[Elecraft] [K3] Why do they still use 1/4 inch phone jacks?

[Carl Clawson]

Absolutely. The real question ought to be: Why do we put up with the crummy
little ones?

Almost every radio I've had, including the K3, has had trouble with
connections at the 3.5 mm jacks. I have come to think that the choice of
plug matters. Some just seem to work better than others. In the cases where
I went to the trouble to diagnose it, the fault was a failure of the sleeve
to make a good connection to the the jack. I suspect inferior plating and/or
corrosion on the sleeve. Buffing the sleeve with a bit of paper seems to
have helped some of them.

It's been suggested here that the problem is that there are two types of
this plug, 1/8" and 3.5 mm, the latter being slightly larger. I measured all
of mine with a dial caliper and they are all 3.5 mm. So that doesn't explain
why some of mine give me trouble and some don't. I checked a few data sheets
and all the drawings show 3.5 mm so maybe the 1/8" standard is a thing of
the past.

I'd suggest buying a good brand of plug and using it to replace the crummy
ones. I'll be trying that to see if it makes a difference. Here's hoping
that Switchcraft hasn't been bought out by some gang of quality-wrecking
sharks. Maybe I'll lay in a lifetime supply while I'm at it...

73 and thanks for listening,
Carl WS7L


> I like the 1/4 jacks. They are more durable generally.