Frustration with Elecraft

[NB8F]

I want to share a couple things that have happened over the last couple
weeks for transparency, this is not to "slam" Elecraft in anyway, but what
I am hoping is a call for improvement on their end.

I have been a Flex user for about a year and have only been a ham for about
2 years.  Most of the guys/gals in my club use Elecraft K3 or K3S
transceivers, while I liked the Flex I knew that I would have a wide range
of support for Elecraft from the local club.

Before Dayton, in order to replace my FT-857D I decided to buy a KX2 for
Field Day.  I purchased and waited for it to ship, which took about 8 days
(approximately).  I did not have it in time for Dayton, which I was OK
with. When asked if I could take advantage of any Dayton deals, I was told
"No".  OK, no problem.

When I went to Hamvention this year, I asked someone at the booth to "take
my money" and convince me to buy an Elecraft radio.  Depending on how you
look at the situation, I can see both sides of this.  Some may say
"Elecraft doesn't want to take your money, the rig speaks for itself!"
others may say "What fools, the guy was willing to buy your radio!"  For me
I was a little bummed that someone didn't feel the need to really sell me
on the radio (they barely spoke to me) someone who specifically asked them
to talk them away from Flex.

A few days after Dayton I get my KX2 and begin using it.  I am mostly a CW
op and noticed that after a while the radio would "stick" on CW.  It would
let out long tones etc., I did not see the error to start, but after a day
or so I saw a temp warning.  I reached out to Elecraft, they said they
would fix the radio anytime I sent it back.  I asked if I could wait until
after Field Day since this was purchased for that specific reason.  They
were more than happy to oblige.

During this time I decided I was going to buy a K3S. I sold my Flex,
Maestro, FT-857D etc., and purchased the K3S kit and P3 Kit.  Some HAM's
from the club and I put the radio together but it wouldn't work properly.
The RF/SQL Pot just was not working.  We tried all kinds of things to fix
this, to no avail.

I reached out to Elecraft the next day, advised them that now, both of my
radios are having problems.  I spoke to David who was extremely helpful.
After a good hour and ripping the thing apart again, we came to the
conclusion that one of the pots had a missing solder.

During the call I was advised that my new KX2 was going to be shipped and
that the old one could be put in the box with a return label at no cost to
me.  This was on a Wednesday.  I was told the new radio was being broken in
and would be shipped on Thursday.  I go about soldering the bad pot for
RF/SQL and the K3S is back in business. Good for me, bad QA I suppose on
the Elecraft side as this is not something you assemble in the kit. I
believe the label on the bag said "Tested", if that was the case, I am not
sure how since that pot clearly did not work.

Days go by and it is now Monday.  I reach out to Elecraft to see if my KX2
had shipped as I had not seen a tracking number.  The response was a
bummer.  The KX2 didn't ship and they need to see if there is a hold on
KX2's being shipped.  I still replied back nicely saying, I hope not as it
was being checked last week for shipment.  A little communication goes a
looong way.

K3S is working, KX2 still needs to be replaced, but I am thousands into the
Elecraft brand and both radios have had problems with quality control.

I am NOT posting this to be a slam at Elecraft as I know they have a great
reputation for quality radios and customer service. For me, in particular,
other than David, I guess I am the abnormal one of the bunch in that I had
two radios that were defective and Customer Service (as it pertains to
shipping, satisfaction etc.,) has been mediocre.

I sure hope things take a better turn for me and for those who purchase
after me.

To help others diagnose potential issues with their radio I am posting the
videos here for review, which have been seen by Elecraft.

KX2 - CW Temperature
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=6r15pqwk8OQ

K3S - RF/SQL
https://www.youtube.com/edit?o=U&video_id=zeDqqZSKcFA

Picture (not great) of the missing solder.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hymwomrsn9byfll/IMG_20170607_133334426.jpg?dl=0

NOTE: Notice I didn't even complain about the artifact on the LCD screen
during boot, which is yet a whole separate issue, which probably should be
fixed as well.


Thanks and Good DX!

