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| Reviews Summary for Elecraft K3 |
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Reviews: 136
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Average rating: 4.8/5
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MSRP: $1,399
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Description: ELECRAFT K3 Transceiver
High Performance • 160-6 Meters • 100 W
Dual 32bit DSP, "switched mode mixer"
Factory Assembled or No-Soldering Kit
160-6 meter ham-band coverage; optional general-coverage filters
• High-contrast, full-custom LCD with with alphanumeric text display
• 100-W or 10-W (upgradeable) models
• 32-bit I.F. DSP
• Rich I/O complement (see rear-panel drawing above)
• All modes: SSB, CW, Data, AM, FM
• Built-in PSK/TTY decode/encode allows data mode operation with or without a PC — use CW keyer paddle to send PSK/TTY too!
• High performance DDS/PLL Synthesizer with TCXO reference
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More info: http://www.elecraft.com
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write your own review of the Elecraft K3.
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KC0VKN
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 25, 2010 04:34
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I love my new K3
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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What can I say! As a happy K2 owner, I'd been waiting for months (years?) for the green-light from the XYL to get a K3. Finally wore her down and got my order in on the 23rd. Radio shipped Monday the 25th, I was inventorying screws on Friday the 29th after wearing out the mouse clicking reload on Brown Truck tracking site.
Build was as easy as sorting screws and following wonderfully laid out instructions. Things came together relatively quickly, and, have been working my way through the use of the rig for the last day or so.
It's an evolutionary step from my K2. Many of the nice features I wanted in my K2 are in the K3, and several I never thought of.
Looking forward to using this rig and strongly recommend it to anyone in the market for a new radio.
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VE3WDM
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 24, 2010 17:11
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Outstanding you will not be disappointed
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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It was an early Christmas present and well worth it. I ordered the K3/100 kit after reading a multitude of reviews. I am a CW contester and just could not wait to put this rig together and get on the air. The options I chose were the KAT3, KTCXO3-1 TCXO, KXV3A and from Inrad the 500, 400 and 250 8 pole filters.The KAT3 did arrive damaged but an email to Madelyn had a new board on its way in no time. The radio went together without any troubles. It is amazing how all the components and outer case fit perfect. If there was any questions the support was back to me in a very prompt fashion I had day, evenings or weekend email support. Just a note about support....some of you have had like me horror stories about it....being left out in the cold. Elecraft is on the cutting edge in this regard !!!!! If you have ever lost hope for proper support purchase any Elecraft item and experience dream world support once again. So the rig is a learning experience and takes time to get hold of all the things it capable of doing. Once you think you have it down a re-read of the manual and baam there is something new. As for the ability to update it over the internet is great. No need to purchase the next model of radio its just a download away.
There is some calibration that is needed but once again Elecraft has made this painless with their Utility that more of less does the calibration of the rig for you......well not more or less...it does do it for you. I can tell you as many other reviews have about the DSP the filtering the receiver and so on but my advice to you is get over to a ham who has one...listen to it use and and before you know it you will be trading your rig for a K3...
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K9VUJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 23, 2010 13:45
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More radio than meets the eye
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is a great radio. One of many features is RF protection. If you are transmitting in a field day operation with more than one transmitter active or if you have more than one antenna, this radio protects itself from high RF. Vox is best I've used in any radio besides the old FT1000 modified. Many other features that are not fluff as found on some other radios. The Elecraft team is always responsive and support is superb!! Bulletproof and made in America!!
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WA5ZNU
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 22, 2010 23:09
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Excellent RX, Good Ergonomics
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The RX results from the various test labs are excellent, and then firmware updates handily give better performance and make the rig easier to use. I initially had a few quibbles about some of the operations, but Elecraft listened to me and others and fixed them, without any charge, and with 100% applicability even to my early rig. I have serial number 51, and have had no trouble keeping up to ECO levels with current models, which now run in the thousands.)
I do a mix of in-shack and portable operation, and the ergonomics are perfect for me. The rig doesn't take up too much space in the shack, and fits in a carry bag for portable operation. Current draw is good, about 1A totally loaded. (That's more than Elecraft's K2 at about 1/4A or the KX1 at milliamps, but I lucked into a small solar panel that outputs 1A in direct sunlight so I take that along. A123 batteries handle the transmit load, and the solar panel keeps up with the RX.
