Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Elecraft K3 back-ordered items  (Read 377 times)

GW4FRX

  • Member
  • Posts: 8
Elecraft K3 back-ordered items
« on: December 03, 2022, 06:08:23 AM »

Back in May 2021 I ordered two items for my K3. At that time there were perfectly understandable reasons for the delay in fulfilling the order.

On 1 May 2022 the CEO put out an ‘Elecraft update’ on one of the forums. In this he stated amongst other things that the KSYN3A would be available in “…7-12 weeks if there are no major surprises”. That would imply 1 August 2022 at the outside. Similarly he said that the K3EXREF should be available in 14-16 weeks, which would suggest somewhere around September 2022 at the latest.

Unfortunately the items are still not available and I haven't seen any updates or other information from Elecraft. The newsletter hasn't been updated for just over a year and the sales department hasn't answered two polite e-mail enquiries.

Does anyone know what's happening in respect of these K3 add-ons?
Logged

WA2EIO

  • Member
  • Posts: 278
Re: Elecraft K3 back-ordered items
« Reply #1 on: December 03, 2022, 06:27:50 AM »

Eric posted an updated time line yestreday on the groups.io site.   You can read the entire post here:

https://groups.io/g/Elecraft-K3/message/37982


Quick summary:

P3TXMON  6-8 weeks
K3EXREF      8 weeks
KAT3A:          8 weeks
KDVR3          8 weeks
KPA3A        6-8 weeks
KIO3B        8-9 weeks
KSYN3A        8 weeks
KBPF3A        8 weeks
KXV3B       6-8 weeks
 
K144XV and K144RFLK   7-10 days
Logged

GW4FRX

  • Member
  • Posts: 8
Re: Elecraft K3 back-ordered items
« Reply #2 on: December 03, 2022, 08:07:24 AM »

I hadn't seen that and it's very helpful. Many thanks.
Logged

N4FZ

  • Member
  • Posts: 15
Re: Elecraft K3 back-ordered items
« Reply #3 on: December 03, 2022, 09:13:06 AM »

Thanks for posting! I'm waiting on a KIO3B board since September 2021.
Logged

W9OD

  • Member
  • Posts: 16
Re: Elecraft K3 back-ordered items
« Reply #4 on: December 03, 2022, 10:56:02 AM »

Elecraft has changed, they used to be a top notch company, since the introduction of the K4, that has changed. I am selling all of my Elecraft gear and moving on just like they moved on. I am sorry they left us K3/K3s owners in the dust.
Logged

WB8VLC

  • Member
  • Posts: 1155
Re: Elecraft K3 back-ordered items
« Reply #5 on: December 03, 2022, 12:05:53 PM »

ELECRAFT didn't leave anyone in the dust, what caused the delay were supply chain issues when IC and select semiconductor manufacturers left many of their most loyal customers in the dust.

Companies like Atmel, Intel and Texas instruments changing, diverting many of their FABS to specific customers only caused excessive delays and other parts issues when they diverted the accessibility of DSP,'s, FPGA's and numerous analog parts to other industries such as 5G cellular and satellite suppliers who were moved to the front of the lines.

Another problem caused by these same manufacturers was when without a notice they moved away from providing many legacy IC's and moving production over to more Application specific IC's for the above cell and SAT industries and this  caused other parts issues when suppliers of common legacy items such as lead frames which are used in IC manufacturing were left without orders caused by the above 3 manufacturers not taking care of their external suppliers.

This is not just ham radio manufacturers who suffered either but other radio industry manufacturers also suffered. 

I design aviation electronics and we have the same supply issues caused by the above 3 main suppliers,  as a result of these manufacturers moving their FPGA and DSP product availability to only select industries, many legacy companies were left with no parts and the only option left was for these companies to VETTE new suppliers.

The move to new suppliers was the only choice and while it has caused delays, these new suppliers are now competing with the above 3 dead weight companies which I have no problem with never using in the future.
« Last Edit: December 03, 2022, 12:17:21 PM by WB8VLC »
Logged

N2SR

  • Member
  • Posts: 1794
Re: Elecraft K3 back-ordered items
« Reply #6 on: December 03, 2022, 12:17:28 PM »

Elecraft has changed, they used to be a top notch company, since the introduction of the K4, that has changed. I am selling all of my Elecraft gear and moving on just like they moved on. I am sorry they left us K3/K3s owners in the dust.

