[Elecraft] K3 front panel switches

[Fred Jensen]

My K3, S/N 642, has been slowly developing "front panel dementia" [as am 
I as I accumulate birthdays].  A number of the switches are becoming 
intermittent, and often, the first push of one causes a totally 
unrelated action [e.g. tapping BAND UP turns on NR].  It doesn't happen 
with all of them and it seems like the ones I use the most are pretty 
stable.  I find that a really positive actuation, as in hard, often 
makes it work correctly.

My K3 is getting somewhat long in the tooth as the S/N would indicate, 
but I was under the impression that the front panel switches were rated 
at multi-millions of operations, and I'm sure I haven't come remotely 
close to exceeding that.  My truck is 13 years old and is developing 
similar symptoms [Tach says the engine is doing 6,000 RPM sitting in the 
driveway :-)]

Curious:

1.  Anybody else experience this?

2.  If so, what did you do?

3.  How do I tell if it's time to send it into the Big E?

73,

Fred K6DGW
- Northern California Contest Club
- CU in the Cal QSO Party 1-2 Oct 2016
- www.cqp.org