The Phone Call
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I didn't actually make a call but after meeting Elecraft at Hamvention, my reaction was similar. Did not actually meet the top brass but one of their salespeople was able to tell me more about sorting out my antenna situation than many others combined. 73 Fred AC9RQ >>> I just read the Elecraft December Newsletter, so I made a quick phone call. It's still morning over there. Big Radio Company: How may I direct your call? Me: Yes, hello, I'd like to speak to your CTO. BRC: Oh, I'm sorry sir, but I can't do that. Me: How about a co-founder? BRC: No... Me: Why not? I'm about to buy a new radio, and it's down to Elecraft and you guys, and Elecraft says I can go hang out with one of the big wigs and play radio, so I'm calling you to see if you'll match that offer. You know, maybe I can come over and hang out in your ham station -- you do have a station, don't you?-- and your big wig can come out and have a soda with me, and we can trade stories and shoot the breeze and then call CQ on 20. Yeah? BRC: No, sir, I'm sorry. <lowering her voice> To tell you the truth... we don't even *know* who the CTO is. Me:? Excuse me? BRC: We see important-looking people pass by all the time, but we don't actually know which one is the CTO. We're a big conglomerate now. Me: Well, maybe you can find someone under him, like the VP of engineering. I'd like to meet him. Or her. BRC: Oh, no. That's not possible. <lowering her voice again>. You see, he doesn't actually design any of our products. He has a team working under him, and they do all the work. <pausing> He does select the knobs that go on the radios, though. Me: The chief knob-picker, eh? Gee, I was hoping for someone who knows how to match impedance, or optimize a sigmoid response. Got any amplifier experts? BRC: Not really. Me: AGC gurus? BRC: Not that I know of. Me: Anybody who solders? BRC: Oh, yes! You could have lunch with Maria. She's our absolute best solderer. Me: Can she dig a signal out of the noise? Does she like hiking? BRC: <silence> Me: Never mind. You know, I'm glad I called you. I think my mind is made up. Good-bye and thank you! BRC: Good day, sir, and thank you for calling. Al? W6LX <<< ______________________________________________________________ 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 Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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Fortunately, there are a lot of Ham Radio companies that you can
actually reach out to to the developers and who are active hams. It isn't limited to just this one. Mike va3mw On Wed, Dec 11, 2019 at 1:47 PM Fred Soop <[hidden email]> wrote: > > I didn't actually make a call but after meeting Elecraft at Hamvention, my > reaction was similar. Did not actually meet the top brass but one of their > salespeople was able to tell me more about sorting out my antenna situation > than many others combined. > > 73 > Fred AC9RQ > > >>> > I just read the Elecraft December Newsletter, so I made a quick phone > call. It's still morning over there. > > Big Radio Company: How may I direct your call? > Me: Yes, hello, I'd like to speak to your CTO. > BRC: Oh, I'm sorry sir, but I can't do that. > Me: How about a co-founder? > BRC: No... > Me: Why not? I'm about to buy a new radio, and it's down to Elecraft and > you guys, and Elecraft says I can go hang out with one of the big wigs and > play radio, so I'm calling you to see if you'll match that offer. You know, > maybe I can come over and hang out in your ham station -- you do have a > station, don't you?-- and your big wig can come out and have a soda with > me, and we can trade stories and shoot the breeze and then call CQ on 20. > Yeah? > BRC: No, sir, I'm sorry. <lowering her voice> To tell you the truth... we > don't even *know* who the CTO is. > Me:? Excuse me? > BRC: We see important-looking people pass by all the time, but we don't > actually know which one is the CTO. We're a big conglomerate now. > Me: Well, maybe you can find someone under him, like the VP of > engineering. I'd like to meet him. Or her. > BRC: Oh, no. That's not possible. <lowering her voice again>. You see, he > doesn't actually design any of our products. He has a team working under > him, and they do all the work. <pausing> He does select the knobs that go > on the radios, though. > Me: The chief knob-picker, eh? Gee, I was hoping for someone who knows how > to match impedance, or optimize a sigmoid response. Got any amplifier > experts? > BRC: Not really. > Me: AGC gurus? > BRC: Not that I know of. > Me: Anybody who solders? > BRC: Oh, yes! You could have lunch with Maria. She's our absolute best > solderer. > Me: Can she dig a signal out of the noise? Does she like hiking? > BRC: <silence> > Me: Never mind. You know, I'm glad I called you. I think my mind is made > up. Good-bye and thank you! > BRC: Good day, sir, and thank you for calling. > > Al? W6LX > <<< > ______________________________________________________________ > 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 > Message delivered to [hidden email] > 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 Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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Mike,
