I've always wanted an FT-101

One popped up in a search for cheap within driving distance last fall.
It's going to be my AM squeeze. so it's getting an Inrad filter and a few nips and tucks in the wiring to make that go.



It's really in good shape. The finals are well loved but not burned. More to post as the project moves along.



There are a couple of dents to pull and a fan to oil but this thing really looks fine. I think it's going to clean up to spiffy.

It easy to see whey this radio has a devoted following. It's built like a brick outhouse. What's your experience with the FT-101 family?

 

I don't have the FT, but I do have the Twins - FR-101S receiver and FL-101 transmitter. They are currently in storage, but they were my main rig for 20+ years. Excellent design and construction. The only problem I ever had was the typical need to clean switch contacts on any older rig. Great signal reports.

I operate 95% CW, and my receiver has NO optional filters. I simply added an audio filter and did just fine.

I am sincerely tempted to put the Twins back on the desk, but not enough room. These are classy rigs - we used to call them the "Poor man's S-Line."

The only caution I have been given is to be very careful to follow proper tuning procedure, as the sweep tubes in the finals are hard to find if you puff them.

 

You have a 101B. That's better than the original FT-101, as the original model had a lot of problems, although advanced in the way they constructed it. (The Drake TR-7 is the same way, although all solid-state, and uses even more plug-in daughter boards.)

QST outlines the differences in the models and were pretty hard on the original model FT-101. It got better!

Considering how long it was produced from inception to the last model, it was a huge success.

I had one a long time ago, but really wanted the much improved FT-102 and ended up with that. I sold that at least 25 years ago, but I kind of miss it.

 

I’ve both owned and repaired them since the mid 70s. I currently have an EE as one of my AM rigs but I’ve had multiple Bs, Es, EXs and even one or two original 101s. They are a fun radio to use and to work on. By and large they stand the test of time very well. I replaced the HV electrolytics in my Current EE, then checked the originals. Leakage was still acceptable, ESR was less than an ohm and capacitance value had not appreciably declined. There really was no need to change them, a testament to the quality components Yaesu used in them.

You probably know this but .... if you are going to run it on AM, tune it for full power out then reduce the carrier to 25 to 30 watts (150 mA) and adjust the mic gain for clean audio. You don’t want to run the carrier any higher.

Also, inspect the small, flat green and brown capacitors on the Circuit cards. I have seen some (but not all) radios who’s capacitors have split, presumably due to prolonged exposure to excess heat.

 

Thanks for the words of wisdom!



These are the shiny caps and they seem to have a better survival rate than the flat ones.
There are a few cracked ones so I'll take a close look all over.

 

Good thread to Follow, Chris!

I also have an FT-101E, with extender cards and a box full of replacement boards... estate buy. It works but not all that well.

Hoping to make this be a project soon

So thanks for starting the thread (Oh, and for the "other stuff you sent")

Dave
W7UUU

 

I have an FT "B" version, and the FR/FL twins. All are well built, tuff as nails, and fun rigs to use, and, they make good AM as well.

The FR-101 has a wide filter, and I want to get one for the FT as well since I do a lot of AM.

 

The 101 b is awesome, and a regular on AM. I love the kenwood hybrids, unfortunately, no AM with them. I believe the last 101 in the line up had 6146 tube which is much better. That is the only one I would be interested in owning.

 

That's a great picture, Mike!
I purchased an Inrad #2011 a few years back when there was talk of discontinuing this filter.
The radio I picked up has this filter already installed (rather poorly... I've reworked the wiring already).
PM sent.

Thanks for your insight as always. When casting the search net for one of these, I figured that a 'B' was as far back as I wanted to deal with.
This one is #6262 which puts it in the second wave of 'B' models.

Al NW2M has a nice page explaining the differences and card lineups.

https://www.qsl.net/nw2m/

The 'E' models seem to be more expensive and I don't need the speech processor, so I let many of those slip through my gill net for others to enjoy.

Yes indeed! I really enjoy my TS-820 but alas, it has no AM mode.
Copy you on the sweep tube finals! The previous owner mentioned that the tubes were a bit "soft" and I'm planning on putting in a fresh set with new suppressors once this radio is tuned up and ready for action. A critical eye at the final cage reveals that it's been hot in there... I'm finding nits to pick while going over the chassis. So far, all of the parts I've needed are in stock here (a few cracked Mylar caps and a damaged resistor).

I'm planning on running it at about 12 watts into my AL-80B eventually when everything is going well.

~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks to everyone here for the tips and insights.

 

Yes, that is exactly the type of cracks to which I was referring.