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kit building or buy ready for use

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"Volker Wächter"

kit building or buy ready for use

Hello @ all,

I do not know what most of you did.
As many others, I am also interested in a K3 Trx.

what do you recommend ?

do-it yourself an purchase a kit, or buy it ready for use ?

as far as I know, elecreft points out that a complete ESD equipment is
strictly recommended.

what did you do ?

73 de Volker, DD1VW
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Dave, G4AON

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

The K3 kit needs an anti-static wrist strap and mat, they need not be
expensive and will be useful for other tasks. You also need a small
selection of basic hand tools (screwdrivers, pliers, etc), a low cost
digital multi-meter to check for shorts and a 50 Ohm load rated to cope
with the maximum output of your particular K3 kit. Nothing out of the
ordinary for a typical ham shack. The only soldering required is to fit
the Anderson Power Pole connectors on the power lead.

Alignment is semi automatic with the K3 utility program.

Assembly/testing time around 4 ~ 5 hours depending on options.

I have worked in electronics all my working life, but other builders are
not "in the trade" and find assembly straightforward. You can download
and read the manual before making a choice.

73 Dave, G4AON
K3/100 #80 (from Nov 2007)
============
I do not know what most of you did.
As many others, I am also interested in a K3 Trx.

what do you recommend ?
do-it yourself an purchase a kit, or buy it ready for use ?

as far as I know, elecreft points out that a complete ESD equipment is
strictly recommended.

what did you do ?
73 de Volker, DD1VW
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Bob Maser

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by "Volker Wächter"

I bought mine already assembled. Good thing because when I had problems
with audio distortion, the first thing they asked me was did I build it. No
was the good answer.

Bob W6TR
----- Original Message -----
From: ""Volker Wächter"" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 2:03 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] kit building or buy ready for use

> Hello @ all,
>
> I do not know what most of you did.
> As many others, I am also interested in a K3 Trx.
>
> what do you recommend ?
>
> do-it yourself an purchase a kit, or buy it ready for use ?
>
> as far as I know, elecreft points out that a complete ESD equipment is
> strictly recommended.
>
> what did you do ?
>
> 73 de Volker, DD1VW
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
>

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Rick Tavan N6XI

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by "Volker Wächter"

My first K3 was a field test unit. They were all factory assembled so
Elecraft could learn what they needed to write the assembly manual. My
second K3 was a kit and I enjoyed building it very much. The manual is very
clear. With almost all options it took about 10-12 hours to build and check
out. You need minimal skills to build it and the warranty is the same as a
factory-assembled unit. But you learn a lot about the rig and you won't be
afraid to partially disassemble it in the future if you need to replace a
module. For this extra education and experience they actually charge a lower
price! For me it was an easy choice.

I recommend the factory-assembled option only for hams can not read simple
English or who have physical coordination problems, fear of electronics or
extremely busy lives.

Either way, though, you will enjoy operating your K3!

73,

/Rick

On 12/20/09, "Volker Wächter" <[hidden email]> wrote:

>
> Hello @ all,
>
> I do not know what most of you did.
> As many others, I am also interested in a K3 Trx.
>
> what do you recommend ?
>
> do-it yourself an purchase a kit, or buy it ready for use ?
>
> as far as I know, elecreft points out that a complete ESD equipment is
> strictly recommended.
>
> what did you do ?
>
> 73 de Volker, DD1VW
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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
>

--

Rick Tavan N6XI
Truckee, CA
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rlindzen

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

I don't know if my experience was unique, but I
decided on the kit, and did, indeed, find that
assembly went smoothly in the usually stated
10-12 hours. However, I was so struck by how
precisely everything went together (almost like a
puzzle), that I subsequently felt anxious about trying to undo anything.

