[Elecraft] KX2 Weighted Knob

[kevino z]

Well, they must only hit trail when it is perfect weather. I'd gladly trade a few oz for some weatherproofing or should I say, weather friendly engineering. A smaller KX3 was nice, but a smaller KX3 that had no open holes in it, or places for the occasional raindrop, dirt, leaves, branches, sand to get into it would have been amazing. 
-Kevin (KK4YEL)



No trees were killed in the sending of this message. However, a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced !

> On Apr 1, 2017, at 08:19, Chip Stratton <lightdazzled at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Thank goodness for the lightweight knob. I would think the designers were
> nuts if a designed for trail use radio like the KX2 came with a weighted
> knob. Its amazing how the ounces add up when packing your gear up a trail.
> 
> Chip
> AE5KA
> 
> On Fri, Mar 31, 2017 at 10:30 PM, Christopher Hoover <ch at murgatroid.com>
> wrote:
> 
>>> 
>>> Our goal for the KX2 was to make it really lightweight. Light enough to
>>> be used as an HT.
>> 
>> 
>> Is it really practical as an HT?   Some will use it that way for sure, but
>> it is already quite heavy without an antenna.
>> 
>> I really like my KX2, but, with respect,  I'm unconvinced the HT use case
>> is worth trading heavily against the more  practical use cases.
>> 
>> -- Christopher
>> 73 de AI6KG
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>> 
>>> On Thu, Mar 30, 2017 at 5:09 PM, Wayne Burdick <n6kr at elecraft.com> wrote:
>>> 
>>> In response to various comments on the KX2 knob (today and earlier):
>>> 
>>> Our goal for the KX2 was to make it really lightweight. Light enough to
>> be
>>> used as an HT. Goat-optional on longer hikes.
>>> 
>>> Even 1 ounce of additional weight can increase fatigue when holding a
>>> device (try, for example, carrying around an iPhone 7 vs. an iPhone 7+).
>> So
>>> we designed a low-profile plastic VFO A knob that is big enough to get
>> the
>>> job done.
>>> 
>>> Another reason not to use a heavier knob is that the KX2’s VFO encoder is
>>> itself a compact unit that has a sleeve bearing. Weighted knobs should in
>>> general be used only with heavier, ball-bearing style encoders. On this
>>> encoder, a heavy knob would shorten the rotational life.
>>> 
>>> Regarding adding a dimple: I’ve tried knobs this size with dimples and
>>> found that they were hard to use. A matter of taste and fingertip size, I
>>> guess. Meanwhile, the present knob can be “spun” to a certain degree by
>>> putting light finger pressure on the rim.
>>> 
>>> 73,
>>> Wayne
>>> N6KR
>>> 
>>> 
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