I haven't had my hands on either one, but the K3 is extremely expandable; you can add any of several filter combinations for cw/voice/data, and also AM and FM. You can add a second full receiver, and you can have the same filter compliment, or a different set if you'd rather, for the second receiver. Elecraft is always updating its firmware, too. While the 590 is probably somewhat expandable, I don't think it's quite as expandable, flexible, or configurable as the K3 is. Still, a fine rig, and I don't think anyone would go wrong with either one.
--
Buddy Brannan, KB5ELV - Erie, PA
Phone: (814) 860-3194 or 888-75-BUDDY



On Aug 23, 2012, at 11:55 AM, Butch Bussen <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Sounds great, but how much is a 100 watt k3 and how much is the hambot. 
> My 590 was $1600 as I erecall and the voice board around $70.  Other 
> than what talks and doesn't, have you set this rig side by side to say a 
> Kenwood 590?  Not saying it is better or worse, just curious.  I haven't 
> had my hands on a k3, so can't judge anything, but I do like the 590.
> 73
> Butch
> WA0VJR
> Node 3148
> Wallace, ks.
> 
> 
> On 
> Wed, 22 Aug 2012, Armand Bakalian wrote:
> 
>> 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
>> 
>>