> One of my personal objections to the Elecraft design
> philosophy is the plethora of options. by the time you add
> them all, you have a fairly expensive rig, and if you choose
> to NOT add them all, the resale value drops. The last time I
> checked, adding all the possible filter options alone added
> nearly a thousand bucks to the basic radio.
Options allow each user to buy only the features they need. For example,
users who have resonant antennas can save the cost of the antenna tuner. CW
and RTTY operators may choose to not get the DVK option. If you have no
receiving antennas and don't need to connect VHF transverters, then that
option can be eliminated. The second receiver is not needed by most users,
but those that buy it will get far better second receiver than is available
in other radios. It is a true second receiver, not a compromised
approximation.
The K3 crystal filters are frequently misunderstood. They are essentially
roofing filters and no optional crystal filters are needed by the vast
majority of buyers. The K3 comes with a 2.7 kHz roofing filter in each
receiver. Most radios have a 15 kHz roofing filter and no provision for
adding narrower ones. The 756Pro series is an example. The primary IF
filtering in the 756Pro and K3 is DSP which gives the user continuously
variable IF filtering. The few K3 operators who need a roofing filter just
outside their DSP bandwidth can add an optional roofing filter to protect
the DSP filtering from close-by very strong (S9 + 30 dB or stronger)
interference. Yes, it is possible to put about $1000 worth of crystal
roofing filters in the K3 (five in each receiver), but that is unnecessary
for all but the very rare operator. Compared to the 756Pro, no optional
crystal filters should be added to the K3.
The K3 is very price-competitive in an apples-to-apples comparison of
features.
Ed - W0YK
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