RE: Can Elecraft take over the global HF ham radio business ?

[Marinos]

Hi Mike,

Thanks for your detailed input on the K2. I personally have built 2 of them,
the first in 2001 and the 2nd a couple of months ago sn 4618.
I agree 100% with you about the Rx being wonderful, but even in the current
revised K2s, needs some refinement, mostly getting rid of the many Rx spurs
scattered in several bands.

On the other hand, as mentioned in my original post, you can hardly justify
keeping the K2 as the only rig for HF, and making those "bare bones" time
proven RF design improvements as well as some more subjective ones that
appeal to many of us: (general coverage, notch, pbt,adding a preselector,
analog meter, AM receive capability, optimization of the NB, cleaning the
spurs from the RX etc) can make the package just too good to be ignored by
the majority of the hams.

As for the radio being in a kit form, that is actually a HUGE selling point,
regardless of the time and effort required to build it since all hams that I
have met so far would really love to be able to build their radios instead
of buying a ready made appliance, provided that the result does not lack in
any significant RF design respect vs the commercially available units. And I
am not talking about a million gadgets that you rarely ever use in a rig,
but basic ant time proven options as the above mentioned.

This is almost a universal definition of a Ham: "he who likes to tinker"

One idea of maintaining serviceability, having excellent shielding between
boards and adding options to a complex rig like this is a modular design on
a basic motherboard, just like the TR-7, FT901 series etc. That way
individual modules can be constructed and tested separately, and many of
them can be purchased at a later time as the financial or operational
capability of the owner evolves.

The real problem is that there is a certain amount of "inertia" that has to
be overcome in the minds of the designers (and customers) before
consideration can be given to any significant changes and that can be a very
slow process.

Of course, the other possibility may be that the K2 in its current version
is designed to provide very reasonable performance while being simple enough
to maintain a good profit margin for Elecraft.
Nevertheless, an updated design does not necessarily have to be cheap (which
the K2/100 with options is not), and by gaining widespread acceptance
worldwide, profits can be improved even with a smaller profit margin per
unit.

Just some additional thoughts which for sure will create a lot of commotion
in the official mailing list....
I have absolutely no reservations about the remarkable achievements of the
Elecraft design team and I thank every and each one of them for giving us
the pleasure of building serious equipment, but evolution and improvement is
always good to happen even to the best things in life.

73,
Marinos, ki4gin.

>From: "Stricker, Michael" <[hidden email]>
>To: <[hidden email]>
>Subject: Can Elecraft take over the global HF ham radio business ?
>Date: Fri, 29 Apr 2005 08:08:40 -0400
>
>Hi Marinos,
>
>I'm not able to post to the board from work but I'll give you my input.
>
>I think that if you look at the numbers of K2's sold, it compares very
>favorably to several of the ICOM radios sold.  A couple of examples are the
>ICOM 765 sold only about 5500 units or so and that is considered an
>excellent contesting radio and is still sought.  That radio was
>manufactured for about 7 years.  The ICOM 756 had a run of a bit less than
>5000 and although it suffered from a faulty LCD display, it is still
>considered a decent radio.  That was made for 3 or 4 years before being
>updated to a pro.  The ICOM 775 sold fewer than 3000 units and that had a
>run of about 5 or 6 years.  And lastly, the 781 had a run of near 3000
>units for 6+ years.
>
>The K2 is 6 or 7 years old so it really is doing pretty well in the realm
>of high end radios.
>
>Personally, I think that it is nearing the end of product life cycle.  The
>QST report on the K2/100 DSP article summed it up quite eloquently in
>stating that there are only so many buttons available to do so many things
>and it is now becoming a task to operate all the features.  In my opinion,
>Elecraft would do well by offering the same basic design in a desktop
>variant so that they could make the controls easier to operate and allocate
>some of the menu driven functions to independent switch controls or
>potentiometer/variable controls.  The reality is that very few designs that
>would alter the RF performance would need to change to make it more
>appealing to a larger market.
>
>I'm interested in high performance receivers.  I have been through all of
>the aforementioned ICOMs and opted to procure a Drake R4C and perform all
>the Sherwood Engineering modifications.  That is an impressive piece of
>equipment.  I was going to wait to build a post 5000 serial number K2
>however, an opportunity presented itself to buy a very late model serial
>number K2 that was built up.  I figured that I'd rather evaluate one before
>putting in 50+ hours and finding out that I am not satisfied.
>
>So far my experience with my K2 is good.  It is certainly better than many
>receivers I've used in the past.  It certainly is not as convenient to use,
>however.  My R4C is better than the K2 and I expected that it would be.  I
>like the K2 and I would like it a lot more if it were a bigger radio with
>some independent controls.
>
>If the K2 was to "take over" I think that Elecraft would have to have an
>option of it being factory built.  Many people don't have the time to
>experiment with a radio to find that it isn't suitable for their purpose.  
>In my case, I wanted to be sure that I wanted this radio for the long term.
>  Now that I am, I will plan on selling my K2 in the future and building
>one myself...especially if Elecraft does make it larger.
>
>Just some ideas.
>
>Mike, WA1SEO

