[TenTec] OMNI VI (option 3) birdies and hash

[Clark Savage Turner]

Yikes.  I do not have time to operate much, so have not
put my OMNI up above 40 meters for some long time.  I
went up to 20 last night to hear the DX contest, and I
got a lot of birdies and tuning hash (sounds like a 
zipper across certain frequencies).  The birdies get
louder if I put my hand on the tuning dial!  The 
birdies get softer if I take the antenna off the back.
They do not go away with a dummy load.  I turned on
my Kenwood backup rig and hear the birdies, too, 
and the birdies get louder (on the kenwood receiver)
when I put my hand on the tuning dial (the metal part).
The birdies go away when I turn the OMNI VI off.  I
can also hear the zipping hash while tuning the OMNI
on the kenwood receiver.

Now, I also have the problem of the filter buttons on
the front panel being hard to engage (the panel is not
as tightly fastented as it was before the upgrade?)
Sounds like a bad physical / ground somewhere on the
front panel.

I recall some other guys seeing similar problems after
their upgrade, anyone there can give me some hints?  I
still receive fine, but the weak ones are masked by all
the noise from the OMNI (and the kenwood can't hear very
well when the OMNI is turned on because it generates 
the birdies!)

Help.

Clark
WA3JPG

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