Heatsink Shield Kits+Cover case for ELECRAFT KX3 Transceiver ham Black (Black)

Nice improvement to my KX3 radio, the dust cover fits well and looks great, the product will help safeguard damaging the control knobs or the radio during transport or storage. A nice protective pouch for the modified KX3 is included in the Windcamp kit.The original side panels were easy to replace with a Philips screwdriver. The replacement heatsink comes with a small packet of thermal grease and a plastic applicator. The hefty heatsink panel is used to help improve the cooling of the transmitter output power transistors. The area where the KX3 output power transistor tabs will contact the new heatsink were properly masked during the painting process and are ready for the application of thermal grease (supplied). No extra effort was needed to sand or clean the surface, it was ready for use.Installing the replacement heatsink is a little bit more difficult, as the nuts inside the radio that are used to secure the output transistor tabs are not captive hardware. The radio will have to be carefully opened to locate the nut and hold it in the proper position while the screws are inserted thru the heasink side. I used a pair of tweezers to help align the nut and needle-nose pliers to finish torquing the output transistor screws.Very nice product, but take extra care when opening or closing the KX3 case to avoid damaging the flex cable or circuit cards. ESD precautions are always a good practice.

Fit is inferior around the mic is crap. Longer hardware should be included. Plastic cover fit is crap. If it was American made, like the name, it would be superior quality. Not as robust as it appears.

The finish on the metal is better than the original KX3 parts. The side panels comes with all the appropriate lettering and unfinished, conductive spots matching the original parts.Heatsink is a nice size. Not too heavy or large but vastly better than the thin piece of steel my KX3 came with. My KX3 is a very early serial that was fully painted so I needed to remove some where the heatsink attaches. I think later KX3s are unpainted in this location so you may not need to do this. The only negative is the screw holes on the PA connections are at the limit of lining up with the chassis for me. However, it didn't cause me a real issue.It also comes with a small tube of thermal paste and a spreader which is nice.The side plates plus the plastic cover and bag will let you pack your KX3 with much less worry about damaging the knobs. Overall very nice. I recommend this product if you want to upgrade your heatsink from stock and/or add more protection when transporting your KX3.

Everything fit perfectly and was built well. Heatsink showed exactly where to place the included thermal paste (spreader also included). Antenna nut area is sunken, so it's a bit tough to get it back on tightly. Plastic cover sort of clips over the face of the KX3 but isn't tight and would come off if it wasn't in the canvas bag. Arrived reasonably quickly and installed in ten minutes or so.

Easy addition to the radio. Only took 10 minutes to install and quality is top notch. It did take a while to get from China and of course it was stuck in Grapevine, Texas for a week. Overall I would recommend this to anyone that owns a KX3. If you are going to spend the money on a radio spend a little more and get the protection.

The only downside I noticed is that the original shields have grounding pads near the screws. However they are not present on these shields.