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kit building or buy ready for use

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P.B. Christensen

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

Phil,

Building the K3 will likely make future hardware changes easier to implement
since you will have recognized key circuit board areas and have an
understanding of the assembly/disassembly process.

Getting in and back out of the K3 is very easy. By contrast, the
disassembly of my previously-owned IC-7800 required removal of over a
half-dozen different screw types with varying lengths. That created a
nightmare situation if one of those screws was installed incorrectly.

Paul, W9AC

>> 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.

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N5GE

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by Bill W4ZV

On Mon, 21 Dec 2009 08:45:11 -0800 (PST), Bill W4ZV
<[hidden email]> wrote:

Bill is correct about building your own. Both of my K3's are factory
built #806 and #1055. #1055 was a trade with a guy who wanted my
Orion II.

If I ever BUY another one I'll build it for the reasons Bill gave.

73,

Tom, N5GE

[hidden email]
K3 #806 with SUB RX, K3 #1055, PR6,
XV144, XV432, KRC2,
W1, 2 W2's and other small kits

1 K144XV on order

http://www.n5ge.com
http://www.swotrc.net

>
>
>
>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

Amateur Radio Operator N5GE

Jim Brown-10

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by "Volker Wächter"

On Sun, 20 Dec 2009 22:03:49 +0100, Volker Wchter wrote:

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

Yes, it is, and it is most critical in cold climates in the winter. But
that ESD kit can be limited to a wrist strap and a conductive mat. It
also helps to do your assembly work in a part of your home where ESD is
minimal (for example, avoid carpets and upholstered furniture).

I built two K3s, and I'm quite happy that I did. About 10 hours for the
first one, 8 hours for the second one. The savings is considerable.
You're simply fitting boards and chassis pieces together. No soldering.
A few voltmeter and ohmmeter readings to verify that all is well. All
of the boards are thoroughly tested at the factory. The only tricky
part is fitting together some multi-pin connectors associated with the
front panel, and the instructions provide entirely adequate guidance.
The second receiver is also a bit of a close fit. If you're old and
feeble, or have some sort of physical handicap, you could enlist the
support of another person without that handicap for these tasks.

Bottom line -- I STRONGLY recommend buying the K3 in kit form.

73,

Jim K9YC

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Phil Hystad

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by P.B. Christensen

Lots of people have responded to my question and I feel that it is not really necessary to drag this out. I was sort of looking to see if there were more people who had problems after building the K3 but due to flaws in individual component boards due to the fact that an integrated K3 could not be tested prior to shipment as a kit. This kind of problem was raised by two earlier posts (I think around Friday and Saturday) and that is what prompted my question.

But, no one came back and mentioned problems like that so I suspect that it is not an issue and these other posts were rare events.

Yes, I am 99.9% sure I will buy a kit and not the factory built K3. But, I was always 99.9% sure of ordering the kit version.

phil

On Dec 21, 2009, at 8:56 AM, Paul Christensen wrote:

> Phil,
>
> Building the K3 will likely make future hardware changes easier to implement
> since you will have recognized key circuit board areas and have an
> understanding of the assembly/disassembly process.
>
> Getting in and back out of the K3 is very easy. By contrast, the
> disassembly of my previously-owned IC-7800 required removal of over a
> half-dozen different screw types with varying lengths. That created a
> nightmare situation if one of those screws was installed incorrectly.
>
> Paul, W9AC
>
>>> 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.
>
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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Larry - K2GN

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by Bill W4ZV

I always enjoyed building kits and was looking forward to building a K3.
But my plans were altered by health issues and I had to go factory built.
And I found out 3 weeks ago when I tried to install the DVR option that it
was a god move.
Had real trouble just opening the radio up with 1 1/2 hands.
A mini stroke took away partial use of one hand. I buttoned the radio back
up.
Now if I could only get my health insurance to cover the cost, I'd ship it
out to have it done!!!!
I hope no more hardware mods come out that I would need, but... that's
progress.

Happy Holidays to all.
de K2GN/Larry
K3 - S/N 3278

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w0mu

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by Ed Muns, W0YK

I enjoyed building my two K3's. To me it adds to the radio and the
experience. It is not overly difficult to build. I have a bit more
invested in my radio's than just some $$$.

Like Ed and Dave, I can easily see the value of buying the built radio. The
cost of assembly was not a factor in my case.

Mike W0MU

CC Packet Cluster W0MU-1
W0MU.NET or 67.40.148.194

"A slip of the foot you may soon recover, but a slip of the tongue you may
never get over." Ben Franklin

-----Original Message-----
From: [hidden email]
[mailto:[hidden email]] On Behalf Of Ed Muns
Sent: Sunday, December 20, 2009 7:57 PM
To: 'Phil Hystad'
Cc: 'Elecraft Reflector'
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] 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%.
> >
> > ______________________________________________________________
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> > Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >
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> this email
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>
>

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"Volker Wächter"

Re: kit building or buy ready for use

In reply to this post by Bob Maser

Dear OM,

with regard to my questions regarding kit building or not,
I received in the last a lot a of information being helpful to me in the
matter of my decision for 2010 concerning my shack equipment.

Now, I want thank you all in Germany and in the world very much for your
respective info-

Have a nice Christmas time and a prosper New Year 2010.

best regards from Germany

--------------------------
73 de Volker, *DD1VW*

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