[Elecraft] Bogus ERR KEY Conditions?

[Rick Tavan]

Sometimes when I power up my K3 with my YCCC SO2R Box powered down, the K3
comes up in ERR KEY mode, disallowing transmission and other functions.
Usually, powering up the SO2R Box and power cycling the K3 clears the
problem. I assumed (erroneously, it turns out) that I had an issue with an
indeterminate state on the key out line from the SO2R Box. But the
principals at YCCC remind me that those circuits are opto-isolated and
quite determinate, even when the box is powered down. They also note that
with a recent release of K3 firmware, similar problems are being reported
with other keyers connected. They suspect that this old error message may
have an additional, new meaning in a recent firmware release, perhaps
related to rx/tx timing. I'm not sure, but it has happened frequently in
recent weeks, sometimes in the middle of an operating session. It is
incurable when I am operating remotely until I visit the site and twiddle
key lines. Once it happens, it doesn't clear itself through remote power
cycling or anything else I've tried.  Any ideas here?

Thanks,

Rick N6XI
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Rick Tavan
Truckee, CA