Andy / NB8F

--
------------------
NB8F
Andy Holman
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[NB8F]

Just to update the links for the videos as I noticed they were incorrect.

K3S - RF/SQL Issue
https://youtu.be/zeDqqZSKcFA

KX2 - Temp issue
https://youtu.be/6r15pqwk8OQ

[wayne burdick]

Hi Andrew,

I’m the CTO of Elecraft and principal designer of our transceivers. I’ll try to address your issues.

During the few weeks since Dayton, about half of our customer support staff has been on unexpected leave (parent illness, etc.). We brought a very senior tech to help, but it’s been a bit of a fire drill. We also have two of our sales staff on leave, which has resulted in unexpectedly long response times to phone calls and email.

This situation is of course temporary. Meanwhile, I’m even taking some of the overload myself, as you can see :)


> Before Dayton, in order to replace my FT-857D I decided to buy a KX2 for
> Field Day.  I purchased and waited for it to ship, which took about 8 days
> (approximately).  I did not have it in time for Dayton, which I was OK
> with. When asked if I could take advantage of any Dayton deals, I was told
> "No".  OK, no problem.

Usually the radios ship more quickly than this, but we do take some with us to Dayton each year for walk-up sales. Since you fell into a certifiable gray area with respect to Dayton timing, we should have credited you back the show special on your KX2. I’ll make sure this happens.


> When I went to Hamvention this year, I asked someone at the booth to "take
> my money" and convince me to buy an Elecraft radio....
> I was a little bummed that someone didn't feel the need to really sell me
> on the radio (they barely spoke to me)....

Wow. You must have come to the booth when everyone on our regular sales staff, including myself, were on a lunch break. I did in-depth demonstrations of the KX2 and KX3 hundreds of times, even to the point of taking the KX2 outside (twice) to do on-air demos using the radio hand-held with a whip.

I’ll make sure that our regular crew and temporary subs don't miss such an opportunity again. Normally we engage potential customers to the point that, by the time they’ve decided yea or nay, we know their favorite bands, modes, other hobbies, and the names of their pets.


> A few days after Dayton I get my KX2 and begin using it.  I am mostly a CW
> op and noticed that after a while the radio would "stick" on CW.  It would
> let out long tones etc., I did not see the error to start, but after a day
> or so I saw a temp warning.  I reached out to Elecraft, they said they
> would fix the radio anytime I sent it back.  I asked if I could wait until
> after Field Day since this was purchased for that specific reason.  They
> were more than happy to oblige.

Well, bummer. It’s very rare for any of our radios to have an out-of-the-box issue like this. Sorry you’ve encountered such a problem right before FD!


> During this time I decided I was going to buy a K3S. ...RF/SQL Pot just was not working.  We tried all kinds of things to fix
> this, to no avail....came to the conclusion that one of the pots had a missing solder.

Also extremely rare. I’ll talk to CS and get the info back to our manufacturing department. They do 100% visual inspection with very sophisticated optical gear, but apparently they missed this one.


> I go about soldering the bad pot for RF/SQL and the K3S is back in business....

Thank you very much for correcting this problem yourself. We greatly appreciate it when customers take our “hands-on...” slogan literally.


> Days go by and it is now Monday.  I reach out to Elecraft to see if my KX2
> had shipped as I had not seen a tracking number.  The response was a
> bummer.  The KX2 didn't ship and they need to see if there is a hold on
> KX2's being shipped.  

I’ll be investigating this as soon as I finish typing. As I mentioned above, there was a bit of a personnel shortage recently.


> K3S is working, KX2 still needs to be replaced, but I am thousands into the
> Elecraft brand and both radios have had problems with quality control.

Fortunately rare. But thank you for bringing it to my attention.


> NOTE: Notice I didn't even complain about the artifact on the LCD screen
> during boot, which is yet a whole separate issue, which probably should be
> fixed as well.

In theory, the LCD controller IC powers up in an unknown (scrambled) state. But some of the controllers seem to reset to all segments off, while others don’t. This may be something we can fix in firmware, and it’s on my task list.

Thanks for your patience, and let me know if anything further comes up.

