I was looking for an inexpensive vhf/uhf radio to add to my shack as my HT wasn't up to the power task and my old Conar 450 stop working and doesn't have PL. I perused the listings on ebay for used radios. Very interesting offerings. As I looked at the descriptions on the listing I noticed many where for use in Japan only, meaning they were not set up for the USA and therefore some parts of the band plan would not be available in the radio. Some descriptions were a bit vague. I decided to forego the Japan radios and stayed here in the US market. Ended up purchasing a new Icom IC-9700. More radio than I was looking for but it will be fun exploring all its features, especially satellite. 73
Actually no. I lent it to a fellow ham and, long story short, he blew the stupid thing up. It was a 100 VAC Japan spec transceiver and instead of plugging it into the step-down transformer he plugged it into the wall. Gave it back to me not saying a word and after a heated discussion I no longer speak to him. Fast forward to now. I have a "new" TS-930, and was able to accomplish the mod much easier by using a bucking circuit which is thin enough to fit under the case, eliminating the need for a dropping resistor: www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07PDGG84B/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o05_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I recently acquired a nice ts780 from an estate. Works great. I saw your video about the Pi x board for the tone encoding. Where can I purchase one. I can't find any link. Thank you.
If you know what bands you want to work, and like the cheaper price they aren't a bad deal. It's only a problem for folks who buy not knowing their favorite repeater may not be available. The real issue to me is that it is not clearly indicated in the e-bay ad what the seller is getting. IMO it borders on a fraud issue for some of the sellers who list shipping from US states, when in reality they are coming from Japan.
A few years ago, I bought a Kenwood TS-520 for $80.00 including shipping to Florida from Maine. OM bought it at a swap meet and couldn't get it working. Glad I did. It was only missing the external VFO jumper octal plug. I stuck in a small piece of wire, and it came to life. 1st contact was a 59 from Bosnia on 40. Love that old rig. Thanks for the great video. 73 de W4CJB
Thanks for this. Answered my question on if it’s worth it. For me it isn’t. I have bought vintage film cameras from Japan with great results however. Thx
I had a couple of these. The output power would fade after the finals heated up. I did a couple things. Neutralized the finals, and moved the bypass caps that got hot to the other side of the circuit board. Now power was max when plate current dipped, and didn't fade away when heated up. I had a mobile PS and swapped the transistors out for ones that had lower saturated switching voltage drop. Plate voltage went up and power as well. I could get much more power out and on SSB wasn't a horible amount of heat. The receiver used to come back out of transmit with a loud rush... which I also fixed. Can't remember what I did exactly, but think I used a diode in the circuit. Great little rig. I should have never sold it. I coined the phrase "Greefkit" back in the day. I worked for Heathkin for a year in 1968. - WA6QVI
Last year (in the comments below) you mentioned that you used to have a TS-711. Did you buy it from Japan? I was researching the Japanese 711/811 versus the American versions, and by looking at the service manuals, it shows which boards are different and which are the same. I would assume one could simply swap out the boards that are different and be fine, but for what the Ebay parts sellers are charging for parts, it would be cheaper to just get the American version. I haven't dug into the schematics enough to see what is different between the boards though- could be just resistors or something that could easily be modified. Yep, I'm still looking for the 711/811 twins. I got kinda sidetracked when I came across the hard-to-find TS-670 (American) quad bander!
The 711 I had was the US version, so I can't speak to a conversion on that. Since the time I posted this video prices for Japan market radios have gone up considerably, making it almost not worth the effort unless a seller accepts a best offer.
Say you've done all your research and are ready to pull the trigger on a radio from a seller in Japan. Ebay generally tells you the price and shipping costs, but just hints at US customs. What have you been paying in customs costs, and is there any other info on this subject you can share?
The Radio Shack HTA20 has the Ga Fet 3SK189. The bad news is if the Fet goes out you are screwed as they are impossible to find. Just find another working HTA20.
While looking at ebay; saw a ICOM IC-290. (Understand IC-290a is USA) Besides the voltage conversion issue, is there anything else which requires attention ? Also, is there no duty issue ? BTW, my main interest in this radio is the ability to work CW on two meters. Seems like it would be a good way to practice CW because I cannot put up a respectable HF antenna.
