Besides the K3 there is a long list of other possibles, but since you WERE into the cables inside the K3, if all those mini-coax connectors did not get seated correctly...I found that a little tricky and there is a certain feel to it when they go in right and seat solid. That an unrelated intermittent could occur the same weekend as a K3 upgrade is likely due to passing through a nexus of murphyite entropy, our your neighbor casting spells.
Mostly it sounds like this kind of stuff that has happened to me personally over time. I'm sure the list is really much longer if we add in everyone's experience. * Connection of coax shield to dipole half was parted but still touching when it was convenient. * Connection of yagi matching device to driven element corroded and loose. * Water in barrel connector splice in feedline, getting green. * Center connection in hardline connector soldered too far down on hardline center conductor (didn't use the little spacer to do it because I couldn't find it) and cold wx would separate it at night. In the morning when sun hit it would close up. * PL259 on back of rig cross-threaded and making poor contact. * PL259 on back of rig not tightened at all. * Amp relay contacts burned by running at contest station with no delay set up for transceiver-amp keying sequence, causing hot switching. * Amp relay contacts worn out from years of QSK. * Unsoldered connection in commercial balun. * Unsoldered connection in homemade balun. (Apparently a communicable disease.) * Balun hit by lightning, odd thing that it had periods of apparently working OK. It was full of loose pieces inside. * Heathkit SB series setup. RCA plugs wore out and got loose. * Worn out T/R relays of many kinds. * Conductor in 450 window line parted inside the polyethylene due to wind flexing. * Center conductor in RG8 pulled apart due to stretching under weight of ice, would only part in coldest weather. * Incomplete crimp on BNC center conductor. * Going way back to novice days when I could barely tell difference between coax and rope, unsoldered shield and center conductors in PL259 conveniently fogotten and still in service. In most of the above, hitting the key and putting the connection under power would close the gap temporarily, for a second, an hour, a month.... Couple others, for fairness: * Incomplete solder joint in transceiver SMD board. Was making connection as glued, but would sometimes not make contact. Hitting transmit did nothing. Only found it with freeze spray and what amounted to a low grade microscope. It ran AOK for a long time before the trouble surfaced. * Burned transformer in TRX input due to inband power (100w+?) on the line back to the TRX in RX state. It worked part of the time. Longer I think about it the longer the upper list gets. 73 and good luck. Guy. On Sat, Mar 27, 2010 at 12:02 PM, Ron W3ZV <w...@verizon.net> wrote: > I am playing in the contest today. I have had two instances where my > receiver gain has gone down dramatically. It sounds like I have switched > to the second antenna with nothing attached. Engaging PTT brings it > back. I installed the second receiver and DVR a week ago. Has been > working fine until today. The problem is not reproducible. Happens on > its own schedule. > > K3/100 #1248 > FW 3.79 > No modifications > > Any magic out there, or do I wait for Elecraft to wake up Monday? > > Ron W3ZV > > ______________________________________________________________ > Elecraft mailing list > Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft > Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm > Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net > > This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net > Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html > ______________________________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm Post: mailto:Elecraft@mailman.qth.net This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
