Well said, Doug. Elecraft's accessible staff, volunteer support circle (this reflector), commitment to continuing engineering, aggressive use of field test, open beta test environment and modular architecture are the classic "unfair competitive advantage" that companies seek.
It looks from the photo in QST like Yaesu may have gone with an external panadapter! That surprises me - dropping a true advantage in favor of imitation. I still look forward to a K4 with a built-in band display, maybe some day. But the newly announced Yaesu rig does beat Elecraft on one count - the sexy name! I mean, how can one resist a rig called FTDX-5000MP? Note the subtle use of multiple font sizes, the historical resonance, the large number implying superiority and the revered call sign of their founder. I can't wait for the "Field" version or maybe the Field and Stream version as N0AX once quipped. I think Elecraft's obsession with simplicity is evident in the name of our favorite radio, just plain K3. You want plain and simple high performance? Go Elecraft. You want complexity commensurate with price and weight? Go on. ;-) /Rick N6XI On 11/23/09, DOUGLAS ZWIEBEL <doug...@gmail.com> wrote: > > 1. competition is good...spurs all parties on to improve (and the > consumers win) > > 2. couldn't one say that Elecraft "copied" the Orion? So what? > Good designs are always embraced and (hopefully) improved upon. did > the americans "copy" radar from the brits? does it matter? > > 3. no other manufacturer can mimic Eric, Wayne, Lyle, etc. Just > think back to the FT-Key-Klix issue (never resolved by Yaesu). I > really LOVE that these guys are completely interactive AND RESPONSIVE > with their customers on a daily basis (that's us). If another > manufacturer wants to "copy" Elecraft, they better copy that first! > > 4. I want a radio for what's on the inside; some want it for what's > on the outside (how big are the fins on your cadillac? does the style > look "aggressive?"). when (if) there is a quantum leap in > performance, I'll think about changing. I'm not moving just for a db > or two (in either direction) and never for cosmetics. > > 5. let's see how this radio will actually end up, when it is in > production (in 2011?). > > Excitement about a new product is always fun. > > de Doug KR2Q > ______________________________________________________________ > 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 > -- -- Rick Tavan N6XI ______________________________________________________________ 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
