Yeasu Receiver Adaptor?

There is mention of a "receiver adapter" in the YO101 manual, so one can monitor the FT101 or other receiver's IF signals. Although there are several notes regarding modification of various Yaesu receivers to accommodate the required input levels to the YO101, I've been unable to find ANY information regarding the actual "optional Receiver Adapter". I would really appreciate any information regarding the actual adapter. I presume other than finding an actual example of the hardware, the only option is to find the documentation and roll your own.

Mike

 

My reply is unlikely to inspire confidence that all is well, but remember all is well that ends well. I suspect that any mention of "optional receiver adaptors" is a poor translation which would have been better worded as "optional receiver adaptations." In other words, what is needed is not so much a piece of hardware (unless you want to consider the interconnect cable, and an odd short piece of coax or wire as that hardware), but a modification to (some) Yaesu receivers to get the correct IF signal from the receiver to the scope.

The manual for the YO-101 explains the mods needed for various receivers. Follow those instructions, and I think you'll find you'll have the functionality you seek. However, before you make any mods, see next paragraph.

A "panadaptor" will show a larger swath of the band your reveiver is tuned to than the YO-101. A panadaptor will allow you to see signals significantly below and above the signal the receiver is actually receiving. "Kits" consisting of some cabling and some software are available to turn your PC into a panadaptor with the PC monitor serving as the panoramic display. You will find several on the WWW or eBay selling for under $100. Search for "amateur radio panadaptor" or a similar description.

If you've ever used a digital comm mode with a waterfall, that gives you a rough idea of what a panadaptor does.

Good luck.

 

You're right, it didn't.

As I mentioned in my OP, having read the manual, I also observed there are modifications for several other pieces of equipment, to configure their outputs to comply with the input requirements of the YO-101. Having searched somewhat extensively, I'm also leaning heavily toward translation deficiencies as opposed to "missing hardware". Having lived, worked and traveled in the Orient for nearly a decade, I'm well aware of how easily gross errors in translation occur.

Pan adapters and waterfalls are useful, but I'm not a big fan of doing everything with a computer. Even though its just plug n play, most, including myself, only get what someone else considers useful.

I've toyed with the idea of building a tunable pan adapter that I can use with most any receiver's first, or second IF, and having landed this thing, now might be the time to get busy.

Have a good day
Mike

 

Mike,

I have the YO-100 manual. It does not have a pan adapter function. All you're going to be doing is tapping into the receiver IF to look at the received signal envelope pattern. I did that w/ my Heath SB610 + my old SB102. It didn't have much value. To add pan adapter function to the YO-100 will require a sweep oscillator, mixer, and narrow bandpass quartz crystal filter. If you want a pan adapter, consider one of the SDR dongles + PC software.

I also have the Heath SB-620 'Scanalyzer'. The useful sweep width was limited by the rig's preselector... about +/- 50 KHz. Outside of that, there was nothing to see. Your FT101 is similar.

Back in the 1980s, I married my SB-620 (3.395 MHz IF) to my old Kenwood TS-120S & TS-130S rigs (8.83 MHz IF) because the input amplifier can be switched to operate as a mixer. An old 146.76 MHz crystal (12.23 MHz fundamental) was the basis of a heterodyne oscillator (12.23 - 8.83 = 3.400 MHz). A slight tweak of the sweep oscillator put the PIP CENTER control in the middle of its range. A buffer amplifier inside the rig added some needed gain and provided isolation to the rig's IF chain. I later connected it to my TS850's baseband IF output. The level was MUCH lower, and required some 40-60 dB gain. I made up the gain using a few MMIC amplifiers daisy-chained. With the Kenwood rigs, the scannable bandwidth is VERY wide. However, I am again limited to about +/- 50 KHz due to the itty bitty 3" CRT. :=/

vy 73,
Bryan WA7PRC

 

Hi Bryan,

My thoughts are to use a MMIC or two as input amps, one of the DDS modules as the tunable LO, driving a NE602 followed by a narrow ceramic filter. With the exception of the DDS, its all stuff I have on hand. I want to keep it simple with not so much "local content" to slow down the process. Rite now I'm working on some ARC5's so its not going to be done in the next couple weeks.

I like the little 101, it seems to definitely be a cut above the GriefKit whatever the model number monitors of long ago.

 

The YO100 is made to work with the FT101s 3.8mhz IF. If you simply plug an RCA cable from the IF output of the 101 to the Y0100 you will be able to see incoming signals within the pass band of the filter in the 101.

The modification simply moves the IF output from the filter to before the filter so you can in fact use the YO100 like a panadapter. You can see up and down the band before the Xtal filter.

I have run both ways. If you are interested in looking at signals you are listening too, just hook it up and go. If you want to find signals on the band, then pull the Filter card out o the 101 and perform the very simple modification.

If you plan to use the Yo100 with another radio, then you will require a converter from the radios IF to the YO100s 3.8mhz IF input frequency.

You can use the AF scope function with any radio. Just run an audio cable from your rig to the YO100. This is also neat to watch and you can see the difference in stations on the band.

I have not heard of any Yaesu receiver adapters. Its possible one exists but I have never seen one.




C