[Elecraft] Elecraft Digest, Vol 135, Issue 37

[Dauer, Edward]

I agree in part ‹ it is as much confidence as knowledge, but for some of
us that¹s just as important.  Also agree that the details of construction
disappear from memory.  What has stayed with me, however, is an overview
appreciation of the gross mechanical architecture (plus very detailed
memories of the pain of installing the sub receiver) and, since I tried to
avoid making it mindless assembly, an appreciation of how stuff fits and
works together.  The difference in price between buying a kit and buying a
factory built is trivial; that has never been why I¹ve bought a kit.  And
the advantage of buying a factory built is the much higher probability
that what you get will actually work as it¹s supposed to.  Nonetheless, I
bought everything I own as a kit, and would again.  Except, maybe, for
installing another sub receiver.

Ted, KN1CBR


>Date: Thu, 30 Jul 2015 08:15:17 -0700
>From: "Dave Hachadorian" <k6ll.dave at gmail.com>
>To: "Reflector Elecraft" <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
>Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Is there a good reason to buy a K3S
>Message-ID: <7E009704C7484738AF7D66BA4259E6A9 at Toshiba>
>Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="utf-8";
>	reply-type=original
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Dauer, Edward
>Sent: Thursday, July 30, 2015 7:31 AM
>To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>Subject: [Elecraft] Is there a good reason to buy a K3S
>
>>I I would rather buy a K3S kit than a
>>used K3 even if factory-built, to have the advantage of knowing
>>my radio
>>more intimately by building it.
>------------------------------------------------------
>
>This point gets expressed frequently, but I don't really feel
>that way about the K3 that I assembled.  Building a K3 is really
>a mindless process of bolting together subassemblies following a
>very well designed checklist.  A few months later, all of the
>individual steps get erased from active memory, and when the time
>comes for disassembly to perform a mod or repair, I have to dig
>out a checklist for how to disassemble the radio.  About the only
>thing I remember is how to take off and reinstall the top cover.
>For example, when I recently smoked Diode D5 on the KXV3, I had
>to dig out a procedure for installing the RXA Board on the KXV3
>to tell me how to gain access to the KXV3.  It's not like I
>remembered how to take the radio all apart.
>
>On the other hand, I can say, "OK, I built this %$#@, so I guess
>I can follow a checklist to take it apart and fix it."   Doing
>the mods on an older radio, and fixing failed items have actually
>been more beneficial to me than the initial build, because I have
>become more confident, and purchased more tools to handle SMD's.
>By the way, here's the best $8 tool I have found for working with
>SMD's:
>http://www.amazon.com/SE-MH1047L-Illuminated-Multi-Power-Magnifier/dp/B003
>UCODIA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438269064&sr=8-1&keywords=headband+magnifie
>r
>
>
>Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
>Yuma, AZ