[Elecraft] Deaf K3S....nice trick elecraft!

[Phil Wheeler]

What fun would it be without the occasional 
challenge, Dave? :-)

73, Phil W7OX

On 3/21/16 3:14 PM, Dave wrote:
> Elecraft must have decided that having already built six K3 they needed to
> make building my 1st K3S a challenge. They succeeded
>
>   
>
> It all went together easily enough despite some issues with K3
> photos/figures appearing in the K3S manual (eg Figure 91)
>
>   
>
> It powered up fine and the VCO passed self test, so time to hook up an
> antenna. Nothing could be heard despite putting the RX on the TX7EU pileup.
> As a check an HP signal generator was hooked up to the antenna port. It
> couldn't hear -50dBm. Neither could this level be heard through the rx in
> port or the Xverter port. The radio was dismantled, all connectors checked,
> EEinit done, no improvement.
>
>   
>
> Time for more coffee, during which an inspiration. When I put the subrx into
> the k3 I remembered I had to remove a link in the KRX3 back connector.
> (J64A) So I searched the K3S manual. It appeared not to need the link as it
> was not shown in "Figure 31. RF Board Partially Assembled." or on the photo
> of the main rf board on Page a-14  or on "Figure 94. Installing the KBPF3A
> Option Board." BUT I noticed a link still shown on the legend on the PCB and
> its removal is still shown in fig44 of E740126A installing the KRX3A subrx.
> "Nothing ventured nothing gained", so I stuck a resistor lead in  the W4
> link and the K3S burst into life. Sensitivity returned and the K3S was back
> to full health
>
> An hour was wasted fault finding , making this the longest Elecraft build so
> far
>
>   
>
> Dave
>
> WW2R
>
>   
>
> (No, there was not a stray link floating around the main board packet)