Actually, that really hasn't been my experience except Elecraft and Tentec which is no longer in business. I remember a call to Elecraft around 2100L EST when I ran into trouble when building my K2. The tech answered the phone and we spent about an hour trouble shooting a test that wasn't right. It turned out to be a bad capacitor, BUT the tech was the designer, Wayne. My experience with Elecraft has been over the top, but dealing directly with the developer has been something else. 73, Barry K3NDM ------ Original Message ------ From: "Michael Walker" <[hidden email]> To: "Fred Soop" <[hidden email]> Cc: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> Sent: 12/11/2019 1:50:55 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The Phone Call >Fortunately, there are a lot of Ham Radio companies that you can >actually reach out to to the developers and who are active hams. > >It isn't limited to just this one. > >Mike va3mw > > >On Wed, Dec 11, 2019 at 1:47 PM Fred Soop <[hidden email]> wrote: > >> >> I didn't actually make a call but after meeting Elecraft at Hamvention, my >> reaction was similar. Did not actually meet the top brass but one of their >> salespeople was able to tell me more about sorting out my antenna situation >> than many others combined. >> >> 73 >> Fred AC9RQ >> >> >>> >> I just read the Elecraft December Newsletter, so I made a quick phone >> call. It's still morning over there. >> >> Big Radio Company: How may I direct your call? >> Me: Yes, hello, I'd like to speak to your CTO. >> BRC: Oh, I'm sorry sir, but I can't do that. >> Me: How about a co-founder? >> BRC: No... >> Me: Why not? I'm about to buy a new radio, and it's down to Elecraft and >> you guys, and Elecraft says I can go hang out with one of the big wigs and >> play radio, so I'm calling you to see if you'll match that offer. You know, >> maybe I can come over and hang out in your ham station -- you do have a >> station, don't you?-- and your big wig can come out and have a soda with >> me, and we can trade stories and shoot the breeze and then call CQ on 20. >> Yeah? >> BRC: No, sir, I'm sorry. <lowering her voice> To tell you the truth... we >> don't even *know* who the CTO is. >> Me:? Excuse me? >> BRC: We see important-looking people pass by all the time, but we don't >> actually know which one is the CTO. We're a big conglomerate now. >> Me: Well, maybe you can find someone under him, like the VP of >> engineering. I'd like to meet him. Or her. >> BRC: Oh, no. That's not possible. <lowering her voice again>. You see, he >> doesn't actually design any of our products. He has a team working under >> him, and they do all the work. <pausing> He does select the knobs that go >> on the radios, though. >> Me: The chief knob-picker, eh? Gee, I was hoping for someone who knows how >> to match impedance, or optimize a sigmoid response. Got any amplifier >> experts? >> BRC: Not really. >> Me: AGC gurus? >> BRC: Not that I know of. >> Me: Anybody who solders? >> BRC: Oh, yes! You could have lunch with Maria. She's our absolute best >> solderer. >> Me: Can she dig a signal out of the noise? Does she like hiking? >> BRC: <silence> >> Me: Never mind. You know, I'm glad I called you. I think my mind is made >> up. Good-bye and thank you! >> BRC: Good day, sir, and thank you for calling. >> >> Al? W6LX >> <<< >> ______________________________________________________________ >> 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 >> Message delivered to [hidden email] >> >______________________________________________________________ >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 >Message delivered to [hidden email] ______________________________________________________________ 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 Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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Keep in mind, what you experienced does not scale in business.
