K3 how often do you use it?

I cannot believe the threads we get here....

The K3 is my main
station.  I used it along for rag chew...Dxing...and contesting.  It
runs SSB - CW - PSK - RTTY.  It feeds a AL82 and a lot of antennas on a
city lot.  Again, it is my main rig.  I have no Y or K or I or T in the
shack.  I do have a K2 because I love the rig.  I also have a Knight
T-50, a Drake 2B, and a HQ-110.  I use the K3 for everything.  It never
moves off the desk.  If I want to set a parameter...I used the menus or
a computer program.  It is not hard.  I find the rig perfect in size.
I pound on this rig weekly. (read: use it regularly if you cannot
understand idioms.  Don't think I have a hammer in the shack whacking
on it each week.)

If you want buttons....get a Y or K or I or T ... but I
am happy with all the features of the K3...and it has ... I repeat ...
has gotten better since I got in two years ago.  It has great
buttons...very sexy! :>)

The K3 is the best I have used.

Now...if
you want no knobs...or menus...go buy and old TT Triton IV.  Now that
was skimpy with knobs and buttons.  Don't forget to get a external VFO
for split.

Lee - K0WA
... _._



 In our day and age it seems that Common Sense is in short supply. If you don't have any Common Sense - get some
Common Sense and use it. If you can't find any Common Sense, ask for
help from somebody who has some Common Sense. Is Common Sense divine?

Common Sense is the image of the Creator expressing revealed truth in my mind. -  J. Wolf
______________________________________________________________
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

[westalto]

Prior to the advent of , first, the K2 and then the K3

I owned my share of "huge" radios which almost

required two men and a small boy to move.

(well I exaggerate ) and I well remember having to

hand carry a TS-930 through the length of the

St. Louis airport on my way to KP4...not a lot of

fun!



I find the K3 pretty  much the ideal size for my

purposes. The front panel is not cluttered but

comprehensive enough that there is little need

for daily changes to menu items.



Doug, W6JD

K2 #1626, K3 #23


----- Original Message -----
From: "Rick Dettinger " <k7mw78@ gmail .com>
To: "Dick Williams" <k8ztt@ mho .com>
Cc: Elecraft @mailman. qth .net
Sent: Monday, January 11, 2010 11:17:19 AM GMT -08:00 US/Canada Pacific
Subject: Re: [ Elecraft ] K3 how often do you use it?

I am glad that my K3 doesn't weight in excess of 50 lbs.  I have to  
carry it up a "ships" ladder into my shack, which is in a loft.  One  
hand for the ladder and one for the K3.  I do this several times a  
year to update the firmware.

73,
Rick Dettinger   K7MW


On Jan 11, 2010, at 10:21 AM, Dick Williams wrote:

>
> I beg to differ with who stated that "most" hams want large radios  
> and find
> the ergonomics and packaging of the K3 to be less than desirable.
>
> First,  not every ham wants a "boat anchor" box that takes up half the
> operating position and weights in excess of 50 lbs.
>

______________________________________________________________
Elecraft mailing list
Home: http ://mailman. qth .net/mailman/ listinfo / elecraft
Help: http ://mailman. qth .net/ mmfaq . htm
Post: mailto : Elecraft @mailman. qth .net

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

[P.B. Christensen]

> I find the K3 pretty much the ideal size for my
> purposes. The front panel is not cluttered but
> comprehensive enough that there is little need
> for daily changes to menu items.

In the future, hopefully we'll see detachable front panels where a small or
large stand-alone panel format cold be purchased as an option, depending on
user operating conditions.  For
base use, a panel loaded with extra buttons could be used to bring secondary
functions onto their own button (e.g., "A=>B" and "SPLIT").  Then, when its
time to operate portable, detach the panel and take the base K3 unit into
the field (or mobile) using a smaller panel.

In the case of the TS-480, Kenwood accomplishes functionality of all
controls, menus and buttons on one 57 kbps serial buss.  This makes it easy
for its owners to detach the control panel and plug it into a serial-to-USB
port so that the TS-480 panel can be plugged right into a notebook PC.  It's
great having access to a real panel with VFO to spin while operating
Internet remote.

In the case of the K3, I haven't looked much at the panel connectivity but
it should be possible to simply detach the K3 front panel and insert a
black-faced front onto it with say an RJ-45 for the convenience of Ethernet
cabling.  The cable would then connect on the other end to the control panel
size of your choice or to a serial-to-USB converter (as in the TS-480
example) to take a panel with you and run remote.

I have to believe that if demand were strong enough, Elecraft could quickly
whip-up an optional black panel for the K3 as well as a choice of small and
large stand-alone panels.  The small panel could leverage what's already
available on the current panel.

I'll go on record for ordering the first complete set!

Paul, W9AC



______________________________________________________________
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

[Doug Turnbull]

Thankfully Elecraft has a limited number of products which they continue to
support in a far more active way than any other manufacturer.   I too have
sometimes thought that a larger radio would be nice but then there are
advantages to the present size.  There is no harm in our passing on dreams
but lets be thankful that the K3 continues to develop.   It seems Paul that
you and the rest of us are largely in agreement on this point.   The K3 was
one of the best purchasing decisions this old goat has ever made.  Now I
await the P3 and then the radio will have grown in size - Hi Hi.

              73 Doug EI2CN

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Paul Christensen
Sent: 11 January 2010 20:09
To: [hidden email]
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 how often do you use it?

> I find the K3 pretty much the ideal size for my
> purposes. The front panel is not cluttered but
> comprehensive enough that there is little need
> for daily changes to menu items.

In the future, hopefully we'll see detachable front panels where a small or
large stand-alone panel format cold be purchased as an option, depending on
user operating conditions.  For
base use, a panel loaded with extra buttons could be used to bring secondary
functions onto their own button (e.g., "A=>B" and "SPLIT").  Then, when its
time to operate portable, detach the panel and take the base K3 unit into
the field (or mobile) using a smaller panel.

In the case of the TS-480, Kenwood accomplishes functionality of all
controls, menus and buttons on one 57 kbps serial buss.  This makes it easy
for its owners to detach the control panel and plug it into a serial-to-USB
port so that the TS-480 panel can be plugged right into a notebook PC.  It's

great having access to a real panel with VFO to spin while operating
Internet remote.

In the case of the K3, I haven't looked much at the panel connectivity but
it should be possible to simply detach the K3 front panel and insert a
black-faced front onto it with say an RJ-45 for the convenience of Ethernet
cabling.  The cable would then connect on the other end to the control panel

size of your choice or to a serial-to-USB converter (as in the TS-480
example) to take a panel with you and run remote.

I have to believe that if demand were strong enough, Elecraft could quickly
whip-up an optional black panel for the K3 as well as a choice of small and
large stand-alone panels.  The small panel could leverage what's already
available on the current panel.

I'll go on record for ordering the first complete set!

Paul, W9AC



______________________________________________________________
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