#61 Yaesu FT101 series Part 2 Few nuggets and on air listen

[@83redgrass]

Best videos. Thank you sir.

[@towerman75]

Another great video. Keep up the great work.

[@w.rustylane5650]

Am still enjoying yer videos. Cannot believe you picked up a Yaesu FT-101 for $10.00. 73 from K9POW in eastern Tennessee.

[@ModusPonenz]

I just picked up a very clean (I think - it appears clean) FT-101E and it seems to receive OK on 20 meters. I found your videos and I'm looking forward to taking a deep look through it to verify that its working as it should. I'm taking notes as you work through the various circuits to make sure I verify the same things. I'll keep you posted as I make progress. Your videos are a big help and are great for our hobby.

[@TheRadioShop]

Sounds like a great plan. Please do keep us informed on your project. Thanks for stopping in.

[@slaznum1]

Good stuff again, these projects sure can take some time appreciate you taking us along for the ride

[@TheRadioShop]

You are right, lots of time is put into each one. Sometimes we erase and start again lol. Thank for watching :-)

[@jonmu8140]

Thanks for these videos. I picked up one on Fleabay for $30 knowing it was DOA. It was intended as a first radio repair/rebuild. I've got a LOT of learning and work ahead of me.

[@paulsilverzweig2429]

yet another excellent video on the FT-101 series... so far I have learned useful procedures for restoring mine in every video...

[@TheRadioShop]

Glad you liked it Paul. So much more to come. A lot of stuff to cover in this radio. Thanks for watching.

[@chevywheels56]

Good wee morning hours to you.. About 15 years ago I bought a FT 101E from a Ham at a "HamCom" for 60 bucks. He told me all it needed was the finals. I took it over to a friend of mine that retired from Montgomery Wards TV/Radio Repair Dept. to let him look at the radio and fix it if he found anything else wrong other than the finals. Well we were on the verge of retiring...Montgomery Ward retired him so he started work around his place and did nothing to the 101. I just got the radio back two weeks ago and it just got dusty. So I found you on KZbin and I watched, in one night, almost all of your video's on the FT 101''s...until I couldn't stay awake any longer. I was going to take your advice and put a 82pF 2 or 3kV Silver Mica Cap before I put the power to the tubes. Couldn't find one anywhere. We have a little electronic shop that I went into today and I asked the lady if she might have one or five and she looked and came back with brown 91pF 1000V Silver Mica Cap so I bought it. After this long story...can I use it in place of the one that is in the radio shown on C13? Thanks a million. Chevy

[@TheRadioShop]

Hi Chevy. Thanks for the story on that. I do not see why that will not work. Caps will have tolerances and I do believe there is a bit of head room there so should be fine. Thanks for commenting.

[@chevywheels56]

THANK YOU ! ! ! !

[@jukeman57]

Good job so far getting the old 101 back in good shape. That was impressive how the receiver peek out by simply adjusting that trim pot. I believe it's going to be a fine transceiver when you finish.

[@TheRadioShop]

Yes that trimmer really made a difference. She is coming along. Thanks

[@TRXLab]

Again a great one Buddy! THanks for sharing and looking forward to the next episode! Take care bro 73

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Peter. This was just extra footage I have taken while doing some test. Decided I had enough to make another video lol. Thanks for stopping in my friend. 73 Buddy

[@Homer19521]

A friend gave me his 101E to repair (along with a FT840 & 811H amp). Your videos are very helpful to a 101E Newbie like me. Looking forward to next video! 73 Bob

[@TheRadioShop]

Thank you Bob, very glad that they help/ Hope to get another up by the week end if time spares. thanks for watching and good luck on the 101E

[@Homer19521]

I found a dirty band switch, dirty & stuck fan and cleaned the relay & she seems to receive fine now. But it does have almost exactly the same high voltage issues yours has. Looking forward to seeing what you find there. I like these old rigs/boat anchors. Thanx again.

