Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Wish List
I concur with Don, I have a small kit building business (not Elecraft kits) and one of my kit suppliers provides the pcb half populated with sm components. The kit uses the same pcb for several different bands and changes components to fit the frequency and options chosen. My guess is the kit seller buys his boards with these select components pre-installed due to cost, efficiency and quality control issues. I suspect this has a lot to do with the K3 in the form it is offered. Customer service headaches is the other. It is very hard for someone to break into building ham radio products due to the economy of scale issue (little guy can't buy components as cheaply as a big outfit that orders in multiples of thousand quantities. I supply full testing results and a set up/operation manual and that is not as easy as it may seem. Days of kits assembled from military surplus parts (Heathkit) are long gone. If you are clever or the first one out the gate with a brand new concept (niche product), you have a chance (for a short time). 600m equipment for the pending new ham band has this potential (an already many players coming onto the field). 73, Ed - KL7UW --- Date: Thu, 22 Aug 2013 20:09:32 -0400 From: Don Wilhelm w3...@embarqmail.com To: elecraft@mailman.qth.net Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Wish List Message-ID: 5216a83c.5050...@embarqmail.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Bill, I sympathize with you, but the reality is that a large scale SMD kit would create a great number of customer support problems. You and I may be able to do SMD, but that is not the majority.. Add to that the fact that the board houses can produce boards fully populated with SMD parts for a price that is less than what it would cost Elecraft to provide an SMD kit with the assembly manual. 73, Ed - KL7UW http://www.kl7uw.com dubus...@gmail.com Kits made by KL7UW __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Wish List
Bill, I sympathize with you, but the reality is that a large scale SMD kit would create a great number of customer support problems. You and I may be able to do SMD, but that is not the majority.. Add to that the fact that the board houses can produce boards fully populated with SMD parts for a price that is less than what it would cost Elecraft to provide an SMD kit with the assembly manual. So the situation comes down to both economics and the customer support potential if an SMD kit were to be offered. Elecraft does stand behind its products, and standing by an SMD kit of the size of the K3 would likely be the downfall of Elecraft. Just my not so humble opinion. 73, Don W3FPR On 8/22/2013 7:43 PM, William Schmidt wrote: How about making the K3 an honest to goodness kit like the K2? Elecraft started out as a kit company but lately seems to be drifting away from the concept. Assembling modules is just not the same for me. The building of the kit was the reason I chose the K2 and there are over 7000 other hams out there who felt the same. __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Wish List
That's kind of like saying you'd like to be able to build your own cell phone. Possible in theory, but you wouldn't like the result. Dave AB7E On 8/22/2013 4:43 PM, William Schmidt wrote: How about making the K3 an honest to goodness kit like the K2? Elecraft started out as a kit company but lately seems to be drifting away from the concept. Assembling modules is just not the same for me. The building of the kit was the reason I chose the K2 and there are over 7000 other hams out there who felt the same. Bill, WV1N __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Wish List
Well Dave, that made me laugh out loud ;-) And can you imagine trying to be responsible for kitting and supporting that cell phone kit? What a killer... No disrespect to you at all Bill - I'm with you in theory. Loved that build of my K2 and all that came with her. Just don't think they could ever make the quoted specs with the K3 in that fashion though. Oh well, there's always mini-module kits. 73, Dave W8FGU On 08/22/2013 08:15 PM, David Gilbert wrote: That's kind of like saying you'd like to be able to build your own cell phone. Possible in theory, but you wouldn't like the result. Dave AB7E On 8/22/2013 4:43 PM, William Schmidt wrote: How about making the K3 an honest to goodness kit like the K2? Elecraft started out as a kit company but lately seems to be drifting away from the concept. Assembling modules is just not the same for me. The building of the kit was the reason I chose the K2 and there are over 7000 other hams out there who felt the same. Bill, WV1N __ 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 __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Wish List
It would be a nightmare for Elecraft. I do some SMT work on small kits like the AmQRP DDS and some homebrew. I keep a stock of all the common parts because I've tweezered them across the room more than a few times. Elecraft would come to a halt trying to fill requests for dupe parts. Eric KE6US On 8/22/2013 5:09 PM, Don Wilhelm wrote: Bill, I sympathize with you, but the reality is that a large scale SMD kit would create a great number of customer support problems. You and I may be able to do SMD, but that is not the majority.. Add to that the fact that the board houses can produce boards fully populated with SMD parts for a price that is less than what it would cost Elecraft to provide an SMD kit with the assembly manual. So the situation comes down to both economics and the customer support potential if an SMD kit were to be offered. Elecraft does stand behind its products, and standing by an SMD kit of the size of the K3 would likely be the downfall of Elecraft. Just my not so humble opinion. 73, Don W3FPR On 8/22/2013 7:43 PM, William Schmidt wrote: How about making the K3 an honest to goodness kit like the K2? Elecraft started out as a kit company but lately seems to be drifting away from the concept. Assembling modules is just not the same for me. The building of the kit was the reason I chose the K2 and there are over 7000 other hams out there who felt the same. __ 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 __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Wish List
Too many surface mount devices. Not everyone has that skill for that kind of kit. On Thu, 22 Aug 2013 19:43:54 -0400 William Schmidt fretj...@hotmail.com writes: How about making the K3 an honest to goodness kit like the K2? Elecraft started out as a kit company but lately seems to be drifting away from the concept. Assembling modules is just not the same for me. The building of the kit was the reason I chose the K2 and there are over 7000 other hams out there who felt the same. Bill, WV1N __ 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 __ 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
Re: [Elecraft] Elecraft Wish List
The Sienna would be a neat full kit to build. Brian Wood W0DZ, a retired Agilent test equipment designer and engineer, has placed a lot of his blood, sweat, and tears into the Sienna. Another aspect of not offering the K3 and KX3 as full solder kits is the level of customer support required. Although Elecraft has wonderful and expedient customer service, a full kit K3 and KX3 may be more than they wish to address. 73 Don W9CW On 8/22/2013 8:35 PM, Mark Volstad wrote: Sounds like the DZKit Sienna might be right up your alley, Bill. Seems like only a handful have been built in the three or four years that it's been in production, so you might also end up with a collector's item! I too enjoyed building my K2 (and my KX1), but have sold both and am now very happy with my K3 and KX3. I don't see how either of these technological marvels could be marketed profitably as solder kits. 73, Mark AI4BJ On 8/22/2013 7:43 PM, William Schmidt wrote: How about making the K3 an honest to goodness kit like the K2? Elecraft started out as a kit company but lately seems to be drifting away from the concept. Assembling modules is just not the same for me. The building of the kit was the reason I chose the K2 and there are over 7000 other hams out there who felt the same. __ 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
