KX3 goes a'courting

After several months of imperfect CW - and learning to accommodate the radio in order to send passable CW - I did a POTA activation today that made me re-realize that radios should accommodate the op, not vice versa.

Since receiving it in the mail, I'd been chomping at the bit to get the KX3 out in its element and today was that day.

Yes, it was hot; yes, thunderstorms abbreviated the outting. But in an hour of relay-less QSK on 15, 17 and 20 meters, I feel like reality has hit me upside the head with a 9-pound sledge and said, "CW rigs should be designed by CW ops".

 And the KX3 was.

I've had a lot of Elecraft rigs over the years: K1, KX1, KX2, K3 and KPA-500. And a pre-Elecraft Norcal 40 and SST (2 of them), if you can call them that (I do).

I never considered a KX3 but it kinda fell into my lap and the Viagra-like effect has re-kindled my appreciation of a radio that does things like they're 'spose to be done.

The radio's been around a while - a long while - but it and the owner's manual were new to me and it was a joy to spend Saturday afternoon with both on the desk as I customized settings.

Sunday afternoon's POTA was brief but provided an excuse to turn this knob, push that button, tweak this value.

I'll never reveal this to them, but everyone I worked was a human-derived test signal that allowed me to hone the radio to my liking. 35 contacts later, the rig is mine, as I want it.

It even went to Spain without a passport (inside joke).

I hope the tapas were good.

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