[Elecraft] [Elecraft-K3] K3S to be discontinued

[David Gilbert]

I don't want to look like I'm beating a dead horse so this will be my 
last comment on the subject, but my point was that I don't think very 
many contest stations or DXpeditions are going to sell their K3s rigs to 
buy a K4 (I don't see a compelling reason for them to do so), so I'm not 
sure how much value there is in it being a 12 volt rig even if the price 
range is similar.   If anyone views that differently I'd like to hear 
their reasoning.

And I'd bet a lot of money that most contesters or DXpedition operators 
would be glued to their laptop screens and punching keyboard buttons 
instead of watching the LCD display on the rig.  I know that I have 
operated entire major contests without ever touching anything except the 
tuning knob on my K3.  Everything else I need to do is controllable from 
N1MM+.

The capability for future features could of course prove me wrong on 
both accounts, but for now it just doesn't seem to me that they would 
likely override the immediate value in having a significantly cleaner 
signal.  Clearly Elecraft has made their choice, for better or for worse.

Done now.  ;)

73,
Dave   AB7E


On 11/4/2019 6:39 PM, Wayne Burdick wrote:
> Elecraft itself was forged during Field Day. This (and other cases where portability matter) are engrained in our DNA :)
>
> A K4 or K4D is actually in a similar price range to K3S stations, as typically configured. And many of these are taken out of the shack, at least historically speaking.
>
> The added convenience of a built-in panadapter is of great utility on FD or for DXpeditions. I used the rig last FD and it definitely enhanced my abilities as an operator. Since we also have a lot of expansion capability in software, we'll be able to add features in the future targeted at enhancing operating convenience and efficiency.
>
> 73,
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
>
>> On Nov 4, 2019, at 4:54 PM, David Gilbert <xdavid at cis-broadband.com> wrote:
>>
>>
>> I guess I still don't understand that choice, particularly since the bulk of the new features that separate the K4 from the K3s seem geared more toward fixed station use than portable operation.  You could have kept the K3s (which is still a world class rig) for anyone actually needing portable capability while making the K4 a much cleaner rig than it now will be.  I'd be surprised if very many DXpeditions or contesters are going to feel the need to upgrade from a K3s to a K4, and if so I'd be interested in hearing why.   I'd also bet that the great majority of K4 users will never take their rig outside the house or need to run it off emergency power, yet all of them are now going to have signals at least 10 db less clean than was technically practical.
>>
>> Like it or not, Sherwood's recent QST article applies to Elecraft.
>>
>> Dave   AB7E
>>
>>
>>
>> On 11/4/2019 4:20 PM, Wayne Burdick wrote:
>>> Hi all,
>>>
>>> We've chosen to have the K4 continue to be a field-capable radio, inheriting the characteristics that have always made the K3/K3S (and the K2 before it) the preferred rig for FD, DXpeditions, and multi-transmitter stations. Thanks to a lightweight but rigid internal aluminum frame, the K4 weighs only slightly more than the K3/K3S, while integrating in a large LCD in a way that increases width by less than 3 inches. (Unlike on many rigs, our front panel includes separate optical encoders for VFO A, VFO B, and RIT/XIT.)
>>>
>>> Current drain of the K4 is half that of most competing high-performance desktop radios, so it can be used with emergency power. At home, use 13.8 to 14.2 V for lowest IMD. In the field, the K3 (and now, the K4) automatically scales maximum power output based on supply voltage, and can run down to as low as 11 V.
>>>
>>> 73,
>>> Wayne
>>> N6KR
>>>
>>>
>>>> On Nov 4, 2019, at 3:07 PM, Buck <radiok4ia at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Perhaps the K4 should have been a 40V radio and the K3S remain as the 12V "portable" or "field" version.
>>>>
>>>> k4ia, Buck
>>>> K3# 101
>>>> Honor Roll  8B DXCC
>>>> EasyWayHamBooks.com
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>