I admit that I am a technology chaser. My current rigs offer all the features I use as I am not very much of a demanding operator. But, I love technology and there is this thing inside of me that says I need to have the latest of everything, always the latest iPhone, the latest iMac, the latest iPad, and so on. Cost is not an issue, it does not get in the way of my thirst for technology.
That, and that only, would be the reason I buy the K4 of I ever do decide to do that. From an operating standpoint, I don’t think I use any features that are more of an edge than my rig back in my novice days (Eico 720 transmitter, HQ-170AC receiver). I admit to be a ham operator that does not challenge the “best” of the operating envelope. 73, phil, K7PEH > On May 28, 2021, at 4:57 PM, Robert Sands <k7vora...@gmail.com> wrote: > > I used to be a spec chaser but now I am a "feature appreciator" looking > forward to K4! > Bob K7VO > > On Fri, May 28, 2021, 1:46 PM Ken Widelitz <kwidel...@gmail.com> wrote: > >> Hi Dave, >> >> I am remoting my VY2TT station. Unfortunately it didn't happen before the >> Pandemic. For me, the most difficult challenge was remoting the panadapter. >> K4 = problem solved. Anyone anywhere with a *tablet* and internet can have >> a virtual K4 at their fingertips. As great a radio as it is, the K3s can't >> do that. >> >> 73, Ken, K6LA / VY2TT >> >> On Fri, May 28, 2021 at 1:09 PM David Gilbert <ab7e...@gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> >>> I have a K3 with the new synths and nothing in the Sherwood data or >>> Wayne's post gives me any reason to switch to a K4, especially given the >>> cost to do so. Bells and whistles are completely secondary for me >>> compared with basic performance, and I still think that abandoning the >>> K3s was a mistake. >>> >>> 73, >>> Dave AB7E >>> >>> >>> On 5/28/2021 10:55 AM, Paul GACEK via Elecraft wrote: >>>> Congrats Wayne and team on the K4 evaluation. >>>> >>>> The two other responses do somewhat beg the question about what happens >>> to the K3s used market and pricing. Not a lot of K3s for sale unlike the >>> trickle to flood of k3. >>>> >>>> At one point, I thought people were hanging on to their K3s waiting for >>> a K4 upgrade which might well still be valid but I also wonder if people >>> will simply stay with the K3s as the performance is clearly great and >> forgo >>> the flexibility an SDR rig brings. >>>> >>>> Paul >>>> W6PNG >>>> www.nomadic.blog >>>> >>>>> On May 28, 2021, at 10:32 AM, Henry Pollock - K4TMC < >> kilo4...@gmail.com> >>> wrote: >>>>> >>>>> I Love my K3+(new syn)! >>>>> >>>>> 73, >>>>> Henry - K4TMC >>>>> (K3 #98) >>>>> >>>>>> On Fri, May 28, 2021 at 1:22 PM BRUCE WW8II <wa8...@gmail.com> >> wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>> I LOVE my K3s >>>>>> >>>>>> Bruce >>>>>> WW8II >>>>>> >>>>>>> On Fri, May 28, 2021 at 12:31 PM Wayne Burdick <n...@elecraft.com> >>> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Sherwood has posted his measurements of the K4D's receiver >>> performance in >>>>>>> his table: >>>>>>> >>>>>>> http://www.sherweng.com/table.html >>>>>>> >>>>>>> We're quite pleased with his test results, which confirm that the >>> K4/K4D >>>>>>> is near the top of its class (direct-sampling SDRs). A K4HD would >>> provide >>>>>>> somewhat higher dynamic range for those stations in extreme signal >>>>>>> environments, but the vast majority of operators will find that the >>>>>> K4/K4D >>>>>>> more than meets their needs. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> I'd like to highlight a few important items in Rob's chart. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> First, the K4D has a high 2 and 20 kHz dynamic range value of 101 >> dB. >>>>>>> Because it's a direct-sampling radio, this figure will hold at >> nearly >>> all >>>>>>> offsets from strong signals. Second is the block dynamic range >> number >>>>>> (128 >>>>>>> dB), higher than almost every other "pure" SDR measured. Finally, >>> there's >>>>>>> the LO noise (local oscillator; 148 to 155 dB) -- again, very >>> favorable >>>>>>> compared to all competing SDRs. This is an important number >> correlated >>>>>> with >>>>>>> reciprocal mixing dynamic range (RMDR). >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Taken together these demonstrate that the K4D will offer excellent >>>>>>> performance in crowded band conditions. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Inevitably a question will arise regarding the chart position of the >>> K4D >>>>>>> relative to a couple of our other transceivers: the K3S and KX3. >>> There's >>>>>> a >>>>>>> bit of "apples to oranges" in both comparisons. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> The K3S uses a superhet receiver architecture. The K4HD will >> provide a >>>>>>> receive setting that emulates this superhet performance when and if >>> it's >>>>>>> needed. But the "pure" (direct sampling) method used by the K4 (all >>>>>> models) >>>>>>> has many advantages. One is the elimination of artifacts associated >>> with >>>>>>> crystal filters. Another is that, as a pure SDR, the K4 has a far >> more >>>>>>> flexible architecture. We'll be able to provide updates to the >> receive >>>>>> and >>>>>>> transmit digital signal chains that cannot be added to a superhet >> like >>>>>> the >>>>>>> K3S or its competitors. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> The KX3 is another Elecraft radio high on Sherwood's chart. Its >>>>>>> performance is excellent, especially at its price point. But its >>> numbers >>>>>>> relative to the K4 are somewhat misleading, as hinted at by Rob's >>>>>>> footnotes. The KX3 uses a quadrature downsampling architecture, >> which >>>>>>> digitally samples at baseband audio rather than at RF. This is ideal >>> for >>>>>> a >>>>>>> radio like the KX3 that has to have very low current drain for >>> portable >>>>>>> operations. The K4 uses a direct-samping architecture that requires >> a >>>>>>> higher power digital signal chain, resulting in important benefits >>> over >>>>>>> quadrature downsampling including much higher and more consistent >>>>>> opposite >>>>>>> sideband image suppression and 2nd-order intermod rejection. So the >>> two >>>>>> are >>>>>>> really designed for different applications. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Overall, this first independent test of the K4 validates the >>> performance >>>>>>> of our SDR architecture. Feel free to send us any further >> performance >>>>>>> questions. >>>>>>> >>>>>>> 73, >>>>>>> Wayne >>>>>>> N6KR >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> ______________________________________________________________ >>>>>>> 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 wa8...@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 kilo4...@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 paul.ga...@mac.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 ab7e...@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 kwidel...@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 k7vora...@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 phys...@mac.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
