What Jim wrote is kind of implicit in the Controlled Envelope part of the acronym CESSB. However, if CESSB is of such little consequence with these 12/15 watts transceivers (which need all the help they can garner shoulder to shoulder with the big guns) and if the end user can simply emulate it with a nimble bit of button pressing gymnastics, then by the same logic, given it puts out 100+ watts in its various guises, it was clearly an unnecessary sledgehammer approach in the K4 too ...
Even after all these years, Elecraft still has the world leading products in this portable radio arena which demonstrates how far ahead of the field they were (and remain). They led the field with the basic format that so many others have subsequently adopted. Those vying for a share of this niche market seem to think that bling bling eye-candy colour screens and waterfalls are all that is needed to tempt customers in their direction and looking at the KX3/2 for sale advertisements from those who have jumped ship to the IC705 and Xiegu products, Elecraft are probably on point if that's the case. Regarding colour touch screens in general, OK in the shack (maybe but not being a contester I don't want them) but not in your back pack. Does anyone pack a PX3 on a SOTA romp? Does anyone engage in contesting when up on s summit? I think not unless they're masochists. The longer term reliability(acceptable for a cell 'phone), cold weather performance and the needless associated current draw? I for one care less for them (attr. F. Zappa). I suspect that the provision of CESSB as a selectable option would really put the contenders in the shade and since they have no intention to compete with Elecraft on RFÂ terms would only serve to introduce yet more blue water between Elecraft and the rest. As Geert Jan has observed, it could likely be tied in with serial numbers. I do wonder how many KX2/3 owners would just as likely go back to non-CESSB and whether such a realisation is behind the apparent dragging of heels from the work involved. That's because it seems to me that the time-proven TX envelope settings Jim offers (currently set per microphone) might become redundant under CESSB? At this point I shall speculate that there is unlikely to be a KX4 because given the long term stellar performance of the KX3, it would wind up like moving the deckchairs around on some big boat. That is why I would welcome CESSB for my radio. I base that notion upon snippets here and there from Wayne regarding a number of KX3/2 discussion points. And I'm primarily a CW ham! ;<D Steve, G4VRR. ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:[email protected] This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html Message delivered to [email protected]
