[Elecraft] Fw: K3 Birdie 28004.560 kHz

[Wayne Burdick]

Wes,

We'll be happy to send you replacement cables.

That said, I've never seen anything like this. I have a prototype K3 in my lab that was built in 2007 and shows no evidence of corrosion on TMP connectors, and I live less than a mile from saltwater. I'm glad you found the problem in your case, but fortunately it doesn't apply to any significant number of K3s.

Since TMP connectors use industry-standard plating, I would be concerned that other equipment at your QTH is being similarly affected. Are you by any chance using air conditioning that humidifies the air? Otherwise I'm having a hard time understanding how your QTH (Tuscon?) could affect connectors in this way.

73,
Wayne
N6KR



On Feb 24, 2014, at 9:01 AM, "Wes (N7WS)" <wes at triconet.org> wrote:

> Sadly, they probably won't if my recent experience is a guide.
> 
> On Feb 15 I wrote to this reflector:
> 
>   "In over five years of ownership I've never heard this birdie before so I
>   don't know whether it's new or I just missed it before.
> 
>   The birdie is S9 on 7.067 MHz and tunes at a 6X rate in the negative
>   direction. It's definitely internal.  Anyone else have this?"
> 
> 
> Two helpful guys responded and said that they did not hear it.  I opened the case and took all of 30 seconds to determine that the issue could be resolved (temporarily I'm afraid) by wiggling the coax cables on the frequency reference board.  The connectors on this board a badly corroded and moving them apparently broke through the corrosion and improved the connection.  The birdie is still there but is near the noise level and no longer S9.
> 
> I reported my findings, including macro photos of the issue to Elecraft but never heard a peep back.  Rather disappointing.
> 
> I've posted the photos here: https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/Elecraft_K3/photos/albums/276423773 (The cable to J2 is purposely unplugged to show the difference between the cable connector and the socket.)
> 
> Wes  N7WS
> 
> 
> 
> On 2/24/2014 7:19 AM, Toby Pennington wrote:
>> Paul,  I can confirm there is a birdie on about that frequency,  but I also hear a lot of signals nearby.
>>> 
>>> IF you don't have some kind of emergency that requires you to be on this freq.,  I would just work around it for now.  10 meters is a very big band.
>>> 
>>> Elecraft will take care of it in due time.
>>> 
>>> Toby K4NH
>>> 
> 
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