Elecraft

I wish Elecraft would make this radio

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N1EU

I wish Elecraft would make this radio

I wish Elecraft would make an updated, upscaled KX1 for portable use: cw-only; ruggedized; enhanced auto-tuner; 40-10M (or 80-10M); 5W+; paddle; enhanced front panel/display with single button/knob access to cw speed, msg play, RIT etc; enhanced AGC; very light weight; etc. By "upscaled", I mean design it first and then figure out what the price needs to be and not vice versa. I would gladly pay whatever it would cost.

73,
Barry N1EU
(currently using KX1 and KX3 in the field)

Chris Schrecengost

Re: I wish Elecraft would make this radio

You may be willing to pay whatever price the design dictates but that's not
the way business works. Any mass manufacturing business must find the point
where design meets the ability to sell the product. Economies of scale must
apply. A business must be profitable and that requires large volume sales.
Manufacturers dedicate their internal design teams and budgets to profit.
Look at the current heated discussions about the KX3 2 meter module versus
the 100 watt amplifier. Elecraft has posted that some engineering people
are working on both projects and the amplifier wins. It's the first
priority and then the 2 meter module will come after. They've made a fiscal
decision that manpower to profit was more important for the amplifier than
the 2 meter module. They can't pull engineering to a pet project with
little hope of realized profit.

You're taking the concept car approach. You want a manufacturer to build a
product, regardless of cost. Concept cars are just that for a reason.
They're too expensive and impractical to be a real product. Just like a
concept car, your concept of a radio would need to be individually hand
made because the scale of manufacturing processes can't be applied to it.
No manufacturer designs and produces single runs of complex PC boards
unless it's a prototype intended for future large scale production.
Basically, you want a boutique radio which would likely far exceed
"whatever the cost" you indicate. You may be at or exceeding the cost of
"contester" rigs with much less functionality.

Chris
AB3QV

On Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 7:22 AM, N1EU <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I wish Elecraft would make an updated, upscaled KX1 for portable use:
> cw-only; ruggedized; enhanced auto-tuner; 40-10M (or 80-10M); 5W+; paddle;
> enhanced front panel/display with single button/knob access to cw speed,
> msg
> play, RIT etc; enhanced AGC; very light weight; etc. By "upscaled", I mean
> design it first and then figure out what the price needs to be and not vice
> versa. I would gladly pay whatever it would cost.
>
> 73,
> Barry N1EU
> (currently using KX1 and KX3 in the field)
>
>
>
> --
> View this message in context:
> http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/I-wish-Elecraft-would-make-this-radio-tp7568154.html
> Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
> ______________________________________________________________
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>
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N1EU

Re: I wish Elecraft would make this radio

Gee, thanks for the lecture Chris.

We're coming up on the 10th anniversary of a VERY popular qrp rig and it would be fantastic if a little design effort helped inject new life into THE best portable auto-tuning cw rig on the market. Just throwing out some ideas and specific personal wishes - no need to squelch the dreams of the fan base . . .

73,
Barry N1EU

ke9uw

Re: I wish Elecraft would make this radio

I have one and the lack of a full display is probably the thing I would like changed the most. I think that alone could put new life into the KX1...but more the better :)
And I do have a KX3 but its huge compared to the 1.

Sent from my iPad
Chuck, KE9UW
(Jack for BMW motorcycles)

On Jan 4, 2013, at 9:43 AM, "N1EU" <[hidden email]> wrote:

> Gee, thanks for the lecture Chris.
>
> We're coming up on the 10th anniversary of a VERY popular qrp rig and it
> would be fantastic if a little design effort helped inject new life into THE
> best portable auto-tuning cw rig on the market. Just throwing out some
> ideas and specific personal wishes - no need to squelch the dreams of the
> fan base . . .
>
> 73,
> Barry N1EU
>
>
>
> --
> View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/I-wish-Elecraft-would-make-this-radio-tp7568154p7568161.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

Chuck, KE9UW

Phil Hystad-3

Re: I wish Elecraft would make this radio

I have the KX1 and the KX3 and I would not call the KX3 huge compared to the KX1, I would say that it was larger. Huge would be maybe comparing a K3 to a KX1.

Having said that I am almost always leaning towards the KX3 for QRP and portable work now. No, I will not sell the KX1 because I like it and there are good reasons I want to use that as well (still). But, if the KX1 had a larger screen and handled 80 thru 10 and maybe one or two other more modern features then it would be so close to the KX3 that it would not be a good decision for product lineup. The KX1 having its special place at the lower end of available QRP rigs is a good marketing objective. Oh, I also have a Norcal 40A but it does collect dust now-a-days.

73, phil, K7PEH

On Jan 4, 2013, at 8:17 AM, "hawley, charles j jr" <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I have one and the lack of a full display is probably the thing I would like changed the most. I think that alone could put new life into the KX1...but more the better :)
> And I do have a KX3 but its huge compared to the 1.
>
> Sent from my iPad
> Chuck, KE9UW
> (Jack for BMW motorcycles)
>
> On Jan 4, 2013, at 9:43 AM, "N1EU" <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
>> Gee, thanks for the lecture Chris.
>>
>> We're coming up on the 10th anniversary of a VERY popular qrp rig and it
>> would be fantastic if a little design effort helped inject new life into THE
>> best portable auto-tuning cw rig on the market. Just throwing out some
>> ideas and specific personal wishes - no need to squelch the dreams of the
>> fan base . . .
>>
>> 73,
>> Barry N1EU
>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/I-wish-Elecraft-would-make-this-radio-tp7568154p7568161.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

N1EU

Re: I wish Elecraft would make this radio

On Fri, Jan 4, 2013 at 4:22 PM, Phil Hystad <[hidden email]> wrote:

>
> Having said that I am almost always leaning towards the KX3 for QRP and
> portable work now.

That was the case for me until winter set in. With a heavier load
(snowshoes, microspikes, clothes, etc) and much harsher environment, the
lighter and more rugged KX1 has become my winter go-to radio. I'll switch
back to the KX3 when the weather improves.

Barry N1EU
______________________________________________________________
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