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Gentlemen, Lengthy one but please bear with me. I have been lucky enough to own the top flight rice boxes and thought I had found the holy grail in the Icom 7800 which I owned for nearly 6 years. I then foolishly sold it and purchased a Yaesu FTdx9000d from a friend for the same money I parted with the 7800. Despite being a PEP model and only 14 months old I found the Yaesu to be a difficult radio to use and in most respects inferior to the Icom, but the Icom was like my favourite pair of shoes and the comfort factor never made it to me with the 9000. Some highly useful features and some lousy ones but whilst a good radio it did not give one the feeling that the price tag should have offered but I am very glad I had the opportunity to try one, without it costing my any money in real terms. I then had a visit from a very good friend who had just purchased the K3 and P3 one evening and whilst the girls chewed the fat, he and I went to my shack with the K3 and stacked it up against the 9000. Well, my mouth needed levering off the carpet, it was the WPX cw contest weekend and despite not having the cw filters (he's a phone guy) I was amazed how one could slide in between strong contest stations and operate with impunity, something the Yaesu failed at to be honest. I worked barefoot into KL7, KH6 and a few other 'good DX' from England with just a Mosley TA33Jnr and was able to compete quite well just utilizing a couple of calls. Being a 70% cw operator I was just dumb stuck by the K3's performance. The very next day I placed the 9000 on Flea-Bay and sold it inside 4 days for what I had paid for it. The proceeds from that bought me the K Line from the US in kit form along with the Sub RX & numerous filters (still some to go) and after a few days the packages arrived and I enjoyed the hands on approach very much. I don't have the ATU as I am very old school were coax is concerned and as I nearly make all my own antennas, I like to get them right and build for purpose and never use the 'one does all' antenna approach so cannot comment on the Antenna Tuning Unit. Despite being a no solder solution I still found it rewarding and enjoyable experience and its quite nice to know the inner working of ones equipment should something go wrong, of course then you have the confidence to effect repairs. The attention to detail from all at Elecraft has amazed me, it is such a pleasure to deal with professional's who really care about customer service. All the staff are extremely friendly and chirpy and I am sure this comes from the pride they feel for working for such an innovative and progressive company. The talents that we don't see or hear so much about, Wayne, Eric, Lyle to name but a few of course have their impact and through the reflector we have the direct communications with them - superb, guys superb. Not forgetting the front line girls Madelyn, April, Lisa and Sofia and of course the guys on the help line - Gary and Vic, once again guys thanks for your help. I had some problems but these were sorted out to more than my satisfaction - nice to see a company that still feels that customer service is King. It's important to me. I wont and don't deal with companies who leave you hanging there like you have a crystal ball to see what's going on. People have mentioned IDIOM PRESS, I had one of their Keyers once and it was superb but I could not deal with them directly if you have to wait for ages for an answer to a techy question or more importantly a sales enquiry. With the K3, I am delighted overall, I do have critism's, that's natural for us all and we all have differing operating styles and practices but generally cannot fault the performance of the K line as a unit - I call it a unit because it is just like having a 600watt fully automatic set-up on the bench with the added bonus of good power on 6mtrs, something I have never had here. Real Likes. The RX performance Filters - all the years I had the DSP rigs from the 'Big three' I always felt that the crystal filters in my original Ft1000MP offered better selectivity - Elecraft have taken this to a new level of performance. The Noise reduction is superb The AGC is the best the is at any price point. I like the keyer - wave form and keying is stunning and noticeable Sub RX and Diversity is superb and please bear in mind my last two rigs both had dual rx but were inferior to the phase lockable units in the K3. Portability and size of package, not to mention the flexibility. Stereo AFX is a nice touch too and enhanced the Armchair copy when wragging it on phone P3 is stunning in performance and options and far outperforms anything I have used before. KPA500 - well, that's just a romance made in heaven - thank you guys for such a intuitive little box of power. Love the utility programme, superb and far easier to upgrade firmware than both the 7800 and the 9000. The K3 is a Rig that gets heard - is it just me or do others feel the same? Real Dislikes. The power-pole connector, that's the crappiest connector I have ever seen on a Radio, mine comes loose every time I move