[Elecraft] K2 RF Gain Intermittent Question

[Brian Wruble]

Hi all:

I am in the Allignment and Test Part II Section of my K2 construction.
I am trying to do the BFO alignment.  The instructions have you
listening to receiver background noise.  At first I was unable to hear
anything.  One of the troubleshooting checks was to see if the key jack
was shorted or "stuck" in a closed position.  When I inserted the plug
from my paddle, the receiver came to life with plenty of background
noise audio.  The audio and rf gain controls work to increase and
diminish the level of the sound.

However, after about 10 seconds, the audio drops to zero, the S meter
shoots up to full scale, exactly what happens when you dial the RF gain
down.  This suggests a problem in the RF gain versus a loss of AF gain.
If I key the rig, back comes the sound, but again, after about 10-60
seconds, it drops out.  The symptoms are the same with and without the
preamp selected, but there is more gain with the preamp in.

The mystery deepens -- I discovered that turning the RIT knob or
pressing any of the rigs buttons causes the signal to drop out
immediately.

Does anyone have any intial thoughts on where to start my search?  It
sort of sounds like pilot error, but I can't figure it out.  Almost acts
like there is squelch, but with the basic CW rig, I assume there is no
squelch.  

This is a basic K2, pre-3000.  

Tnx for any help.  73 de Brian W3BW