Daniel and all,
If the K2 is any example, the K3 will not go "out of production" nor
"out of support" anytime soon.
The K2 is a 14 year old design (Field Test was in 1999), and is still
being sold. Yes, there have been a few changes due to component
availability, but Elecraft has responded with alternatives that are just
as good or even better than the original.
For instance, the IF amplifier IC is no longer available in DIP format,
so a carrier board with the SMD equivalent was supplied by Elecraft.
Then the PIN diode used for the BFO injection path also met the same
fate and a carrier board was supplied. The speech compressor on the
original KSB2 board is no longer available, so the KSB2 board was
re-designed to use an alternate IC. Similarly the VFO encoder is no
longer available, but the K3 encoder was modified to work in the K2.
How much longer that kind of support for an "older" design will be
possible is anyone's guess, but I believe Elecraft will do all within
its power to keep the K2 alive and serviceable for as long as feasible.
Ask yourself how many other manufacturers would go to those lengths to
provide continued support for a 14 year old design?
Based on that history, I would suggest that the K3 will have a very long
life too. Elecraft has not changed its support position since 'day
one', so expect your K3 to last a long time.
73,
Don W3FPR
On 6/7/2013 4:52 PM, VE3GNO Daniel wrote:
Wayne, team
I am pretty sure at a certain point the K3 will go out of production due component EOL (and I am sure elecraft already have a strategy, and this is normal).
Now maybe is waaay to early to speak abt "k3 discontinued" but for a future
developement if will be possible, design K4 in such a way to keep some of our old k3
optionals. Aparently seems is not a good marketing strategy but is not (ham comunity is
somehow different than classical consumer market, a product lifetime is not 12 or
18months, is 5 years or longer) and along with many new fresh users, the old k3 owners
could migrate smoothly into next one and decision factor is going to be faster bringing
on a short time more revenue to sustain the production. Migration from K3 to K4 is not
the same like from K2 to K3, market is different, users are different..another class...On
the other hand Elecraft could reuse some of the old stock components/boards/test
manufacturing...etc....my two cents.
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