Mike and All,
Not sure what was so humorous exactly, about "Full QRQ break-in", but my
reaction would be more like "are you kidding me?" . "Full QRQ break-in"
says two things--Not only does it have QSK capability (the "full break-in"
part of that phrase), but also at really high CW speeds (QRQ), which a lot
of other amps, and rigs for that matter, cannot do. That's another world as
far as I'm concerned.
Actually, the K3 was, at one point, a bit lacking on the QRQ aspect as far
as some of the really super high speed folks were concerned. However, in
just another instance of how Elecraft responds to customer requests, they
resolved that issue to just about everyone's satisfaction as far as I know.
I'm guessing that the KPA500 will very effectively coordinate with the
increased capability of the K3. A good friend of mine, who is an excellent
CW op and one of the QRQ folks who encouraged Elecraft to improve this
aspect of the K3, is now apparently fully satisfied with the results. I'm
not sure what the upper limit is now, but I think it is in the neighborhood
of 70 to 80 wpm now--maybe faster. I'm not slow, but this is way out of my
realm of operation, and I didn't even know the issue existed.
In any event, if the K3 had been a product of any other manufacturer, this
"deficiency" would probably never had been resolved, except perhaps by a
"new improved" model. Additionally, the KPA500 probably would not have been
designed as capably either by another manufacturer, or even by Elecraft, had
it not been for their close attention to customer requests and requirements.
I'm pretty sure that one of the objectives in the design of the KPA500 was
NOT to inhibit the capabilities of the K3.
As I said, I'm not a "QRQ type", but I do plod along at a decent clip using
QSK. It constantly amazes me how seamlessly the KPA500 follows along, and
is whisper quiet! No clicks, no clacks, just green bars! Even if the fan
comes on I have to strain to hear it. I've never been much of an amp user
either, until now, but I have used other amps now and then. All of those
other amps tended to drive me crazy with the racket they produce. As long
as I used headphones, I think I could operate the K-line in church and
nobody would notice!
Dave W7AQK
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