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[Craig Rairdin]

> As for the radio being in a kit form, that is actually a HUGE selling
> point, regardless of the time and effort required to build it since
> all hams that I have met so far would really love to be able to build
> their radios instead of buying a ready made appliance, provided that
> the result does not lack in any significant RF design respect vs the
> commercially available units. And I am not talking about a million
> gadgets that you rarely ever use in a rig, but basic ant time proven
> options as the above mentioned.

> This is almost a universal definition of a Ham: "he who likes to
> tinker"

> ...and by gaining widespread acceptance worldwide, profits can be
> improved even with a smaller profit margin per unit.

I think you're taking your preconceived ideas and projecting them onto
everyone else. YOU may enjoy building kits, but I don't think that's a
majority opinion. YOU may be one who likes to tinker with everything you
build or buy, but that's far from a majority opinion.

If being a kit is a HUGE selling point then we wouldn't be having this
discussion about what Elecraft could do to improve its market share. This
has to be the best kit radio out there, so by your definition it should be
in the market share lead. I frankly don't know if it is or isn't but am
assuming from the topic of discussion that it's not. So it can't be the case
that simply being a good kit is enough.

If I might project MY opinions onto a majority of hams (most of whom aren't
on this list, by the way) then I would say the universal definition of a ham
is closer to "one who wants more radio than he or she can afford".
Everything I've "tinkered" with is because I was too cheap/poor to buy
something that was good out of the box or that wasn't used and in need of
repair.

If I've learned anything in business it's that the best products don't
always win. The best *marketed* products win. This means things like
"brand", "price", "good looks", "consumer buzz" and "advertising budget" are
perhaps more important than "receiver sensitivity", "filter bandwidth" and
other measures of quality.

Craig
NZ0R
K1 #1966

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[N8LP]

My perspective is probably in a minority here, but here goes.

I didn't buy a K2 because I like building kits. I do a lot of building
and experimenting, and I want to use my time and skills to create new
things, not assemble kits. I bought my used K2 on ebay because I can
work on it. I have done some of the mods, and plan to develop my own
mods as needed to keep the rig viable for years to come as well .

When my TS850S started a slow death, almost every circuit that died was
not field repairable. My previous rig was a Drake TR7 which was field
repairable, but virtually all the Japanese radios are not designed so
that you could even operate the radio while having access to the boards.
I assume they have fixtures to allow factory  repair (or just replace
the boards).

I was determined to buy a rig this time that could be easily fixed with
minimum downtime or cost. Feature-wise the TS850S has more to offer, but
the Elecraft is easily the equal in terms of performance, and better in
receive. If Elecraft can make a K3 kit with more features, but still the
same level of serviceability and performance, then I'm all for it... but
if it loses those virtues, then it might as well be a Kenwood.