73,
Wayne, N6KR
CTO, Elecraft, Inc.




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[Bob McGraw - K4TAX]

I'm not aware of any electronics company that doesn't, from time to
time, sell and ship a product with faults.  For what it's worth, that's
why the company provides a warranty.  Otherwise, no warranty would be
needed if they are "perfect" 100% of the time. Won't happen!

Seems some folks are just luckier than others in that they always get
the ones which are defective.  Bummer!  The best part is that the
company is responsive and in a very timely manner as many are not.

I am very pleased with the build quality, physical quality / appearance
and performance of my K3S, which is now on the desk for almost 2 years.  
One fellows KX3 at Field Day two years ago inspired me to look at and
move to Elecraft.  Glad I did and haven't looked back, nor at any other
brand / model.

73

Bob, K4TAX

S/N 10163



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[NB8F]

Wayne,
Thank you for the response. My thought that this was all a rarity and I appreciate you reaching out, I also felt this might be the best way (after my existing tickets / emails), to get this highlighted.  Please keep me posted on the progress, again, communication goes a long way.  As a Director of Engineering myself, understand that things can be missed and I understand the development / engineering process in which you work through.

Thanks again and I look forward to a long relationship with Elecraft.

[Buddy Brannan]

Howdy Andy,

The response below, from an officer of the company and its chief product designer, is really what makes Elecraft stand head and shoulders above any other of the major manufacturers in the ham radio world...this response right here.

You got a response from the CTO of the company. He and Eric, you know, "the other guy that isn't Wayne", are in close, direct, and personal contact with us, their customer base.

Wayne took ownership of your problems. He didn't make excuses. He gave reasons and facts, he was polite, and he pledged to fix the problems with your equipment and your interactions.

You can count on support like that from hre on out with all of your Elecraft gear.

I've been an Elecraft owner since 2003, when I got my K2/100 through some interesting (and very special, to me anyway) circumstances. Have also owned a KX1, now belongs to a friend but kept my sanity through an international adoption and being locked in an apartment in Ukraine. Bought one of the first 500 KX3's back in 2012, to celebrate 25 years of ham radio. Any time I've had a problem, I've had a great community of support, not just from Elecraft, but from all the folks on this list. Problems have been pretty rare, by the way, but always got help with them.

So, yeah, you've bought some radio gear, but you've bought a bunch more than that, if you ask me (which you didn't). And, once all the kinks get ironed out, you're going to have years and years of fun with this stuff, and no mistake.

Vy 73,

--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: [phone]
Mobile: [phone]
Email: [hidden email]

