[Elecraft] KIO3b Failure

[David Gilbert]

Yes, repair is for sure an industry problem ... and it may not even be 
better for some other vendors.    My gripe is that one of the reasons I 
originally bought the K3 was that lasting support was one of the tenets 
of Elecraft marketing back then.

Part obsolescence was certainly a reason for some of the discontinued 
products, but far from all of them ... and not the KIO3/B.  Elecraft 
simply decided to move onward as a business decision.

Dave   AB7E


On 5/10/2025 9:45 AM, jerry wrote:
> On 2025-05-09 21:44, David Gilbert wrote:
>
>> Which is why when the KIO3 on my K3 inevitably dies like many others
>> have, my next rig won't be an Elecraft.
>
> To be fair, repair is an issue throughout the industry.  The modern
> radios are far more capable than what we had in the 70s, but they
> are also harder to repair.
>
> I have a Yaesu FTDX10.  It has a problem with CAT control over USB.
>   I bought it used, so Yaesu's warranty does not apply.  Yaesu
> does have a "technical supplement" for the radio with complete 
> schematics.
> Not very useful, because that area of the circuitry is under the main 
> board,
> and once you get it apart enough for access, nothing works, and you can't
> troubleshoot it.
>
>  I called Yaesu:  "No, we don't fix stuff like that, we just replace 
> the motherboard".
> "Cost would be about a grand".... about the cost of another used 
> FTDX10.  So I might
> sell this one - cheap with full disclosure - and get another one.
>
>    I note that California has a "Right to Repair" law.  It was signed 
> by the governor
> in late 2023.
>
>  "California's Right to Repair Act, SB 244, requires manufacturers to 
> provide fair access to documentation, parts, and tools for repairing 
> their products. This includes electronic and appliance products 
> manufactured after July 1, 2021, and sold or used in California on or 
> after that date, with a wholesale cost of $50 or more."
>
>               - Jerry, KF6VB
>