[Elecraft] Opportunism, bravery, insanity: putting the "eXtreme" in Elecraft's KX and AX gear

[Wayne Burdick]

Since the beginning, Elecraft products have been used under difficult field conditions. There's the usual rain, insects, and insomnia of Field Day, of course. Murphy at his best. But our customers have gone well beyond this, conquering uncharted territory, experimenting with new technology, even recruiting diminutive ungulates as pack animals.

Feedback about these experiences has helped us hone our ultraportable transceivers; they've gotten smaller, lighter, and more capable, leading to the present KX3 and KX2. We've also answered the call for a truly compact, multi-band pedestrian mobile antenna with the introduction of the AX1 and its accessories.

No doubt -- with your help -- our gear will continue to evolve. Tell us about your operating adventures. And misadventures. What worked best? Where could things have been improved? For example, when you were clinging to a tree limb using an inverted vertical last winter, could you still hear signals above the blizzard? On that ironman run, did you need an antenna that deploys with one hand? Maybe an integrated speech-to-FT8 converter? And when you embellish your tales beside a campfire, should your detachable keyer paddle double as a bottle opener?

A few of your stories will find their way into our monthly newsletter. All of them will help inform and inspire the next generation of Elecraft's outdoor product line.

73,
Wayne
N6KR