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| Reviews Summary for Elecraft K3 |
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Reviews: 185
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Average rating: 4.9/5
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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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Product is in production.
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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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AB9TX
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 30, 2013 18:25
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Ugly Good
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Well here it is, another K3 review- absolutely great reciever, even using a ground mounted vertical I find I can fine tune, filter, shift out, notch my way into getting a dx contact. Fun little radio, with a small footprint- Not alot of bling here, pretty plain to look at, but performance plus. With every option minus the second reciever, it draws an amazing 700ma. Modular construction alows easy repair. Software updates and Elecraft support are very good. Try dialing down your transmitt power to .1 watt to make a contact- not many rigs allow that. This radio will sit forever on my desk....
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KM4D
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 24, 2013 07:45
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You can not go wrong with a K3
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is my second K3. First one was a early serial number 492 and there is a big difference between the older serial number and newer ones. Don W3FPR finally gave me the reason why from his website www.w3fpr.com I really have found my later radio a real improvement - S/N 5739. It is dressed up with all of the filters and gadgets. For digging out the week ones on CW or phone it has been a joy to use. You do need to get to know all of the features as with any of the newer radio's. Noise blanker and noise reduction systems are very effective under many adverse band conditions. It is a real Contester/Dxer radio for all modes. Along side of my K3 is a Orion II which has been my stable for several years replacing my Orion I. They both hear exceptionally well with the Orion having the edge on AGC versatility. I have been a Ten Tec fan for years owning almost all of their radio's including the older and later ones. Have always had great service from TT but I must say the folks at Elecraft know their radio's very well also. Have owned a K1, K2 and now two K3's. Factory service is excellent! Yes, they are a work in progress but the software improvements are worth the time to install on any of the software update able radio's.The build quality is excellent but I would recommend the 73cnc.com weighted ball bearing knobs. The really put the finishing touches on a real fine radio and it's tuning around the bands experiences. I would recommend the K3 and accessories to anyone. Enjoy!
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K7UA
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 16, 2013 13:40
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Still going strong
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I own two K3s. I am well into my fifth year with the first one and a year behind that with the second. They have both been great radios. I am a DXer and contester and have given them a lot of use. One has a sub-receiver and numerous filters, a 6M preamp, and P3 band scope attached to it. The other is used as a backup and on 2M with an internal transverter. I have only had a few very minor problems in all of that time. My AF/RF gain knobs have split three times. Just recently Elecraft replaced them again, free of charge. This time, however, the knobs have metal inserts and should last a long time. I had my primary VFO encoder die once and my serial interface board also went out once. These were not difficult to get fixed with Elecraft's superior technical support. I was able to do the repairs myself without sending the rig back to the factory. It just was no big deal. I once had the VFO encoder go out on my Icom IC775DSP. Icom was good to work with, but the repair was certainly not free of charge and the shipping costs were very high both ways. Whenever I consider a new radio, made by another company, I remember those experiences. Even though it is rare, I am not afraid to tear a K3 to pieces if need be. The K3s superb performance has been discussed here at length. I agree. They are top notch radios and Elecraft has kept them fresh with firmware updates. Mine are still going strong! 73, K7UA
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KC0W
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 1, 2013 13:58
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So Far So Good
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have a pair of fully loaded up K3's that have performed flawlessly over the past few years..........I don't have the time/interest in wading thru 160+ other reviews of this fine rig.
"Works for me".
Tom KCĜW
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VE3CWJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 8, 2013 15:39
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Great support (good radio too...)
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Just finished building a couple weeks ago. Most options - KRX3, lots of 8 pole filters for both receivers (2.8, 2.1, 400, 250), DVR, KXV3A, KPA3, KAT3, K3EXREF, etc...
Had a problem with no speaker output day one. After posting email at their support on the weekend, Monday afterwards Howard at Elecraft CALLS ME to discuss the problem. How many vendors call you to trouble shoot??? After discussion, he sends new DSP board. Fixed within a week...
Yes, menus and buttons a bit hard to figure out at times. Difficulty in configuring the radio may give it a 4.5 from an objective point of view, but their excellent technical support is something I've never experienced before. That gives them a 5 in my books...