> On Jun 13, 2017, at 11:09 AM, Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Hi Andrew,
>
> I’m the CTO of Elecraft and principal designer of our transceivers. I’ll try to address your issues.
>
> During the few weeks since Dayton, about half of our customer support staff has been on unexpected leave (parent illness, etc.). We brought a very senior tech to help, but it’s been a bit of a fire drill. We also have two of our sales staff on leave, which has resulted in unexpectedly long response times to phone calls and email.
>
> This situation is of course temporary. Meanwhile, I’m even taking some of the overload myself, as you can see :)
>
>
>> Before Dayton, in order to replace my FT-857D I decided to buy a KX2 for
>> Field Day.  I purchased and waited for it to ship, which took about 8 days
>> (approximately).  I did not have it in time for Dayton, which I was OK
>> with. When asked if I could take advantage of any Dayton deals, I was told
>> "No".  OK, no problem.
>
> Usually the radios ship more quickly than this, but we do take some with us to Dayton each year for walk-up sales. Since you fell into a certifiable gray area with respect to Dayton timing, we should have credited you back the show special on your KX2. I’ll make sure this happens.
>
>
>> When I went to Hamvention this year, I asked someone at the booth to "take
>> my money" and convince me to buy an Elecraft radio....
>> I was a little bummed that someone didn't feel the need to really sell me
>> on the radio (they barely spoke to me)....
>
> Wow. You must have come to the booth when everyone on our regular sales staff, including myself, were on a lunch break. I did in-depth demonstrations of the KX2 and KX3 hundreds of times, even to the point of taking the KX2 outside (twice) to do on-air demos using the radio hand-held with a whip.
>
> I’ll make sure that our regular crew and temporary subs don't miss such an opportunity again. Normally we engage potential customers to the point that, by the time they’ve decided yea or nay, we know their favorite bands, modes, other hobbies, and the names of their pets.
>
>
>> A few days after Dayton I get my KX2 and begin using it.  I am mostly a CW
>> op and noticed that after a while the radio would "stick" on CW.  It would
>> let out long tones etc., I did not see the error to start, but after a day
>> or so I saw a temp warning.  I reached out to Elecraft, they said they
>> would fix the radio anytime I sent it back.  I asked if I could wait until
>> after Field Day since this was purchased for that specific reason.  They
>> were more than happy to oblige.
>
> Well, bummer. It’s very rare for any of our radios to have an out-of-the-box issue like this. Sorry you’ve encountered such a problem right before FD!
>
>
>> During this time I decided I was going to buy a K3S. ...RF/SQL Pot just was not working.  We tried all kinds of things to fix
>> this, to no avail....came to the conclusion that one of the pots had a missing solder.
>
> Also extremely rare. I’ll talk to CS and get the info back to our manufacturing department. They do 100% visual inspection with very sophisticated optical gear, but apparently they missed this one.
>
>
>> I go about soldering the bad pot for RF/SQL and the K3S is back in business....
>
> Thank you very much for correcting this problem yourself. We greatly appreciate it when customers take our “hands-on...” slogan literally.
>
>
>> Days go by and it is now Monday.  I reach out to Elecraft to see if my KX2
>> had shipped as I had not seen a tracking number.  The response was a
>> bummer.  The KX2 didn't ship and they need to see if there is a hold on
>> KX2's being shipped.  
>
> I’ll be investigating this as soon as I finish typing. As I mentioned above, there was a bit of a personnel shortage recently.
>
>
>> K3S is working, KX2 still needs to be replaced, but I am thousands into the
>> Elecraft brand and both radios have had problems with quality control.
>
> Fortunately rare. But thank you for bringing it to my attention.
>
>
>> NOTE: Notice I didn't even complain about the artifact on the LCD screen
>> during boot, which is yet a whole separate issue, which probably should be
>> fixed as well.
>
> In theory, the LCD controller IC powers up in an unknown (scrambled) state. But some of the controllers seem to reset to all segments off, while others don’t. This may be something we can fix in firmware, and it’s on my task list.
>
> Thanks for your patience, and let me know if anything further comes up.
>
> 73,
> Wayne, N6KR
> CTO, Elecraft, Inc.
>
>
>
>
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>
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[wayne burdick]

Hi Andy,

Just checked with Mike in sales. Looks like your KX2 has shipped.

Have fun in Field Day--

Wayne
N6KR

> On Jun 13, 2017, at 8:32 AM, NB8F <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Wayne,
> Thank you for the response. My thought that this was all a rarity and I
> appreciate you reaching out, I also felt this might be the best way (after
> my existing tickets / emails), to get this highlighted.  Please keep me
> posted on the progress, again, communication goes a long way.  As a Director
> of Engineering myself, understand that things can be missed and I understand
> the development / engineering process in which you work through.
>
> Thanks again and I look forward to a long relationship with Elecraft.
>
>
>
>
> -----
> NB8F - Andy
> Elecraft K3S / KX2

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[Alan - G4GNX]

THIS is why I'm proud to own Elecraft equipment and will continue to do so.

73,

Alan. G4GNX

-----Original Message-----
From: Wayne Burdick
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2017 4:09 PM
To: Andrew Holman
Cc: Elecraft Reflector
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Frustration with Elecraft

Hi Andrew,

I’m the CTO of Elecraft and principal designer of our transceivers. I’ll try
to address your issues:........................................

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[NB8F]

Wayne,

Thanks for the quick response and action!

I look forward to having a great field day.

