As with the answer to most questions, it depends!! If raw RF performance is what it's about or if you work 6m and find the sensitivity on the low side, then a K3S. But for most QSOs, you won't observe any difference, I suspect.
I've just had a K3S here for the weekend to review (I edit Practical Wireless - sort of UK equivalent to CQ). I already own a fully-loaded K3 and have used K3 rigs to great success on several expeditions and in contests. What stood out for me as being a major improvement was the USB interface - so much easier to interface to the PC, run data modes, etc. Beyond that, the question is really, what is a K3 or what is a K3S? There are so many add-ons available (I, for example, need CW filters and a second rx) and a K3 can be upgraded with many of the new K3S boards that it needs a long hard think about where to spend your money. A fully-loaded K3 or K3S is NOT a cheap radio (but it's good). Don G3XTT On 28 July 2015 at 17:51, Jim Brown <j...@audiosystemsgroup.com> wrote: > On Tue,7/28/2015 8:48 AM, ae...@carolinaheli.com wrote: > >> If I had a K3 and a K3S side by side with the same antenna, properly >> adjusted and tuned, could I hear a difference in signal quality, >> noise....etc.. ? >> > > Especially after hearing about your goals, my recommendation is that you > save yourself a lot of money and buy a late vintage K3, then upgrade to the > K3SYNA board and the KIO3B board. The K3SYNA gets you improved RX and TX > phase noise, and is 90% of the difference between a K3 and K3S. Cost is > about $220, you install it in 15 minutes. The KIO3B gets you the latest > preamp, which is a significant improvement on 10M and 6M. > > Spend your cost savings on a better antenna and/or adding a P3 or second > RX. > > The differences between the K3 and K3S mostly matter when you're a serious > contester, or if a neighbor ham living close to you is active when you are, > or when you take your rig to Field Day. For the same reasons, I suggest > that you avoid buying roofing filters until you've used the rig for a > while. For your operating plans, you probably won't need them. > > I have a pair of early vintage K3s (2007) and I'm a serious contester. I > did exactly those upgrades. > > 73, Jim K9YC > ______________________________________________________________ > 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 > Message delivered to don.fi...@gmail.com > ______________________________________________________________ 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 Message delivered to arch...@mail-archive.com