[@TheRadioShop]

Hi Bob. I think I have drawn a conclusion to the high voltages found before the regulator board. These radios were design to run from around 115 to 117 volts back in the day. My line voltage here is up to 122 volts at night and around 119.8 during the day. This may have an effect on the transformer output. Check your input AC voltage to just compare. I connected one to the variac the other day set to 115. The voltages were much closer to spec. I will show this in a future video.

[@Homer19521]

Roger that. I have a nice B&K Isolation & variable AC power supply (which I almost never use because I am stupid & lazy) & I will try that. Hard to understand how a 6% change in supply would make a much bigger delta on the converted side. But then re-read the parenthesis part.

[@TheRadioShop]

Don't get me wrong, I do agree with what you are saying and after testing another radio that has higher than normal voltage, bringing it down did not help a lot. So, I will have to do more testing....

[@jonathanpickering1457]

Than you for the education video and also you did the one on the 101zd I should be getting one this weekend 73s from John g0wzj

[@kevinkilroy5258]

Great video! I'm a new ham with an Ft101F and now I have an idea of what problems to look for.

[@davidlegault9745]

Great video. I'm looking forward to the series. Thank you for all the time and effort you put in to make them. Dave

[@TheRadioShop]

And thank you Dave. Much appreciated.

[@patrickp4827]

FT-101 Masterclass - LOVE IT! Thanks again man :o)

[@solarflare4259]

Very instructive video! The 82pF 2-3kV dipped mica cap are hard to find;have not found one yet . I just removed the 80 pf/1kV domino type cap and replaced it with a new dipped mica 82pF /1kV cap... When I'll find one with a higher voltage rating I'll replace...They are listed at the Digikey Webpage and avilable to order but not in stock...

[@TheRadioShop]

The 82pF @1kV will do just fine. I was able to get the 2-3 kV at the time this video was posted. Now none can be found. Try Mouser.

[@solarflare4259]

@@TheRadioShop Thank you for the quick reply. I definitely look everywhere including Mouser...

[@DerekHerbst747]

Hi Buddy. I have obtained this same model and am having some issues with the transmitter being intermittent, weak and sometimes moderately strong on the 14 Meter, dismal on 10 and 11 Meters.. I think the relay is part of the issue, but I also suspect some bad caps in the driver and final stages. I hope you get back to uploading more content on this radio as I have already learned a lot from you so far. Thanks for your explanations, tips and tricks.

[@mikesradiorepair]

Looks like your making progress. You pulled a fast one on me at the end. You switched out radios and I didn't realize it until you mentioned it. Just as I was thinking "hey, he replaced the knobs" you said it was a different one. Didn't even notice the big EX looking me in the face.

[@TheRadioShop]

Yep, the old switcheroo :-) I was working on that rig at the same time. It is coming along pretty good.

[@PapasDino]

TNX for another great one Buddy - I needed some cool down time after having to replace an attic exhaust fan that decided to crap out tonight and your video hit the spot! 73 - Dino KL0S

[@TheRadioShop]

I know that was a hot job Dino. The heat index here is over 114 F. Really hot. And the AC in the shop went out this week so have to work on that. Thanks for dropping by my friend.

[@poikaa3]

I was fortunate to find one of these back in 2003, I should say it found me! Mine was lightly used from a 'Freebander" and I think I was the first to make use of it on the HAM bands! Beautiful condition and one of my favorites! Just bought the new Icom IC-7300, great rig! No way one can work on these as with the old FT101!

[@TheRadioShop]

I love it when a radio finds me. Good deal and thanks for stopping in.

[@Echapm40]

Thanks for doing these video. I am really enjoying these. I recapped an EX last year that is mint, but I think I missed that one you pointed out. Jumped on eBay and ordered some, so I will be tearing back into it. Thanks again!

[@TheRadioShop]

Good deal. Good idea to replace that one, can cause some nasty repair later. Thanks for watching Eric.