Larry N8LP



Craig Rairdin wrote:

>>As for the radio being in a kit form, that is actually a HUGE selling
>>point, regardless of the time and effort required to build it since
>>all hams that I have met so far would really love to be able to build
>>their radios instead of buying a ready made appliance, provided that
>>the result does not lack in any significant RF design respect vs the
>>commercially available units. And I am not talking about a million
>>gadgets that you rarely ever use in a rig, but basic ant time proven
>>options as the above mentioned.
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
>>This is almost a universal definition of a Ham: "he who likes to
>>tinker"
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
>>...and by gaining widespread acceptance worldwide, profits can be
>>improved even with a smaller profit margin per unit.
>>    
>>
>
>I think you're taking your preconceived ideas and projecting them onto
>everyone else. YOU may enjoy building kits, but I don't think that's a
>majority opinion. YOU may be one who likes to tinker with everything you
>build or buy, but that's far from a majority opinion.
>
>If being a kit is a HUGE selling point then we wouldn't be having this
>discussion about what Elecraft could do to improve its market share. This
>has to be the best kit radio out there, so by your definition it should be
>in the market share lead. I frankly don't know if it is or isn't but am
>assuming from the topic of discussion that it's not. So it can't be the case
>that simply being a good kit is enough.
>
>If I might project MY opinions onto a majority of hams (most of whom aren't
>on this list, by the way) then I would say the universal definition of a ham
>is closer to "one who wants more radio than he or she can afford".
>Everything I've "tinkered" with is because I was too cheap/poor to buy
>something that was good out of the box or that wasn't used and in need of
>repair.
>
>If I've learned anything in business it's that the best products don't
>always win. The best *marketed* products win. This means things like
>"brand", "price", "good looks", "consumer buzz" and "advertising budget" are
>perhaps more important than "receiver sensitivity", "filter bandwidth" and
>other measures of quality.
>
>Craig
>NZ0R
>K1 #1966
>
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>
>
>
>  
>

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[Darrell Bellerive]

On April 30, 2005 7:59 am, Craig Rairdin wrote:
> If I've learned anything in business it's that the best products don't
> always win. The best *marketed* products win. This means things like
> "brand", "price", "good looks", "consumer buzz" and "advertising budget"
> are perhaps more important than "receiver sensitivity", "filter bandwidth"
> and other measures of quality.
>

Craig et al,

This seems to be the trend with consumers, businesses, and shareholders today;
The best looking package with a huge feature list at a very low price. There
are those like myself who will buy quality, performance, and customer
service. However, I think though that I am in the minority. When I bought my
last cell phone, I picked the make and model with the best performing RF
section. If you want to see dumb looks, ask a cell phone representative about
RF specs.

It all depends on how one defines win. Most businesses define win to mean to
be the market leader, or most profitable, or have the highest earning per
share, however I firmly believe that this idea is wrong. I would much rather
deal with a company that makes a high quality product, and backs it up with
excellent customer service. If this same company can make a decent profit,
and can create some jobs then I consider them to have won.

Double digit growth and earnings per share only matter to accountants and
shareholders. And yes I would buy Elecraft shares if I could make a few
percent in dividends, even if the stock price didn't go up. I am in the
minority here too. As long as the market for Elecraft's products is large
enough to sustain the company, then Elecraft is doing just fine. They don't
need to dominate the ham radio business.

Once the marketers and accountants take over, the products became the same as  
everybody else makes, and cost reduction becomes the main design criteria.
Companies become focused on growth and earnings per share at the expense of
quality, customer service and jobs.

Thank you very much Eric and Wayne. While you may never make the Forbes top
500 list, I would consider Elecraft to be one of a handful of truly great
companies. Elecraft is a winner in my books!

Darrell

--
Darrell Bellerive
Amateur Radio Stations: VA7TO, VE7CLA
Grand Forks, British Columbia, Canada
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[EricJ-2]

I seem to be a hybrid ham. I like to tinker, build and experiment, but I
don't like building kits. I recently built a K1 (SN1976) to see if I'd like
to build a K2. I discovered I didn't like kit building. But I love the K1
and decided to buy a K2 already built that I am VERY happy with. But MOST of
my hamming free time is used designing and building. I'm working my way
through "Experimental Methods in RF Design" and breadboarding K1 circuits to
play with) and learning PIC programming. To me, kit building is kind of
boring (sorry, all).

