[Elecraft] Augment KX3 or buy K3?

Wed Mar 8 11:45:59 EST 2017

Morgan, you make some good points about the pros and cons, but I would take issue with one point, the IC-7300 is very easy to change CW speed - one click of the multi knob and twist it to the speed you want when you are in CW mode. 

Like all radios you have to spend a bit of time learning how to drive it to full, it also depends if you have used one from the same stable before, though the touch interface of the 7300 is slightly different and I am not sure I prefer it to hard buttons, but clearly that is the way future radios are going, viz the pre-announced but unavailable IC-7610. 

I have the KX3 with PX3 and the IC-7300 and a recent, but used, hence less expensive than a K3,  IC-7600 which was available at the right price, and I have to say that the IC-7300 has many things that make its ergonomics just great, in many ways better than the older IC-7600. I am in the U.K. and that colours my choices as Elecraft are doubly expensive here compared to the USA unfortunately. I paid more in the UK for my KX3 maxed out than a base K3 would cost in the USA, you get the picture.

They are all great rigs, it all depends how much you expect to pay for a radio and what you want to do with it. No manufacturer is going to sell a top end contest radio for $1000, so whether it the big 3 from JA or Elecraft you have to spend the dollar to get the best. For the money the IC-7300 is excellent and a  pointer to how Icom is going with their mid range , and I still prefer to have an IC-7300 than the money in the bank as it is such a good radio on 6m and 4m. 

If you post on an Elecraft forum asking about another manufacturer's product you will get a certain reaction, same if you you posted to an Icom forum about the Elecraft K3S. So always take anything you read pro or con with a punch of salt. Best advice is to actually try the radio you think that you want to buy, every 2nd ham you speak to on the air appears to have an IC-7300 so it shouldn't be hard to find one to try out.

