[Elecraft] Ham Qualifications, Customer Service

[Dave, W8OV]

NOT a flame, Wilson. Parts of this should be printed and handed out to 
every purchaser of a transceiver, TV, or any modern appliance.


Back "in the day" I built some of my radio gear. But repair my own TV now, 
not a chance. I've become,


-- an old appliance operator. 73,


-- 
Dave W8OV

On Monday, June 27, 2022 18:43:23 (-05:00), Wilson Lamb via Elecraft wrote:

 >
 > I wish this board could stay technical.
 > Maybe we should have another one for service issues and rants?
 > Ham qualifications were mentioned in the signal quality discussion.
 > Someone should man up and state the obvious: 
 >  
 > Radios have become appliances that only a tiny minority could work on in 
any competent way and even then they would need pretty spiffy test 
equipment.  I am a lifelong hacker and 65 year call holder, with radar, BC, 
and radio experience of all sorts, but I have near zero interest in 
repairing my old K3.  I might look for a loose connection, but I've never 
opened either of my two, bought used.
 >  
 > The "qualifications" we claim to have are a farce.  People with NO IDEA 
about anything technical can memorize enough answers to get by the test.  
No offense, but this covers about 90% of new licensees.  But maybe it 
doesn't matter.  We need the numbers for political reasons and those who 
know enough, or want to learn enough, to do something technical can ignore 
the others.  Of course we can choose to help some of the others in the rare 
instance when they actually want to learn something.  Mostly they want 
someone to set up their appliance so they can pretend to be hams and press 
the button.  Or go over and put up an antenna or two for them.
 >  
 > I feel for the "company" but, for whatever reason, they have abandoned 
the owners of very expensive equipment they indicated they would maintain 
and support.  They are no more, or less, culpable than the big guys.  And 
"we" share the blame.  Anyone who expects a piece of advanced  techie 
equipment, with 100 or so man-years of programming and a handfull of 
specialized ICs in it to have a long (decade+) commercial life is a 
dreamer.  I just threw away an expensive wall oven because the SECOND $350 
control board failed and I wasn't about to buy a third one!  If you think 
Elecraft is bad, just try dealing with Whirlpool!  I bought a GE (control 
board $75) with half the bells and whistles and it cooks fine.  If I could, 
I'd buy one with a knob!  Front load washers are thrown away regularly 
because of door gasket leaks.  FYI, Speed Queen makes a fine top loader 
with mechanical timer and NO SCREEN or flashing numbers!
 >  
 > What can we do?  Adjust our expectations!  DON'T buy a K4 if you can't 
afford to throw it away in a few years.  It's probably less maintainable 
than the K3 and Elecraft is bleeding the talent and excitement that served 
them so well in the beginning.  Who of us believes there will suddenly 
appear a supply of brilliant, loyal, YOUNG engineers and programmers to 
keep the tradition alive.  If you want to keep your rig going for decades, 
get a Heathkit, Drake, or Collins.  They do most of what a K- does and you 
already have most of the parts to fix them, or one of your friends does, or 
Mouser does!  Otherwise, buy an FT-450 and dump it the same way you dumped 
your digi tv converter!  The labor to fix it would cost more than a new one 
anyway.  Mass production and specialized hardware have done a great job of 
giving us marvelous stuff, at the price of maintainability and support.  
Who has had their TV repaired lately?  Would anyone like to buy an IC-746?  
All it needs is a display?  Or one of those Yaesus that just needs a 
microprocessor or two?
 >  
 > Me?  I am as thrilled to work NY with a 2W Millen Variarm VFO (1941) as 
I am to work China with my K3, actually more so because I spent a day or so 
 making the Variarm work, realizing full well that a day of reasonably 
competent service would cost enough to buy an FT-450, or some other low end 
rig. 
 >  
 > Writing checks and struggling with menus produces NO intellectual reward 
and often leads to frustration!
 >  
 > OK, I feel better, like after a nice trip to  the Field Day Porta Potty, 
so  let the flames begin.  Better yet, if you want to discuss your SW-3, 
Wasp, Comet Pro, RME-70, SX-16, SB-401, HT-9, or Gonset Communicator, just 
let me know.  And remember, you'll be old someday too.  I'll keep trying to 
figure out receiving antenna assignment on the K3...
 >  
 > Wilson
 > K4OGP (1957), W4BOH (Dad 1932, me 1987)