Your last paragraph is right on the mark. I think Elecraft success came from
beginning with kits. It generated the "buzz" you spoke of. If it had been
just another off-the-shelf radio, it would have found itself competing
toe-to-toe with much better funded and better known products. As a kit, it
could play on the "resurrection of Heathkit" theme, and the novelty of a kit
that ended up outperforming $3,000 radios. The kit niche only goes so
far...the radios have to perform. And they do.

Either you said it in a paragraph I snipped or a previous posted said, at
some point they are going to have to start offering factory assembled
radios. And it remains to be seen whether a K2 in its present form can
successfully compete as a factory assembled radio. Ten Tec has struggled
along for many years; I wonder if they would have survived without their
non-amateur income.

If anyone on here is a sailor, you know what a character boat is. Ten Tec
and Elecraft are character boats in a sea of MacGregors, Columbias and
Catalinas. Character boats are beloved by the masses, but the masses don't
buy them. They buy MacGregors, and Columbias and Catalinas. The character
boat builders depend on developing a profitable, but smaller niche among
knowledgeable sailors. And some of them are highly successful if you measure
success in terms of a high quality product, enthusiastic customers and
respectable profit for its owners.

Personally, I think Elecraft management knows all this and is on the right
course.

Eric
KE6US



-----Original Message-----
YOU may be one who likes to tinker with everything you build or buy, but
that's far from a majority opinion.

If I might project MY opinions onto a majority of hams (most of whom aren't
on this list, by the way) then I would say the universal definition of a ham
is closer to "one who wants more radio than he or she can afford".
Everything I've "tinkered" with is because I was too cheap/poor to buy
something that was good out of the box or that wasn't used and in need of
repair.

If I've learned anything in business it's that the best products don't
always win. The best *marketed* products win. This means things like
"brand", "price", "good looks", "consumer buzz" and "advertising budget" are
perhaps more important than "receiver sensitivity", "filter bandwidth" and
other measures of quality.

Craig
NZ0R
K1 #1966

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[Andrey Stoev]

Hey guys,



Recently somebody was nice enough to post information about some LCD front
panel meters he found on internet (Thanks!!!). I thought that such meters
will be a nice addition to my KPA/KAT in EC2.

The front panel looks empty and it is only occupied by the LED indicators at
the bottom so there is a plenty of space. I got two meters from Martel
Electronics - QM-100V  (voltmeter 4 - 25V) and QM-110T (thermometer with
internal and external sensors, Fahrenheit or Celsius). The voltmeter shows
the voltage of the main supply and the thermometer shows the temperature of
the heatsink. The LCD meters are very nice and quick to install (just a 5mm
hole is needed). They are pretty accurate too - dead on with my recently
calibrated Fluke. Both meters can be calibrated if needed. The thermometer
can show the external temperature from a sensor which I installed on the
heatsink or the internal temperature from a build-in sensor. Both sensors
can be calibrated if needed (small adjustment screws on the back of the
meter). I left also space for future addition of an amp-meter, but it will
require pretty big shunt, which I might install in a separate box outside of
the EC2. I used different computer connectors (from an old motherboard) so
everything can be plugged or unplugged easy should I decide to move the
KPA100 into my K2. There is also a jumper on the back of the front panel to
switch the thermometer between F and C and EXT/INT sensor).

The voltmeter is also very useful with an adjustable power supply to get the
exact voltage for charging the SLA battery in K2

Here are some pictures - (sorry, didn't have time to write a HTML).

http://pages.cthome.net/itv/KPA100_LCD1.jpg
http://pages.cthome.net/itv/KPA100_LCD2.jpg
http://pages.cthome.net/itv/KPA100_LCD4.jpg
http://pages.cthome.net/itv/KPA100_LCD5.jpg

73s
Andrey E. Stoev
KB1FZA

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[Andrey Stoev]

The URL for the meters :
 http://www.marteltesttools.com/products.php?cat=113&action=detail&id=69

QM-100V
QM-110T

QM-130M or QM-140V might work for an amp-meter. Proper current sensing
resistor (shunt) will be needed and some other components.

