it's so lightweight compared to others which makes it ideal 
for porting to a second location once or twice a month.

Let's face it - the K3 is the industry benchmark.  Others that have 
tried to match it produce products that only come close and cost twice 
as much.

73, Doug -- K0DXV

On 4/10/2015 8:44 AM, Tony Estep wrote:
> On Fri, Apr 10, 2015 at 8:51 AM, Joe Moffatt <joe at selectconnect.net> wrote:
>
> For casual ssb use, I think the Flex is awesome....
>
> ==============
> Yup. We tend to forget that there are many hams who come to HF from the
> world of 2-meter repeaters, and/or who never chase DX or operate in
> difficult conditions or dig for weak signals or work contests. For the
> casual SSB rag-chewer, the Flex design is probably okay, and will
> presumably be even better if/when they deliver the promised software
> features. But its inherent configuration will never deliver the operating
> experience that you get with a K3 or some other top-end conventional
> radios. And a comparable Flex costs thousands of dollars more than a
> fully-equipped K3.
>
> Tony KT0NY
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