Dick, KA1SA #911

At 05:25 PM 12/20/2009, Rick Tavan N6XI wrote:

>My first K3 was a field test unit. They were all factory assembled so
>Elecraft could learn what they needed to write the assembly manual. My
>second K3 was a kit and I enjoyed building it very much. The manual is very
>clear. With almost all options it took about 10-12 hours to build and check
>out. You need minimal skills to build it and the warranty is the same as a
>factory-assembled unit. But you learn a lot about the rig and you won't be
>afraid to partially disassemble it in the future if you need to replace a
>module. For this extra education and experience they actually charge a lower
>price! For me it was an easy choice.
>
>I recommend the factory-assembled option only for hams can not read simple
>English or who have physical coordination problems, fear of electronics or
>extremely busy lives.
>
>Either way, though, you will enjoy operating your K3!
>
>73,
>
>/Rick
>
>On 12/20/09, "Volker Wächter" <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >
> > Hello @ all,
> >
> > I do not know what most of you did.
> > As many others, I am also interested in a K3 Trx.
> >
> > what do you recommend ?
> >
> > do-it yourself an purchase a kit, or buy it ready for use ?
> >
> > as far as I know, elecreft points out that a complete ESD equipment is
> > strictly recommended.
> >
> > what did you do ?
> >
> > 73 de Volker, DD1VW
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > 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
> >
>
>
>
>--
>
>Rick Tavan N6XI
>Truckee, CA
>______________________________________________________________
>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
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Dave Hachadorian

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by "Volker Wächter"

I recommend that you buy it factory-built, at least for the basic
unit.

I have two K3's. One I bought second-hand, and one I built. The
one I built had a missing major part, which caused a delay, and
then didn't work when it was finished. It turned out that there
was an unsoldered component on the motherboard, which was
undetectable in factory subassembly testing.

Although you save $200 by building it yourself, you really don't
learn much in the process, and you have to spend about $25 for an
ESD mat. If you have to ship it back to the factory, it will cost
you $50 in the USA, and much more from overseas.

There is no substitute for the final system tests that the
factory-assembled units get. Subassemblies are not tested 100%.

Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
Yuma, AZ

----- Original Message -----
From: ""Volker Wächter"" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 9:03 PM
Subject: [Elecraft] kit building or buy ready for use

> Hello @ all,
>
> I do not know what most of you did.
> As many others, I am also interested in a K3 Trx.
>
> what do you recommend ?
>
> do-it yourself an purchase a kit, or buy it ready for use ?
>
> as far as I know, elecreft points out that a complete ESD
> equipment is
> strictly recommended.
>
> what did you do ?
>
> 73 de Volker, DD1VW
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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

Ed Muns, W0YK

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

This is an important point and one that should be considered in the decision
to get the factory-built K3 or the kit. Actually the sub-assemblies are
tested as individual units. But the set of sub-assemblies in a kit have not
been tested together as a system. The factory system tests are more
rigorous than what most of us can do with the kit and certainly more
rigorous than the kit instructions provide. And, while rare, it is possible
that sub-assembly tolerances can combine in a way that causes a system
problem. (However, most, if not all, of such system issues are resolved via
email or phone with Elecraft support.)

So the key considerations are money saved and K3 learning vs. the value of
the factory system testing. Of course, you can always send your kit K3 to
the factory for the system test but that is likely to be more expensive than
getting the factory-built unit in the first place.

Ed - W0YK
-----------------------------------------------
Ed Muns
Muns Vineyard - www.munsvineyard.com
FaceBook - www.facebook.com/munsvineyard

K6LL wrote:

> I recommend that you buy it factory-built, at least for the
> basic unit.
>
> I have two K3's. One I bought second-hand, and one I built.
> The one I built had a missing major part, which caused a
> delay, and then didn't work when it was finished. It turned
> out that there was an unsoldered component on the
> motherboard, which was undetectable in factory subassembly testing.
>
> Although you save $200 by building it yourself, you really
> don't learn much in the process, and you have to spend about
> $25 for an ESD mat. If you have to ship it back to the
> factory, it will cost you $50 in the USA, and much more from overseas.
>
> There is no substitute for the final system tests that the
> factory-assembled units get. Subassemblies are not tested 100%.

Phil Hystad

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

I would like to see more comments from K3 kit builders to counter these
points being made here.

I am also planning on getting the K3 and there is only one thing that is
holding up my order right now and that is trying to figure out when I can
spend the time to put it together. But, I am also a little bit wondering if
the cost differential of kit versus factory built is worth the learning experience
when you contrast that with the hassles of potential problems.