The thermistor is from Mouser Part# 594-2322-640-63103

73s
Anrey E. Stoev
KB1FZA

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[aa7jc]

Before I solder the board in my K2...

My thermistor in my K2 PLL upgrade looks deformed (with a hole in it's
side?)
is it supposed to look like this?

see:

http://www.vtc.net/~ken/therm1.jpg

and

http://www.vtc.net/~ken/therm2.jpg


Thanks


Ken Lotts
aa7jc

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[aa7jc]

Thanks to all that replied.  
To be safe, I will contact "parts" for a replacement thermistor.

Ken aa7jc

-----Original Message-----
From: elecraft-bounces+ken=[hidden email]
[mailto:elecraft-bounces+ken=[hidden email]]On Behalf Of Ken
Lotts
Sent: Saturday, April 30, 2005 5:45 PM
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] Does this K2 PLL upgrade thermistor look OK?


Before I solder the board in my K2...

My thermistor in my K2 PLL upgrade looks deformed (with a hole in it's
side?)
is it supposed to look like this?

see:

http://www.vtc.net/~ken/therm1.jpg

and

http://www.vtc.net/~ken/therm2.jpg


Thanks


Ken Lotts
aa7jc

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[Sverre Holm]

-----Original Message-----
The URL for the meters :
 http://www.marteltesttools.com/products.php?cat=113&action=detail&id=69

QM-100V
QM-110T

QM-130M or QM-140V might work for an amp-meter. Proper current sensing
resistor (shunt) will be needed and some other components.
---------------
Nice idea with the KPA1100 metering. The KPA100 already has a current
sensing resistor in the 12V line: R7 0.005 ohms. At 20A it gives 100 mV, so
maybe it can be used?

73

Sverre
LA3ZA
http://www.qsl.net/la3za/
 

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[Nigel A. Gunn G8IFF/KC8NHF]

Most people, I would imagine, build primarily as a means of saving money.
There's no point in building something if I can buy something similar
for less money.

Craig Rairdin wrote:

>>As for the radio being in a kit form, that is actually a HUGE selling
>>point, regardless of the time and effort required to build it since
>>all hams that I have met so far would really love to be able to build
>>their radios instead of buying a ready made appliance,
>>

--
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Nigel A. Gunn. 59 Beadlemead, Milton Keynes, MK6 4HF, England.
Tel [phone]
e-mail [hidden email] or  [hidden email]
www    http://www.ngunn.net  or  http://www.ngunn.demon.co.uk
Amateur radio stations  G8IFF, KC8NHF
Member of  AMSAT-UK #182, ARRL, GQRP Club, QRPARCI, SOC #548  RAYNET
           Flying Pig #385, Dayton ARA #2128, AMSAT-NA  LM-1691,
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>


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[Stephen W. Kercel]

Nigel:

Actually, there are at least two points in building something even if one
could buy something similar for less money. 1) If you build it yourself,
you know the rig in a sense that never happens with purchased gear. 2)
Servicability; if you build it, you can probably fix it when it breaks, and
they all break eventually.

Speaking strictly for myself, in the case of the K2, I've seen numerous
postings on eBay for completed working K2s at good prices. I've never even
been tempted to bid. Although it is taking me a bit longer than I expected
it would to get set up to build a K2, I intend to build one as soon as I
can, and I would not dream of buying a finished K2. (At present, my main
rig is a Ten Tec Argosy, and the K2 is a more than worthy candidate to
replace it.)

Admittedly, I am not most people. Furthermore, I'd guess that the typical
members of the reflector are also not "most people" in this respect. After
all, we signed on in order to talk about building radios.  I'd be surprised
if most people on the reflector would prefer to buy than build.