the rig and it looses power to the rig - I will probably change this to something superior once its out of warranty. Cant seem to get it happy with Ham Radio Deluxe cluster and QRG changing from the PC - rig won't handshake correctly although to be fair this could be HRD and not the K3. See a spot on the cluster and hit the DX with the mouse, the K3 changes bands and modes to the DX and then changes back to the band you were originally on????? Never had that with any rig and I have been using HRD for 10 years with an almost endless list of radios. Everything else works fine but that might be some more tweaking to be done on my part, perhaps. WWV here is limited and I did not like the fact that I had to align the rig, I did it a few times before I was happy and although she appears to be smack-on with the HF bands I am dubious of 6Mtrs - my friend and I always seem off the QRG to each other when we are on 6 for some reason. Did not like the BNC connector on the back and as I do not have the ATU I modified mine to use a second SO239 connector and just rewired it - I may add the antenna tuner at a later date for /P working and holidays etc but for the time being it would not be required. Here in the UK we have a new agent handling Elecraft products, they are well known and one of the Big two dealers in the UK (yes guys here we have a rather small Ham community). BUT... I am afraid to say, I don't like them personally, they will not offer the same level of customer service and back up that one comes to expect from Elecraft and don't have the level of skill set in their staff for me to want to deal with them. Their shop is more interested in selling 3D televisions these days I am afraid. This is a shame really, but it is what it is. I will continue to deal directly with Elecraft myself as I have had far too many problems with the dealer (repackaged 'NEW' equpment, Faulty items and old stock sold as new) for me to really trust them again - Yes, I am afraid I vote with my feet. Dealers want to earn the profits but do very little of the 'Donkey work' and that's what I feel they get their cut for. I think Elecraft should possibly have sought out a specialist dealer for their products as the end result would, I feel been superior for the customers here in the UK. So to sum up, in my humble opinion, the K3 along with the options, offers good value for money, stunning performance overall and more importantly customer service that is a rare feature of most companies these days and I am sure that Eric and Wayne have sold a great many radios and options as a direct result of their proactive approach to this. If I lived in CA, I for one, would want to work for Elecraft, there is a sense of pride that exudes from the staff whether it is by telephone or e-mail and I would really enjoy being part of that and it is something sadly lacking in most modern companies. I have to say that generally the US companies are the best in the world when it comes to customer service and support - Elecraft just take it to a new level. I am not associated with the company in anyway and hope that my comments might have been useful to anyone reading the reflector who might be thinking about a purchase. I also apologise to anyone who may have fell asleep reading my rather lengthy spiel. Oh - I also have a KX3 too - that's just one adorable little wonder!! Very 73 Chris Pickett M5LRO -----Original Message----- From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of [hidden email] Sent: 06 December 2012 17:00 To: [hidden email] Subject: Elecraft Digest, Vol 104, Issue 10 Send Elecraft mailing list submissions to [hidden email] To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to [hidden email] You can reach the person managing the list at [hidden email] When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific than "Re: Contents of Elecraft digest..." Today's Topics: 1. Re: Are you satisfied with your K3? (Bayard Coolidge) 2. Re: Link to Power Pole connector assembly (hawley, charles j jr) 3. Re: OT: IDIOM PRESS (Tom McCulloch) 4. Re: Are you satisfied with your K3? (Fred Smith) 5. Link to photos of KAT500 build (Bill Hammond) 6. Re: OT: IDIOM PRESS (hawley, charles j jr) 7. Customer Support (Fred Smith) 8. Re: OT: IDIOM PRESS (THREAD CLOSED) (KENT TRIMBLE) 9. Re: OT: IDIOM PRESS (THREAD CLOSED) (Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 07:20:37 -0800 (PST) From: Bayard Coolidge <[hidden email]> To: Elecraft <[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Are you satisfied with your K3? Message-ID: <[hidden email]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Like many others here, I've been licensed for a long time (close to 45 years), and have had many decent rigs, albeit not necessarily high-end multi-kilobuck ones. Most recently, I was using an Icom IC-746Pro. Clearly, the K3 can run circles around the '746Pro in virtually all respects, and I knew that before I bought my kit late this summer. But, there is one feature that is "missing" (solely in my opinion) - the capability to control an external/remote tuner in the same sort of way that I could control