{"id":1586,"date":"2012-04-21T17:15:43","date_gmt":"2012-04-21T23:15:43","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/?p=1586"},"modified":"2012-04-21T18:54:47","modified_gmt":"2012-04-22T00:54:47","slug":"kx3-sota-rebuttal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/equipment\/kx3-sota-rebuttal\/","title":{"rendered":"KX3 for SOTA?: A Rebuttal"},"content":{"rendered":"

After reading KD\u00d8BIK’s blog post<\/a> comparing the new KX3 with the FT-817 under the aspect of using it for Summits on The Air<\/a> (SOTA), I felt I have to defend ‘my’ little radio a bit. No doubt, the KX3 is a great rig and has tons of new features and advantages compared to the FT-817. I also freely admit that I am not an experienced ham, nor did I ever have the opportunity to see and\/or touch a KX3 in real life. My stated opinion is based on the KX3 manual, pictures, videos as well as my personal experience with the FT-817 and a few activations for SOTA. I am offering my view on the categories Jerry created in his article.<\/p>\n

Weight – Advantage KX3:<\/strong>
\nBased on the numbers Jerry provided, the KX3 is indeed 20% lighter compared to the FT-817. Not sure whether this includes the optional 2m module (I doubt it, since it is not yet available). For a fair comparison however, we have to add the additional weight for the optional module, since the FT-817 has the 2m capability. As a result, the difference is a little less. In real numbers this boils down to an advantage for the KX3 of less than 0.5 pounds (< 226 g). Don’t get me wrong, carrying 0.5 pounds less to a remote summit is great, in my case however this can achieved with a few days of dieting :)<\/p>\n

Size – Advantage KX3:<\/strong>
\nBased on the numbers provided in the article, the KX3 indeed has a huge advantage compared to the Yaesu. If my math is correct it takes up nearly 50% less space! That’s a lot… space in a backpack is always an issue and cannot be mitigated with a diet. What is unclear to me is whether the provided measurements are just for the case of the radio or if it includes the protruding knobs\/buttons\/dials etc. So maybe it’s not that big of an advantage after all… we will have to wait for an update on this issue.<\/p>\n

Durability and Ruggedness \u2013 Advantage 817:
\n<\/strong>I completely agree with Jerry on this point. What bothered me the most on the KX3 when I did my research were the buttons\/knobs\/dials\/paddle, especially under the aspect of taking the rig to a summit. I am curious to see how fragile\/problematic these protrusions\u00a0 are. Being extra careful might just not cut it… a backpack can be a crowded place on a longer hike.<\/strong><\/p>\n

LCD Display and Control Panel\u2013 Advantage KX3:
\n<\/strong>No kidding – the huge display and the control panel are certainly a huge advantage on the KX3. Even though I do not need glasses, seeing all the necessary info on the tiny display of the FT-817 can be a pain in the rear – and so is the fact that you have to push buttons and dial through endless menus to make adjustments.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Portability and SOTA Readiness \u2013 Advantage KX3:
\n<\/strong>I strongly disagree with Jerry on this point (keep in mind I never touched a KX3). The lack of a feature (2m module) cannot make it an advantage for SOTA! Specifically if you\u00a0 substitute the missing feature with an additional radio, which adds weight and volume to your pack (eliminating the stated advantages above). At best it is a draw… in my opinion, the FT-817 has a clear advantage in this category mainly because of the protruding knobs\/dials of the KX3 on the one hand, and the acknowledged ruggedness of the FT-817 on the other hand.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Speaker Audio Output \u2013 Advantage 817:
\n<\/strong>Can’t really judge this point but I am sure Jerry is right on the mark with this. Personally I am always carrying ear-buds to an activation (but I hate to wear them), just in case I have company on a summit – so far I was lucky and never encountered a soul.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Other Features and Functionality \u2013 Advantage KX3:<\/strong>
\nAn increase of your output to 10W might be nice under certain conditions. It will increase your signal slightly but you have to carry extra power sources to the summit – again, eliminating certain advantages mentioned above (weight\/volume) – I would say it’s a draw.<\/p>\n

The huge VFO knob, certainly an advantage during operation, represents a drawback in terms of ruggedness (needs to be seen) and ability to pack the rig.<\/p>\n

The ability of the KX3 to decode PSK\/RTTY and CW is certainly a great feature – how useful this is for a SOTA rig I am not sure – time will tell.<\/p>\n

A missing piece in this comparison is the price tag. Configuring the KX3 with a microphone and a charger, as well as with the 2m option will run you approx. twice the price of an FT-817.\u00a0 If you can justify this for your SOTA rig – go for it.<\/p>\n

Where the KX3 will shine are areas of less importance to SOTA activators. SDR and data mode features are great but have limited value if you are looking for just a SOTA rig. The wide open front end of the FT-817? Certainly better on the KX3.\u00a0 For me, the KX3 does just not have enough advantages to say good-by to my FT-817 – but I am using the radio only for SOTA.<\/p>\n

I am looking forward to KD\u00d8BIK’s updates on the SOTA readiness of the KX3 and his real-life experiences. It might just be the perfect rig after all.<\/p>\n

73, Matt \/ K\u00d8MOS<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

\n\"ATTENTION\" \n\n!! WARNING !! There are old<\/b> mountaineers, and \nbold<\/b> mountaineers... there are no old-bold mountaineers. \nHiking and mountain climbing are potentially hazardous activities particularly in Colorado with its extreme elevations. I am not accepting responsibility for any death or injury resulting from activations based on my trip reports. Proper training, experience, and personal capability assessment is required - enjoy!\n<\/p>\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After reading KD\u00d8BIK’s blog post comparing the new KX3 with the FT-817 under the aspect of using it for Summits on The Air (SOTA), I felt I have to defend ‘my’ little radio a bit. No doubt, the KX3 is … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[45,46],"tags":[17,96,97,8,9,24],"class_list":["post-1586","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-equipment","category-radio","tag-amateur-radio","tag-ft-817","tag-kx3","tag-mountain-topping","tag-sota","tag-summits-on-the-air"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1586","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1586"}],"version-history":[{"count":23,"href":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1586\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1609,"href":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1586\/revisions\/1609"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1586"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1586"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.schnizer.com\/SOTAblog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1586"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}