[Elecraft] MFJ's new Internal K3 Tuner, anyone tried one yet?

[Vic Rosenthal]

As W4TV said, the tuning algorithm is in the K3 firmware. It is not part of the tuner. Elecraft provides its firmware, including ongoing updates, at no extra cost. It pays its firmware developers out of money it makes selling hardware.

Now someone has come along selling hardware that makes use of the firmware that they didn't develop or pay for. Illegal? No. Unethical? We could debate it all day. The analogy of the IBM PC clone and DOS comes to mind.

But personally I wouldn't buy one.

Vic 4X6GP/K2VCO

> On May 12, 2015, at 6:18 AM, Jeff Cochrane - VK4XA <jeffvk4xa at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Agreed Phil, 
> I am not considering purchasing one of the MFJ units, I simply saw it in the
> latest MFJ catalogue that has just been released and I am curious as to why
> they made it, given that the Elecraft product is so good. :D
> 
> Maybe they think that they'll sell a heap of them due to the substantially
> lower price? (About US$90 off the current Elecraft KAT3 kit price)
> 
> I have noticed that it can *only* tune a 10:1 SWR (Which is in itself quite
> good for an internal tuner I think) but I know for a fact that the Elecraft
> KAT3 can do even better than that.
> 
> My current K3 (It's my second K3) has no internal tuner, nor does it need
> one as I use either a resonant antenna or a remote tuner and a single wire
> antenna exclusively.
> 
> A second antenna port would be a wonderful option for my radio but I surely
> don't need to expense of an ATU just to get it.
> 
> All we need to do is to convince Eric and Wayne that we Elecraft K3
> operators would REALLY like to have a second antenna port option WITHOUT the
> internal tuner. :D
> 
> Jeff Cochrane - VK4XA
>