Image if 50% of Elecraft’s customers wanted to call today and talk to Wayne or Eric. That would not allow him to be working on the K4 or other new special stuff. This is why they all have staff. :) Mike va3mw > On Dec 11, 2019, at 2:18 PM, Barry <[hidden email]> wrote: > > Mike, > > Actually, that really hasn't been my experience except Elecraft and Tentec which is no longer in business. I remember a call to Elecraft around 2100L EST when I ran into trouble when building my K2. The tech answered the phone and we spent about an hour trouble shooting a test that wasn't right. It turned out to be a bad capacitor, BUT the tech was the designer, Wayne. My experience with Elecraft has been over the top, but dealing directly with the developer has been something else. > > 73, > Barry > K3NDM > > ------ Original Message ------ > From: "Michael Walker" <[hidden email]> > To: "Fred Soop" <[hidden email]> > Cc: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> > Sent: 12/11/2019 1:50:55 PM > Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The Phone Call > >> Fortunately, there are a lot of Ham Radio companies that you can >> actually reach out to to the developers and who are active hams. >> >> It isn't limited to just this one. >> >> Mike va3mw >> >> >>> On Wed, Dec 11, 2019 at 1:47 PM Fred Soop <[hidden email]> wrote: >>> >>> >>> I didn't actually make a call but after meeting Elecraft at Hamvention, my >>> reaction was similar. Did not actually meet the top brass but one of their >>> salespeople was able to tell me more about sorting out my antenna situation >>> than many others combined. >>> >>> 73 >>> Fred AC9RQ >>> >>> >>> >>> I just read the Elecraft December Newsletter, so I made a quick phone >>> call. It's still morning over there. >>> >>> Big Radio Company: How may I direct your call? >>> Me: Yes, hello, I'd like to speak to your CTO. >>> BRC: Oh, I'm sorry sir, but I can't do that. >>> Me: How about a co-founder? >>> BRC: No... >>> Me: Why not? I'm about to buy a new radio, and it's down to Elecraft and >>> you guys, and Elecraft says I can go hang out with one of the big wigs and >>> play radio, so I'm calling you to see if you'll match that offer. You know, >>> maybe I can come over and hang out in your ham station -- you do have a >>> station, don't you?-- and your big wig can come out and have a soda with >>> me, and we can trade stories and shoot the breeze and then call CQ on 20. >>> Yeah? >>> BRC: No, sir, I'm sorry. <lowering her voice> To tell you the truth... we >>> don't even *know* who the CTO is. >>> Me:? Excuse me? >>> BRC: We see important-looking people pass by all the time, but we don't >>> actually know which one is the CTO. We're a big conglomerate now. >>> Me: Well, maybe you can find someone under him, like the VP of >>> engineering. I'd like to meet him. Or her. >>> BRC: Oh, no. That's not possible. <lowering her voice again>. You see, he >>> doesn't actually design any of our products. He has a team working under >>> him, and they do all the work. <pausing> He does select the knobs that go >>> on the radios, though. >>> Me: The chief knob-picker, eh? Gee, I was hoping for someone who knows how >>> to match impedance, or optimize a sigmoid response. Got any amplifier >>> experts? >>> BRC: Not really. >>> Me: AGC gurus? >>> BRC: Not that I know of. >>> Me: Anybody who solders? >>> BRC: Oh, yes! You could have lunch with Maria. She's our absolute best >>> solderer. >>> Me: Can she dig a signal out of the noise? Does she like hiking? >>> BRC: <silence> >>> Me: Never mind. You know, I'm glad I called you. I think my mind is made >>> up. Good-bye and thank you! >>> BRC: Good day, sir, and thank you for calling. >>> >>> Al? W6LX >>> <<< >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> 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 >>> Message delivered to [hidden email] >>> >> ______________________________________________________________ >> 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 >> Message delivered to [hidden email] > 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 Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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In reply to this post by Barry LaZar
My own recent experience has been a good example. Am I an Elecraft customer? Yes but the only thing I bought directly from the company was a T1 tuner which is not a big ticket item. Actually with that I had a question during the build I sent to tech support. I wanted to know about the design choices because it didn't make a lot of sense to me that a device like that be designed to match pretty low impedances like a short vertical, in any case I wanted to use it for tuning end fed half waves so I wanted to replace the capacitors with smaller values to optimize that intended use. Next thing I know I am emailing with the designer. That surprised me. Recently Wayne again was helping me with sorting out the audio artifacts I was having on my KX3. I have a KX3, PX3 and 100 watt amp now but I didn't buy any of that stuff directly from Elecraft, but that didn't matter in terms of the support I got from the company. That kind of customer support is the sort of thing that stic