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K9YC
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 22, 2010 20:05
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Best HF rig yet
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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In almost 55 years as a ham, I've owned a lot of rigs and used others at club stations. Many of them have been great rigs -- including an SX101 and Heath Apache(in the 50s), Drake Twins (in the 60s), a Ten Tec Omni (when it was brand new), an Omni V, TS850s, FT1000MPs, K2/100s, and now the K3/100. I own two K3/100s, one with the second RX, all loaded with filters, antenna tuner, and XV interface. I haven't yet used the XV interface for XVs. :)
I'm primarily a contester who does occasional DXing and ragchewing, and I participate in multi-transmitter setups on Field Day, for the California QSO Party (CQP), for multi-transmitter contesting, and this spring on a DXpedition. Especially for these multi-transmitter setups, my HF radios need to be of the highest quality. They need to be very clean (no clicks or phase noise) and very resistant to intermod at very high signal levels. I work a lot of CW, SSB, and RTTY, and I've used the K3 on PSK31.
The K3s are simply the best ham rigs I've ever used, and nothing else is close. In a CQP setup last fall, we had two good beams up 60 ft for 20 and 15M, 100 ft apart and pointed east. We were able to run these with good 500W amps on the same band (one CW, one SSB) and work the strong stations (S7 and above). To hear the weaker stations, we had to move one rig to the other band.
I have friends who have had them on DXpeditions and in contest multi-setups with the same results. In our contest club, NCCC, the guys either own K3s or wish they owned K3s. :)
In addition to RF performance, the K3 has built-in EQ for both TX and RX and built-in RF speech processing, so you can make virtually any mic sound good, anything from hi-fi to very competitive. There's electronics built in to accept CW keying and PTT from the serial port (as generated by your logging software).
Rather than depend on crystal filters for IF selectivity, the K3 does it with DSP. Changing the IF bandwidth is as simple as rotating the bandwidth control. If you use your rig in strong signal environments (contesting, very close neighbors a few kHz away), you'll want one or more roofing filters to protect the DSP (and AGC) from overload. 8-pole filters, made by Inrad, are available in more than a half dozen bandwidths ranging from 12kHz (for FM) to 200 Hz. There are spaces for five filters. I settled on 2.7 kHz and 1.8 kHz for SSB, 400 Hz and 250 Hz for CW. Remember that you can still set the IF narrower -- these filters only protect the DSP from strong signals outside their bandwidth. Indeed, the DSP still sounds very good at 50 and 100 Hz bandwidth!
All radio mfrs have developed a user interface that works for them, and their users learn it. If you've always owned Icoms, that interface will seem most logical to you. In addition those radios named above, I've also owned Icom 746s, so I'm sort of familiar with all of them. The K3 is closest to the K2 -- if you've owned a K2, you'll be comfortable with the K3 almost immediately. All PRIMARY functions of operating are available from front panel knobs and buttons which are well labeled and intuitive. Secondary functions, like switching from mic to line inputs, setting EQ functions, turning on bias for electret mics, are accessed through a two-tier menu system.
Elecraft made the decision to begin selling K3s before all of their promised features had been implemented in software. That's been very good for K3 owners, because we get the world's best ham rig sooner, AND because Elecraft has been very good about updating software, putting it on their website, and making it VERY easy to install. If you have internet access, their utility program can automatically check for updates and install them. Without access, the update can be installed from a disc.
Software and firmware updates are well tested, and rarely cause problems.
I've told you what I like. Now, what I don't like. The audio and digital interface to the radio is the radio's only negative -- it's full of pin 1 problems, the input transformers are unshielded, so they pick up hum from power transformers in power supplies near the rig, and the 600 ohm resistors inserted between the output stage and the transformers causes severe distortion at only modest output levels. Some of this has been fixed in running mods, but you have to pay for them.
The user interface to the second receiver needs work -- there are some functions that are either difficult to access or not available. The second RX is shut down when transmitting, so you cannot listen down the band for your next QSO in a separate RX antenna while transmitting on the main VFO. On the other hand, the second RX is equal to the main RX, so it can be used in diversity mode (a BIG plus).
The radio is good on 6M, but serious 6M operators will want to add a good preamp. It's easy to insert one at rear panel patch points. Elecraft now makes one that also provides switching for separate RX antennas. I already owned a good ARR preamp, so used it instead.