73 from David GM4JJJ

> On 8 Mar 2017, at 14:29, Morgan Bailey <mbaileycrna at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> If you are even marginally serious about operating around other rigs (field
> day), forget using the 7300. It does not have the necessary filtering to be
> useful in that environment. Forget CW pileups with the 7300. The comment on
> buttons is rather laughable when you mention the 7300, one knob and
> infinite menus even to just change the CW speed. 1200$ for a 7300 is best
> spent sitting in the bank. The KX3 blows it away. If you can pick up a 7300
> for 750$ then go for it but understand it is not an Elecraft. You are
> buying a bells and whistles radio and not a contest grade by any means
> communication grade radio.
> 
> As for the 7610, it is all promises and yet to be totally revealed. If it
> is even half the rig that people are saying it is, well, good stuff does
> not come cheap. Expect a 3500-4000 dollar price point. And if it breaks,
> forget having the rig faster than a 3 month turn around. Call up Elecraft
> and you get a guy who speaks the Kings English and knows the rig and most
> likely can tell you what needs to be replaced over the phone.
> 
> Don't get me wrong, The 7300 is a nice package. It is a very beginner
> radio. It does a lot of stuff and is one of the easiest rigs to get
> computer control interfaced with. Especially, if you want to do psk modes
> then it is very nice and just by plugging in a USB cable, you are on the
> air. That and HRD and you are cooking.  For a contest grade radio, no. For
> a beginner radio, it has many bells and whistles that are nice but
> filtering is not one of them, unfortunately, because their front end
> selectivity is weak.
> 
> Right now I have seen many TS590s / SG for sale for under 1k. These radios
> are easily computer linked. Using a K1EL winkeyer and N1MM, what a great
> combination. I found one outstanding feature is their internal antenna
> tuner. It matches stuff that easily a 10:1 SWR mismatch and does not fold
> back the power after the match. I have personally used one on Field Day at
> least 2 times and they worked great for CW and SSB. Their menu is intuitive
> and easily addressed. For a beater radio, it is great. They have really
> good front ends for their price point and excellent selectivity. They run
> 100 watts off the line and recently QRZ had one for sale for $750. Now that
> is where I would spend my sheckles. If I were looking for a second rig and
> wanted less cabledom problems for the best radio and the least dollars,
> done deal. Does it compare to a K3S, not even marginally, but most people
> if you sat them down in front of a radio would know enough to know the
> difference.
> 
> In the end, truth be told, most ops will never realize the capability of a
> KX3, KX2 or K3S and would be just as happy with any rig that would let them
> get on and talk to their good buddies, give weather reports or talk about
> hog farming on 160 at 11pm at night. Only when you are a discriminating op
> would you want or need better than a $700 to $1300 radio. I love my K3S and
> each time I run in a contest, I learn something new about some feature that
> I had not used before. On the other hand, I also own a Yeasu 450 and it is
> my test radio for antenna building and recently I put it in my truck as a
> mobile. It works great. going down the road running CW or a casual SSB QSO,
> it works great. It puts out 100 watts and works for me. For a contest grade
> radio, no so much. Its front end is easily over loaded in a pileup and it
> is selectivity is more than some what lacking. For casual operation, it is
> a great deal. The major downfall of the radio for casual operation and temp
> set ups is that the internal antenna tuner is severely lacking. It is
> limited to a 3 to 1 miss match.
> 
> Knowing what is possible in radioland and having the money to buy what ever
> one wants with out so much as blinking, that is not me. Would I love to
> have a Flex 6700 with full second rx and Maestro interface to run SO2R...Oh
> Hell yes. Am I willing to invest $10,000 to get there...oh hell NO. What
> happens if is get a virus in the software that runs the radio? Im done.
> What happens if some part for the main box goes down, Im done. There is
> always a better mouse trap over the horizon. One can live well if one lives
> with in their means...providing they are not starving to death and have a
> warm place to sleep that is clean dry and disease free.
> 
> Vy 73,
> 
> Morgan NJ8M
> 
>> On Tue, Mar 7, 2017 at 7:31 PM, Harry White <hwhite1 at maine.rr.com> wrote:
>> 
>> Gareth,
>> 
>> Why buy either?
>> 
>> A K3s/10-K is $2049.95. A K3s/100-K is $2599.95 (To be equivalent to the
>> KX3
>> with the amplifier) and then you need the ATU at $379.95 for a total of
>> $2979.90. And that is before you add any extra filters, a second receiver,
>> DVR, etc., etc.
>> 
>> A KXPA100-K is $749.95 and the tuner is $379.95. Then add the PX3 at
>> $474.95
>> and you are up to $1604.85. And that is before you buy all the cables and
>> other goodies.
>> 
>> With either radio you end up with a rat's nest of cables to make them
>> anywhere near useful. And they both have the antiquated orange display and
>> way, way too few controls. You need to be a full time ham to remember which
>> button to tap, which to push, and which to push and hold. The designs are
>> very old and very outdated, the construction crude. They were designed to
>> be
>> QRP radios, where less is more (who needs more than ten watts? Ans: Almost
>> everyone.). They fill that role admirably.
>> 
>> I suggest you go with the future, an IC-7300, for less than $1500, or, if
>> you can wait until maybe fall, an IC-7610. Dayton is not that far away and
>> maybe Kenwood or Yaesu will come out with something spectacular, at a
>> less-than-Elecraft price.
>> 
>> 73,
>> 
>> Harry
>> K1RSA
>> 
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: Elecraft [mailto:elecraft-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of
>> Gareth
>> - M5KVK
>> Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2017 3:55 PM
>> To: elecraft at mailman.qth.net
>> Subject: [Elecraft] Augment KX3 or buy K3?
>> 
>> Hi all
>> I am in the fortunate position of having some money to spend upgrading my
>> station; however I'm torn between two options.
>> 
>> I have a KX3 which I love and use a lot as a base station and also for
>> SOTA.
>> Generally, I operate with 5W max but there are occasions where I'd really
>> like more power: but no more than 100W.
>> 
>> My options at present seem to be:
>> 1) Reserve the KX3 for SOTA and buy a K3S, (but nothing more I only have
>> enough for a K3S)
>> 2) Add a KXPA100 with ATU (and maybe a PX3) instead.
>> 
>> If this were you with money burning a hole in your pocket, which of these
>> two options would you go for?
>> 
>> 73, Gareth - M5KVK
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