Elecraft K3 reviews

So what makes this little rig so great.

I truly appreciate Elecrafts little big radio feel with a receiver next to none, and the prices just feel right becuse you pay for what features you want.
1.Elecrafts people are outstanding, and they stand behind the k3. One example was I had a small problem with something i had done to the K3 which needed a fix. I sent the k3 to them just before field day 2009. I asked them please may i have it before field day I sent the radio to them on a Monday, and they had it back to me on a Thursday, way ahead of field day on Saturday.

2.The radio is light weight, and ships very cheaply. So if its on a plane in a suitcase or shipping it back and forth upgrading or needing a fix, or just traveling with the k3 its a wonderful travel radio.

3.The radio can be especially customized with different software & hardware to add almost any features you want now or later,and you can do it all yourself, or the factory will install them for you etc. This really keeps prices down so your not buying features you don't need right away, or features that you just want or need to add later to save money.

4.k3 has one of the best receivers money can buy. Sensitivity is next to none. The selectivity is outstanding especially during contests, when stations are barely kHz away clobbering the frequency's with kilowatts, and hemming you in between them. The k3 lets you filter them all out so all you hear is the station your working etc. Adding crystal filters is cheap so you can again keep prices down on features you can install yourself.

5. The radio has built in highly configurable E Q equalizer for transmit and receive that make the radio feel & sound like a big dog station running tons of extras to make you sound high Fidelity etc.

6. The buttons & tuning & software updates are easy to get at and make sense, and are highly configurable, so that you can do almost anything with this radio you want or need.

7. During contests i really feel the power of this radio, as anyone you hear you can work, but sometimes you hear folks so way down in the mud it will amaze you your still able to copy them, and you would swear your listening to ghosts, because they are so weak yet so copyable with the k3 its like learning how to listen all over again with a radio that hears everything, and then even the signals that cannot hear you because its just so sensitive, and you still wont be straining to pull them out, they seem to just pop out of the static.

So overall i am amazed that a small radio has the features that keep a big radio man like me happy.

The k3 has taught me that you don't need to spend $2000 dollars to have a world class radio at your fingertips to make you happy, and you will be picking out stations you never would hear otherwise with the cookie cutter factory radios that are punched out thousands at a time.

The k3 makes me feel like i am using a special kind of radio, one that's not the norm, or the average , but the exception working as a world class radio with world class features without the huge prices tags you find on the competitions radios.

Joe Leto W0IW.com

I've had the Elecraft K3 for about 9 months and I've found it to be an excellent radio. I ordered mine in unassembled form and greatly enjoyed putting it together. I ordered the 100 watt version, with one optional filter, 400 hz 8 pole for CW / Digital modes.

It is not the most ergonomic radio on the market, but it is still easy to use.