If the kit cost versus factory built cost were different by a wider margin it would
be an easier decision.

phil, K7PEH

On Dec 20, 2009, at 6:27 PM, Ed Muns wrote:

> This is an important point and one that should be considered in the decision
> to get the factory-built K3 or the kit. Actually the sub-assemblies are
> tested as individual units. But the set of sub-assemblies in a kit have not
> been tested together as a system. The factory system tests are more
> rigorous than what most of us can do with the kit and certainly more
> rigorous than the kit instructions provide. And, while rare, it is possible
> that sub-assembly tolerances can combine in a way that causes a system
> problem. (However, most, if not all, of such system issues are resolved via
> email or phone with Elecraft support.)
>
> So the key considerations are money saved and K3 learning vs. the value of
> the factory system testing. Of course, you can always send your kit K3 to
> the factory for the system test but that is likely to be more expensive than
> getting the factory-built unit in the first place.
>
> Ed - W0YK
> -----------------------------------------------
> Ed Muns
> Muns Vineyard - www.munsvineyard.com
> FaceBook - www.facebook.com/munsvineyard
>
> K6LL wrote:
>> I recommend that you buy it factory-built, at least for the
>> basic unit.
>>
>> I have two K3's. One I bought second-hand, and one I built.
>> The one I built had a missing major part, which caused a
>> delay, and then didn't work when it was finished. It turned
>> out that there was an unsoldered component on the
>> motherboard, which was undetectable in factory subassembly testing.
>>
>> Although you save $200 by building it yourself, you really
>> don't learn much in the process, and you have to spend about
>> $25 for an ESD mat. If you have to ship it back to the
>> factory, it will cost you $50 in the USA, and much more from overseas.
>>
>> There is no substitute for the final system tests that the
>> factory-assembled units get. Subassemblies are not tested 100%.
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> 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

Ed Muns, W0YK

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

Hi, Phil. The vast majority of K3 kits are assembled with no problems.
K6LL's experience is rare. I personally value the kit building experience
more than Dave indicated. OTOH, I can also see the comfort in the integrity
of a factory-built/tested K3. So, it really comes down to each individual's
preferences and what they each value as most important. There is not a
single right answer for everyone.

The point that Dave and I are making is that saving some cost on the kit is
not the only consideration. The value of the factory-built K3s is not just
the assembly time and labor but also the system testing.

Ed - W0YK
-----------------------------------------------
Ed Muns
Muns Vineyard - www.munsvineyard.com
FaceBook - www.facebook.com/munsvineyard

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Phil Hystad [mailto:[hidden email]]
> Sent: Sunday, 20 December, 2009 18:40
> To: [hidden email]
> Cc: 'Dave Hachadorian'; 'Elecraft Reflector'
> Subject: Re: [Elecraft] kit building or buy ready for use
>
> I would like to see more comments from K3 kit builders to
> counter these points being made here.
>
> I am also planning on getting the K3 and there is only one
> thing that is holding up my order right now and that is
> trying to figure out when I can spend the time to put it
> together. But, I am also a little bit wondering if the cost
> differential of kit versus factory built is worth the
> learning experience when you contrast that with the hassles
> of potential problems.
>
> If the kit cost versus factory built cost were different by a
> wider margin it would be an easier decision.
>
> phil, K7PEH
>
>
> On Dec 20, 2009, at 6:27 PM, Ed Muns wrote:
>
> > This is an important point and one that should be considered in the
> > decision to get the factory-built K3 or the kit. Actually the
> > sub-assemblies are tested as individual units. But the set of
> > sub-assemblies in a kit have not been tested together as a system.
> > The factory system tests are more rigorous than what most
> of us can do
> > with the kit and certainly more rigorous than the kit instructions
> > provide. And, while rare, it is possible that sub-assembly
> tolerances
> > can combine in a way that causes a system problem.
> (However, most, if
> > not all, of such system issues are resolved via email or phone with
> > Elecraft support.)
> >
> > So the key considerations are money saved and K3 learning vs. the
> > value of the factory system testing. Of course, you can
> always send
> > your kit K3 to the factory for the system test but that is
> likely to
> > be more expensive than getting the factory-built unit in
> the first place.
> >
> > Ed - W0YK
> > -----------------------------------------------
> > Ed Muns
> > Muns Vineyard - www.munsvineyard.com
> > FaceBook - www.facebook.com/munsvineyard
> >
> > K6LL wrote:
> >> I recommend that you buy it factory-built, at least for the basic
> >> unit.
> >>
> >> I have two K3's. One I bought second-hand, and one I built.
> >> The one I built had a missing major part, which caused a
> delay, and
> >> then didn't work when it was finished. It turned out that
> there was
> >> an unsoldered component on the motherboard, which was
> undetectable in
> >> factory subassembly testing.
> >>
> >> Although you save $200 by building it yourself, you really don't
> >> learn much in the process, and you have to spend about
> >> $25 for an ESD mat. If you have to ship it back to the factory, it
> >> will cost you $50 in the USA, and much more from overseas.
> >>
> >> There is no substitute for the final system tests that the
> >> factory-assembled units get. Subassemblies are not tested 100%.
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________
> > 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
>
>

