[Elecraft] K3 not recieving

[Vernon Mauery]

At the risk of exposing what a n00b I am when it comes to HF, I really
need some help.  I recently (last month) purchased a K3.  First HF
radio I have owned.  I got my license 2 years ago and have spent most
of the time since playing with VHF.  I have been trying to teach
myself CW and decided that it was time to step into the HF waters.  I
studied, ogled, and dreamed of my ideal HF transceiver.  I finally
found the K3 and having looked (at least a cursory glance) at all the
others, I was sold.  I saved my pennies and purchased.  I also got
myself a 43' untuned vertical antenna, balun, and radial wires.

My setup: K3/100 has 100 feet of low loss 400 coax out to the 43 foot
vertical on the hill in my back yard.  It has 8 25 foot radials and a
4:1 balun.  The K3 has the KATU3, KPA3, KTCXO3-1, KFL3A-400, and
default 2.8KHz filters.  I assembled it and did followed the
calibration instructions as well as I could.  I think I got
everything, but obviously I missed something.  Or maybe I just need an
elmer to tell me what to do.

I cannot seem to find any signals that make the S meter go above a 3
or 4.  I have the RF gain turned up a fair ways (mostly to the top),
and I can hear static.  As I tune up some of the bands on SSB, I can
hear a tone that changes higher in pitch as I tune up in frequency.  I
have tried listening for CW, but I am hearing nothing as I scan
through the bands.  I had a 10m horizontal dipole taped to my wall for
a while until I found time to run the coax out to the back yard.  I
had hoped that since it was resonant on the 10m band, maybe it would
be able to pick up something, but it was no better (or worse) than my
vertical.

As far as I can tell, the radio seems to transmit.  I can see the
power meter moving and the SWR meter moving.  The ATU seems to be able
to find acceptable settings on most of the bands with the vertical.
But I can't hear them.  You can't work them if you can't hear them,
right?

This is a desperate plea for help.  Is it the radio or me?  Please
have pity on the n00b and walk me through my first HF contact.

--Vernon N7OH