[Dan Cross]

On Tue, Jun 13, 2017 at 11:46 AM, G4GNX <[hidden email]> wrote:

> THIS is why I'm proud to own Elecraft equipment and will continue to do so.
>

Here here! I just wanted to mention that I think it speaks well of both
Elecraft and the Elecraft community that someone can come onto the mailing
list, mention a problem and give some feedback, get a good solid response
from an officer of the company AND not get torn up in the process by a
heckling peanut gallery. So many times I see communities where folks will
take honest feedback as criticism and react poorly when that clearly wasn't
the intent; it's heartening to see that the Elecraft community is more
accepting of well-intentioned, well-written and honest feedback, and that
makes me proud and happy to be an Elecraft owner.  73,

        - Dan C.
          AC2OI
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[Jim Brown-10]

Elecraft is 30 miles down the road from me, and many of those who work
there are my neighbors (Elecraft also employs designers and support
people who are not within driving distance).  In my 60+ years as a ham
and working engineer, I've encountered NO other companies whose OWNERS
monitor their email support reflector, UNDERSTAND the questions,
comments, and ideas expressed there, and DO something positive in
response. EVERY company and person makes mistakes or has bad days. What
they do in response is a large part of what separates the great
companies from the others.

Old timers can testify that one of the major JA radio companies (starts
with a Y) took three models to correct AWFUL key clicks in their
flagship (expensive) radio, and to get that fix, you had to sell the old
one and buy the new one. And they didn't learn from it -- much later,
very different designs of their flagship models (twice the cost of a
K3S) had very bad clicks and took years to fix with a firmware update.  
And they didn't do that until I published a detailed analysis of ARRL
Lab test data showing how bad they were. With that update, they're
better, but still not great. But, thanks to limitations of the design,
that's the best they can do without starting over. :)

73, Jim K9YC

On Tue,6/13/2017 8:46 AM, G4GNX wrote:

> THIS is why I'm proud to own Elecraft equipment and will continue to
> do so.
>
> 73,
>
> Alan. G4GNX
>
> -----Original Message----- From: Wayne Burdick
> Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2017 4:09 PM
> To: Andrew Holman
> Cc: Elecraft Reflector
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Frustration with Elecraft
>
> Hi Andrew,
>
> I’m the CTO of Elecraft and principal designer of our transceivers.
> I’ll try to address your issues:........................................

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[wayne burdick]

Jim Brown <[hidden email]> wrote:


>
> Elecraft is 30 miles down the road from me, and many of those who work there are my neighbors (Elecraft also employs designers and support people who are not within driving distance)....

That’s an important point for me, Jim. Most of our engineers work from home, including me. This reduces both stress and our carbon footprint. And consuming less fuel is philosophically in line with the company’s QRP roots :)

We appreciate all of your hard-nosed engineering input over the years, too.

73,
Wayne
N6KR


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[George Thornton]

I want to strongly echo others' statements of confidence and support for Elecraft's quality, integrity and follow through.

I started with Elecraft by building a K2 (great kit building experience) and later K3/P3 with all the bells and whistles.

These guys make excellent products and they provide top notch service.  They stand by their customers and their products.

Electronic equipment is complex and sensitive and occasionally components malfunction or become damaged.  These things are easily corrected.





From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Wayne Burdick
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2017 8:43 AM
To: NB8F <[hidden email]>
Cc: Elecraft Reflector <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Frustration with Elecraft

Hi Andy,

Just checked with Mike in sales. Looks like your KX2 has shipped.

Have fun in Field Day--

Wayne
N6KR

> On Jun 13, 2017, at 8:32 AM, NB8F <[hidden email]><mailto:[hidden email]%3e> wrote:
>
> Wayne,
> Thank you for the response. My thought that this was all a rarity and I
> appreciate you reaching out, I also felt this might be the best way (after
> my existing tickets / emails), to get this highlighted. Please keep me
> posted on the progress, again, communication goes a long way. As a Director
> of Engineering myself, understand that things can be missed and I understand
> the development / engineering process in which you work through.
>
> Thanks again and I look forward to a long relationship with Elecraft.
>
>
>
>
> -----
> NB8F - Andy
> Elecraft K3S / KX2

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[VA3ON]

Dan - well said, very true.

