[Elecraft] Help sell me on the K3S

[Reuben Popp]

Hey everyone, happy early 4th to you and yours!

I'm looking for a bit on input here.  I've had my K2 now for quite some
time now; built it myself and love it still to this day.  But, because
every guy and gal needs a new radio every now and then, I've got that itch.

I've had my eye on a K3 probably since I first saw the advertisement in QST
some years back.  I'm not a contester.. heck, I *still* don't have my
ticket, so my main use is SWL and running up and down the bands to listen
in on some of the nets.  My antenna is just a half size G5RV slung along
the apex of my roof.... but I've wanted to get my hands on the K3... that
is until now.

In the past week I found out about the Icom 7300, which for all intents and
purposes is one heck of a nifty radio too.  And at $500 less than what the
10W K3S.  That's a nice chunk of cheddar in these days and times, doubly so
as Popp #2 will be arriving here come September (on my birthday no less,
hah).  The downsides are (at least to me) is that there's little in the way
for adding on new features to the set short of via software updates.
There's no second antenna option, etc, etc.

Granted, I'm not looking at getting either one anytime in the immediate
future.  Or, if I miraculously get one somehow, something is seriously
wrong, and someone has replaced my XYL with the Stepford model... come
please make sure I'm okay, lol.  But in all seriousness, help me decide
here.  Which is the better bang for the buck in the long run?  I'm willing
to bet that this will be the last rig I get for quite some time yet, so I
had best make it count.

Thanks in advance to all and 73
Reuben