Elecraft is well known for an active online presence, and sponsor an online email reflector. If users can't solve a problem (not common, but it happens) the user receives prompt attention from owners of the company, who monitor their email reflector every day.
If money is tight, you can buy the K3 stripped down and add modules later. You can buy it as a kit of pre-tested modules that screw and plug together and save about 15% of the cost.
Bottom line -- you can buy a lot more expensive radio, but you can't buy a BETTER one, and the K3 will outperform any of its competitors in terms of output cleanliness and receiver strong signal handling by a wide margin. I'm in the process of gearing up for a DXpedition, and we've made the unanimous decision that it will be all K3s.
73,
Jim Brown K9YC
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EA5BZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 22, 2010 14:59
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Thet best for the money
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have changed an Icom 7700 for the K3.
Yes, K3 hasn't big screens with a lot of colours, bells and things like that, but ... remember, we are ham RADIO and speaking of radio, the K3 is one of the best receivers i have listened.
IMPORTANT: Make a good filter choice for your needings. And remember, if you want colours and big screens, buy a 34" T.V.
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K1LI
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 22, 2010 13:12
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Ham Radio Nirvana
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Net: the K3 is the best value in ham radio today.
I have used this radio extensively on CW, SSB, RTTY and PSK to ragchew, DX and contest on all bands from 10m through 160m for more than a year. Other reviewers have testified to this radio's superb performance; I can only echo their remarks by saying that this is the best radio I have ever owned - and that is a long, long list of transceivers from all of the major and some of the minor manufacturers of the past 40 years.
While Elecraft has continued to increase the radio's capabilities through regular firmware updates, I have added a second receiver, filters and other options as desires / needs / funds have allowed. Daunted at first by the prospect of "ripping out the guts" of the rig to drop in a filter, I found the directions to be perfectly clear and the process painless because I had carefully and lovingly assembled the rig myself.
The familiarity I developed with the K3 in that process has incented me to delve into the rig's "theory of operation," become familiar with it at the schematic level and learn more about DSP and SDR technology. For me, the K3 has turned out to be much more than just another radio - it has rekindled a broad range of interests in radio and electronics and provided the increased level of peformance needed to deal with today's challenging band and operating conditions.
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K2XT
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 22, 2010 11:59
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So easy an XYL can build
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I'll be brief since I just got my K3 running a week ago. I give it a 5 rating because everything promised by Elecraft has gone 100% perfectly. I think I was the first customer of 2010 since I called the factory at 8:32 am to tell them I had messed up my order and really only wanted one K3. Somehow, in going back and forth on the web page I had managed to have 2 K3s in my shopping cart! The nice lady who answered the phone took all of about 23 seconds to solve the problem. Although the web site indicated 3 days to ship it was shipped the same day and arrived exactly when UPS said it would. For fun I asked my XYL if she would "hook a few things up" for me if I would read the instruction manual. She had so much fun with it that she built the whole rig! It took us 8 hours for the basic 10 watt rig. We had not one problem of any kind. I think the most amazing thing of the whole process was after firing up the rig for the first time we were instructed to go into the menu and select a configuration action. We sat there for the next couple minutes watching the rig cycle through about 130 self tests, tweaking itself up. It is truly an amazing thing. You don't need a soldering iron or a single piece of external instrumentation other than a simple ohm meter to set this rig up and be on the air.
I will not repeat any of the stuff about the fantastic performance except to say when I first put it on the air on 80 meter cw from here in NJ, running 8 watts into an inverted vee up 50 feet the first station I called was UR0MC. I got him on the first call.
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K5AF
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Rating: 3/5
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Jan 18, 2010 20:26
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More of the Same
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I wish I could write a good review on this radio, but I've just experienced my second major failure of the PA amp in the past 18 months. After returning my radio after a previous repair to the PA in 2008, I was called by the tech at Elecraft who told me my PA assembly was "toast" and needed to be replaced. Cost for a new one is about $500.00, I opted for a refurbished one for #200.00.
Tech support has been great considering the failures, but I can't tolerant another failure. I bought two of these radios brand new, factory wired, and these are the first new radios I've bought since I purchased a new Omni A back in 1980. Everything else I've owned has been used. I saved diligently and paid cash to get "the best'"
I don't use the radios heavily, and I certainly don't abuse them. I'm not in love with the ergonomics and the performace is OK, but certainly not a quantum leap from my previous radios. Certainly, every other predecessor was far more reliable.
