[K3] internal 144NHz xvrtr - no output

[mike]

I am stumped. I finally got around to installing a FM filter so I could work 2 meter FM. All went well and the K3 receives fine on 144. However I cannot detect output on FM (or any other mode) on 2 meters. The K3 shows RF out of 8 to 10 watts on the rig's meter, but there is no output registered on my external PWR meter running to a dummy load. I have changed coax jumpers and tested them and the PWR meter on my IC-2300H at low power and everything works.

On the air I can hear FM signals (both from the local repeater and my handheld working simplex in the shack), but I cannot trip the repeater or even detect a signal on my handheld when I key the K3.

I have gone through the menu setup and everything looks like it is correct (I am not in test mode and I am not inhibiting transmit.) What am I missing? Help would be greatly appreciated. 73  ..mike  AI6II

[mike]

Apparently it is an intermittent problem. Originally receive seemed to work fine, but not now. And then just now I was able to pick up a transmission from the K3 on my handheld, working just as it was supposed to. But then it didn't work anymore.

I will need move the K3 to my bench (I do hate unplugging all the cables in back!), pop the top on the K3 and run through the diagnostics on the xvrtr. 73  ..mike  AI6II

[Grant Youngman-2]

An idle thought. Are you sure the cables are all seated properly into the xvrtr?  It is not difficult to think you have the TMP cables seated only to find that all you've done is force the center contact in the jack backwards ... so that it becomes intermittent or open.  Easy to spot and fix ... the little plastic surround for the center contact will be pushed backwards at a funky angle.

I learned to always leave the cover off the xvrtr when attaching cables. A couple of them (don't recall which ones specifically) are prone to this problem.

Don't ask me how I know this ;)

Grant NQ5T

Sent from my iPhone

> On Jul 24, 2016, at 9:25 AM, mike <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Apparently it is an intermittent problem. Originally receive seemed to work
> fine, but not now. And then just now I was able to pick up a transmission
> from the K3 on my handheld, working just as it was supposed to. But then it
> didn't work anymore.
>
> I will need move the K3 to my bench (I do hate unplugging all the cables in
> back!), pop the top on the K3 and run through the diagnostics on the xvrtr.
> 73  ..mike  AI6II
>
>
>
> --
> View this message in context: http://elecraft.365791.n2.nabble.com/K3-internal-144NHz-xvrtr-no-output-tp7620622p7620623.html
> Sent from the Elecraft mailing list archive at Nabble.com.
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[mike]

I successfully replaced the antenna TMP jack on the K144XV and it seemed to be working. However, I soon found while I had indeed repaired the jack, the xvrtr would sometimes work and then at other times produce no output at all. After some more controlled tests (change coax patch cables, cables, etc.) I finally was able to recreate the problem at will. It turns out when the K3 is tuned to the 144 MHz band, the xvrtr works, displaying 10 watts output on my external PWR meter. But as several seconds go by, it starts to lose output until it goes down to zero. Left on the 2 meter band, the power never comes back. But if I change the K3 to another band, say 3.5 MHz, in a matter of a couple of minutes the xvrtr revives itself and I can get full output on the 144 band again. Then it slowly loses power whether or not I am transmitting. So just having the K3 on the 2 meter band causes the xvrtr to somehow lose output, not even having to transmit.

I installed the K144XV in February of 2014 but never actually used it because I never heard a signal on 2 meters CW or SSB in this area. I recently installed a FM filter, and decided to start using the xvrtr on local repeaters. That is when I discovered the problem.

Anyone else have this experience? I have reloaded the K3 (v. 5.50) and K144XV (v. 104) firmware without any improvement. I am getting ready to send the xvrtr to Elecraft. Any reason I should send in the K3 as well? The K3 shows no change in operation during all of this. Thanks 73  ..mike  AI6II