[Elecraft] K3/K3S DB9 Conn - If it plugs in, then it should work

[ae4pb at carolinaheli.com]

I respectfully offer that it's a very good thing Elecraft used a commonly
found connector in their radio designs. One bane of technology is when
manufacturers use a myriad of proprietary connections. The huge advantage
that we have in using common connections is the availability of plugs,
sockets, and cables. The responsibility we have is to always ensure the
connections are as intended. In the case of Elecraft radios with a DB9
connection we CAN use an RS-232 spec cable from the rig to our computer with
the requirement that certain pins or wires be removed/cut/disconnected due
to the nature of the connection. The Beauty of RS-232 is that it's a 3 wire
system. The other connections are typically used for HARDWARE support
(DTS/RTS) and aren't required for RS-232. So out of a DB9 connection we are
left with 6 usable lines. What's a better design, combining purposes into a
common connection where the consumers are technically skilled and educated,
or having 10 extra connections on the back? 

If you were homebrewing the radio how would you build it? I'm betting that
most of us would use single connectors and bundle the functions/features
there. It just makes more sense.

One thing that may help would be to label a warning on the connector if you
may tend to forget that it's not a modem connection, rather, it's a
multi-function DB9 connection.

Just my opinion.
Jerry Moore