Strange Issue With My Yaesu 857D

[N1API]

A couple of weeks ago when I got on the 6 meter net my Yaesu 857D was "beeping" three times. I though that maybe this was an SWR warning but checking the antenna was set for 6 meters, power out was OK and the SWR was zero.

Tonight when I tried to check into the net the radio shut off on me but I was able to turn it on and get on the net. Again I was wondering what the issue was. Well after the net I turned the radio off and put the mic on top of the StepIR box. All of a sudden I noticed that the radio was turning on and off by itself. I suspected the 35 Amp Astron had issues but the meter said 13 volts no problem. I could not turn the rig on. So I turned the power supply off and on again and the rig came on. Then went right off. So I got my VOM out and hooked it to the terminals. No problem 13.5 or so volts out on the Astron steady. I turned the radio on set the rig to 6 meters and just let it sit, no problem. I picked up the MD-100 desk mic and the radio shut off. Figured maybe the mic was going bad. I hooked the hand mic up and everything seems to work well. I connected the MD-100 back up and the radio shuts off. I was able to turn it on and I started to try and figure out what the problem was with the mic. The MD-100 is set up with an RJ45 connector at the radio and an 8 pin round on the end of the mic. It's set up so that if you have an 8 pin round, you just reverse the mic cord and plug the RJ45 into the socket on the base ot the mic, (which has an 8 pin round and RJ45 in parallel for just that purpose). I shook the cord and the radio beeped as I was shaking it and eventually shut down. Problem found. The 8 pin round connector has a bad, loose or shorted wire on it. It's not on the radio end but even though I guess from movement of the mic all the time wore the connection at the mic end. Fortunately I've got about a 6 foot RJ45 straight cord that I can use until I can get a replacement for the curly cord from Yaesu, or maybe HRO has curly cords. That little plug is a bear to solder, it's probably just as easy to replace it with a new one. If they are reasonable I may get two in cause something ever happens to the one on the 1000 MP.

Well at least I don't have a major radio problem that has to go back to Yaesu.