If you have a key plugged into the key jack, the key must be closed (shorted) for there to be a CW carrier. If you don't have a key in the jack, it will not develop a carrier if the internal shorting switch in the jack is dirty.
- Glenn W9IQ
well that was exactly it - I dont have a cw key - but when I looked in the back inside of the radio, where a key would plug it from the outside, I noticed that there is a bracket that holds the contact and it was broken - the contact was floating, no ground...if I held the contact as it should be, had the rig in cw mode, and flipped send, then I would see the power out on my meter...
and I cleaned the contacts on the two relays (antenna relay and transmit/aux relay) and that seems to have cured the meter spike issue I was having. when i unkeyed...
so now my only remaining issue is, after I cleaned the IF board contacts, and plugged it all back in...I have no S meter deflection when listening...if I'm tuning up, or speaking, the meter deflects but just listening it sits at zero...I'm receiving fine...If I compare it to another rig, same antenna and do a/b tests, the strength of the sound sounds the same, and I receive the same weak signals...and that was happening before I cleaned the relays, but just after I pulled the IF board...so I suspect I dont have the connections right on the IF board???
But I'm not sure I have the connections in correctly....if you see the pics, you can see I have two remaining pins...
https://www.dropbox.com/home/hf%20radio/if%20board%20pinsI think I have it right, as I'm not sure how else it could be configured...