ks in memory. I am just re-entering this hobby after a couple of decades away and I have no idea at this point if I may one day decide to buy a rig in the class of the K4 but if I ever find myself considering an option like that one day, my experiences with this company will certainly inform my decision making process. Joe ve3vxo ________________________________ From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]> on behalf of Barry <[hidden email]> Sent: December 11, 2019 2:18 PM To: Michael Walker; Fred Soop Cc: [hidden email] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The Phone Call Mike, Actually, that really hasn't been my experience except Elecraft and Tentec which is no longer in business. I remember a call to Elecraft around 2100L EST when I ran into trouble when building my K2. The tech answered the phone and we spent about an hour trouble shooting a test that wasn't right. It turned out to be a bad capacitor, BUT the tech was the designer, Wayne. My experience with Elecraft has been over the top, but dealing directly with the developer has been something else. 73, Barry K3NDM ______________________________________________________________ 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 Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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In reply to this post by Michael Walker
Mike,
I was surprised to find who I was speaking to, but I do agree with you that it wouldn't be overly productive for Wayne. But, on the other hand in his case, I suspect he doesn't sleep. With his having to do what he does for Elecraft, I wonder how he has the time to play with the toys, test out his developments, etc. However, I am really glad there is someone in the company like him. 73, Barry K3NDM ------ Original Message ------ From: "Michael Walker" <[hidden email]> To: "Barry" <[hidden email]> Cc: "Fred Soop" <[hidden email]>; "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> Sent: 12/11/2019 2:39:57 PM Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The Phone Call >Keep in mind, what you experienced does not scale in business. > >Image if 50% of Elecraft’s customers wanted to call today and talk to Wayne or Eric. That would not allow him to be working on the K4 or other new special stuff. > >This is why they all have staff. :) > >Mike va3mw > >> On Dec 11, 2019, at 2:18 PM, Barry <[hidden email]> wrote: >> >> Mike, >> >> Actually, that really hasn't been my experience except Elecraft and Tentec which is no longer in business. I remember a call to Elecraft around 2100L EST when I ran into trouble when building my K2. The tech answered the phone and we spent about an hour trouble shooting a test that wasn't right. It turned out to be a bad capacitor, BUT the tech was the designer, Wayne. My experience with Elecraft has been over the top, but dealing directly with the developer has been something else. >> >> 73, >> Barry >> K3NDM >> >> ------ Original Message ------ >> From: "Michael Walker" <[hidden email]> >> To: "Fred Soop" <[hidden email]> >> Cc: "[hidden email]" <[hidden email]> >> Sent: 12/11/2019 1:50:55 PM >> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The Phone Call >> >>> Fortunately, there are a lot of Ham Radio companies that you can >>> actually reach out to to the developers and who are active hams. >>> >>> It isn't limited to just this one. >>> >>> Mike va3mw >>> >>> >>>> On Wed, Dec 11, 2019 at 1:47 PM Fred Soop <[hidden email]> wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> I didn't actually make a call but after meeting Elecraft at Hamvention, my >>>> reaction was similar. Did not actually meet the top brass but one of their >>>> salespeople was able to tell me more about sorting out my antenna situation >>>> than many others combined. >>>> >>>> 73 >>>> Fred AC9RQ >>>> >>>> >>> >>>> I just read the Elecraft December Newsletter, so I made a quick phone >>>> call. It's still morning over there. >>>> >>>> Big Radio Company: How may I direct your call? >>>> Me: Yes, hello, I'd like to speak to your CTO. >>>> BRC: Oh, I'm sorry sir, but I can't do that. >>>> Me: How about a co-founder? >>>> BRC: No... >>>> Me: Why not? I'm about to buy a new radio, and it's down to Elecraft and >>>> you guys, and Elecraft says I can go hang out with one of the big wigs and >>>> play radio, so I'm calling you to see if you'll match that offer. You know, >>>> maybe I can come over and hang out in your ham station -- you do have a >>>> station, don't you?