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

Sat Sep 12 14:17:20 EDT 2015

I bought my IC-9100 after I started my K line and it’s a keeper as nothing will do all that it does 160m-1.2 gig including D-Star. It is the last of my base radios that aren't Elecraft and has no match out there as far as all band all modes. It just leaves a bit to be desired in the HF bands for me anyway compared to my K3 or KX3.

73,
Fred/N0AZZ

-----Original Message-----
From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of David Cole
Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2015 12:34 PM
To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 to Pro III, my thoughts to Jeff, wb0m

I must second Phil's thoughts here...  I also did the A/B, and now have only a K3...  
--
Thanks and 73's,
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On Fri, 2015-09-11 at 10:30 -0700, Phil Hystad wrote:
> OK, before this thread gets the whack of Eric, my two bits.
> 
> When I got my K3, I also owned an Icom 756 Pro III.  My plan was to keep both — I am the original owner of the Pro III and I had this feeling that every time I sold a radio I regretted the decision.
> 
> Right from the start I did a detailed comparison and being mostly interested in CW, my comparison tests were all about CW.  
> 
> Picking out weak signals — absolutely no contest.  I could copy a signal Q5 on the K3 that I couldn’t even hear on the Pro III even though both were using the same antenna (switching back and forth).
> 
> Pulling out a signal amongst QRM and QRN — absolutely no contest.  The filters on the K3 made a big difference that could not be matched by the filters on the Pro III.
> 
> So, I became hooked on the K3.  When the P3 came out, since I was a lover of the spectrum display on the Pro III, I bought it right away.  Now, the die was cast.  The Pro III took up valuable room in the shack and collected worthless dust I didn’t want to clean.  This went on for two years of total non-use.  Finally, I decided to sell.  Turned on the Pro III for the first time in two years to test it out and then sold it within one day via Craigslist for $1850 (two years ago).
> 
> No, after two years, I have not regretted my decision to sell the Pro III.  I am done with Icom unless they come out with something really great and different (despite the fact that Icom HQ (USA) and their main service shop is just five blocks from my home QTH).
> 
> Note:  if you operate SSB only (or, mostly) then the performance differences between the Icom Pro III and the K3 are probably less dramatic although I never did any comparison tests in SSB mode.
> 
> 73, phil, K7PEH
> 
> 
> 
> 
> > On Sep 11, 2015, at 9:41 AM, Tom Fitzgerald via Elecraft <elecraft at mailman.qth.net> wrote:
> > 
> > 
> > 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 
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