Andrew - WELCOME to the Elecraft community!
Like your club, I have good friends who are longtime Elecraft customers, so at Dayton I finally took the plunge and bought a KX2. (Eric filled out my order form himself - what a great experience)
It's an amazing unit and as mentioned here I bought a radio and got a whole bunch more.
Wayne, Eric, the other Elecraft folks and the whole crew here too, nicely done!
/rod. VA3ON


On Jun 13, 2017, at 12:17, Dan Cross <[hidden email]> wrote:

On Tue, Jun 13, 2017 at 11:46 AM, G4GNX <[hidden email]> wrote:

> THIS is why I'm proud to own Elecraft equipment and will continue to do so.
>

Here here! I just wanted to mention that I think it speaks well of both
Elecraft and the Elecraft community that someone can come onto the mailing
list, mention a problem and give some feedback, get a good solid response
from an officer of the company AND not get torn up in the process by a
heckling peanut gallery. So many times I see communities where folks will
take honest feedback as criticism and react poorly when that clearly wasn't
the intent; it's heartening to see that the Elecraft community is more
accepting of well-intentioned, well-written and honest feedback, and that
makes me proud and happy to be an Elecraft owner.  73,

       - Dan C.
         AC2OI
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[rich hurd WC3T]

At the risk of pushing this careening thread closer to the cliff of
moderation (yes, I too am a list moderator and applaud their efforts) I
have to say that following this encounter has cemented my somewhat tenuous
relationship with Elecraft into a rather unbreakable bond.

I'm the proud 2nd owner of a KX3 station (PX3, KXPA100) and I also have the
odd smattering of other rigs floating around.  To see how you guys have
stepped up in this matter has reinforced for me the determination that I
shan't ever be disposing of my Elecraft gear for any reason whatever (short
of my QSYing to another plane of existence), and your equipment will be at
the top of any list for future purchases.

Bravo Wayne and team, and thank you.

On Tue, Jun 13, 2017 at 12:37 PM, Wayne Burdick <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Jim Brown <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>
> >
> > Elecraft is 30 miles down the road from me, and many of those who work
> there are my neighbors (Elecraft also employs designers and support people
> who are not within driving distance)....
>
> That’s an important point for me, Jim. Most of our engineers work from
> home, including me. This reduces both stress and our carbon footprint. And
> consuming less fuel is philosophically in line with the company’s QRP roots
> :)
>
> We appreciate all of your hard-nosed engineering input over the years, too.
>
> 73,
> Wayne
> N6KR
>
>
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--
73 (or 72 for the QRP folks),
Rich Hurd / WC3T
DMR ID: 3142737
Northampton County RACES
EPA-ARRL Public Information Officer for Scouting
Latitude: 40.761621 Longitude: -75.288988  (40°45.68' N 75°17.33' W) Grid:
*FN20is*
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[Clay Autery]

I'm taking mine with me when I go!!!  <big wink>

______________________
Clay Autery, KY5G

On 6/13/2017 12:08 PM, rich hurd WC3T wrote:
> short of my QSYing to another plane of existence

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[Gary Smith-2]

Andy,

Just to be another to chime in on the
bandwagon, This is the kind of response
that Elecraft has been doing since I first
bought my K3 kit in 98 I think it was.

I now have a fully loaded K3s, a backup
K3, fully loaded P3 and a K-Pod. My
amplifier is an Alpha 77SX but I am
seriously considering going for the
upcoming Elecraft SS 1500W amp. The only
thing that could pry the 77SX out of my
fingers would be a full limit Elecraft
amp. I have come to equate Elecraft with
integrity and quality.

You will enjoy your radios and you will
have fun discovering all the hidden
nuggets your radios have waiting for you
to uncover.