-- and your big wig can come out and have a soda with >>>> me, and we can trade stories and shoot the breeze and then call CQ on 20. >>>> Yeah? >>>> BRC: No, sir, I'm sorry. <lowering her voice> To tell you the truth... we >>>> don't even *know* who the CTO is. >>>> Me:? Excuse me? >>>> BRC: We see important-looking people pass by all the time, but we don't >>>> actually know which one is the CTO. We're a big conglomerate now. >>>> Me: Well, maybe you can find someone under him, like the VP of >>>> engineering. I'd like to meet him. Or her. >>>> BRC: Oh, no. That's not possible. <lowering her voice again>. You see, he >>>> doesn't actually design any of our products. He has a team working under >>>> him, and they do all the work. <pausing> He does select the knobs that go >>>> on the radios, though. >>>> Me: The chief knob-picker, eh? Gee, I was hoping for someone who knows how >>>> to match impedance, or optimize a sigmoid response. Got any amplifier >>>> experts? >>>> BRC: Not really. >>>> Me: AGC gurus? >>>> BRC: Not that I know of. >>>> Me: Anybody who solders? >>>> BRC: Oh, yes! You could have lunch with Maria. She's our absolute best >>>> solderer. >>>> Me: Can she dig a signal out of the noise? Does she like hiking? >>>> BRC: <silence> >>>> Me: Never mind. You know, I'm glad I called you. I think my mind is made >>>> up. Good-bye and thank you! >>>> BRC: Good day, sir, and thank you for calling. >>>> >>>> Al? W6LX >>>> <<< >>>> ______________________________________________________________ >>>> 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 >>>> Message delivered to [hidden email] >>>> >>> ______________________________________________________________ >>> 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 >>> Message delivered to [hidden email] >> ______________________________________________________________ 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 Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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In reply to this post by Joseph Street
A personal account
I did up front pay for a K4 based on the customer service, quality, and a recommendation of N1MGO. This type of attention to detail and service is unheard of these days Ken. WB8PKK Sent from Yahoo Mail on Android On Wed, Dec 11, 2019 at 3:09 PM, Joseph Street<[hidden email]> wrote: My own recent experience has been a good example. Am I an Elecraft customer? Yes but the only thing I bought directly from the company was a T1 tuner which is not a big ticket item. Actually with that I had a question during the build I sent to tech support. I wanted to know about the design choices because it didn't make a lot of sense to me that a device like that be designed to match pretty low impedances like a short vertical, in any case I wanted to use it for tuning end fed half waves so I wanted to replace the capacitors with smaller values to optimize that intended use. Next thing I know I am emailing with the designer. That surprised me. Recently Wayne again was helping me with sorting out the audio artifacts I was having on my KX3. I have a KX3, PX3 and 100 watt amp now but I didn't buy any of that stuff directly from Elecraft, but that didn't matter in terms of the support I got from the company. That kind of customer support is the sort of thing that stic ks in memory. I am just re-entering this hobby after a couple of decades away and I have no idea at this point if I may one day decide to buy a rig in the class of the K4 but if I ever find myself considering an option like that one day, my experiences with this company will certainly inform my decision making process. Joe ve3vxo ________________________________ From: [hidden email] <[hidden email]> on behalf of Barry <[hidden email]> Sent: December 11, 2019 2:18 PM To: Michael Walker; Fred Soop Cc: [hidden email] Subject: Re: [Elecraft] The Phone Call Mike, Actually, that really hasn't been my experience except Elecraft and Tentec which is no longer in business. I remember a call to Elecraft around 2100L EST when I ran into trouble when building my K2. The tech answered the phone and we spent about an hour trouble shooting a test that wasn't right. It turned out to be a bad capacitor, BUT the tech was the designer, Wayne. My experience with Elecraft has been over the top, but dealing directly with the developer has been something else. 73, Barry K3NDM ______________________________________________________________ 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 Message delivered to [hidden email] ______________________________________________________________ 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 Message delivered to [hidden email] |
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