Updating a Vintage K3

So Who Upset the Apple Cart?

My K3 is just about two years old. Light years in the electronics field. With the K3, Elecraft has rearranged the ham radio transceiver market.

Previously, YeaWoodCom would just smile patronizingly when Elecraft brought out a new transceiver model. As people said, who needs a CW rig, particularly a QRP one? And you even want us to put it together? Get real!

They aren't laughing any more at the 98 pound weakling. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, apparently Elecraft is the new 800 pound gorilla on the block. Two years later, YeaWoodCom's marketers can't repeat enough that their products are just like the K3. Really.

Well, What Changed?

The American marketing model requires a series of products, entry level to high end, with increasing features, performance, conveniences, and appeals to consumer ego and vanity, as the price increases. The top of the line gives bragging rights, which may be even more important than actual performance.

David vs. Goliath

Elecraft K3 changed all that. They proved that a small radio, expertly designed with performance rivaling the best radios out there, having close-in dynamic range second to none, and at half the price of other high end rigs, could take a big hunk of market share. No big front panel with wall-to-wall switches, no eye candy, no calling your son to lift the rig onto the operating table, no frills. Just raw performance in that itty-bitty box. And they also made firmware updates standard. I've updated my K3 firmware perhaps 40 times, often adding conveniences and fixes, and sometimes features.

But Even David Needs Down Time

I recently purchased and installed a series of small hardware updates that have been released by Elecraft since I purchased my K3 serial number #647. Two involved circuit boards, and five involved small components already on boards. The DSP board had a number of changes, but what I wanted was the improved frequency response of the audio in your ears. The grainy digital sound was tiring to me, and not like the smooth K2 audio. Elecraft tried to meet the customer half-way. They would send you a modified board, and you were to return your old board within two weeks. On the hams side, maybe not.

So plan B was we send our old boards for update, and they would turn them around in a few days. I mailed mine on Monday afternoon, and had the modified board back Friday at noon. Try that with your YeaWoodCom.

The others mods concerned CW keying rise time, AGC, extremely powerful signals (like near a BC station, a real problem in EU), AF stage upgrade, and IF Gain mod. Most of these were free. They involved adding a leaded resister/capacitor, cutting a trace, etc. SMT and leaded parts provided, your choice. Picture of board location and individual modification steps provided. All of these mods are included in the current production model, of course.

What About the Other Board, Dude?

That is going to remain an enigma for now. I'll address that in the fall.

Hope you all have a great summer, and that sunspots eat their Wheaties (do they still actually make Wheaties?).

73 es Keep On Keeping On,

John the Left Handed Gorilla

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