Greetings to All,

Reviewing some of the message traffic on the list, I see a lively 
discussion about which rigs are more accessible for instance, the Kenwood 
TS2000, 480, 590, and some of the Icom radios, which in my opinion are 
limited in what they tell the operator.

A week or so ago, I took the leap into the twenty-first century,
when I purchased an Elecraft K3 transceiver. We know the reputation, and 
versatility, and expandability of the K3--why even some of the
operators on this list have taken the plunge.

In my humble opinion, after being a ham for forty-six years, there is
no better combination than the Elecraft K3, and our own Rob
Santello's Hampod. Kenwood, Icom, and lastly Yaesu, can't hope to
hold a candle to what K6DQ has built, the Hampod K3 Reader.

I seriously doubt that there isn't anything that the K3 Reader
doesn't tell you about what the K3 is doing. Rob has even built in
some macros that perform vital functions for blind ops, with a simple push 
of a button. Sighted folks don't get that kind of service from
their visual display.

Further, can you tell me which Kenwood rig will decode CW and PSK31, and 
and read it aloud to you? If there is one, I must have missed it.

The elegance and cutting edge technology employed in the K3 is
brought to life for the owner by the Hampod K3 Reader. I was amazed
to find that the radio even has a temperature sensor in the front
panel that can be queried by the Hampod, to tell you the ambient 
temperature. Now that's really slick. The K3 Reader which was developed by 
Rob, K6DQ over many months, and is still evolving is a labor of
love from which we all can benefit. Rob hand-builds each unit, and,
as some on this list can attest, he stands behind what he does, providing 
service that any larger company can't duplicate. It didn't work, and the 
owner had a brand new unit in his hands within less
than a week, newly assembled and tested.

Some may grumble that the Elecraft is expensive. In my opinion, the 
prospective owner can scale the radio to his budget. Limited funds,
you can start small, and since the radio is modular in design and 
operation, you can add options to the radio as finances allow. Start out 
with the ten watt version of the K3, and see what it's like running
QRP. When you have the bucks, you can add the watts, and any other options 
that are available.

Sure, the K3 Reader doesn't cost what a VGS3 does, but it's not a
VGS3 (hope I have that model right). The operator is not subject to
the whims of Kenwood engineers who decide what's gonna talk, and what 
ain't. With the K3 Reader, if the radio shows it, the Hampod K3
Reader says it. Ask a Hampod owner.

So, if you want to cruise the bands in extraordinary style Elecraft
and Hampod is a marriage of technology we can all appreciate.

After exploring this rig for a few hours, I can't wait to learn the radio, 
and the K3 Reader. It'll take time, for both of these little boxes pack a 
lot of stuff inside. In the end, I know the investment
will sure be worth it.

So if you can swing the finances, go Elecraft and Hampod!

Hear you on the air,

Armand W B 2 Z E I, Sacramento