[Elecraft] Free shipping

[Barry Baines]

Richard:

> On Jul 31, 2020, at 12:25 PM, Richard Zalewski <dick.w7zr at gmail.com> wrote:
> 
> My two cents.  We all wish the best for Elecraft.  It has been horrible for
> them and all of us living with this cloud.  Free shipping or whatever I
> don't really care at this point.  What I find fault with is the lack of
> communication.  How hard would it be to have a regular update on the
> progress of the K4 box and other products?  Even if there is no new news
> just say so. I am sorry but the communication has been far less than
> desirable.

While I feel your pain, i don’t believe the "lack of communication” is the ‘problem’.  The ‘problem’ is that Elecraft is not in position to provide their customer base with updates that will meet customer expectations regarding “when will Elecraft start shipping product?”  The moment that they make a public announcement, their feet will be held to the fire, both by their anxious-to-receive customers and themselves.  So as Elecraft continues to work hard to get their product released, it doesn’t make sense for them to put out a public statement each week stating “We don’t know yet when we’ll be shipping”.  Such an effort to ‘improve Communication’ will simply further frustrate everyone


> When I look at the Elecraft "stories" the last update on the K4
> was May of 2020.  The last update on in the newsletter was July 2020 with
> virtually nothing on the K4.  Please...as you can see from the
> emails...just tell us what is going on.  99.9% of us are very understanding.


With all due respect, ‘understanding’ has its limits because we all want our stuff ’now’.  And if they make an announcement and then modify it, what do you  think the reaction will be?  More frustration and angst.  

While customers are anxious to get what they ordered, Elecraft’s future is totally dependent upon releasing a quality product as soon as they are able to do so because of the significant investment they’ve made over the past couple of years to create the K4 and they need to gain revenue from the investment to maintain their future.  I don’t know their financial position, but I consider them to be a ’small business’ which means they don’t have unlimited resources.  Customers are anxious for a product;  Elecraft is anxious to maintain a business, support their employees, and maintain their reputation for quality products that exceed customer expectations.  Who’s neck is more on the line with each passing day;  the customer or Elecraft?

So give them a break.  The K4 will be released as soon as Elecraft believes that all of the ‘ducks’ (logistics, documentation, manufacturing, customer support, etc.) are lined up and ready to roll so that when their new product is delivered, it will more than meet everyone’s expectations.

FWIW, I’m also a Flex customer and their reputation has been sadly soiled by the design/production issues they’ve had over the years.  I ordered a Flex-6700 in 2012 when it was announced and received it in November 2013. However, SmartSDR was woefully inadequate and it wasn’t until May 2017 when version 2.0 was released that the software allowed the radio to do what they claimed would be possible (e.g. remote operation).  In February 2018 I ordered the PGXL amplifier with accompanying tuner.  I received the PGXL in May 2018 but I’m still waiting for the tuner, making the PGXL “useless” for me to use with a EFHW that requires a tuner.  

In the meantime, I purchased a K3-KPA500-KAT500 with the Remote Rig/K3-I0 combo in August 2014 so that I could operate remotely as it was clear Flex was years behind in software development.  Today, I use both Flex and Elecraft, but the ability to use an amplifier on all bands is only with the Elecraft.  Lesson learned:  Technology is really difficult to translate into quality products and that some companies have a better knack for translating a vision into a viable product than others.  I enjoy the Flex system, but it has been a slow, painful process for software development and product to get to the point to where the product meets stated capabilities.  




FWIW,

Barry Baines, WD4ASW
(Currently in Folkston, GA)



> 
> Richard
> *W7ZR* ex:5C5Z, CN2ZR, K2JSP, W6SBZ, W7KXR, K9ZIJ, W9KNF, W0KDF, W0MQU,
> J68ZR, KC6ZR, PJ4/W7ZR, KH2,W7ZR, KH6/W7ZR, V31ZR, VK4AAZ, XE2DV
> 
> 
> *Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer*
> 
>