K3 Strong signals

[rfenabled]

IMHO I would throttle anyone entering my property running 100W...period

I have never found driving along in a *convoy* using ssb as enjoyable as 2M FM.

As a group (here locally) we travel to remote areas often and would not entertain using any HF band in a convoy situation.

We run multi-operations monthly on HF and 6M as well as high power VHF and UHF and experience NO issues by simply following the simple rule....Plan the operation ahead of time and give the details to all who are present.

We run Yaesu and Icom as well as the K3 and again, none of the overloaded front end issues have been occurring to date simply by following some basic principles of operating in this type of environment.

Why do we need further mods from the manufacturer in either FW or Hardware?

We are supposed to KNOW what we are doing and perhaps some people need to examine the way they use the equipment and learn a little more about what would be "best practice" when operating.

I am not having a dig at anyone here, just suggesting that I have not experienced the problem that started the debate, and I believe this is because I gave a lot of thought to what I wanted to do and made sure I was set up to achieve the result I wanted.

No mods has my vote because I fear the unseen changes that would develop into further changes that will have a lot of us unhappy. Sometimes it is better to allow the sleeping dog to have his rest....the alternative can be painful in more ways than one.

Soapbox vacated
Gary
Sent via BlackBerry® from Telstra
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[Leigh L. Klotz Jr WA5ZNU]

Sentiments like the one below make me think that quite a few people have
not yet encountered HFpack, one of the largest ham radio interest groups.

Just like DXers, Contesters, QRP'ers, and kit builders, HFpack
afficionados are another group of hams with like-minded interests.
They like to optimize their equipment for outdoor, portable operation
while holding on to the equipment, though HFPack operations also
encompasses portable, mobile, and home operations as well.  Often, as a
social activity hams might get together and operate from nearby
locations as they hike.

There is also some overlap with the "green radio" (military pack) folks,
who use military and commercial backpack equipment, which also works
well with close-in signals on HF at the same time as more distant
communications.

HFPackers have been active in many areas of antenna design, portable
power options, RFI/EMC, and equipment design.

See http://hfpack.com/ for more info, or check out the  HFPack Yahoo Group.

Leigh/WA5ZNU
 
> IMHO I would throttle anyone entering my property running 100W...period
> ...
> We are supposed to KNOW what we are doing and perhaps some people need to examine the way they use the equipment and learn a little more about what would be "best practice" when operating.
>
> I am not having a dig at anyone here, just suggesting that I have not experienced the problem that started the debate, and I believe this is because I gave a lot of thought to what I wanted to do and made sure I was set up to achieve the result I wanted.
>  

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[AC7AC]

CONTENTS DELETED

The author has deleted this message.

[n7ws]

--- On Tue, 5/5/09, [hidden email] <[hidden email]> wrote among other stuff:

"I am not having a dig at anyone here"

Of course you are.


     
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[Bob Naumann W5OV]

While I fully support any activity that gets people on the air, I don't
think the intended audience for the K3 is to be hand carried by someone
hiking.

For someone to mis-apply a high-performance DXing and Contesting machine
like the K3 to such an activity should not be a concern of Elecraft, nor
should the radio be changed as a result. If there is an improvement that
would benefit those in the DXing and Contesting arenas, then by all means.
In this case, I think a reasonable analogy would be if one was to take a
Lamborghini Countach off-road instead of a Jeep or other 4 wheel drive
vehicle. It just does not make any sense to do so.

I may just be getting too old to appreciate this, but I cannot imagine why
these folks would not use something like 2m, 440 or perhaps FRS radios for
this activity. I certainly could understand using a tiny HF rig like the
FT817 or the reportedly better IC703+ for such an activity, but I would not
consider dragging a K3 around or installing it in a car - it's just too
good, and too valuable to put it at risk like this.

Based on others' comments, I suspect that I am not alone in the confusion
over why someone would do any of this.

73,

Bob W5OV


-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Leigh L. Klotz, Jr
WA5ZNU
Sent: Tuesday, May 05, 2009 11:50 PM
To: Elecraft
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 Strong signals

Sentiments like the one below make me think that quite a few people have
not yet encountered HFpack, one of the largest ham radio interest groups.

Just like DXers, Contesters, QRP'ers, and kit builders, HFpack
afficionados are another group of hams with like-minded interests.
They like to optimize their equipment for outdoor, portable operation
while holding on to the equipment, though HFPack operations also
encompasses portable, mobile, and home operations as well.  Often, as a
social activity hams might get together and operate from nearby
locations as they hike.

There is also some overlap with the "green radio" (military pack) folks,
who use military and commercial backpack equipment, which also works
well with close-in signals on HF at the same time as more distant
communications.

HFPackers have been active in many areas of antenna design, portable
power options, RFI/EMC, and equipment design.

See http://hfpack.com/ for more info, or check out the  HFPack Yahoo Group.

Leigh/WA5ZNU
 
> IMHO I would throttle anyone entering my property running 100W...period
> ...
> We are supposed to KNOW what we are doing and perhaps some people need to
examine the way they use the equipment and learn a little more about what
would be "best practice" when operating.
>
> I am not having a dig at anyone here, just suggesting that I have not
experienced the problem that started the debate, and I believe this is
because I gave a lot of thought to what I wanted to do and made sure I was
set up to achieve the result I wanted.
>  

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[pd0psb]

<quote author="Robert Naumann">
While I fully support any activity that gets people on the air, I don't
think the intended audience for the K3 is to be hand carried by someone
hiking.For someone to mis-apply a high-performance DXing and Contesting machine
like the K3 to such an activity should not be a concern of Elecraft.
>

Ehm, excuse me,but who is the "intended audience" of the K3 ?
Did Elecraft define that? Does Reflector define that?
Should K3 be developed into a one-user-profile radio?