[@lesjohnson9740]

Very good faultfinding, a lot of hard working my man, good vid. Les.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thank you Les, it is my pleasure :)

[@SJS764]

Excellent Videos - I have a late model 101E that I am overhauling here in Brisbane Australia - Keep up the good work - VK4HDA

[@TheRadioShop]

Thank you very much for the kind words. This is one of the best ham radios that was ever made to me. Good luck on the overhaul and if any way I can help please let me know.

[@bundylovess]

It's coming along nicely thanks for the video

[@TheRadioShop]

Thank you Allan.

[@billbates7810]

Hi, I’m enjoying watching your videos, I have a FT 101e but the tuning dial is quite stiff, the manual says not to lubricate the gears, what is the right procedure? God bless, Bill G6ATO

[@MrCarlsonsLab]

Good Job Mr.B! :^) Those finals are pretty pricey up here (around $100 Each) at the local parts place. Luckily, I have a few "Green Banders" kicking around to keep my transceivers happy. Also watched your previous video this morning, The Hakko clones, known around here as, "fake O" :^) have a digital and an analog iron that look exactly the same. Maybe they shipped the wrong head? I find the fakeo tips work ok for the price difference. Hope you enjoyed your holidays.

[@TheRadioShop]

Hi Mr.C. :-)You are right about those tubes. High dollar today. One reason to make sure the bias is shut off when in receive mode. Yep, all mine are Fake O types. Even the Radio shack unit is a rebranded Atten station. Todd at Xronic assured me I had the correct iron. The other models will not plug into my unit. I got the replacement in yesterday and it works a treat. Found the cable was the issue on the defective unit so will replace it and have a spare. Had a great holiday here and 18 days off. Hope all is well with you my friend. Have a great one.

[@wa6gxq]

Great Video Buddy! Enjoying this. Thank you for all your hard work. 73

[@TheRadioShop]

Thank you Barry for the nice words and for watching.

[@paulpagenkopp5000]

very helpful thanks your a great teacher

[@TheRadioShop]

Glad you think so!

[@MichaelLloyd]

I'm really enjoying the methodical way that you are working through the radio. I've got an FTdx-560 that I'm working on right now. I'm literally going through the radio section by section, comparing it to the schematic, and trying to put it back like it was. I'm working in the power supply section right now, waiting for electrolytic caps from Hayseed Hamfest. While I'm waiting I've replaced the electrolytic caps on the other boards and have looked around for obvious problems. Problem # 1 - both relays are missing. Problem #2 - The calibrator crystal, LSB crystal, and USB crystal are missing. Problem #3 - missing one of the parasitic suppressors in the PA section. So you know where I can find the relays? I'm also wondering about where to find the wire you used to rewind the shunt resistor and what size it was. I suspect you determined the number of turns with a meter? Thanks for taking the time to make these videos. I think there are a lot of us out here that have boat anchors but are not quite confident enough to take on the challenge of working on them. These videos help light the path. 73 NE5U Mike

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Mike for the kind words. I only want to help others. This is one way to do it.  I will have to look up the relays to find out a replacement. As far as the meter shunt resistor it should be a value listed in the service manual. You can replace it wit ha wire wound resistor.  I only rewired mine since I had the wire on hand.  But you can also use magnet wire.  Wind core, check resistance. If you want to stay original you can keep checking ebay or Radiodaze for the wire. I will look the size up this week end. Sounds like you are on the way to getting that one up and going.Thanks Mike.

[@peterfardell9267]

There is a component identification error in this video. At 1.57 the electrolytic capacitor is wrongly stated as "C109" It is actually "C151" and should indeed be 10mF 315V as shown in the video. C151 is not shown on some versions of the schematic. The real C109 is a 2.2mF electrolytic (next compartment above!) in series with the 1k5 5W resistor and if C109 goes dead short all screen grid voltage (300V) is applied to R40 to ground. This causes R40 to overheat and go O/C. with the driver tube disabled (no screen voltage) Otherwise a wonderful video. Thank you.

