LOL. The point is that I have never /needed/ to get a board from
anywhere else, and none of those other places ever promised me I
wouldn't have to worry about lost support. The Elecraft marketing pitch
back then (it doesn't matter how long ago) was that support would
/always/ be there due to the modular design of the rig. No matter how
you try to spin it ... Elecraft reneg'd on a promise. The truth is that
Elecraft could be still making, or at least repairing, modules like the
KIO3 and KIO3b that still have components readily available. *They
simply chose not to honor their promise*.
I wouldn't have even bothered to make my reflector reply if the original
post hadn't opened up an old wound. I've been complaining for years that
Elecraft could and should have at least offered to set up some third
party for module replacement or repair of discontinued items. N6RO made
a tidy business for himself for a while trying to service the market
with replacements he bought from estates or hams who moved on to other
rigs ... and he can't keep up with the demand! *Elecraft could fix that
without ANY jeopardy to their business, but they have made a conscious
decision not to do that.* I don't know how you can justify that,
although given the very many posts you've made lauding Elecraft I am
confident you will try.
I love my K3 and I won't buy another rig until it dies ... I just don't
trust Elecraft anymore. Why would I spend far more money for a K4 when
comparable rigs are available at half the price and don't have the
repair history that Elecraft does. I've been a member of the Elecraft
forum for two decades and it has been continually loaded with LOTS of
glowing reports of Elecraft service ... which just points to how often
that service is needed in the first place.
Dave AB7E
On 5/10/2025 2:00 PM, Rick NK7I wrote:
Let’s have a real moment.
The K3 was first sold in 2008. It is now 2025. Count the number of year out
loud, I’ll wait. It doesn’t matter WHEN you bought it; it’s the same core
radio and you knew that when you bought it. A 2008 era radio (STILL sought
after).
Support is now winding down after MANY upgrades, updates and improvements over
that time period. They’ve supported it as long as was practical which is MANY
more years than any other brand name radio. That tenet has not changed, it was
just time to move on.
No one else has offered that many significant upgrades or firmware. Certainly
not YaeComWoodLex; they want you sell you a new radio instead of an affordable
upgrade. That business model generates more income but wastes money for the
buyer now stuck with a dead end product.
Now some are crying because they’re unable to support board level repairs over
a product that was retired over 5 years ago; “I’m gonna leave and quit
Elecraft”.
TRY to get a board from anyone else, 5 years after the product was retired.
When this boards are gone, they’re GONE and to make a special run is very
costly (meaning you’d have to pay more, then whine more). The import companies
just won’t do that.
While others are happily continuing to use their K3; some bought more at a
steep discount, to part out if needed. Mine is in storage; for FD or some
other use.
If you want to leave Elecraft behind on your next purchase because your now 27
year OLD radio (design) finally failed; that’s on you. But that decision
merits some serious thought while public statements of your departure; are
childish.
But you will HARD pressed to find another radio that can integrate as
completely and easily as the K3, now the K4 (Flex does pretty well, but they
have issues too).
The door is open, welcome! But if you choose to leave (poor choice); it’s open
for that too so you can whine someplace else.
The K3 is dead, long live the K4. The K4 is the K3 on steroids and another
long life is expected.
73,
Rick nk7i
On May 10, 2025, at 1:22 PM, David Gilbert<ab7e...@gmail.com> wrote:
Yes, repair is for sure an industry problem ... and it may not even be better
for some other vendors. My gripe is that one of the reasons I originally
bought the K3 was that lasting support was one of the tenets of Elecraft
marketing back then.
Part obsolescence was certainly a reason for some of the discontinued products,
but far from all of them ... and not the KIO3/B. Elecraft simply decided to
move onward as a business decision.
Dave AB7E
On 5/10/2025 9:45 AM, jerry wrote:
On 2025-05-09 21:44, David Gilbert wrote:
Which is why when the KIO3 on my K3 inevitably dies like many others
have, my next rig won't be an Elecraft.
To be fair, repair is an issue throughout the industry. The modern
radios are far more capable than what we had in the 70s, but they
are also harder to repair.
I have a Yaesu FTDX10. It has a problem with CAT control over USB.
I bought it used, so Yaesu's warranty does not apply. Yaesu
does have a "technical supplement" for the radio with complete schematics.
Not very useful, because that area of the circuitry is under the main board,
and once you get it apart enough for access, nothing works, and you can't
troubleshoot it.
I called Yaesu: "No, we don't fix stuff like that, we just replace the
motherboard".
"Cost would be about a grand".... about the cost of another used FTDX10. So I
might
sell this one - cheap with full disclosure - and get another one.
I note that California has a "Right to Repair" law. It was signed by the
governor
in late 2023.
"California's Right to Repair Act, SB 244, requires manufacturers to provide fair
access to documentation, parts, and tools for repairing their products. This includes
electronic and appliance products manufactured after July 1, 2021, and sold or used in
California on or after that date, with a wholesale cost of $50 or more."
- Jerry, KF6VB
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