K3- what a radio!
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It's the best radio I've ever owned, and it is all
that I expected over the four month wait period! Some tips and impressions from building the kit: 1. Right panel feet installation-- definitely use soap, rather than the twist-on method-- much easier! 2. Front panel installation-- definitely remove that screw in the corner before pushing the panel home. 3. 2-56 screws-- look for them in the envelope for the bezel and LCD display cover assembly. There were just enough to finish the job. Elecraft should consider tossing in an extra one or two in the spare hardware envelope. 4. Ignore the instruction that says to download the latest firmware after you've got your radio assembled. Turn it on and learn it and enjoy it for a week or so. It's a fabulous radio even with firmware that's a week or two old! Things I especailly like about the radio are: roofing filter flexibility low-pitch CW capability great NB and NR functions that really work affordability-- savings by building kit, deferring 2nd receiver I finally upgraded mine to FW 2.10 (beta version) from the 1.96 that came with the radio. I transferred the new firmware via a flash drive from my laptop which has internet service to my radio control and logging computer which I do not have connected to the internet. Thanks, Elecraft, for great radio, and to the kind people on this reflector who have furnished help and advice when I needed it. 73, Chuck Guenther NI0C K3/100 s/n 1061 K2/10 s/n 5853 _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: [hidden email] You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com |
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This is what I wrote recently to someone who asked me how I liked the K3 (which I have had about a month now):
The K3 is a really wonderful rig. I’m trying hard to think of any cons right now but none come to mind. The list of pros includes: Very quick auto tuning (KAT3) – like 1 to 2 seconds to find a match. It finds a 1 to 1 match on 160 to 6 meters with a Cobra Ultralite antenna and BL2 balun. Great sounding received audio – and that AFX button is fun. Unbelievable noise reduction and noise blanking effectiveness. Unbelievable selectivity and adjustment range. Up to 120W output (but I run it at 100W). Accurate internal SWR and power meters. Great general coverage receive. Excellent QSK – better than the K2 – as good as the TS-930S. The reports on the transmitted CW note are terrific. Many parameters are adjustable – AGC settings, AFX delay, NB sensitivity and width, keyer weight, etc. These may take time to find the optimal settings. (maybe that’s a con hi hi). The size and weight are perfect for my shack. Next week, I’ll update my photo on QRZ.com. Software updating is very quick and easy. I bought their KUSB adaptor since I don’t have a serial port on the home PC now. Many new features will be introduced via software updates. I am hoping for Automatic Character Spacing in the keyer like the Accukeyer and CMOS Logikeyers. Like the TS-930 with the Piexx digital board, there are 100 memories, + another 4 per band. I have never had a 6 meter QSO and the tuner found a match on that band for my antenna. I heard some stations on around 50.098 MHz and called “QRL?” and someone said “Yes” so I know I am getting out hi hi. But no QSO yet. Elecraft support is really great and they bend over backwards to make sure problems are resolved. I started out with a switching power supply (12V, 24A) but I did not like the noise it generated in the receiver and it also induced problems on the transmitted signal. So I bought an Astron RS-35A and that works very well. The power supply is slightly bigger than the rig, though hi hi. 73, John W2XS
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