You'll see these listed for sale after the next major failure, I hope you'll do better with them the I did.
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N4NUI
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 22, 2009 08:21
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Latest K3 Kits
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just finished (12/19/09) building the 100 watt K3 kit with the I/O - IF board, the high stability TXCO, the 5-pole-2.7 filter, the 8-pole 2.1 KHz and 250Hz filters in both the main and the second receiver. The build time from setting up the workspace after opening the boxes to completing the calibration and configuration was 17 hours spread out over three days. I did call customer support once. They were great and didn't laugh (at least over the phone where I could hear them) when the problem turned out to be a really dumb ommision on my part during assembly (No excuse - I was still fully awake on page 16!) The components and boards are top quality. Even the mechanics of the assembly of the case and sub-boards didn't require much effort to get a perfect fit. The configuation software from Elecraft is a great time saver and worked smoothly, Using it to download the latest firmware update was painless!
I have been hamming it up since 1958 and have had a number of "top end" rigs since then. The performance of this K3 is GREAT! Some of the reviewers have waxed poetic about the receivers in the K3 and compared the performance to the $10K rigs. My response was "Yeah, Right." until the past two days of using the K3. Wow! I have consistantly been able to copy signals clearly that were just barely above the noise level. Could I hear those signal on the other rigs in the shack? Yeah, but I had to strain a bit to copy them and the copy with the K3 - if not "armchair" - was comfortable. 40 meters and then 80 meters were packed and the filters worked as advertised. And, after setting up the TX audio match between my spare SM-20 mic and the K3, I received good audio reports. I have a 260' horizontal loop and I connected it to the second receiver input to try some diversity receive when 40 was going from short to long path. Man, did that eliminate 75% of the fading during the transition!
I knew I was going to miss the spectrum display, so I purchased the "LP-Pan" adapter (Elecraft is promising their own side unit for 2010) and a high-end audio card and then downloaded the PowerSDR-IF software and the LP-Bridge com software. Well, getting my 3.0 GHz Pentium D computer running XP-Pro SP3 to work with the M-Audio Delta series 192 PCI sound card (it requires an out-board stereo amp and speakers), getting rid of previous XP system com port assignments, and getting all of the drivers to "play nice" with each other caused me to be "Sleepless in Salt Lake." I still cant' get my SignaLink USB interface and HRD/DM780 to work together with PowerSDR-IF, but I keep trying.
The combination of the K3, LP-Pan box,and the high-end soundcard with PowerSDR-IF is amazing!
The K# kit I received had all of the latest improvements and MODs incorporated. I have been using menu driven HF/VHF mobiles, so getting used to the dual function buttons didn't require much of a learning curve.
I have used the K3 now on all modes and it does take some practice to use the internal data (CW, PSK, and RTTY) decode functions. Personally, I think is is much easier to use a computer and digital software. Too many folks run too much wattage on PSK these days and when the band is crowded, the filters in the rig make receiving weaker PSK signals, right next to a "10-over" signal with poor IMD, possible.
Down-side to the kit? Well, there is a great basic kit assembly manual, but there is a separate manual for each option you select. Each manual is very well written with good illustrations and pictures. But, the option manuals are written with a focus on the person installing the option in an already assembled K3. The coordination between the main assembly manual and the option manuals, in my opinion, is less than optimum for those installing the options at the time of the initial assembly. I think the process would be smoother, with less time consuming cross referencing, if there was a fully integrated master manual with the statements, "If you are NOT going to install the XXXX option, then jump to step Y on page Z." Then use the option manuals as they are for retro-fitting. This is the only reason my review is "good" rather than "excellent."
The operating manual was obviously written by someone with experience working with hams and with English being their primary lanaguage. Reading new manuals for the Japanese rigs can induce many instances of "Say - What?" during the learning process.
A note for those who are going to use out-board or the computer speakers for the audio with LP-Pan and PowerSDR-IF: Turn off the AF gain on the rig because there is a slight phase delay between the rig's audio on the computer speakers through PowerSDR-IF. Before I discovered this, the combined audio in the room was just down right wierd.
The total price for my configuration, considering the excellent quality and performance, is very, very good compared to the Japanese "Big Three."
I am really looking forward to when Mother Nature consistantly puts enough zits on the sun to really pack the higher bands with signals.
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