I think the great strength of Elecraft with K3 is the huge versatility of this little marvel.
It is an "open" radio, shapable to serve a very wide audience and Elecraft is doing a great job in refining it almost day by day. The versatility and attraction of K3 amongst a wide spectrum of enthusiasts will define it's long term succes, which in the end is good for all users.

I think deciding what makes sense in further development is in very safe hands and should be left to "The Guys With The List". We shouldn't keep them from having fun in doing things with K3 that "can't be done" ;-)

73'
Paul
PD0PSB

[n7ws]

Bob writes:

> In this case, I think a reasonable analogy would be if one
> was to take a
> Lamborghini Countach off-road instead of a Jeep or other 4
> wheel drive
> vehicle. It just does not make any sense to do so.

How about if it's a Lamborghini LM series?

http://www.lambocars.com/archive/lm/lm.htm

He continues:

>I certainly could understand using a tiny HF rig like the
FT817 or the reportedly better IC703+ for such an activity, but I would not
consider dragging a K3 around or installing it in a car - it's just too
good, and too valuable to put it at risk like this.


Good grief!  It's just a piece of hardware!  It's not an item of worship---on second thought---in this group maybe I'm wrong.



     
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[Don Wilhelm-4]

Wes,

You are quite correct!  The K3 has a handle on it - that makes it
perfect for pedestrian mobile :-)  - just attach an antenna to your
shoulder and put a battery in your pocket.
If one wants to use his K3 in that manner (and accept the consequences
of that), then who am I to criticize.

OTOH, those who are unwilling to accept the natural consequences of
using the K3 in that manner, I have to say "Don't do that"
We all have heard the adage about the guy who complained to his doctor
about how his forehead hurt when he hit it with his fist - the same
answer applies - "Don't do that"

73,
Don W3FPR

Wes Stewart wrote:
> Good grief!  It's just a piece of hardware!  It's not an item of worship---on second thought---in this group maybe I'm wrong.
>  
>
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[David Gilbert]

The term "intended audience" might be easy to misinterpret, and I don't
think that W5OV used it to try to make the K3 a "one-user-profile
radio".  However, I also do not believe that the K3 jumped to the top of
the charts because it is versatile ... it got there because of it's
superior performance, particularly on the receiver side.  Anybody who
wants to take their rig on a hike, or chat with their friend next door,
or who has trouble remembering  which buttons to push, certainly has
better and cheaper options for rigs.  Those hams who are looking for the
best performing rig out there, however, have few other options and they
might understandably prefer that future K3 development be oriented
toward enhancing that performance, not making the K3 act more like an
FT-817.

The existing list of unfulfilled enhancements is testimony to the fact
that Elecraft does not have infinite resources for refining the K3.  As
a whole, would we like to see them spend their time responding to
requests for "fun things that can't be done" or would we prefer they
move forward on improving the fundamentals of the rig, such as (not all
of which are important to me personally):

1.  reducing the granularity of the passband shift
2.  improving the noise reduction algorithm
3.  addressing the audio spectrum issue some users have had
4.  adding the capability for stackable AGC settings
5.  adding independent scan on the sub receiver
6.  allowing programmable center frequency for each roofing filter
7.  etc (several others I don't remember off the top of my head)

In almost all real world situations, versatility comes at the expense of
something .... either performance or cost or timing or something.  There
have been literally millions of commercial failures that resulted from
companies trying to be all things to all people.  If you don't recognize
that, you haven't been paying attention.  I'm not saying the K3 should
be a one-trick pony, but those us us who bought the K3 for its
performance might justifiably be concerned to see all the attempts to
dilute its original focus as top-of-the-line rig for all operating modes.

73,
Dave   AB7E


pd0psb wrote:

> Ehm, excuse me,but who is the "intended audience" of the K3 ?
> Did Elecraft define that? Does Reflector define that?
> Should K3 be developed into a one-user-profile radio?
>
> I think the great strength of Elecraft with K3 is the huge versatility of
> this little marvel.
> It is an "open" radio, shapable to serve a very wide audience and Elecraft
> is doing a great job in refining it almost day by day. The versatility and
> attraction of K3 amongst a wide spectrum of enthusiasts will define it's
> long term succes, which in the end is good for all users.
>
> I think deciding what makes sense in further development is in very safe
> hands and should be left to "The Guys With The List". We shouldn't keep them
> from having fun in doing things with K3 that "can't be done" ;-)
>
> 73'
> Paul
> PD0PSB
>  

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[Eric Swartz - WA6HHQ]

Time to tone this thread down and let it rest.  :-)

As a general statement, at Elecraft we are continually looking for ways
to improve the K3. Whenever we do make a change or addition, we take the
position of 'do no harm' to existing uses for the rig.

73, Eric


Wes Stewart wrote:

> Bob writes:
>  
>> In this case, I think a reasonable analogy would be if one
>> was to take a
>> Lamborghini Countach off-road instead of a Jeep or other 4
>> wheel drive
>> vehicle. It just does not make any sense to do so.
>>    
>
> How about if it's a Lamborghini LM series?
> http://www.lambocars.com/archive/lm/lm.htm
>  

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