[@TheRadioShop]

Yu are correct Peter.

[@ve9aas198]

I have a question concerning the AC input to the unit. My FT is fed via a two wire AC cord. The plug. Is not even polarized (one blade is not wider than the other) and the chassis seems to be a bit hot….no matter which way the plug is inserted into the supply socket. This hot chassis effect takes place no matter if the unit is on or off. Its not so much a shock as a sting or burn feeling. I thought that I had a great idea when I traded the two wire AC feed with a three wure cord fitted with a “U” ground. 110vac and neutral were connected to the pins 2 and 4 of the power plug and the green ground connected to pin 7. When plugged in, pin 7 is actually connected to the FT101 chassis., Which by virtue of the power cord is connected to house ground. Still the same hot chassis syndrome. What are your thoughts on this?

[@robertarchuletta2498]

Take a look at C74 and C75 coming from pins 3 and 7 on the power connecter. If either one is leaky this would make the chassis hot. The chassis is only negative grounded when using 12 vdc. Chassis is not grounded when using AC. That's why the cord is not polarized.

[@brianclark1223]

Great videos. Many thanks.

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks

[@jpbrown1963]

Great job glad you are on youtube 73. John

[@TheRadioShop]

Glad to have you watching.

[@fredcooper5236]

???? " and, the deal is, to rock T120 back and forth, just a little bit".... { 17:50 } How did you get at the core, Buddy?? Not too clear from the video... Cheers, Fred

[@TheRadioShop]

Fred, Several ways to get at it. One is riser boards, But in my case there was a hole drilled in the board on the rear of the radio. I used a long tuning tool to get at the 120 slug.

[@clivewi9103]

Hi Another interesting video. I was interested in what sort of signal the driver will produce at J5 Rf Out if you were looking at it with an Oscilliscope while fixing a TX problem. Could I also mention while you are looking at the driver stage caps that C11 like C13 also goes short and blows R40 removing the driver plate voltage.

[@TheRadioShop]

Interesting question on the drive output at J5. When we get to the transmitter we will find that out. Yes thanks for mentioning that. C11 and C13 are both critical capacitors.

[@g1fsh]

Really nice video Buddy great detail Very methodical work its nice to have one fix for comparison but 4 is outstanding lol

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Gary and remember the more the merrier :)Nice to have 5 rigs to work on.

[@willwasson8113]

Great video. But where do I get that cloth covered wire, and how do I figure out how much to use?

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Will, You can find the wire at RadioDaze and ebay. Or you can replace it with a wire wound resistor, it is just a resistor anyway and should be listed in the service manual. You can also use magnet wire. Wind it on, check resistance.

[@willwasson8113]

I've looked up the resistor in the service manual and it doesn't give a value, just says it's a shunt. So the question becomes what is its value and how much wire would I have to put on the bobin to get the correct value. Actually my radio doesn't have this problem right now, but if it did it would be really nice to have an answer. Thanks again for the great series!

[@TheRadioShop]

Sorry for the short reply above Will. I was at work and using my phone which is limited. The wire size needed would be 30 AWG. Number of turns will be 12 to 13. What you are looking for is around one ohm. Since you have a good part it would be good idea to remove one end of the shunt and use a meter to see what yours ohms out to. Mark that in your service manual for future use. You can also count the turns on yours for future use. If you have a four wire resistance tester it would ne a lot more accurate. But remember that a shunt is just a very low ohm resistor (wire wound) used to measure current across it. The current through this resistor is in the milliamp range. So plain magnet wire will work. Another source for this wire is wire wrap from Radio Shack online. Catalog #: 2780501. This will work fine. www.radioshack.com/products/wrapping-wire?variant=5717668293I hope this answers your question. Perhaps one day I will do a video on how to make a meter shunt and the formulas to do it.

