Rig choices

[Edward R Cole]

Lu,

You have voiced well the decision process I went thru for arriving at
the K3 as my choice.  My last Kenwood was the TS-180S (1981) and I
liked it quite well.  It only had four memories (one of the first
synth rigs) but the receiver was very quiet on 80m.  Alast, I
connected the B+ backward, fired the final transistors, and sold it a
couple years later (1992).

I have had a TenTec "Sixty", FT-840, and FT-847(still) since
then.  The FT-840 had a good receiver and excellent NB but was traded
to get the 847.  The 847 was bought for VHF & satellites; HF is
mediocre (well known).  The control layout on the 847 is tighter by a
factor of 0.75:1 of the K3 so I find the K3 size just about perfect
for at home or on the road.  I have a FT-817, that is my microwave IF
(portable) radio, for hauling up to hill-tops, but the K3/10 is light
enough to replace it someday.

Oh, yeah: started ham radio with HQ-100/DX-35 and built a SX-110
(loved those Heathkits).  Now I build my own, pretty much. Assembling
a TenTec 1208 6m xvtr that has sat on the shelf for a few years (will
be offering it on e-bay).  Then I shall begin work on the CCI 300w
HFA kit.  I just purchased a 150w 6m linear for the K3.

73, Ed - KL7UW

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

Message: 10
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2010 07:28:22 -0400
From: "Lu Romero" <[hidden email]>
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] WRTC - Rig choices for the contest explained!
To: juergen
         <[hidden email]>,[hidden email],[hidden email]
Message-ID: <[hidden email]>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Sure its all meaningless!  Its only Ham Radio!  But rig
selection is such a personal thing!  The winners must be
extremely talented operators to win using FT450's!  Imagine
what they would have done with a real radio :)

On the K3, I look at it the other way.

A 7800/7700 would have collapsed my operating table.  I
really dont want to call my neighbor to help me lift it out
of the shipping crate.

I wanted something small with high performance.  I used to
have a house full of Heathkits, built all of them, and
really miss the kit building experience.  I wanted something
that resembled my Kenwood rigs which I have owned for the
past 25 years in operating logic.  I wanted something that I
would not be afraid to open up and modify myself.  I wanted
something with reasonable performance at a reasonable cost.
Im not in this to impress my friends with my financial
ability, Im in this to make QSO's and have fun and still be
able to take my family to dinner out and go on vacation.  My
7800 owning friends all have a leather jacket they got for
"free" with their rig they cant wear in Florida.  I have a
Elecraft K3 button that I can pin on my name tag that I got
for free at the Orlando Hamcation.

If Kenwood had had something worth using, the decision would
have been easy.  I would have looked there first.  I have a
long history with Kenwood (TS520 to TS570 over 25 years),
and I love their ergonomics.  Im not a fan of Yaesu and I
tolerate Icom and TenTec ergonomics.  If I could have bought
a TS950SDX new in the box, I would have.  But its 15 year
old technology now.  I will seriously look at the TS590 when
its released to replace my TS570.  If the performace/price
ratio is what they say it is, it will make a formidable
second rig for me (and keep me in Kenwoods).

My club has a 7700.  Four of my friends have 7800'ds.  Nice
rigs, but I have two kids in college and I have a hard time
justifying spending eleven grand on a rig because I have to
have a "real" second receiver for my main radio.  Plus its
so damn big and heavy!

I struggled with Flex 5000 vs K3 for a long time.  Do I
really need to replace my beloved 14 year old TS850?  K3 won
out because of its form factor and its upgradeability.  I
like the fact that its small and light.  I rarely touch
knobs other than the volume, RF gain and bandwidth controls
and the VFO.  Everything else is done through my logger
computer.  But I STILL have knobs to twirl when I dont have
a computer running.  And I dont have to be at the mercy of
Windows to run my radio.  Its size is not a problem to me,
its knobs are big enough and its form factor simplicity is
beautiful in its own way.  I am still debating a P3... Do I
even need the features of a band scope?  When I use Icoms, I
hardly ever look at the scope, I use my ears and that big
knob in the center of the panel to find multipliers.

In my book, K3 was the perfect compromise between
performance form factor cost and utility.

That is the glory of life!  We have choices!

-lu-



73, Ed - KL7UW, WD2XSH/45
======================================
BP40IQ   500 KHz - 10-GHz   www.kl7uw.com
EME: 144-QRT*, 432-100w, 1296-QRT*, 3400-fall 2010
DUBUS Magazine USA Rep [hidden email]
======================================
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