I find these comments fascinating and highly appropriate for a K3 forum. The K3 with its modularity and close communication between user and manufacturer is the ideal place for adapting new technology to HAM radio.
As a heavy user of technology outside of HAM radio, I think I have some opinions on what would improve HAM radio. The first would be a Bluetooth adapter for the K3 that would allow use of BT stereo headphones. These devices already exist, it remains merely to figure out how to add a module to the K3. At least one HAM radio manufacturer offers this option, so this can't be that difficult. There are many high quality stereo BT headphones on the market that cost under $100. I would pay up to $200 for a reliable and stable BT adapter for the K3. If this could be made to work with a BT stereo headphone and mic with PTT that would be even better. The next step is a reliable and stable remote control system that connects through the internet and can be operated from an app on a cell phone or Ipad. I have big hands. I have worked with all kinds of cell phones and laptops. Cell phones, I have learned to hate the little mechanical keyboards, too small for me. With touch screen the keyboard is actually larger. The problem is many of the earlier touch screens were terrible. The new Iphone touch pad works well and you don't need a separate keyboard. The screen is still a bit small for big fingers or large web pages but it certainly is more convenient than the laptop. The Ipad could be an interesting remote control device. Small enough to take on the road anywhere, large enough to have complex controls. The final issue concerns antenna restrictions. I live close in and I struggle mightily with getting adequate antennas. I would love to find a way to bring my K3 to an ideal location where massive towers are possible, and leave it there all the time. Maybe I would visit it once in a while, but certainly not daily or weekly, maybe once a month or so. For that to work well I would need a really comprehensive remote control program. One that allows me to remote in over the internet and make all sorts of changes, including updating firmware remotely. I know that sort of stuff exists because my office computer consultant has set up a similar system for our office computer network. I would love to have an Ipad and be able to remotely operate my K3. Whether in another room in the house or on a road trip the radio would get a lot more use. I do confess that I have not yet explored what is currently available for remote control. I bet some of this stuff is already out there and I am about to get an education. Anyway, more food for thought. -----Original Message----- From: elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net [mailto:elecraft-boun...@mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Guy Olinger K2AV Sent: Thursday, October 14, 2010 8:11 AM To: Brendan Minish Cc: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] K3 SUB AF - NOR or BALANCE? What really is missing here is a wireless headphone/mic that does not need cords and can be worked with line in/out. The enemy is not the smaller and smaller boxes. One day I will have a K3 AND a TV AND a browser that fits on my wrist. The "K3" will be an app that can be configured to talk to just about anything. I will be able to be in CA and run my K3 in NC. We're close. I'll have a keyboard that only talks to my master com unit on my wrist. A video expander that gets its stuff only from my master com unit on my wrist. Permanent storage that gets its stuff and sends its stuff to/from my master com unit on my wrist. Does anyone put up with phones with cords anymore? Or remote controls with cords. Or car keys that you actually have to put in a lock? Is there some way to move FORWARD in our love/hate relationship with cords? Talk about old and dust covered analog. Listen to us, talking about solving ergonometric problems with patch panels. Quaint, and a part of me thinks that's really neat. Rest of me thinks that's really retro. Small is very useful. Right now I have my K3, a Microham u2R, a K2/10 and an EC2 BOX KPA100/KAT100 box, some speakers in the 6 1/2 inch space directly under my 32" 16x10 monitor, which is at the level picked out by SAS' ergo people years ago to fix my head/neck/back problem at work (worked brilliantly). The entire space is taken up by my MP as an alternate, and of course totally inadequate for my 75A3 and Ranger. Big hands/thumbs/fingers are not under our control. I have small fingers and thereby do not have issues that others do. But shouldn't our solutions be how to make SMALL fit WELL with BIG fingers? What will you big finger guys do when your master com unit is strapped to your wrist. How are you coping with Iphones, Ipads, and the like. Ignoring all of that and only buying "big-button" cell phones? And complaining endlessly about the key pads on Blackberries? What direction is the future from this discussion? How do we run our K3's controls from an Android touch app? There are days when the discussion here seems to be screaming to go back to the past, and learning digital is the absolute enemy. 73, and Blackberries drove me nuts with SMALL fingers... Guy. On Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 9:34 AM, Brendan Minish <ei6iz.bren...@gmail.com> wrote: > Hello Mike > > I have always used the rear connectors, it helps with usability. > I like the flexibility of all the I/O available on the back of the K3 > but I got rather sick of reaching around the back of the radio so I > reused an old audio patch bay to take care of the routing, it also > helped fill out the Icom 7800 sized hole in my station. > > http://ei6iz.com/?p=4 > > > > On Thu, 2010-10-14 at 06:09 -0400, Mike wrote: >> I've been a lot happier since I plugged both the cans and mic into the rear jacks. >> >> 73, Mike NF4L > > -- > 73 > Brendan EI6IZ > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
