| LZ1ZJ |
Rating:      |
2010-05-25 | |
| Top performer |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| Exellend receiver! The most cold radio,if I had. |
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| EA3GEG |
Rating:      |
2010-05-13 | |
| The best for now |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Perfect RX and TX easy to conect to PC AND WORK DIGITAL MODES
Joan EA3GEG |
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| HK4CZE |
Rating:      |
2010-05-12 | |
| High end Tranceiver, Super Good |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Just Like the previous review says; this is nothing but an excellent piece of equipment, I also have an IC 7800 which has worked flawlessly for me for four years. Now, passed the K3 honey moon period, all I can say this radio has it all, its loaded with plenty of features, they thought of everything. It's amazing to say the least, the receiver is super quite and the pass band tune is way more efficient than it is on the other high end radios I have owned, including the 7800, NB way better as well
Factory support is absolutely the best I have seen, Once I had an issue while upgrading the "FW"; called up Elecraft, left a voice message and within 15 minutes I had Mr. Dale Farmer call me back. He walked me through the different procedures for a possible solution, He was also very nice and patient. It ended up being a software incompatibility with the driver for the adapter cable with Mac OS X.
Truly, nowadays I seldom turn on my 7800.Besides
The K3 is so much fun to operate!!
Congratulations to the Elecraft team, I hope you do great at Dayton this year, you deserve it honestly!!
Jorge HK4CZE
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| N4FZ |
Rating:      |
2010-05-12 | |
| Excellent Rig! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Why did'nt I get one sooner? The K3 has so many great features. Elecraft's factory support is there, if you have any questions. It's also American made! The price is a little higher than the imports, but well worth every penny. What are you waiting for? You will love it! |
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| TURBOBOB |
Rating:      |
2010-05-03 | |
| Fun to assemble - great performance |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I have had my K3 for twelve months now and I am very pleased with it. I bought the kit and it was both easy and rewarding to assemble. I had been inactive in amateur radio for about 40 years and retook the general class exam in March of last year. I bought a used ICOM IC-746 to get started and after researching what was available decided on the K3. I am not able to compare the K3 to other transceivers as I have limited experience with them (other than the IC-746, my last rig was a Heathkit DX-40 and Hammarlund HQ-110) but for me this rig is great. Recently ordered the P3 Panadapter and look forward to assembling and using it.
Bob
K9FHY
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| WB6RSE |
Rating:      |
2010-03-20 | |
| UNMATCHED PERFORMANCE AND VALUE! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
The K3 has busted every paradigm I had. I was use to a 200 watt rig with dedicated band stacking registers. But I really needed only 50 watts to drive an amp, so while 200 watts was nice to have available, I rarely used it. The K3’s 100 watts is more than adequate. And yes there are no labeled band buttons, but a simple menu selection creates dedicated band buttons and you wind up with five registers per band – your last frequency and mode on any given band and then four more in memory. Very efficient for switching band segments and modes and a lot more than the two registers I was use to.
You quickly master the technique of tap vs. hold of the function buttons and their versatility and deliberate multi-function design becomes apparent. Tap A>B and your two VFOs/receivers are set equal. Next, with your finger still in place, hold A>B and you go into split mode and your hand drops down to the B VFO to set your TX frequency. Noise blanker, noise reduction and notch are all engaged and adjusted easily in the same way. But an even faster way to go split is to load a "macro" created with Elecraft’s K3 software utility. Then a single button hold will set your VFOs equal, turn on the sub receiver and set your split frequency to whatever offset you’d like. By the way, “sub” is an unfortunate misnomer when it comes to the second receiver. There is nothing sub performance about it. It’s as capable as the main receiver in every way because it’s the same design.
The basic K3 weighs about eight pounds, so getting to those connectors on the rear panel is simplicity. No forklift needed anymore for that old fifty pound anchor.
I always order every option I think I’ll ever need or want at initial buy. But the K3 readily lends itself to an incremental option build up. And the basic receiver runs rings around anything I’ve ever used, especially with roofing filters installed that fit my operating preferences. I can copy and work weak stations while very close to extremely strong stations and not even know they are transmitting. You have to experience it. It’s almost unbelievable!
Elecraft hosts a very active email reflector. Response from knowledgeable owners of all Elecraft products is quick and helpful. And Elecraft’s principals and staff are always monitoring the posts and often provide their own expertise. Direct email and phone support from Elecraft is unparalleled. Search the email archives and you’ll likely find the answers to your questions including which options to order, what power supply to buy as well has learning how to easily program those highly useful macros.