my LDG IT-100 from the '746Pro. My antenna configuration is a bit weird - I'm on a small south Florida home lot, with 24kV power lines running parallel to both the back lot line and one (the east) side lot line, and the XYL wants to maintain "curb appeal". I installed a 20m quarter wave vertical (~16.5 ft high) near the wooden fence on the west side and then ran 40ft of wire northward to a tree branch, and installed some counterpoise wires. Between January and June, I used the IT-100 at the base of the vertical at the feed point, and controlled it from the 'Pro using the AH-4 protocol over some 4 conductor wire.?Band changes were virtually instantaneous, and I was able to work a surprising amount of DX. With the K3, I'm having to tune the antenna system (antenna plus about 50 feet of RG8X) at the rig in the shack. I'm a bit squeamish about this - it seems to be working OK, the internal tuner in the K3 is nice and fast, but I still wonder how efficient it is compared to Pro/IT-100 configuration. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to gather definitive data to support or refute my qualms, but my sense is that, on some frequencies, there's a really nasty looking impedance presented at the back of the rig. I realize that Wayne and the rest of the design crew had to make some engineering design decisions, but I'm thinking it would be real interesting if they could concoct a solution entailing replacing the KAT3 with some sort of small interface/controller, which would then "talk" to a remote version of the KAT3 tuner itself over a cable, in the same vein as (but not necessarily using) the AH-4 hardware/signaling protocol. This way, I could hit the 'ATU TUNE' button, which would drop the K3/100 to low power, have the tuner do its thing but at the antenna feed point, and then return the rig to full power and ready to operate. Yes, I know that they have bigger fish to fry at this point! Overall, though, I'm delighted with my K3/100 and am still learning about all of its features and how best to use them. ________________________________ ------------------------------ Message: 2 Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 15:21:37 +0000 From: "hawley, charles j jr" <[hidden email]> To: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]>, "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Link to Power Pole connector assembly Message-ID: <[hidden email]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I think you are correct... The way Powerwerx does it is the accepted way by emergency groups so that all the powerpoles will mate with each other from various sources. And it's the way that the "Rig Runners" have it, etc. Chuck, KE9UW Lionel Trains, TCA, LCCA, LRRC aka Jack, BMW Motorcycles BMWMOA #224 ________________________________________ From: [hidden email] [[hidden email]] on behalf of david [[hidden email]] Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 4:55 AM To: [hidden email] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Link to Power Pole connector assembly It was hard to tell, but the model airplane guy in the video MIGHT be positioning the connectors backwards from the amateur radio accepted practice. http://www.powerwerx.com/assembly.asp David AJ4TF > ------------------------------ > > Message: 24 > Date: Wed, 5 Dec 2012 13:46:32 -0800 > From: "Ron Midwin" <[hidden email]> > To: <[hidden email]> > Subject: [Elecraft] Link to Power Pole connector assembly > Message-ID: <002a01cdd331$fe1723c0$fa456b40$@gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > As requested, here is the You tube link. > > > > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8ODI8fAU_k > > > > 73 > > De AE6RH > > Ron Midwin > > > > ------------------------------ > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ------------------------------ Message: 3 Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:33:46 -0500 From: Tom McCulloch <[hidden email]> To: [hidden email] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: IDIOM PRESS Message-ID: <[hidden email]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Before Eric tells us to stop this thread, am I to understand that this guy has everyone's money while they are awaiting delivery??? Tom wb2qdg k2 1103 On 12/5/2012 8:22 AM, Fred Smith wrote: > Yes but he has products that no one else has at prices that can't be > beat. I usually catch him on skype is the best way Bob's a goo9d guy > and "always" treated me fair. > > Fred/N0AZZ > > -----Original Message----- > From: [hidden email] > [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Barry > Sent: Wednesday, December 05, 2012 6:45 AM > To: [hidden email] > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: IDIOM PRESS > > Tired direct email, but Nabble giving me a "missing domain" error. > Hmm... > > Anyway, here's what I tried to send privately: > > If you ordered a keyer, consider the Island Keyer II instead. It has > more features, memory, and is a fraction of the price. More > importantly, service is excellent. I've bought several from him over > the years. > > I needed some help with a CMOS Superkeyer III