Elecraft has carved out a substantial, and very loyal, niche in the ham radio market over the past 3 decades. Their focus on superior performance, portability and high-touch customer service has earned them a place in many an amateur radio operator’s shack, and heart. Eric Swartz, WA6HHQ, who co-founded Elecraft with Wayne Burdick, N6KR, joined me for this conversation about their early days in business, the development of the K2 and it’s evolution to the K4D and Elecraft’s commitment to the remote market. Join me for what is sure to be Part I in a continuing conversation with Elecraft.
Good interview and nice to know that Elecraft will soon be coming out with K4/0 for remote operation (and maybe they'll attend to some niggles with their flagship rig after that...)
When Elecraft a few years ago added the mode of AM to its portable KX-2 and KX-3 transceivers, I took the time to write a note expressing appreciation on behalf of those of us who prefer AM or at least include it in their activity on HF. I provided a short summary of how this wholesome mode in years past was neglected on certain rigs, either with poor design that caused weak signal and bad audio, or among certain brands that declined to include AM at all. In an infamous example, TenTec for a while refused to include AM, with a ranking executive telling Hank Clark W2IQ, that TenTec wanted their rigs to appear to be modern, and it would not help that image to include AM. Hank, a prominent AMer for many years, was on the payroll at TenTec as a design consultant. He eventually convinced the reluctant executives that they were missing a healthy and vibrant part of the hobby. So in that context I praised Elecraft for adding AM after not including it for whatever reason. I understood it was simply a firmware flash that could be implemented on both the KX-2 and KX-3. I got a nice note back from either Wayne or Eric, expressing surprise and delight that there are ops who would likely use the mode of AM whilst portable or otherwise not on a full size transceiver. It turns out, according to this response, that Elecraft had added AM at the request of Short Wave Listeners (SWLs), who, whilst camping, also wanted to dial around the international broadcast stations, nearly all of which are on wholesome AM. The transmit side of the functionality was not "top of mind," but I was told they're glad to know of the interest. Nice exchange. I'd consider buying an Elecraft if I ever were in the market, as a direct result of this friendly and receptive correspondence.
I like to hear stuff like this and I’m happy, yet not surprised you had a pleasant interaction with them. I have a KX2, although I’ve never used it for anything other than CW. But along your lines, every time I have contacted them, either by phone or email, I have always been very happy with the response I received. With them you talk to a real person who knows the device inside and out. They explain to you not only how it works, but why it does what it does. Every interaction I’ve had with Elecraft has gone above and beyond what I’d expect. At least for me, in this day and age, that type of service carries a lot of weight. This was a great video and I enjoyed watching and hearing from Eric. It’s funny because while he openly admits that internet sales and the internet was a driving force of sales for their product, he also stressed the interpersonal connection with the customer. That connection is unfortunately often times lost with internet based sales. But not with them. They listen and they respond. It’s not a “make the sale and move on”. They are there for all your questions, feedback, and technical support long after the purchase was made. I’ll always support a company that treats their customers like that and offers that level of service. Well done Eric and Elecraft.
Another example of that is when I returned my amp and the outboard power supply for diagnosis and repair---they didn't charge me a dime for the repair (faulty transistor on the LPF board) even though it was about 3 months out-of-warranty. Elecraft is among the very best of the best!
@W1DED great piece, as always. Keep up the good work. I met @WA6HHQ at the ARRL Boxborough Convention in August of '19; he had a mock-up of the K4 there, all lit up and on an audio loop. Very nice radio, and even nicer guy. Hank
KX3 = $1499.95, Microphone = $79.95, Internal charger = $89.95, 2m module = $339.95,. Total = $2009.80 before shipping. Batteries up to you so additional $$. IC-705 = $1349.95 at HRO. Includes Mic, battery, has UHF. Is a bit less fragile than KX3. I do believe in supporting American companies whenever possible but the cost of doing business for them in the USA drives their prices too high.....
Just out of curiosity? Have you tried or used a KX3 before? I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t. Although I really would like to try one and hopefully one day will own one. I have used and do own a KX2 though. It’s by far the best receiver of any radio I’ve used. From my understanding the KX3 receiver is even better with more filter adjustments. In fact, with only 5 watts, I’ll sometimes turn off my 100 watt Big 3 rig in congested situations and instead use the KX2. Even at 5 watts the receiver alone makes the trade off beneficial more often than not.
That’s an impossible question for me to answer since I’ve never used either of them. However, based on my first hand experience with the KX2, coupled with the customer support Elecraft has provided, I wouldn’t think twice about spending the additional $660 dollars.
