How many of you had one? It was my first radio after I got my Tech in 1981. Great radio for it’s time and built like a tank. Wish it had a tone board as I would love to have one today.
I've got one upstairs in my office I picked up off ebay a while back and have done nothing yet. the plan was to integrate a tone board and also change out the electrolytic caps. I acquired all the caps and a tone board, but that's as far as I got. (5 kids keep me busy and free time is more spent on a nap now and then than hobbies these days. It's just another thing on my "one of these days" list.) I'll upload some pictures later. If your interested I could be talked out of it I'm sure. I'd rather it be used than sitting in a pile!
How does it look cosmeticly? Pics would be great. That radio was made from real metal and was heavy. My very first radio when I got my Tech in 1981. May talk to you about a purchase.
Yaesu FT-227A Memorizer 2-meter FM transceiver, 10 watt RF output (1977-1981). Instruction Manual (Repeater Builder) http://www.repeater-builder.com/yvs/pdfs/yaesu-ft-227r-inst-manual.pdf FoxTango http://www.foxtango.org/ft-library/FT-Library/Eighties/FT227R_memoriser_manual.pdf The FT-227RA is an adaptation of the FT-227R which provides expanded memory capability as well as scanning capability. The scanner will search for a busy or clear channel, as desired, or will scan indefinitely until halted by a press of the microphone PTT switch. http://www.iw2nmx.it/Yaesu/FT-227R/FT-227RA Instruction and Service Manual.pdf Yaesu FT-227RB http://messui.polygonal-moogle.com/ham/yaesu_ft227rb.pdf Com-Spec SS-64 CTCSS Encoder, Instructions http://www.com-spec.com/insheet/ss64inst.pdf Yaesu FT-227 Hookup instructions http://www.com-spec.com/insheet/ft227ra.pdf == Reviving an old work horse, the Yaesu FT-227R by KD7REM http://www.qsl.net/kd7rem/ft227r.htm
I had one (not nearly my "first rig," nor even my "first 2m FM rig") and it was excellent -- and I agree, pretty bulletproof. Won't be too useful today, at least not here where we have repeaters on odd-splits and they all use CTCSS; but "for its time" it was a very good rig. My "first" 2m FM rig was a Motorola 80D in the trunk, with a dynamotor. That was in 1967. In the trunk of my old Plymouth Valiant -- and when I pressed the PTT and the dynamotor spun up, the headlights would dim and the car would almost stall. Actually, occasionally, it did stall. "We've come a long way."
Because it was a "2m only" rig, as many others of that day were. The Kenwood TR-7400A was even better (same reason, though). Problem with "today's" 2m rigs is most of them receive over a huge spectrum and don't have the helical resonators in the front end to reject crap from out of band.
Same thing happened with HF transceivers, once the receiver was 'opened'. The FT-227R was the first hamradio transceiver I ever used. It was not mine. I had a chance to get one a few years ago. I don't use it, but it's a trip down memory lane.
... I remember riding with my Dad in a 1976 Buick Century station wagon , remember station wagons ?? , from deep southern Illinois to a long gone ham radio dealer in St. Louis Missouri , to pick up his new FT-227 , the RB model ... with the dtmf mic for phone patches ... a year or so ago he gave it to me , I occasionally power it on and listen to what little 2 meter traffic is on the airwaves nowadays ... I have picked up an old Com-Spec tone encoder , maybe I'll wire it in one of these days ... excellent receive audio and can read that awesome LED display from a room away