about 10 years ago and > never got a response to my query. Will never buy from them again. > Pathetic customer service! > > Barry W2UP > > > > -- > View this message in context: > http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/OT-IDIOM-PRESS-tp7566674p7566708. > html > Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com. > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:[hidden email] > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ------------------------------ Message: 4 Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 09:41:01 -0600 From: "Fred Smith" <[hidden email]> To: "'Bayard Coolidge'" <[hidden email]>, "'Elecraft'" <[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Are you satisfied with your K3? Message-ID: <00e401cdd3c8$187393c0$495abb40$@com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" I know nothing about future plans but I bet there may very well be a "remote" KAT500 down the road. But this great product( love mine so far) calls out for that version at some point in time........You could even do it right now with a little work on your own and not really that hard if "you really want it now" like they say on TV. If memory serves me right I think someone on the reflector is/or has done one already. 73, Fred/N0AZZ -----Original Message----- From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Bayard Coolidge Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 9:21 AM To: Elecraft Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Are you satisfied with your K3? Like many others here, I've been licensed for a long time (close to 45 years), and have had many decent rigs, albeit not necessarily high-end multi-kilobuck ones. Most recently, I was using an Icom IC-746Pro. Clearly, the K3 can run circles around the '746Pro in virtually all respects, and I knew that before I bought my kit late this summer. But, there is one feature that is "missing" (solely in my opinion) - the capability to control an external/remote tuner in the same sort of way that I could control my LDG IT-100 from the '746Pro. My antenna configuration is a bit weird - I'm on a small south Florida home lot, with 24kV power lines running parallel to both the back lot line and one (the east) side lot line, and the XYL wants to maintain "curb appeal". I installed a 20m quarter wave vertical (~16.5 ft high) near the wooden fence on the west side and then ran 40ft of wire northward to a tree branch, and installed some counterpoise wires. Between January and June, I used the IT-100 at the base of the vertical at the feed point, and controlled it from the 'Pro using the AH-4 protocol over some 4 conductor wire.?Band changes were virtually instantaneous, and I was able to work a surprising amount of DX. With the K3, I'm having to tune the antenna system (antenna plus about 50 feet of RG8X) at the rig in the shack. I'm a bit squeamish about this - it seems to be working OK, the internal tuner in the K3 is nice and fast, but I still wonder how efficient it is compared to Pro/IT-100 configuration. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to gather definitive data to support or refute my qualms, but my sense is that, on some frequencies, there's a really nasty looking impedance presented at the back of the rig. I realize that Wayne and the rest of the design crew had to make some engineering design decisions, but I'm thinking it would be real interesting if they could concoct a solution entailing replacing the KAT3 with some sort of small interface/controller, which would then "talk" to a remote version of the KAT3 tuner itself over a cable, in the same vein as (but not necessarily using) the AH-4 hardware/signaling protocol. This way, I could hit the 'ATU TUNE' button, which would drop the K3/100 to low power, have the tuner do its thing but at the antenna feed point, and then return the rig to full power and ready to operate. Yes, I know that they have bigger fish to fry at this point! Overall, though, I'm delighted with my K3/100 and am still learning about all of its features and how best to use them. ________________________________ ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ------------------------------ Message: 5 Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 09:48:09 -0600 From: Bill Hammond <[hidden email]> To: elecraft Reflector <[hidden email]> Subject: [Elecraft] Link to photos of KAT500 build Message-ID: <[hidden email]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii As we have all come to expect from Elecraft, the KPA went together like a clock in a couple of hours. It worked great as soon as I applied power. I was not missing one single washer in the parts kit. My hat is off to Crisalyn who put the majority of parts together in the misc. bag. The K-Line is on the air. :) Now, if we can convince Elecraft to make a rotator controller, Collins made a few for the S-Line, I believe I can have a complete Elecraft shack. http://www.flickr.com/photos/ak5x/sets/72157632185735492/ Bill Hammond [hidden email] Bill Hammond-AK5X [hidden email] [hidden email] K3 #69 P3 #817 KPA500 # 149 KAT500 # 290 K2/100 #4637 K1 #2033 KX1 #1023 KX3 #583 W2 T1 ------------------------------ Message: 6 Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 15:57:27 +0000 From: "hawley, charles j jr" <[hidden email]> To: Tom McCulloch <[hidden email]>, "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: IDIOM PRESS Message-ID: <[hidden email]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" That would be not unlike every magazine publisher in the world... Chuck, KE9UW Lionel Trains, TCA, LCCA, LRRC aka Jack, BMW Motorcycles BMWMOA #224 ________________________________________ From: [hidden email] [[hidden email]] on behalf of Tom McCulloch [[hidden email]] Sent: Thursday, December 06, 2012 9:33 AM To: [hidden email] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: IDIOM PRESS Before Eric tells us to stop this thread, am I to understand that this guy has everyone's money while they are awaiting delivery??? Tom wb2qdg k2 1103 On 12/5/2012 8:22 AM, Fred Smith wrote: > Yes but he has products that no one else has at prices that can't be > beat. I usually catch him on skype is the best way Bob's a goo9d guy > and "always" treated me fair. > > Fred/N0AZZ ------------------------------ Message: 7 Date: Thu, 6 Dec 2012 10:21:59 -0600 From: "Fred Smith" <[hidden email]> To: "'Elecraft'" <[hidden email]> Subject: [Elecraft] Customer Support Message-ID: <010101cdd3cd$d1f7b240$75e716c0$@com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" I guess it's my turn now to give all those at Elecraft their due. I bought a new unopened KRX3 from a reflector member, thanks for deal you made me. When installing the sub-receiver we were short or lost a screw one the same size as the outside case screw, pulled and used it on the inside for ease of replacement. Several days I called Elecraft and was going to order several small items one was what looks like a gender changer ( I had lost mine) the screw and a rubber foot for the side of my second K3 that I bought used it was missing. Of course I did not have any of the part numbers I felt foolish about that," SORRY" when they had all the numbers for the needed items I asked for the price and shipping they told me "NO CHARGE" and that my KAT was going to ship that day and the parts would be in the box with it. This service and support started with my K2 another item I bought that was at a point of being just starting to build and a problem came up so he put in a closet for a year and then sold it. Again with Elecrafts help and a few members of this board it could never have finished. Many thanks again Alan/Don and Elecraft. These are but just a few of the reasons that I moved to the K3's and sold my FT-5000 rock solid support. In fact I do have a couple of Elecraft products now for just that reason a K2/100 every option, KAT100, 2 K3's 1 well optioned the other with everything that you can get in it, W2 with 2 sensors, P3/SVGA/, KPA500, KAT500, PR-6 and a must have the XG3. I have saw some comments on other reflectors about Elecraft not wanting to do some things under warranty but only a very few of those in the last few years since I started paying attention to Elecraft postings. Compared to other radio brands and models I owned some high end ones in the last several years I guess 7 new radios (Base units) the percentage of negative posts for Elecraft has to be the lowest of any! Fred/N0AZZ ------------------------------ Message: 8 Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2012 10:33:53 -0600 From: KENT TRIMBLE <[hidden email]> Cc: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: IDIOM PRESS (THREAD CLOSED) Message-ID: <[hidden email]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Boys and Girls . . . Being the one who simply asked about the company's status which was answered within minutesoff-reflector as I requested, I CLOSED the thread yesterday. No further comments or dissertations required. It had nothing to do with Elecraft. 73, Kent K9ZTV ------------------------------ Message: 9 Date: Thu, 06 Dec 2012 08:45:59 -0800 From: "Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ, Elecraft" <[hidden email]> To: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT: IDIOM PRESS (THREAD CLOSED) Message-ID: <[hidden email]> Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Agreed - thread officially closed. Eric List Moderator --- www.elecraft.com On 12/6/2012 8:33 AM, KENT TRIMBLE wrote: > Boys and Girls . . . > > Being the one who simply asked about the company's status which was > answered within minutesoff-reflector as I requested, I CLOSED the > thread yesterday. > > No further comments or dissertations required. It had nothing to do > with Elecraft. > > 73, > > Kent K9ZTV ------------------------------ _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft You must be a subscriber to post. Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com End of Elecraft Digest, Vol 104, Issue 10 ***************************************** ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[hidden email] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html |
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