Don Wilhelm-4

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by Phil Hystad

Phil,

How is your manual dexterity? Can you follow written instructions? Do
you have 10 to 12 hours of time available to assemble a K3?
If you have answered YES to the above questions, then you can build the
K3 kit. The value of $200 vs. 10 to 12 hours of your time is for you to
decide.

If you build the K3, fears about adding options, doing upgrades or
performing any maintenance later on will be minimized because you know
how it 'goes together'. The calibration steps are straightforward and
detailed in the manual - and for some of them, K3Utility has been
upgraded to make some of those even easier than the manual procedure.
Your owner-built K3 will perform just as well as a factory assembled K3
after the calibration steps are performed.

In other words, building the K3 is neither difficult nor complicated..
The warranty is the same whether it is factory assembled or a kit. If
you have trouble or questions, an email to [hidden email] or
this reflector will likely provide you with the guidance required.

73,
Don W3FPR

Phil Hystad wrote:

K1LI

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

I second Don's comment, re: "If you build the K3, fears about adding
options, doing upgrades or performing any maintenance later on will be
minimized because you know how it 'goes together'."

The ability to add features as requirements change and money becomes
available is a major feature of Elecraft products and the K3 is no
exception. I had to remove the KRX3 and the front panel assembly to add the
DVR and a filter unit. I was nervous because it had been nearly since I
built the kit, but the process went very, very smoothly. I would have felt a
much higher barrier to taking advantage of the K3's "field upgrade-ability"
if I had not put it together myself.

--
73 -- Brian -- K1LI
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George & Jan

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by Phil Hystad

Phil,
I built my K3 a year ago. I used a basic ESD mat & wrist strap, a good set
of Philips screwdrivers and pliers. That was about all that was necessary.
I built mine so I would know how it was put together when I had to take it
apart. I had to fix a Kenwood and its disassembly was a minor issue as I had
never seen the main board removed. I ended doing it the hard way.
Calibration of the K3 was very straight forward and far easier than
expected.
I built mine in a few evenings after work. I enjoyed the build so the
cost/payback ratio was not a concern for me.
Later when I added the sub-receiver I was glad I had built it and knew how
it came apart and went back together.
I probably have a tiny bit more pride in the radio since a small portion of
it came from my hands.
George
AI4VZ

---------------------------------
I would like to see more comments from K3 kit builders to counter these
points being made here.

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Rick Dettinger-3

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by Dave Hachadorian

The cost of the mat and grounded wrist strap might not be a factor.
They will be needed for any additions to the K3 at a later date.
Building the K3 is like building the K2 after all the boards are
completed. Just the final assembly part. By the time I built my K3,
it was a welcome relief to construct it that way, as I have stuffed
all the boards I want for some time, at least the ones with several
hundred parts.

73,
Rick Dettinger K7MW

> Although you save $200 by building it yourself, you really don't
> learn much in the process, and you have to spend about $25 for an
> ESD mat. If you have to ship it back to the factory, it will cost
> you $50 in the USA, and much more from overseas.
>
> There is no substitute for the final system tests that the
> factory-assembled units get. Subassemblies are not tested 100%.
>
> Dave Hachadorian, K6LL
> Yuma, AZ

Reinaldo Leandro

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by Phil Hystad

Building the kit will save enough money to buy a couple of INRAD filters.
It is a pleasant experience and the builder will be able to dig into the rig
and exchange boards, that is valuable for me in case of trouble, it is less
costly and faster to order a replacement board than to ship the whole box
back to the factory, especially in my case living outside the USA.
There are no particular tricky or obscure steps and calibration was easy
done with just the XG1, dummy load and VOM. I did not use the antistatic
devices because I do not have a rug or dry air at my location. I did touch
the station ground before sitting to work.
73

Reinaldo, YV5AMH

Phil K7PEH wrote:

I would like to see more comments from K3 kit builders to counter these
points being made here.