[@mpampispatentas4574]

Hello. I have the same tranciever ft101b and I have problem whith the 160m transmitting power, I'm getting only 3watts to 1800khz. I'm getting 180watts to the other bands. The alc indicator it's going to the maximun ,is that correct?Which is the transmitting and the receiving range on the 160m?

[@TheRadioShop]

I would be looking at C131. It is a mica cap that is the padder capacitor for 160 meters. While you are at it replace C13, it is the padder for 10-80 meters. These are located under the driver/final stage.

[@mpampispatentas4574]

@@TheRadioShop Thank a lot for your answer. I check those caps and it's look good. I forgot to tell you that I have problem with the 160m receiving mode, low sensitivity.

[@ProperLogicalDebate]

Would it be good to replace a dangerous capacitor (one that causes damage if it shorts out) with two smaller ones in series but with the same voltage range so that if one fails there is an smell, change in signal, but no real damage and you can replace both?Also I'm not exactly sure which screws to loosen on the underside of a 101EE.

[@TheRadioShop]

Probably better to go with regular modern caps. Then never short the circuit out lol. Witch area you need to remove the screws from?

[@alang4mom448]

Well done on the video once again. A quick question on the Noise Blanker adjustments. How do you adjust T120 without the extender board ? TC-1 is easily adjusted. Or maybe I have my stupid hat on this evening ! Alan

[@TheRadioShop]

No stupid hat for you today Alan and glad you asked. Several ways to do it. Remove board and tweak. Or look at second post here:gokarters.com/smf/index.php?topic=2590.new#newThis was an old mod done years ago.Makes me happy that one person asked this.

[@willwasson8113]

WOW! This little mod would be nice to put in a video. Maybe you could create a video at the end of the series that show modifications that can be done on the rig such as this one. It would also be a good place to show how to create the meter shunt resistor. :-) I would bet that during this series you will have dozens of comments about things that might have been done, or things that were forgotten. You can't go back and re-edit all the videos, but a catch all at the end would really be a valuable resource for the community.

[@TheRadioShop]

Yep, there is just so much to show on these rigs. I do plan on covering them all. There is also another mod dealing with the cutoff bias pertaining to the meter shunt. There is a 4.7k that needs to be changed to a 10k on the regulator board. This makes sure the bias is shutoff with out effecting the bias settings. I am getting over 100 emails per week. Received over 40 just today on various rig repairs.

[@robertocarrasquillo9319]

Hi Radio Shop the name here is Robert I have a mint YAESU FT 101FE. The radio is like new condition and it's been with me for a couple of years now and last used in 20- meters. I hardly do not use it at all and everything was working perfect but I recently warm it up to use it on the air and I have NO SSB audio transmit now. I have power on tune CW and AM put NO SSB audio transmit on the radio. I don't know what happen to other that I hardly didn't use the radio. Can you help me please with three main points where to look at for the problem this a late late model and I love this radio any advise please thank you. Robert.

[@TheRadioShop]

Hi Robert. That is the problem when you let them sit for a while. The contacts on the mode and band switch oxidizes. Get a q-tip with a little contact cleaner on it and hit those contacts. Rotate the switch back and forth a few times. Should bring it back to life.

[@mikesradiorepair]

Add the core to the list of stuff you need. I have them to. :) Mike

[@TheRadioShop]

Great, I will need at least 1 :)

[@paulsilverzweig2429]

Hi Buddy... what are you replacing the 82pF high voltage mica cap with? I am having a hard time finding anything but ceramic caps at that value and voltage?

[@TheRadioShop]

Hi Paul. sorry for late reply. I use a 82pf silver dip 1 KV capacitor. The brown in color ones. They are mica also.

[@kd5ful]

@@TheRadioShop where can I get one? I have a ~EE, and would like to replace mine, to prevent the potentially catastrophic failure.

