[Elecraft] BNC connector oddity on KX3

[Johan Ymerson]

Unfortunately there are some really crappy (cheap) BNC connectors out there, 
some with too large centre pins. Using one of those even once may be enought 
to damage the female side :-(
So when you get a new female for your KX3, have a look at all your cables and 
adapters and make sure all of them are good quality.

73 de Johan, SM0XHJ

On Friday, 9 March 2018 17:13:58 CET rich hurd WC3T wrote:
> I've pretty much exhausted most of the permutations of my cables and
> connectors.  The only persistent behavior is that if I apply slight
> pressure to the side of the BNC connector where it plugs into the jack on
> the KX3, or sometimes if I twist it and then apply slight pressure just so,
> I see a jump in the noise floor and instead of the internal ATU wearing
> itself out and giving up with a 9:1 or 7:1 SWR, it immediately tunes to 1.0
> or 1.1.   I have removed/swapped all my the antenna leads.  I have four of
> them, all Cables On Demand (Amphenol) manufacture.  I also have a number of
> BNC to banana plug jacks, and even an MFJ-1899T.  If I replace the leads
> without doing the twisting-and-slight-pressure thing, I lose the RF
> connection; the S meter has no indications on it, and the noise floor is
> nonexistent.
> 
> As the old saw goes "The only common thing about all of your dysfunctional
> relationships... is you."   I can extrapolate that to "the only common
> thing about all my poor connections is the BNC jack on the KX3."   Yes, I
> have cracked the case, confirmed that all connections are firmly seated;
> all mechanical connections are sound and tightly made.  I have a jeweler's
> screwdriver that I have used to slightly bend the female 'fingers' in for a
> better contact as well;  they bend inward, and then spring back into place
> again.
> 
> It's about time to consider a new jack.  Frustrating, but I've now spent
> three or so hours finagling this and given the bench rate of an RF tech,
> I'm wasting money (and time.)
>