I love the "product idea" for a K2b or K3, based on an upgrade to K2 base! New Front Panel, New Control Board - and some new options that plug into one's existing K2 RF Board. (I couldn't readily find who put up that idea - but great!)
New Ideas - I beg to differ, and my 3 cents. In any large organization, one would think that they "think" and create new product ideas regularly and quite naturally. When in fact this is often not the case. It is often NOT design, NOT marketing, NOT R&D - who come up with the new product or invention ideas. I worked for 30 years in more than a few R&D orgs - where ideas could flourish - and "marketing" would squash. What drives new products? Marketing's quest for profit centers. At Kodak, in the 70's - the thought of a 35mm "Kodak" camera was NO. The "camera" was a consummer of film - perhaps the camera itself, as a product, was a loss leader - (it was) to create more and predictable film consumption. In ham radio - so many very creative hams, have a many very good ideas, needs, and operating observations. I think it is great, if one's Manufactuging choice for ham gear, encourages that. It sure looks like Elecraft, is such a company! Ideas, "what if" ideas - often, like new musical scores - magically appear. It is not often something one can creat a "new product group", and expect them to crank out new product ideas. It is said, Handel came up with the entire "Messiah" in a matter of weeks. (over 20 or 30 very very complicated compositions) The practical side of me, wants a K3 with more knobs and operator variable inputs, not less. I don't want to have a PC control center - with a RIG BOX somewhere back in the closet awaiting the next PC command. I've just spent oodles of time - working with my new K2 #005422 - and Spectrogram, tweaking the CW and neg CW and SSB filter characteristics. It's starting to sound very sensitive. I'd now like to think there is some "upgrade path" for my K2 - more options, big options, K3 options, K2B new Control Broard, new FRONT PANEL ........ And a few "outboard" options - to hang onto or sit next to my K2, would be nice. I don't want to wire a AMP inside my K2 - me, I'd like to sit it next to my K2. An outboard RF Output/SWR meter, an AMP, a tuning indicator, a set of quality Earphones, a good Elecraft mobile Mike, .........., a Meter option for my K2B, top mounted?, a K2 "bus I/O" option - coming out of K2 side panel - to allow attachment of a whole range of auxilliary and useful outboard "bells and whistles"! :) Project? The IEEE, in 1978, saved away all of the then Vacuum Tube technologies - into a huge IEEE data base. So there must be something to those tubes, some inherent quality. HOW SMALL COULD YOU DESIGN A dual-6146 TUBE AMPLIFIER, how big would it be, sitting next to my K2? How much PEP/CW Power could it put out onto a Dipole? What would the power requirements be? Could my Astron 35M power it? Would a dual-tube 6146 AMP, sound more powerful, than todays 100W solid state amp? Do tubes inherently have a magic "audio" quality, that is discernable on the airwaves? Does someone know of such a circuit, with a 2006 parts list. Is it buildable, by a few hams? Does QST have such a beast? Sure sounds like a fun ham, project to this ham. It is said, McIntosh's TUBE AMPLIFEIRS still draw BIG BUCKS, for the hi-fi/stereo buff. Why? .... Fred N3CSY having fun with my K2 # 005422 nice way to spend some of my retirement! what can I add to or beside it, nexs? 5/24 __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
