Great interview and I am patiently waiting for delivery of my order for the KX2 Shack In-A-Box for POTA/SOTA CW operation this summer. I was advised when I placed my order that there is a 8 to 12 week wait for delivery of this outstanding rig due to supply chain issues and high demand. Good things are worth waiting for and something to look forward to.
I sold my 705 after purchasing a good used KX3 and never looked back. Today, If I had to live with just one HF rig, my KX3/KXPA would get the nod...btw, it gets the nod over a K4D! 72 de W6BFK
We’ve switched to Elecraft and Flex over the years. I can’t say enough about how helpful the Elecraft staff is. I’m anxiously awaiting the delivery of my KH1 tomorrow!
While it is open to interpretation, ergonomics, user preferences and other factors---for what it's worth: The KX3 is in the Top Twenty and ranks 12th place in the Sherwood receiver test data below; http://sherweng.com/table.html Note the IC-705 is in 36th place My current rigs include a new-to-me KX3 that I will use in my truck once I install a couple of options and a loaded K3/100 that I assembled from the "kit" which has been my general go-to rig ever since putting it together in 2010. I simply love that K3 and find it a joy to operate so much that I know I will never part with it. Since I also have a lot of Elecraft gear (K2/100 w/ KAT100, K4-KAT4, P3, PX3, KPOD, KXPA100, KPA500, KAT500, KPA1500, XV-222) one might assume I drank too much Watsonville Kool Aid---but I am equally fond of a number of Kenwoods and Icoms. Also, since I found the Elecraft K4 is not really my cup of tea---it has been put up for sale in the Swap Meet. (this is due to my general dislike of touch screens and complex menu parameters more than anything lacking in the K4 itself, although some of the ergonomics could be better in my opinion)
http://www.sherweng.com/table.html You can see where the KX3 ranks as compared to the 705. List sorted by Third-Order Dynamic Range Narrow Spaced - or- ARRL RMDR (Reciprocal Mixing Dynamic Range) if Phase Noise Limited. Basically, the measure of how well the receiver does under challenging conditions. It's the lab measurement that correlates to the ability to hear a weak signal in the local presence of a strong signal. Pulling out the weak DX station right next to a loud station - a situation regularly found in contests. Doesn't really matter if your primary use case is rag chewing, or checking into nets. Look at the radios at the top of that list and around where the KX3 ranks. They are mostly top of the line rigs with multi-kilobuck price tags. I don't own a KX3, never have used one, but have owned a K3 for about 15 years now. I upgraded it with a new synth board about 6 years ago that places it 8th on the list today. For a 15 year old radio. Does Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, etc., sell upgrades to their radios YEARS later? I'm not disparaging Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood - they make fine radios and I have a few of them. I have 3 Kenwood HF radios and only one Elecraft. But there is a difference in they way Elecraft runs their business compared to the big 3. I paid more up front when I made the purchase of my new K3 in 2009 (IIRC), but the support post sale has made it an excellent value. So, from this measure alone - if it's important to you - the KX3 is a top ranked receiver. Add in the service and support that comes with Elecraft for years after the sale, and for many the answer is clear.
I have both. I was going to buy a KX3 in 2021, but the long wait made me switch to a 705. It is an excellent radio which also gave me access to 2M and 70cm. I’ve used it on POTA activations and in my shack. Early this year, I picked up a used KX3 and it is my current favorite. A great, well designed rig, designed by hams for hams. I’m keeping both.
Many years ago when the K4 showed up on the radar, the discussion on pricing was that it would be inline with the K3S + P3. I sold my complete K-Line in anticipation of purchasing a K4. I waited years. When my number came up, the price of the K4 was nearly twice what the K3+P3 cost. So, I gave up on Elecraft. It feels a bit like a betrayal. I waited so long for the K4 only to find it was well outside of my ham radio budget. There are a number of former Elecraft fans that feel the same way. In many ways, I wish I still had my K-Line. The K3 was a superb radio.
I own KX2 and KX3 and IC-705 If I am going to hike up a mountain to activate SOTA, KX2 hands down, and then KX3, it's all in the weight and built in tuner that really works.
Gotta ask... why would you sell your K3 before the K4 was ready? The K3S and K3 with the upgrade synth board both beat the K4 in the Sherwood test. It's disappointing that they discontinued the K3 - it was something you could take in the field or run in your shack - I did. I don't see it as an "upgrade" at all. I am sure Covid and the corresponding supply chain issues threw a monkey wrench in things, as well as increasing the cost - lots of stuff cost way more today than it did in 2020. We see building construction bids at 2.5X+ what it cost in 2019 - for the same structure.
I'm a long time Elecraft owner of a couple of K-lines and a KX3. IMHO, there are none better on the market today. (and yes, I include the K4 in that as well) My K-Line will go to the grave with me, it's that good.