73,

Steve
AA4AK


At 12:46 PM 5/1/2005 +0000, you wrote:

>Most people, I would imagine, build primarily as a means of saving money.
>There's no point in building something if I can buy something similar for
>less money.
>
>Craig Rairdin wrote:
>
>>>As for the radio being in a kit form, that is actually a HUGE selling
>>>point, regardless of the time and effort required to build it since all
>>>hams that I have met so far would really love to be able to build their
>>>radios instead of buying a ready made appliance,
>
>--
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
>Nigel A. Gunn. 59 Beadlemead, Milton Keynes, MK6 4HF, England. Tel +44
>(0)1908 604004
>e-mail [hidden email] or  [hidden email]
>www    http://www.ngunn.net  or  http://www.ngunn.demon.co.uk
>Amateur radio stations  G8IFF, KC8NHF
>Member of  AMSAT-UK #182, ARRL, GQRP Club, QRPARCI, SOC #548  RAYNET
>           Flying Pig #385, Dayton ARA #2128, AMSAT-NA  LM-1691,
><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
>
>
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[WA2SI]

> Most people, I would imagine, build primarily as a means of saving money.
> There's no point in building something if I can buy something similar for
> less money.

I disagree. I think many build for the enjoyment of the actual building
process. I do believe that many would opt for the "plug-n-play" version due
to time constraints though.

Vy 73 de Bert
WA2SI
FISTS #9384/CC #1736
QRP ARCI #11782

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[Andrey Stoev]

Hi Sverre,

You are absolutly right! I totally forgot about the current sensor in
KPA100 - i havent looked at the schematics for awhile. I think i can even
use the I SENSE signal which already has swing 0-5V. Using an op-amp buffer
with high impedance input should not affect the signal and than it is a
matter of an adjustable voltage divider to get it down to 0-1V (QM-130V).
Peak-holding feature might be a good ideas since QM-130V samples 10 times
per sec and its not difficult to add. QM-130V has 9 segments so choosing
swing 0 to 27A will result in an exact 3A per unit display - should be
accurate enough to detect current anomalies at high power levels..
Small PCB attached to the back of the front panel should do the trick. Now I
have to find time to build it :-)

73s

----- Original Message -----
From: "Sverre Holm" <[hidden email]>
To: "'Andrey Stoev'" <[hidden email]>
Cc: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2005 5:25 AM
Subject: RE: [Elecraft] LCD Voltmeter mod for KPA100/KAT100 in EC2

> -----Original Message-----
> The URL for the meters :
> http://www.marteltesttools.com/products.php?cat=113&action=detail&id=69
>
> QM-100V
> QM-110T
>
> QM-130M or QM-140V might work for an amp-meter. Proper current sensing
> resistor (shunt) will be needed and some other components.
> ---------------
> Nice idea with the KPA1100 metering. The KPA100 already has a current
> sensing resistor in the 12V line: R7 0.005 ohms. At 20A it gives 100 mV,
> so
> maybe it can be used?
>
> 73
>
> Sverre
> LA3ZA
> http://www.qsl.net/la3za/
>
>

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[Paul Bruneau]

On May 1, 2005, at 8:46 AM, Nigel KC8NHF/G8IFF wrote:

> Most people, I would imagine, build primarily as a means of saving
> money.
> There's no point in building something if I can buy something similar
> for less money.

Greetings Nigel-

I can't argue with you because I don't have any stats (just like you),
but for me, the only reason I chose the K2 was because I could build it
myself. I could have bought used kenwoods all day on ebay for 1/3 the
money and been on the air in minutes. I thought about spending that
extra $300-$400 long and hard.

I imagine this conversation comes up on the list about 4 times a year,
so why reply? It's hard for me to read someone's theory that goes so
completely against my own experience and not respond. It's definitely a
weakness. For that I apologize!

KB8NMZ
K2 #4818

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[Nigel A. Gunn G8IFF/KC8NHF]

Sokay Paul, you're entitled to voice an opinion.
It must also be remembered that most amateurs are not on this reflector.
Most of those here will be keen constructors. I tend to buy the rig,
pull it apart to see how it works (or doesn't work, after I've finished
with it) and build the accessories/install the mods.
I've currently got a T1 on order to go inside the FT-817.