[@chevywheels56]

Holy cow! I don't see how you got down in there to change out the (C13) 80pF 1kV Silver Mica Cap. This might cause me to take up drinking... Chevy

[@TheRadioShop]

Yes it is in a tight spot! Not too hard. Thanks for watching

[@chevywheels56]

Mr. Radio Shop...got a question when you get time. RE: FT 101's C13 80pF 1kV Silver Mica Cap....well...my 'C13 capacitor' in my FT 101E says "Yaesu Type L1" and Google has not been able to find a "Yaesu Type L1" capacitor. This may be the original cap in this radio. It looks good from the outside. Question? Do you know what a "Yaesu Type L1" cap is and should I just let it alone or go on and put the new 91pF 1kW Silver Mica Cap in it's place? Thanks a million! Chevy

[@TheRadioShop]

Replace it. Don't even take the time to test it even if it looks good. The L1 was just a code branding that was used on the cap. Replace it with the silver dip. 91Pf will be fine. Hope that helps.

[@chevywheels56]

Thanks again and Happy Memorial Day !

[@frostking57]

hey , i changed the cap put a 350v 10uf but put it in wrong place.so there a litle smoke tubes got red hot.so i put it where it went ,an now 40 meters preselect tuens @15 meters 80@40an the loading @ 0......so how hard is it going to be to get the smoke back in....an i gotten the reciver working good. ...an ideals.

[@TheRadioShop]

Hmm, I would check the resistors under the tubes. Sounds like one of them may have went open. Probably where the smoke came from. If I knew for sure which cap you replace may help.

[@frostking57]

i have found two that i can not get any reading @ all...the long brown resistors,it has only 3 there in the bottom...on is a 220 far side of the tubes,will any resistor go in ....as long as its the right value,1 is right there by the driver tube.....thanks for you help

[@3butalcomp3]

I have never heard one asking how hard is it going to be -to get the smoke back IN. Good luck though, it's not always as bad as it may seem.

[@scdevon]

What "happened" to this fine Japanese radio is that it was beat to death on 11 meter AM with high plate current and intentional high bias settings. I bet it went into oscillation at one point, too because most people have no idea how to neutralize the 6JS6C finals.

[@TheRadioShop]

Yep, being at a flea market I can imagine what it has been through. But she will live again.

[@gilbert.kstevenson5046]

How can I get ahold of the radio shop. I'm looking for audio board.for a yeasu ft-101.pb-1189 ft 101 mk 2. Can anybody help me on this wb8dmx.kevin

[@CanadianPrairiesShortwave]

Great video!

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks

[@larryk4mu240]

Hi Buddy, number of videos? hey, it takes as many as it takes. I personally had rather see videos that cover the subject well than rush through and maybe miss a good point about the unit. You make good videos and make one feel as though they are sitting on a stool beside you watching, great job. 73

[@TheRadioShop]

Thanks Larry for the really nice words my friend. I try to explain things so folks understand. I actually try and do my videos just like the person was there with me. Sort of like one on one. Thanks agian

[@tomharrold4542]

where do you find an 82pf 2kv or 3kv silver mica that you recommend for replacement of c-13 the coupling cap.

[@TheRadioShop]

I have found them on Digi-key and ebay

[@tomharrold4542]

The Radio Shop do you have contact information where you can be reached at or email address. Thanks WW4US [e-mail]

[@tomharrold4542]

[e-mail] Thanks for all the great viedos!

[@1112223333111]

can you please tell me where to find a moulded 80pf mica for C13? I cant find it, only radial. You say silver dip radial is ok?

[@TheRadioShop]

Don't use the molded caps. Get silver dip mica. much better in this circuit

[@1112223333111]

The Radio Shop ok thanks...I wonder why they used them when the had and used silver dip elsewhere.

[@pierrelataillade7564]

Is there a way I could email you?

[@TheRadioShop]

Yes. Just under the video you will see a button called "Show More" Click that button and there is a link to contact information. Yes I could just posted my email here but then every bot would spam me.