[Elecraft] ERR KEY = Hot Mic

[Gary and Kathleen Pearse]

As an addendum to my earlier post on my hot mike let me add this. The  
Heil Proset was purchased from Elecraft and contains a Heil IC  
element for an ICOM rig. There's an inline resistor in the Red wire  
before it's solder pad on the element. There's also a pad bridge cap  
that had one leg previously cut attached to the same pad. I guess  
Heil bridges the two element pads in ICOM rigs (http:// 
www.heilsound.com/amateur/tips/all_icom.htm). The mic shield is  
soldered to the other pad, with some solder connecting it to the  
element's metal shell as maybe unintended slopover.

I removed the cap as I think either the cap's cut end was contacting  
the other pad, or the exposed shield wire bridged the two pads. I  
covered the exposed wire with heat shrink and have no more hum/ 
transmit problems. Before the fix, I could induce the hum by merely  
squeezing the plastic mic element case, which indicated to me that  
there was something shorting inside.

I contacted Elecraft Support and Gary promptly asked me to check to  
see if the two 2008 K3 hum/RF mods had been done, which they had.  
Dale also suggested routing the mic cord away from my amp's power  
supply, which I did. The only real fix was at the boom mike. I wrote  
Heil but haven't heard from them yet.

73, Gary NL7Y