Paul Bruneau wrote:

>
> I imagine this conversation comes up on the list about 4 times a year,
> so why reply? It's hard for me to read someone's theory that goes so
> completely against my own experience and not respond. It's definitely
> a weakness. For that I apologize!
>
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Nigel A. Gunn. 59 Beadlemead, Milton Keynes, MK6 4HF, England.
Tel [phone]
e-mail [hidden email] or  [hidden email]
www    http://www.ngunn.net  or  http://www.ngunn.demon.co.uk
Amateur radio stations  G8IFF, KC8NHF
Member of  AMSAT-UK #182, ARRL, GQRP Club, QRPARCI, SOC #548  RAYNET
           Flying Pig #385, Dayton ARA #2128, AMSAT-NA  LM-1691,
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>


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[Ron D'Eau Claire-2]

Nigel KC8NHF/G8IFF wrote:
Most people, I would imagine, build primarily as a means of saving money.
There's no point in building something if I can buy something similar for
less money.

----------------------------

But there is a point: it's fun.

It might be fun sitting at the controls of the latest "Mega-blaster" rig
from one of the appliance companies, swinging the beam around on top of the
30-meter pole working DX, running up a top score in a contest or keeping a
sked with a buddy.

It might be fun patiently calculating voltages and current, working out a
likely circuit, then assembling circuit after circuit until we have
something uniquely ours that works.

It might be fun following along carefully the instructions in a kit and
marveling that it actually works when we're done.

For some, having fun is having a rig with state-of-the art performance. A
competent engineer with access to a well-equipped lab and plenty of time and
money can almost always get a better rig building instead of buying. It
takes a lot of knowledge, time and resources. For anyone who does not have
all three, it gets more difficult.

Sometimes a kit can provide a better price/performance ratio than an
appliance, as Nigel alluded to. Over the years I'm sure that kits have
provided rigs with performance and price that many operators could never
have found any other way.

Elecraft succeeded in doing that with the K2. Not only is it a kit, it is an
acknowledged top performer on the HF bands.

That's a very useful reason for building a kit. Sometimes that reason gets
lost among all the builders for whom the goal of building a kit is the joy
of putting a box of parts together and seeing it work.

Like the reason we do just about anything else in our hobby, there are many
different reasons for doing what we do instead of picking up a telephone or
logging onto the internet.

Ron AC7AC



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[Tom Arntzen]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Ron D'Eau Claire" <[hidden email]>
To: "'Elecraft Mail'" <[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, May 01, 2005 6:53 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] What's the Point? (WAS: RE: Can Elecraft take over...)


Nigel KC8NHF/G8IFF wrote:
Most people, I would imagine, build primarily as a means of saving money.
There's no point in building something if I can buy something similar for
less money.

----------------------------

But there is a point: it's fun.

------------------------------

And there is also another point....

The K1 is a truly remarkable rig that is it's only kind providing ultra low
currentdraw , up to four bands and buildt in ATU.
With those specs the K1 is inexpencive.

The K2 gives the same just more of it.
I don't know of any other rigs that is selfsupplied with so large battery
and so high power output.

What I say is that most of elecraft products is unike and has special values
for the people choosing this rigs.
Taking in account all aspects for K2 and any other rig they can't be
compared because of this.

Tom LA1PHA


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[Mike Morrow-3]

Tom wrote:

>The K1 is a truly remarkable rig that is it's only kind providing ultra low
>currentdraw , up to four bands and buildt in ATU.
>With those specs the K1 is inexpencive.
>
>The K2 gives the same just more of it.


If portable operation is not an issue, it is possible to find a commercially
built rig that is the general performance equivalent to the K2.  But that
rig, like the K2, will *not* be a backpacking radio.  The same cannot be
said of the K1.  There is no rig available anywhere else that matches the
features of the K1 for portable ops.  Had there been, I'd have bought that,
for I don't really get much mental stimulation from hours and hours of
soldering and clipping resistor and capacitor leads on a PCB.

It's good to hear that Elecraft will offer more products that are ready to
go.

73,
Mike / KK5F

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[aa7jc]

Build to save money ?

Not at my house..



Ken aa7jc

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