[Elecraft] list postings, K3's and K4's

[Nate Bargmann]

Sadly, there doesn't seem to be any interest in supporting the K3 any
longer by Elecraft.  Sure, they take them for repair but that is about
it.  There have been no fixes for some nagging issues with the noise
blanker and the noise reduction is still inferior to that from other
manufacturers.  Still, the K3 is the best radio I have owned and remains
on my desk because because of that fact.

When I bought my K3 in autumn of 2010 part of the reason for doing so
was that Elecraft was still offering the K2 after many years and I
thought the company would continue to refine and support the K3 for
years to come and they did for about nine more years which is
respectable.

I am still waiting to read more reports of K4 owners after a couple of
years of ownership and they will come in time as the first owners are
now just emerging from the honeymoon phase.  I have not opted to trade
out my K3 for anything else yet and if I had to, I'm not even sure what
I might choose.

>From what I see on this list, I get a feeling that Elecraft is
struggling to some degree (a lot of companies are/have been struggling
the past couple of years so this is not a unique observation).  I don't
recall a formal response from Elecraft on the issues with the K3 finals
and the overshoot issue.  I think both issues should be addressed not
only toward those of us who bought new from Elecraft directly but also
for the second and beyond owners of the equipment.  I tend to buy new
stuff from companies that support their products well after the first
owner has moved said equipment down the road (probably why when I look
out the window on this wintry day most of our farm equipment says John
Deere).

Those second hand and beyond owners should not be ignored as a good
impression received by them will result in first owner sales that
directly benefit Elecraft.  There was a time when my shack was almost
all Yaesu.  Now I flip the pages right past their ads.

73, Nate, N0NB

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