[TenTec] I hate to say it but...

[Jim Brown]

How we view ergonomics is a very personal thing. Itis strongly affected 
by what we're used to, to how our minds work, and what we do with our 
radios. ICOM's is different from Yaesu's, which is different from 
Kenwood, which is different from Ten Tec. The last rigs I've owned from 
these companies (in the order I mentioned them) are the 746, the 
FT1000MP, the TS850, and the Omni V+. The UI that I liked the least was 
the 746, the MP was better, and Omni V+ was third, and the Kenwood UI 
was the one I liked the best.

Enter the Elecraft K2, which my friends, including NY9H, were telling me 
was the new big thing, and I bought one (no time to build it, I was 
running my own small biz). This was 2003, and my other radio was the 
Omni V+, also bought used. The K2 is tiny by comparison to any of those 
other radios, so get all the functions and controls we need, buttons and 
controls had to do double, triple, and even quadruple duty. Think about 
the functionality of early handheld GPS units;  my primary GPS is still 
a wonderful handheld Garmin that runs on AA batteries, has a full set of 
maps (I had to buy them), has great sensitivity, and does waypoints. 8 
buttons total. Can you say SLOOOW?  But I love it because it runs on 
AAs, it does waypoints, and it tracks me walking on trails!

That K2 got my brain used to the control logic that was greatly expanded 
and refined for the K3. The target market for the K3 is the high end 
user who doesn't have high end bucks. It's highly modular, and it is 
MUCH smaller and lighter than other high end radios. I'm part of the 
target market -- very demanding of performance, take my radios out in 
the field so I really appreciate the compact size and weight, also have 
limited space on my operating desk for two complete stations, and that 
compactness and modularity helps there too.

I do NOT find the K3 UI in any way limiting or frustrating. Perhaps 
that's because I RTFM before I start using a new product, whatever it 
is. I was unable to RTFM when I sat down in front of an Orion at a 
friend's contest station, so I had no idea what to do with it. And I 
never made a QSO with it. The K3 (and K3S) UI meshes ideally with MY 
operating style, MY mindset. Yes, I nearly always go the wrong way round 
the mode toggle. But as to changing bands and modes, the K3 and K3S have 
a bunch of memories that can be easily programmed (if you RTFM) to hold 
a bunch of standard setups. These radios can be set to remember power 
and other settings by band, and some by mode.

And once I've set up my radio for a given station (or on FD for the 
preferences of the operators, the mic/cans we'll be using and where we 
plug them in), there's zero need to access the menus. In 2008, when the 
K3 was a brand new radio, Elecraft loaned a bunch of them to the VP6DX 
expedition, and K3NA sat the team down to give them a half hour class on 
the new radio. He then sat them down in front of the radios, and later 
reported that these experienced operators from all over the world felt 
comfortable with the new radios almost immediately, and found them very 
logical and easy to operate.

The UI in the K3 and K3S (virtually the same) is, by far, the best of 
any radio I've ever used. Operationally, I find it no more complicated 
than my S38D, my BC348, and my HQ129X, all of which did a LOT less! It's 
FAR easier to control bandwidth and move the IF around than in the Omni 
V+, the FT1000MP, or the TS850. There's a built-in keyer, also very 
adjustable (from the menu), with a front panel knob for speed.  My Omni 
V+ lacked a keyer. A very good antenna tuner is an option in the K3; my 
Omni V+ lacked an antenna tuner. The K3 and K3S have an optional 2nd RX 
that is equal in performance to the main RX. The only shortcoming of 
that 2nd RX is that you DO need to mess with the menus to adjust it. OR 
-- with two quick pushes of the A>B button, you can transfer all 
settings of the main RX to the 2nd RX. AND -- I can set up BOTH 
receivers with the NB and NR turned on. That can be a VERY big deal if 
you use diversity mode and one or both of your RX antennas is noisy.

I also own a KX3, a far more compact radio than even the K3/K3S, and 
each of the buttons and knobs has even more multiple functions. I don't 
use this radio much, so I find the UI frustrating at times. But it's a 
very powerful radio, it fits in the pocket of my winter jacket, and I've 
loaned it to a friend who, with help from XYL and W6JTI, have dragged it 
up a 2-3 mile trail that gains 1,000 ft elevation, along with its 100W 
amp, batteries, antenna, and coax!  Try doing that with an Omni VI+. :)

73, Jim K9YC

On Fri,9/2/2016 2:39 AM, Barry N1EU wrote:
> The front panel ergonomics on the K3 is a nightmare compared to the Omni
> 6+, which has perhaps the best front panel EVER.  FWIW, I've owned them
> both for many years.