73,

Gary
KA1J

> Wayne,
>
> Thanks for the quick response and action!
>
> I look forward to having a great field day.
>
>
>
> -----
> NB8F - Andy
> Elecraft K3S / KX2
> User since June 2017
> Ham since March 2015
> --
> View this message in context:
> http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/Frustration-with-Elecraft-tp76316
> 98p7631707.html Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at
> Nabble.com.
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[NB8F]

Dan, I just want to say that I 100% agree. I was weary of posting my thoughts because of what happens on most boards.  I was surprised to see Wayne respond directly and too me, made a big difference.  The fact that, while many supported Elecraft (rightfully so), none of them said I was wrong or wanted to pick a fight.   I am sure I will be an Elecraft owner for a long time to come.  In this particular instance I am satisfied with the response and action that was taken.

I also want to say thanks to many of you who reached out to me directly to help in any way possible. It's nice to see a community that is so responsive, it helps solidify that I made the right decision on my new radio purchases.

Dan Cross wrote

Here here! I just wanted to mention that I think it speaks well of both
Elecraft and the Elecraft community that someone can come onto the mailing
list, mention a problem and give some feedback, get a good solid response
from an officer of the company AND not get torn up in the process by a
heckling peanut gallery. So many times I see communities where folks will
take honest feedback as criticism and react poorly when that clearly wasn't
the intent; it's heartening to see that the Elecraft community is more
accepting of well-intentioned, well-written and honest feedback, and that
makes me proud and happy to be an Elecraft owner.  73,

        - Dan C.
          AC2OI

[Edward R Cole]

I can relate to Andy's frustration and bad luck.  I fortunately have
had good luck with my Elecraft purchases and any difficulties were
result of inadequate knowledge or lack of reading over the manual sufficiently.

I recently installed the KXAT100 in my KXPA100 prior to taking a
month-long trip out of Alaska to pick up our recently purchased
5th-wheel travel trailer in Seattle.  I tested it with the KX3 remote
control on my bench but after install in the truck it would not work
properly (Not power-on from the KX3 menu).  I discovered that the
power-pole connector had to be in the proper jack (not the auxiliary
power-pole jack) for that to function.

I used it mainly on 6m with a base-loaded whip.

I have one of the beta-test 2M transverter modules and it partially
failed in power output.  Elecraft got that repaired for me.  I ran
120w 2m-SSB on the trip driving a 2w/25w driver PA for the TE1410
final amp.  It only required 0.8w drive to produce 10w drive into the
final, but I worked a VE7 outside the Vancouver area into northern WA
while mobile.  KX3-2M receives quite well even in marginal mobile conditions.

I recently traded my DEMI 222-28 transverter for a new 30w FM mobile
as there is no CW/SSB activity up here.  The new Bridgecom BCM-220
looked like a nice substitute and I excitedly set it up upon arrival,
but it would not transmit.  After much head scratching I decided
maybe a call was needed to their "tech dept".  I actually got the CEO
of the company and after a couple questions determined I was trying
to transmit out of the band.   Well the VFO indicated in band so I
was confused.  He then walked me thru checking if duplex offset was
in play...and it was.  I didn't program that?  He explained they
pre-program the radio with that and a couple repeater frequencies
(apparently to aid the new operator in setting up repeater use).  I
had never experienced a new radio with any programing so didn't look
for any.  Radio worked fine once I reset offset to zero - which was a
big "duh" moment for me!  I can say I was impressed with Bridgecom's
response (so maybe they learned from watching Elecraft?).

This is still unusual in my experience with OEM's.  I spent 30 years
working as two-way radio tech with a lot of the "other" kind of tech help.

I tried to emulate Elecraft in my small kit making business; I
recently closed the doors and no longer build kits on contract.  At
72 I am finally retired.

73, Ed - KL7UW
   http://www.kl7uw.com
Dubus-NA Business mail:
   [hidden email]

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[Bill K9YEQ]

Mine as well including all coax and power supplies.  500 watts or QRPp right from the crematorium.  Will this stuff incinerate?

73,
Bill
K9YEQ

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email] [mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Clay Autery
Sent: Tuesday, June 13, 2017 12:20 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Frustration with Elecraft

I'm taking mine with me when I go!!!  <big wink>

______________________
Clay Autery, KY5G

On 6/13/2017 12:08 PM, rich hurd WC3T wrote:
> short of my QSYing to another plane of existence

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