[Elecraft] XV50 no output

[Dave Olean]

I think I win the prize for not checking the obvious. I turned on my 
homebrew 160 meter 3-1000Z amp and saw only 400 watts instead of the normal 
1300 watts out. I ended up taking the amp apart, and measuring all the RF 
components. I tested the cables.  I had the PI network coils out. I removed 
the blocking caps. I ripped into the cathode input circuit...everything that 
could possibly cause a problem. I found nothing that looked wrong or bad. 
Then I discovered that my Bird 43 meter circuit was bad. It made for a good 
laugh at my expense. I rationalized it all knowing that the amp had been 
checked out really well.

Dave K1WHS
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Guy Olinger K2AV" <k2av.guy at gmail.com>
To: "Dave Sergeant" <dave at davesergeant.com>
Cc: <elecraft at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Saturday, November 21, 2015 4:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] XV50 no output


> Hi Dave, and to the masses of readers we can hear breathing in the
> background...
>
> I've surely done that myself, once with the equipment out and ready to 
> ship
> before logic gained the upper hand and I started checking cords and
> connectors, finally detecting a male BNC on a cord with a retracted center
> pin.  Sound familiar?  :>)
>
> So many of us have had experiences like this. Cord goes bad and to start
> off we spend time trying to figure what's the matter with the box, the K3,
> the transverter, etc.
>
> One local ham went nearly nuts thinking his box had been supplied with
> non-standard type F female chassis connectors until a friend discovered
> that the male F connector in question had not been threaded in the
> manufacturing process ! That story was source of a lot of local ham 
> laughs.
>
> Carefully checking the cords and connectors *first* seems to be
> counter-intuitive. While logic says that connectors and wire in the cords
> take all the mechanical abuse, our gut lurch is elsewhere. Maybe it's
> because making cords is such a royal pain in the *ss and our subconscious
> is rebelling against making another jumper.
>
> I share your pain. Maybe half the time I take advantage of experience and
> go after the cords first off. My personal gut lurch is still, "What the
> &&$#@$$ is wrong with the <insert box name> now !!!"
>
> 73, Guy K2AV
>
> On Saturday, November 21, 2015, Dave Sergeant <dave at davesergeant.com> 
> wrote:
>
>> And it turned out to be the cable from the K2 to the transverter. The
>> pin of the BNC plug at the XV50 end had pushed back so not making.
>> Together with the BNC/phone adaptor at the K2 end which is not the best
>> arrangement. I obviously need to make up a couple of proper phono-BNC
>> cables.
>>
>> I assume the BNC sockets on the XV50 are 50 ohm variants. I know the
>> pin diameters of 50 and 75 ohm are supposed to be compatible but maybe
>> that on the off the shelf BNC lead I used, presumably 75 ohm, has
>> thicker pins which caused the issue.
>>
>> 73 Dave G3YMC
>>
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