I continue to be amazed as I’ve thought of a function that might be useful to have only to discover that it was already implemented. The K3 is a pleasure to operate but it’s no toy. The electrical, mechanical and ergonomic designs of the K3 are superb. It’s clearly a radio that’s been designed by hams, for hams. Get ready to revisit your paradigms about what a modern HF radio can be. |
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| K6RB |
Rating:      |
2010-03-10 | |
| I'm extremely pleased with my new K3/100 |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I've been putting off getting a K3 for years because my two FT-1000s were still working dependably. However, I got a nice bonus in January and decided to buy a K3/100. It took me about six hours to build it, and it worked first crack of the bat. Once I had a chance to play with it on the air, I decided to replace the two FTs with two K3/100s. So, I sold the FTs and a K2/100 and ordered the second K3/100. I'm in the process of building it right now. I had a chance with the first one to try it in the ARRL DX contest and a RTTY contest. It worked great in both modes. I have yet to try it on SSB, but, then again, I seldom operate SSB but I did operate AFSK, so I know the audio chain works fine. I had the FTs for about 14 years, and I suspect given K3's SDR architecture, that I'll probably have them for at least that long. |
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| W5OMU |
Rating:      |
2010-03-07 | |
| Absolutely great ! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
You know, I have become so accustomed to the performance of the K3 that I usually do not give it a second thought.
However, when I visit my friends and listen to their radios, I feel a wave of appreciation and satisfaction from my experience with the K3. This radio is quiet, quiet, and quiet compared to other radios. The 8 pole roofing filters and digital processing are unbelievable. Listening to stations on 40 and 80m complain about adjacent heterodynes and QRM is very revealing - I do not even hear it unless the bandpass is wide open (although I can easily see them on my panadapter!) If I hear occasional junk (splatter) in the background, it's because someone has their amplifier cranked way into intermodulation.
I built the Telepost LP-PAN panadapter kit connected to the E-MU 0202 USB external sound interface with my computer. I can easily see the carriers and IM that everyone hears, but the K3 easily and completely eliminates most QRM. Most of the time I don't even pay attention to that stuff (I usually don't hear it) unless someone else on the air complains.
I am also an ARRL OO, listening to many QSOs with the K3 and this combination of gear. It is absolutely amazing to view and listen to signals, good and bad, with good filtering and bandwidths, as well as stations and equipment with excessive splatter.
I just recently acquired a mint condition Yaesu FL-7000 solid state amp from N4ATS. The K3 drives this amp with 40 watts to nearly full output of 500-600w on 40 and 80m. I always get superb audio and signal reports. And the accessory output of the K3 controls the band-switching of the amp perfectly.
Well, what else can I say? I thought you would like to know! I'm a very happy camper.
P.S. I just finished the 2010 ARRL DX Contest working 35 countries on 40, 20 & 15m - single operator air time about 6 hours.
Elecraft K3
Yaesu FL-7000
Palstar AT1500CV
GAP Titan DX Vertical
Telepost LP-100A
Telepost LP-PAN
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| N0EVH |
Rating:      |
2010-02-26 | |
| Great rig & value priced |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Owned and operated my K3 for over two years. What can I say that might help your decision process?
If you go by the performance specifications you would already own one.
If you follow performance demanding contest stations you would already own one.
If you believe bigger is better, can't help you there. The 100 watt configuration weighs less than 9 lbs and has a foot print slightly smaller than a Icom 746.
If you are faithful to another name brand and are afraid to try something new I have a solution. Try the K3 configured the way you want it and then resell it for the same money 6 months later if not satisfied. No risk.
If you have been burned by owning a previous radio that had performance or operational issues and you could never get the attention of the manufacturer, don't worry. Elecraft has the solution.
If you are retired and don't have the cash, then sell whatever it takes to get one. Does your wife really need that old car she drives to the hair dresser?
If you are young and don't have the cash, then get your grandfather interested in ham radio now!
Well, you get the idea. The K3 is a fine performer at an excellent price. After thousands of QSO's I love the way it performs on SSB, CW and digital. So flexible that it has a spot in the shack and the RV. Battery friendly and just rocks at Field Day each year. Order one built the way you want it for your part of the hobby and have some fun. |
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| KC0VKN |
Rating:      |
2010-01-25 | |
| I love my new K3 |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
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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