[Elecraft] New products

Mon Jun 6 01:32:56 EDT 2016

I have been using an IC-7300 with touchscreen for 2 months now. I have yet to wipe the screen, I see
no fingerprints. Billions of iPhones, tablets and GPS units use a touchscreen without complaint. Look,
I think it will be a long long time before Elecraft ever get to consider it, but I think it will be inevitable
one day. Contact me in 10 years time, and tell me ‘I told you so’, if it does not happen :-)

73
John

On 6 Jun 2016, at 4:50 AM, K5HM <k5hm.ron at gmail.com> wrote:

I have a new car with Touchscreen controls.  When the engine is off, I see all the finger marks. Ugh.  No touchscreen for me. 

73,
Ron, K5HM
k5hm.ron at gmail.com
www.qrz.com/db/k5hm

       Excelsior!

-----Original Message-----
From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Jerry More
Sent: Sunday, June 5, 2016 9:06 PM
To: John <jkramer at iafrica.com>; n5ge at n5ge.com
Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] New products

Oh,, and I wanted to point out that if you are using a computer with CAT then most software packages allow  you to operate with keyboard shortcuts to QSY, tune up, tune down, change modes, filters..etc.. all up to your imagination depending on the software and your needs.
Jer

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

From: Jerry Moore
Sent: Sunday, June 5, 2016 5:05 PM
To: John; n5ge at n5ge.com
Cc: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] New products

Adding $100 or more to add a touchscreen ui to a radio provides very little value in my view, is silly. The radio cost to value ratio is very low (meaning the value is high). The only exception I can see would be integrating the P3 as an option (hopefully enhancing with a micro computer/ssd for logging, digital, extended macros...etc, basically what I'm doing now with a raspberry pi). 

So that is if the cost is comparable to getting the P3.

Without the features of the P3 integrated; who changes settings so often that the included programmable macro buttons aren't enough? 

On June 5, 2016 4:35:26 PM EDT, John <jkramer at iafrica.com> wrote:
Ha, Elecraft needs to progress at some stage, or get left behind.

Touch screen UI is and has been extensively used - 3 billion touch screen smart phones out there, 1.2 billion touch screen tablets. I can see you all reaching for your keyboards to protest that phones and tablets are not the same thing. Well, touch screen UI have also moved over to commercial products, the military and airline pilots also use touch screen UI communication devices. If they are good enough to be used on commercial aircraft and in military applications, then it sure is good enough for ham radio.
Touch screen UI panels having become so prolific, that they have dropped the cost enormously, resolution is picture sharp and reliability is extremely good. 
Touch screens have huge potential, and almost unlimited versatility. If you need more knobs or buttons on your rig, due to new features having been added……no problem with a touch screen.
Just a firmware update to add a knob, button, slider or meter onto the screen.
The problem with conventional rigs, is you run out of physical knobs and buttons when features are added to the radio. I see this in my KX3 - some knobs have three functions, and to try and remember what each knobs second or third function does, becomes difficult.

Food for thought :-)

73
John

On 5 Jun 2016, at 10:13 PM, Amateur Radio Operator N5GE <n5ge at n5ge.com> wrote:

Don,

I suspect that having redesigned a rig with touch screen capability the manufacturer would, in a short period of time realize the error of their ways.  Hopfully they would still have enough capital to revert to the original design and fire the person responsible for the change.

On Sun, 5 Jun 2016 15:37:42 -0400, you wrote:
Lynn,

Please tell us how a touchscreen interface can enhance usability for  blind operators.
Elecraft has made a commitment for such usability for all their radios  with those blind operators particularly in mind.
A GUI interface means nothing to those who cannot see it.

73,
Don W3FPR

On 6/5/2016 3:16 PM, Lynn W. Taylor, WB6UUT wrote:
A radio with only physical knobs and buttons severely limits future  upgradability, and leads to crazy button combinations to turn things  on and off that weren't even a dream when the radio was originally  released.

Touch screens may not be always convenient, but they're much more  flexible than a silk-screened metal panel.

I realize that knobs and buttons are a religion for some, but it's  really time to lighten up, folks.

Either that or for Elecraft to release a rig with a whole bunch of  "empty" buttons and sell stickers to update the front panel when the  firmware grows to need them.

On 6/5/2016 10:18 AM, Buddy Brannan wrote:
Also, can we pllease, for the love of all that is holy, not do the  touch screen GUI? At least, not an exclusively touch

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