Steve
VE3RX/VE3CWJ
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N3TU
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 22, 2013 18:08
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I Love This Radio!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Here is an update. I got the radio in July 2008. I always get superb audio reports and I don't have any outboard equipment. The receive is great and in fact I like to run two antennas when I am on the MARS frequencies to make sure I hear everyone in all directions. The filters are great. The sub receiver and antenna tuner is a must so don't skimp. I use it all the time. The radio was great on field day and easy to carry. Customer service is great if I have questions with menu functions but the menues are easy to understand. I can't belive I had this radio this long and HRO is right up the street for me. I am not saying HRO has bad radios, some of them are great but after listening to other radios, I can't part with mine. I never get tired of using my K3 and it always draws me back to the shack to the point where I get nothing else done. Lol
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KQ0C
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 10, 2013 19:28
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Best CW Rig
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I have a K3, IC 7600 and Kenwood 590S among other radios. All mentioned are very good rigs. The K3 wins hands down as a CW contesting rig... with better filtering, integrated decoding, and extreme selectivity. I sort of prefer the IC 7600 as a SSB rig, since I find it easier to operate and it has the native bandscope. But for CW the K3 rocks. One exceptional advantage is that you can send CW from N1MM directly through the USB connection, while other radios require a specialised interface.
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AD4C2006
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 1, 2013 10:29
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The best radio I have owned
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Time owned: months
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I know the scale to score it is up to 5 but in my mind I give it a 6.
I have owned my K3 for more than 5 years and to to tell the real truth I have never owned a better radio than this one. In all these years I have owned different Yaesu like the FT-950 and FT-2000, Kenwood like TS-950 and TS-590,TenTec Orion I and II, Icom IC-7600 and now the IC-9100 and NONE of them has been able to beat my K3 down in performance.
I am not going to writte technical details that everybody knows already but only saying that either for normal daily ragchewing as well as for dx chasing or contesting work, this K3 is the best choice today in the market.
Its not a beautiful radio as other ones but it performs as any other brand does.
Its a keeper, no wonder all the more of five thousand owners don't want to sell them.
You see at qth.com once in a while one or two for sale but that makes it a less than 1% of all sold in the world,good average for a small company that has earned a high reputation not only because of the radios built but also for having without a doubt the best technical support from all over the world.
Hector
AD4C
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F6DEX
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 23, 2012 10:58
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Very reliable
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I am using my K3 (almost fully loaded) since 4 years. Very stable and reliable rig. Doing all, very versatile !
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M5LRO
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 20, 2012 16:45
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Very good Equipment indeed
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I have owned my Elecraft K line now for 3 months after building it all from Kits.
I have been fortunate enough to own both the IC7800 and the Ftdx9000d recently.
The K3 design is good and the quality of the parts is superb, Gold Plated Circuit boards and very good quality boards too. Hardware is professionally finished and the kits go together well indeed.
Performance wise this is a very competant radio and whilst a little fiddly initially once you get the hang of things its a cracking performer - the CW performance is stunning by far the best I have experienced.
The built in cw/data decoder works very well, provided the other station is sending perfect cw, anything else and it falls apart, better with new firmware upgrade recently.
Very good radio to learn and some super features too, some a little gimmiky but others are superb, connectivity is very good and the firmware upgrade utility is the best I have used, far easier than the Icom firmware process.
I really do like the K3 and I like its options too, I have the P3 and the KPA500 and it all works seemlessly just like having a 500-600 watt rig on the bench. The connectivity and handshaking ability of the Elecraft gear is wonderful and it works exactly as it should.
Would I buy again, mmmmmm tough one for me. I have to say I prefer the Icom 7800 as a marginally better all rounder in my book. Whilst the K3 is stunning at CW I dont thing is sounds nice on Phone and I have tried all the parametric rx eq settings but the recovered audio is not a patch on the 7800.
SO I like it a lot, but I probably should have kept my 7800, that ooozed build quality - I am afraid the K3 is what it is, a Kit - but a bloody good one.
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