[Elecraft] ALC knob control missing on my K3

[Rick WA6NHC]

Hi Don,

Not lately, but I've rented (Camaro); not with ALL the foo foo items, 
but it went WAY fast in a big hurry! That was kinda the point of that 
choice, apply more foot; go more fast.  While waiting for the passenger, 
I ran through the dash menu, made the readout settings the way I wanted 
them (synched to my phone for tunes) and it was pretty simple.  But I'm 
also used to that brand, GM, since I own a couple and have driven many 
other brands (International, Kenworth, Dodge, Ford and others).  Another 
brand, should be as simple (presuming US English is used in the proper 
form in the menu).  Reprogramming a key fob, read the manual, there's 
nothing intuitive about it (purposely more difficult I suspect for 
security reasons).

You're correct of course, but... how many really take the time (to 
read?) before they fire up any new rig?  No, they get the new rig 
itchies, connect an antenna, power it up and start fiddling about 
(guilty!).  Only when they find an issue ("Your audio is lousy!") do 
they really dive in.  For almost every other brand, that's sufficient; 
not Elecraft (who does things better).

When I first built the K3, that's what I did, dove in... Only when I 
caught my breath, did I take time to learn (and redo in a couple minor 
items) the Elecraft way.  That is a testament to the intuitive set up 
(and the durability for some folks that push those limits) of the line. 
In fairness, I scanned the manual while waiting for the kits to arrive, 
I wasn't totally clueless.  Scanned does not imply study, it means a 
basic review; much is the same as most any other radio.  Audio is one of 
the few things that requires a little more depth than with other brands; 
also power settings.

Fortunately, the layout, by design puts the typically (played with) user 
items 'on the surface' and the ones that can really screw up what is 
heard and sent, deeper in the menus; and many of those deeper items 
still use the default settings.  But once the initial rush is over, read 
the manual; you'll get a deeper understanding of WHY you want things, 
THIS way.  So the jump in and drive isn't always 'wrong', just uninformed.

Reading the manual(s) (NOT the Internet) isn't fun, it isn't sexy but 
you might learn something new.

The rest of my lighthearted jab was that many 'things' fail in the 
simplicity test; they're not intuitive, they're often inverted reverse 
backwards logic only on second Tuesdays with a half moon, if they have 
any sense at all.  I submit that the Baofeng HT programming from the 
front panel is one example of lousy, not intuitive, user interface,even 
the menu is often wrong (program via software, save your hair; I gave 
mine away).

That is one example of an instant fail on my rating system.  One 
shouldn't need a PhD to operate a device or software of any kind at a 
basic level, if the engineer did their job.  Elecraft has; it's not a 
challenge on most things; subtle points matter though.

Rick nhc

On 3/27/2019 4:50 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote:
> Rick,
>
> Have you bought a new vehicle lately?  My 2017 model (moving from a 
> 2008 model) had more bells and whistles than I could imagine. The 
> salesman made an attempt at familiarizing me with the various 
> functions, but the mind became saturated during his demo, and I 
> concentrated only on what was necessary to drive it home!
>
> I had to read the owner's manual to be able to deal properly with the 
> vehicle.   So RTFM.  All transceivers are not the same.  What is OK 
> for some is not OK for others.
>
> Case in point is the way the Elecraft transceivers control power. 
> Other amateur transceivers can control the power output in an open 
> loop with the amount of audio that is produced.
> Elecraft transceivers control power output in a closed loop and must 
> be treated differently.  The manual statement to adjust the audio for 
> voice operation for 5 to 7 bars on the ALC meter, and for soundcard 
> digital modes to set the audio for 4 bars solid and the 5th bar 
> flashing must be respected.  The power output must be controlled by 
> the POWER knob, and not the audio level.
>
> Read the manual - that information I gave above is not intuitive 
> because much internet advice and even the instructions for some of the 
> application software do not consider the Elecraft method of power 
> output control.
>
> 73,
> Don W3FPR
>
> On 3/27/2019 7:25 PM, Rick WA6NHC wrote:
>> Heh, I'm the exact opposite.  It's one of my evaluation test points 
>> that if the device/software is truly user intuitive, friendly etc, 
>> the manual become superfluous, rarely needed.  But for picking out 
>> the nits and finer subtle details these days, one must read because 
>> ultimately, they matter.
>>
>> Hurray for PDF and the search function!  You can keep a van load of 
>> 'books' on your phones now.
>>
>> Rick NHC
>>
>> On 3/27/2019 4:11 PM, Jim Brown wrote:
>>> It's amazing the things you can learn simply by reading the manual. 
>>> It's the first thing I do with an new product.
>>>