Of course they did.

Because a worldwide pandemic lasting 2.5+ years had nothing at all to do with it. 

Logged
Elect a clown.  Expect a circus.

WB8VLC

  • Member
  • Posts: 1155
Re: Elecraft K3 back-ordered items
« Reply #7 on: December 03, 2022, 12:39:26 PM »

Not 100% pandemic caused  because One thing I noticed over the past 2 years which was not in short supply was the number of 5G sites that were being installed here in the Northwest.

These cell companies didn't appear to have any supply chain issues and the 5G cell installers were busy.

The cell companies had no issues obtaining base station equipment to install everywhere and anywhere that they could. 

Also Musk Rats Starlink and other sattellite providers had no shortages at sending new satellites aloft.

As mentioned a majority of the issues were the diverting of resources away from older loyal legacy customers to the select few loud screaming companies that are run and owned by the new breed of high technology Oligarchs.
Logged

N2SR

  • Member
  • Posts: 1794
Re: Elecraft K3 back-ordered items
« Reply #8 on: December 03, 2022, 01:06:13 PM »

Not 100% pandemic caused  because One thing I noticed over the past 2 years which was not in short supply was the number of 5G sites that were being installed here in the Northwest.

These cell companies didn't appear to have any supply chain issues and the 5G cell installers were busy.

The cell companies had no issues obtaining base station equipment to install everywhere and anywhere that they could. 

Also Musk Rats Starlink and other sattellite providers had no shortages at sending new satellites aloft.

As mentioned a majority of the issues were the diverting of resources away from older loyal legacy customers to the select few loud screaming companies that are run and owned by the new breed of high technology Oligarchs.

You know all of the above is true because you have inside knowledge of parts procurement of those companies and know that those companies did not already have those high quality, high reliable parts already on hand before the pandemic.  You don't walk into Radio Shack to buy resistors to use in space flight hardware. 

Just so you know, when Elecraft announced a "final buy," I ordered a P3 for my other K3.  That was almost two years ago.  I inquired at Dayton, and Eric said that many of the ICs that were used in the legacy units are just no longer being manufactured.  The cost to redesign the same units is not worth the super thin P/L margin that they are dealing with. 

Do not forget the major wildfire that occurred last summer, where at least one Elecraft employee lost his entire house.   

Let's not let facts get in the way of your rant. 

You could always start a company to produce the same boards that Elecraft supposedly abandoned. 

I've heard there are plenty of empty burned out buildings downtown Portland available. 

What are you selling your K3 and P3 for?   

Logged
Elect a clown.  Expect a circus.

G4AON

  • Member
  • Posts: 2178
Re: Elecraft K3 back-ordered items
« Reply #9 on: December 04, 2022, 02:11:47 AM »

Even huge component supply companies, such as Mouser, are listing the lead times of some fairly ordinary parts at around 1 year.

I understand that Elecraft have had to redesign some boards in their K4 to accommodate alternative parts, I can understand why supplying boards for the old K3 and P3 were dropped down the priority list.

I built a couple of over/reverse polarity Voltage protection boards from our RadCom magazine (Bob boards), the control IC and mosfets are now out of stock everywhere with some showing an estimated arrival of November 2023… even car manufacturers are struggling to obtain parts.

Unless you build everything with 2N3904 transistors, you will soon hit a supply problem. The world has gone mad.

73 Dave
Logged

KF5JOT

  • Member
  • Posts: 37
Re: Elecraft K3 back-ordered items
« Reply #10 on: December 19, 2022, 02:05:50 AM »

A number of years back, one of our suppliers announced the sunsetting of a couple of chips we use in several boxes. Our buyers were smart and bought up every one of the chips they could find. We also notified the prime customer to expect to expend considerable $ over the next few years to redesign those components before they became unrepairable.  It’s cascaded into a complete system redesign and upgrade, and probably won’t be flight test ready until after I retire in a few years.
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up