I am also planning on getting the K3 and there is only one thing that is
holding up my order right now and that is trying to figure out when I can
spend the time to put it together. But, I am also a little bit wondering if
the cost differential of kit versus factory built is worth the learning
experience
when you contrast that with the hassles of potential problems.

If the kit cost versus factory built cost were different by a wider margin
it would
be an easier decision.

phil, K7PEH

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GW0ETF

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by "Volker Wächter"

Volker,

It only makes sense to buy factory built if you buy the K3 with all the possible modules fitted otherwise you will be dis-assembling the radio to fit other modules at some later date. A design philosophy of the K3 is being able to buy the basic unit and upgrade as you can afford it ....or as the dollar/euro/sterling rate becomes more favourable! Field upgrading is just an extension of the kit rationale.

I bought #145 as a kit back in July 2007 and had to wait many months for the second receiver which required a significant refit. Being an early unit I have fitted several uprades and have had to replace a faulty main dsp board too; knowing how it all went together in the first place made all this straightforward and easy to do.

So if you have the time and don't have visual or physical impairment it's not a problem at all. There's the extra security of knowing that the finished unit has been tested in Aptos but even if/when a problem does arise you will be talked through it step by step and receive board swaps as necessary in a manner probably unique to Elecraft. My DSP board problem was a minor one linked to the second rx and was sorted quickly and efficiently but it did require me to swap out a couple of boards which were sent from Aptos.

We are after all 'Radio Amateurs' so we shouldn't really have a problem with screwdrivers and ESD mats, should we??

73,

Stewart Rolfe, GW0ETF

"Volker Wächter" wrote

Hello @ all,

I do not know what most of you did.
As many others, I am also interested in a K3 Trx.

what do you recommend ?

do-it yourself an purchase a kit, or buy it ready for use ?

as far as I know, elecreft points out that a complete ESD equipment is
strictly recommended.

what did you do ?

73 de Volker, DD1VW
______________________________________________________________
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Julian, G4ILO

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

I'd recommend the kit too, for the reasons others have stated.

The cost of the electrostatic mat, I seem to recall, was about 20 Euro. The only test equipment you need is a DMM, an accurate power meter and (optionally but very useful) a calibrated signal generator for doing the S meter calibration.

The DMM I used was about 10 Euro, and perfectly adequate for this application.

For the power calibration I used the Elecraft DL1. Though only rated for 20W it is perfectly capable of taking 50W for a couple of seconds at a time - long enough to get the voltage reading from which you can calculate the power. This is probably more accurate than the average ham-grade power meter.

For the receiver alignment I used the Elecraft XG1. This has now been replaced by the XG2 which covers 3 bands and is a bit more expensive.

Even if you have to buy all 3 items of test equipment plus the anti-static mat the cost will still be about half the money you saved buying the kit version.

Julian, G4ILO. K2 #392 K3 #222 KX3 #110
* G4ILO's Shack - http://www.g4ilo.com
* KComm - http://www.g4ilo.com/kcomm.html
* KTune - http://www.g4ilo.com/ktune.html

DK4XL

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by "Volker Wächter"

Hi Volker,

buy the kit - it is absolutely no problem to build it,
you should of course use an ESD equipment but it's
worth to buy one. Write me a PN and we can discuss
it in german. I built two K3s, it was a lot of fun and
they work 100%.

Martin
DK4XL
K3 #2199

K2QI

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by Phil Hystad

I built my K3. I enjoyed the process tremendously. While it's not a true
kit per se, assembling it one's self does have some benefits. Apart from
saving a few bucks - especially if you already have the tools as I did - you
get to see how well the rig was designed. It also instills some confidence
in trouble shooting or replacing components should that need arise.

In my case, I did not have any problems after assembly. The radio worked as
it should, and passed all calibration procedures without incident. Only
months after assembly did I have a component fail; Elecraft was very quick
to ship a replacement. I did not have to send the radio back to perform the
repair as I was already familiar and comfortable with assembly and
disassembly to perform the swap myself.

73 and Merry Christmas,
James K2QI

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w7aqk

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by Phil Hystad

Phil,

You will probably get a lot of opinions both ways. Those who spent the
extra money for "factory built" probably did so for good reason, and are
glad they did. Most (nearly all?) who opted to do the kit, are probably
just as glad they saved the $200!

