[Elecraft] Just out of curiosity: Would you be interested in the K3S MKII?

[Rick Bates, nk7i]

Why?

Why would Elecraft want to (re)create what has already been designed, 
built and currently being sold as a K4?

Why should Elecraft spend the MANY THOUSANDS of dollars to create a 
bastard product line and muddy the market which has no hope of any 
return on the investment that creates it?

Because they moved on, no product lives forever.  They took the best 
features of the K3 and created the K4 line.

Ham radio occasionally features "it's time to move on to newer gear", 
exactly why you replace old cars, boats, favored toys, clothes, fridge, 
CRT monitors, TV's etc.  Yes you can keep them patched and repaired and 
they're useful, but at some point it costs more in maintenance/repair 
than it's value to keep it running.  At some point it's time to say 
goodbye to them.

The K3, wonderful as it is, has reached that point.  Enjoy it while it's 
still working because many parts are unobtanium now (no longer available 
without tedious expensive redesign since parts are no longer made 
either).  Be happy that Elecraft is still able to do SOME repairs (but 
if a particular board needs replacing, it's over).

I spent many thousands of happy hours on the K3, I get it.

So your real options (presuming you stay in ham radio) are:

  * Suck it up and buy a K4 (yup, a not-cheap fair amount of money) or
  * Buy another product brand item and not have Elecraft performance AND
    support or
  * Buy more K3's and use some for parts replacement.  (Many have/will
    do/done this.)

Eventually all things come to an end; that time is quickly arriving for 
the K3 line (it had a good almost 20 year run, NO other brand can claim 
that).  When Elecraft can no longer do the K3 repairs, it's over.

I like the Elecraft products (own several) in part because of the 
support (online and from Elecraft) and the simple integration between 
the elements (tuners/amps/other).  As a former Kenwood fan, it was a 
simple learning curve/transition.

Now, I'm not being mean or snarky but I am being direct.  I moved on to 
the K4D (twice in fact) because the performance and quality are MARKEDLY 
better than the K3 and it's a current, viable and living, growing 
product.  My (very well dressed) K3 (and P3, KAT500 and KPA500) are in 
my storage bin; in case I want a rig in the RV.  They sit in honor next 
to the Kenwood TS-520S that I bought WAY back in the '70s that hasn't 
been powered up in over 30 years (my first NEW rig).  Other gear has 
left the storage bin (i.e. TS-940S), those have deep sentimental value 
to me.

Other product brands (YaeComWoodLex) are sell and never look back; 
Elecraft creates near living lines until it's time to start over on a 
new line.  YOUR investment, grows in the process instead of replacing it 
every few years.  The K3 reached that point about 8 years ago.

I also sold a car in excellent, near pristine condition, because it was 
13 years old and it was time to move forward.  It was replaced with a 
hybrid car that has more storage space, uses less gas (cheaper to run), 
has more safety features and some fun user toys built in (and wasn't cheap).

The K4 is just THAT much better.  And improving every year, for now.  
It's time to move forward.  The K4 is available TODAY, no waiting (and 
cheaper for Elecraft to ship than start spending on what you suggest).

So my long winded answer is don't waste time wishing for something that 
won't happen, ever.  Be happy with what you have now or move on.

73,
Rick nk7i



On 5/12/2026 12:22 PM, Richard Pedowski via Elecraft wrote:
> Good afternoon,
>
> Given the recent announcement regarding the K4HD and the upcoming price increase in May, I believe this presents an opportunity for Elecraft to reintroduce a model positioned between the KX3 and the K4 series.
>
> Based on the K4HD module description, it seems to feature a modernized K3S front-end (synthesizer, filters, mixer, etc.). By combining this with the KX3’s DSP and the K4’s PA, Elecraft could create a strong candidate for a 'K3S MKII.' This would also create a 'unified hardware platform' allowing software development across all radios (a current example being the implementation of SSNR, which is unfortunately not available for the K3/K3S).
>
> Alternatively, the K3S MKII could be realized as a new DSP board upgrade for existing K3/K3S units.
>
> So, just out of curiosity: Would you be interested in the K3S MKII, as I am?
>
> 73 Rick, HB9TQU
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