Once again, I feel compelled to point out, as politely as possible, that the radios on Rob Sherwood's website are NOT "ranked", or "rated", or "listed in order of better to worse". According to the first sentence at the top of Rob's web page, they are: "Sorted by Third-Order Dynamic Range Narrow Spaced - or- ARRL RMDR (Reciprocal Mixing Dynamic Range) if Phase Noise Limited" That's it. No other criteria is used to determine the placement of the various rigs on the list. If you look at the other specs, you'll see that rigs that are one or two db lower in 3rd order intercept, are sometimes 10 or 20 or 30 db better in other categories, 100 kHz blocking, for instance. Also, sensitivity and noise floor numbers are much better on some rigs than others that are higher on the list. There is a HUGE difference between a rig with 108 db dynamic range, but with a -118 dBm noise floor, 2.0 uV sensitivity, and 130 db 100 kHz blocking, and a rig with 106 db dynamic range and -135 dBm noise floor, 0.27 uV sensitivity, and 150 db 100 kHz blocking. Read the notations, You'll see that the Flex 6700 no longer has the second highest 3rd order dynamic range, the test that gave it the 108 db dynamic range was from over 8 years ago, a test from 6 years ago yielded dynamic range figures of 96 and 99 db. Other annotations point out different testing procedures and explain the results. Also, the testing procedures don't reveal all of the shortcomings of the "direct sampling" SDR radios, the tests were developed for superhet receivers. The direct sampling SDRs also have a wide variation in their test results for the rigs where Rob tested 2 examples of the same model, The Flex 6700 and the Icom 7610, 7300, and R8600, for instance. The superhet rigs where more than one example of the same model was tested exhibit identical results or insignificant differences of 1 db (the Elecraft K3S) I hope that I don't sound too critical, but if we don't point out misinterpretations, they eventually become accepted as fact. Apologies for taking this thread off-topic. 73
It's the natural progression of things, like air conditioning in cars. Most radios include panadapters now and using a radio without one is just dumb IMHO (or at the very least, silly - why would you not want one?). Is there something preventing me from taking my K4 in the field? It's just as easy (if not easier because you don't need to bring a P3 along). "When my number came up, the price of the K4 was nearly twice what the K3+P3 cost". I, too, sold my station and waited quite some time, but don't say you didn't know how much it was going to cost you. We all knew what the price would be up front. I paid $3,999 for my K4 in January 2020, and then paid the "final price" difference at time of shipping (Sept. 2021), a whopping $100. I bought the K4, then the sub receiver (D upgrade) as soon as they became available at Dayton in 2023, then put the autotuner in. My account history shows that all this cost me $5,687. A quick trip to 2019 via the Wayback Machine shows that the K3S "Contester and DX'er" package (all filters, sub receiver, P3 panadapter, autotuner) just before the K4 was announced would've set you back $5,959.95. Even in 2015, a K3S with the subreceiver and P3 would have cost you around $4,200 - still more expensive than a similarly equipped K4 at launch.
Well, I didn't mean to derail this thread into an Elecraft go/no-go, sorry. The Elecraft rigs are more money than I personally can justify spending on ham radio in terms of bang-for-buck but I'm glad that they have a following and that we get to see a nice interview with one of the founders. I wish them the best of success in the future.
The K4 is one of those aspirational radios to me; I had a chance to tune around on one at a hamfest a couple of years ago and it felt like one of my premium receivers (Harris/ Cubic/ Racal/ Watkins-Johnson). The selectivity was amazing and the ability to quickly isolate one station in a pileup was impressive. I looked over my shoulder and there was a line of guys waiting for the YL to quit messing with the radio so they could get their turn. A couple more passes through the hamfest floor and there never was an empty booth for Elecraft where I could get a chance to talk-tech.
No worries. It is great to see a good discussion specific to Elecraft here. While I am somewhat disappointed in my K4 and the lack of follow-up by Elecraft on promises and updates, I also know that they are a relatively small company that is pedaling as fast as it can under the circumstances (they are still having supply chain issues even on things like enclosure panels and such---what they're waiting for for their announced K4/0 in the works). I have been an ardent supporter of Elecraft ever since Wayne and Eric were selling their K2 at Pacificon in 1999 out of the back of their van. I was greatly intrigued by the small rig and decided to get follow their fledgling company with interest from then on. At the time I was a Tech having a blast working six meters and above on ssb via hilltopping and roving during contests---and didn't have as much interest in HF only rigs. Fast forward several years and the evolution progressed to the K3 (which had 6m and 2m (or other) transverter capabilities!), the P3 and the 32-pound KPA500 brick---and my interest was instantly piqued by their release, eager acceptance and use by many dxpeditioners---as well as the stellar reviews coming out. Being a longtime dxer (via SWL as a kid or licensed ham decades later) I finally took the plunge and purchased a K3/100 "no-solder kit" and quickly enjoyed the fruits of a few days careful "labor" with screwdriver, anti-static mat and some fishing tackle boxes for sorting the proper hardware bits. With such a well-written, well-illustrated, clear and concise assembly manual---it was hard to go wrong---and assembling such a fine rig was a joy unto itself. It was only natural that the pleasant experience made me hunger for the complete "K-Line," so I cashed in some investments and pulled the trigger on a P3 and KPA500 amp (both kits) the following year. I truly feel sorry for those that have already sold or are selling their K3s and K3Ss to fund a K4 or the D version. If it's worth it for them to do so, fine---but I can't imagine with ever parting with mine. One thing I am especially fond of in my K3---the ability to "customize" the rig for the type of operating one desires. Sometimes I lock out all the other bands except the ones I'm using for a contest to make swifter band changes---or set the drive power to different levels for different bands and antennas (my loops can handle 500~ watts max, others legal limit). While I recently replaced my K4 with my "other" longtime dream rig (IC-7851)---the K4 could always be used in the field for the type of fixed portable ops I have previously enjoyed with my K3---and the built in panadapter is one extra advantage already in place. All in all, NO REGRETS with Elecraft, and I look forward to their continued success, progress in innovation, and superb customer service that is truly second to none.