All I can add is that doing the kit is not nearly as bad as you might think.
After all, it's more of an "assembly" process than a build. There is no
comparison to to a K3 kit vs. a K2 kit. There is no soldering--only
interconnection of various boards. However, if you feel you are a little
"light" on dexterity, which can be for a number of good reasons, then by all
means spend the extra money for a factory built unit.

The K3 is very well made, and everything fits together very neatly. Only
one or two steps really require anything that might be considered
"manipulation", and those steps are really very well described in the
manual. Early kits may have had a slightly more difficult process, but with
3,000 of these rigs out there now, I think any such issues have been
resolved. In my view, the only "difficult" part was making sure that the
three or four interconnecting cables inside the rig were properly seated.
Otherwise, it is pretty much a matter of just mounting boards, and putting
in a bunch of screws. It's basically modular construction--just like
assembly of a computer--maybe not even that difficult.

Dave W7AQK

----- Original Message -----
From: "Phil Hystad" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Cc: "'Elecraft Reflector'" <[hidden email]>; "'Dave Hachadorian'"
<[hidden email]>
Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 7:40 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] kit building or buy ready for use

>I would like to see more comments from K3 kit builders to counter these
> points being made here.
>
> I am also planning on getting the K3 and there is only one thing that is
> holding up my order right now and that is trying to figure out when I can
> spend the time to put it together. But, I am also a little bit wondering
> if
> the cost differential of kit versus factory built is worth the learning
> experience
> when you contrast that with the hassles of potential problems.
>
> If the kit cost versus factory built cost were different by a wider margin
> it would
> be an easier decision.
>
> phil, K7PEH
>
>
> On Dec 20, 2009, at 6:27 PM, Ed Muns wrote:
>
>> This is an important point and one that should be considered in the
>> decision
>> to get the factory-built K3 or the kit. Actually the sub-assemblies are
>> tested as individual units. But the set of sub-assemblies in a kit have
>> not
>> been tested together as a system. The factory system tests are more
>> rigorous than what most of us can do with the kit and certainly more
>> rigorous than the kit instructions provide. And, while rare, it is
>> possible
>> that sub-assembly tolerances can combine in a way that causes a system
>> problem. (However, most, if not all, of such system issues are resolved
>> via
>> email or phone with Elecraft support.)
>>
>> So the key considerations are money saved and K3 learning vs. the value
>> of
>> the factory system testing. Of course, you can always send your kit K3
>> to
>> the factory for the system test but that is likely to be more expensive
>> than
>> getting the factory-built unit in the first place.
>>
>> Ed - W0YK
>> -----------------------------------------------
>> Ed Muns
>> Muns Vineyard - www.munsvineyard.com
>> FaceBook - www.facebook.com/munsvineyard
>>
>> K6LL wrote:
>>> I recommend that you buy it factory-built, at least for the
>>> basic unit.
>>>
>>> I have two K3's. One I bought second-hand, and one I built.
>>> The one I built had a missing major part, which caused a
>>> delay, and then didn't work when it was finished. It turned
>>> out that there was an unsoldered component on the
>>> motherboard, which was undetectable in factory subassembly testing.
>>>
>>> Although you save $200 by building it yourself, you really
>>> don't learn much in the process, and you have to spend about
>>> $25 for an ESD mat. If you have to ship it back to the
>>> factory, it will cost you $50 in the USA, and much more from overseas.
>>>
>>> There is no substitute for the final system tests that the
>>> factory-assembled units get. Subassemblies are not tested 100%.
>>
>> ______________________________________________________________
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>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>
> ______________________________________________________________
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Bill W4ZV

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by Phil Hystad

Phil Hystad wrote

I am also planning on getting the K3 and there is only one thing that is
holding up my order right now and that is trying to figure out when I can
spend the time to put it together. But, I am also a little bit wondering if
the cost differential of kit versus factory built is worth the learning experience
when you contrast that with the hassles of potential problems.

1. You've already spent more time reading and writing emails on this list than the K3 takes to assemble.
2. Some are using $200 for the cost differential. For the record it's:

K3/100 - $250
KAT3 - $30
KRX3 - $50

I've built 3 units with few problems and Elecraft support is absolutely phenomenal if you do have problems. Building your own unit will give you confidence to make inevitable update mods. I've made 10 to #1361 and 7 to #2183 so both units are completely updated except for the much-discussed DSP exchange (which I'm still undecided on).

73, Bill