[Elecraft] K3 to Pro III, my thoughts to Jeff, wb0m

[Tom Fitzgerald via Elecraft]

I have both radios..bought both new...I'd advise you to keep your Pro III & add a K3 or K3s but if that's not an option then I would say keep your Pro III & wait a bit longer for the inevitable "next incarnation" of the K3...possibly a K4. I think you will find that you will miss your Pro III greatly if you let it go and you might not be convinced that you made a good decision after you get your new K3 in your hands. When/if you do get it in your hands, your first thought will be why is this K3 so much lighter than my Pro III???Yeah, it's a bit smaller (mine sets on top of my Pro III) but your Icom weighs in at over 20 pounds and your K3 might only weigh 7 or 8 pounds...both use an external PS so that's not the reason??? To many peeps that's awesome while to others it suggests something (or a lot) might be missing. I'll tell you right now that the Pro III is FAR easier to use than the K3 and you will need to purchase Fred Cady's (KE7X) manual to really learn the K3...IMO. You will also likely sense a certain "cheapness" to the K3 as compared to your old Icom. Depending on what you do with your radio, you may not notice any performance advantage at all...again...depends on what you do with it. I like both radios & don't want to start an argument about this radio vs that radio yet again...there have been zillions of such debates already, you can spend hours reading them online. If your Pro III is as flawless as mine (& one of the last ones produced) and not used that often (I have 3 radios which reduces wear & tear on any single radio), I would think very long & hard before parting with it. Hopefully you've sat down in front of a K3 and operated it so that your not surprised when you open the box, if you haven't done that...you need to do so. I know some that bought the radio and sold it soon after buying it because it wasn't what they expected. For those that tell you that "you won't regret it", maybe they really do regret parting with their Pro III but just want some company in the dunces corner!  I say that you may very definitely regret it! Mine is staying right where it is. 

kd0bcf


          "If the knowledge of a God is the most necessary, why is it not the most evident and the clearest?”
                       -Percy Bysshe Shelley,
                  "The Necessity of Atheism" 1811