Well, this appears to be a mobile so 12 volts is 12 volts. Just bear in mind that Japan bands for 2 meters are 144.000 to 146.000. It's an older rig, so I'd imagine it can be opened up. BUT this is what I talked about in the video! Unless you can find some mod to do it you are on your own. I didn't see one. Won't be a problem if you're doing CW on the lower portion of 2m though.
Do you do "voice over" work? You have a voice for radio! 😜 I had the TS430S as a novice as my first rig. As a QRP fan the QRP version appeals! Thanks for the video. de VK2AOE.
I'm told I have a face for radio too! 🤣 Thanks much for the compliment....I really have to shoot another video soon of my latest adventures in this arena.
Basically, all you need to do is take a couple feet of 1/4" braid and run an extension cord through the middle of it and twist it around a coil form of some kind. Voila!
Several months ago I bought what I thought was a Yaesu FT-857D from Japan. Paid about $1100.00 for it. I was shipped by Fedex and came rather quickly in my opinion, about 3 days. The original factory box had been opened but all of the stuff inside had obviously never been opened of the plastic bags everything was pack in. It looked like "open box". Came with 2 manuals printed in Japanese. Quite some time later I was looking at the box it came in and it said Yaesu FT-857DM. There is also another label that says for use in Japan only. Now I guess I'll have to take it to a radio shop and have the specs checked on it.
I guess you've found out by now that you were sold the Japanese domestic market version of the radio. Band limits differ (Japan is in ITU Region 3) , the radios are not "MARS modifiable" and the manufacturers' U.S.-based service centers will not repair Japanese domestic version equipment. This is the danger from buying from third-party sellers. Stick to buying from the U.S.- based retailers.
Well, with what those things cost and being a current production model unless you're sure that the transmit is opened up I probably wouldn't risk it. I just bought a Yaesu FT-900 from Japan which is HF only, and no modding needed.....but as they say your mileage may vary.
I should have said This keeps the 28 v relay energised and the 28 V supply under load until it drains down after switch off hence no risk of over voltage.
Not sure if there's a Japanese HF band difference, but this particular radio was opened up to transmit anywhere it receives. Whether or not it came factory that way I can't say.
Good mod. Next lift the 28 volt leads (orange and yellow) off the power switch and join them. This keeps the 28 v relay energised until the 28 v supply drains down after switch off. Hence no over voltage after switch off job done!
Love it! I'm seeing some 930's on eBay with "power supply" issues. Really been tempted to get one BUT wasn't sure about how complicated it would be to fix it.
I purchased an Icom Ic-7000 #1 with Japanese frequencies. The HF frequencies were easy to open from 1.6Mhz to 30Mhz, minus the 26Mhz to 27.99Mhz. The receive was easy to modify from 30Khz to 200Mhz, then UHF is 400Mhz to 470Mhz. I can not find a way to modify the transmit on VHF and UHF. They are still locked on 6 meters 50Mhz to 54Mhz, 2 meters 144Mhz to 145.99Mhz, 70 centimetres is 430Mhz to 439.99Mhz. I have tried many configurations and 2 meters and 70 centimeters remain crippled. I just gave up and will be selling it as an HF and 6 meter radio only. The 2 meter and 70 meter bands will only be bonuses for sideband use and maybe data.
I recently bought a full Japan only ftm-300d. Not realizing that it wasn't set up for US band plans. FedEx would charge me $300 to return to Japan. F u c q k! Any good use for this now that I'm not sending it back.
Sure, APRS and many digital modes run on the lower portion of VHF. You also may be able to access or create a Wires X node in the Japan bandplan and access Fusion. Or, if you want to access repeaters and nodes on the higher VHF frequencies, set it up with crossband repeat on UHF to another radio and still use all of the radio's digital capabilities.
I've been searching all day about converting the TR-751 and 851, as well as the TS-790. I've had no luck except for this video on the TS-790. Would you happen to know anything on the other two radios?
Not offhand, but interestingly enough the Japanese sellers on eBay have lately been fairly sketchy. The seller that I bought my radios from is no longer a registered user, and if you watch a certain radio carefully many times the exact same radio with the same pictures gets listed by two different sellers at two different prices. Last week I had this happen with a Yaesu FT-225D. Seller I bought from said that the radio was damaged and refunded me. The other seller 3 days later canceled his auction. I don't know if these radios are available at a shop and multiple people are listing them or what, but something weird is definitely going on.
@@timpoliniak7361 Yeah, I didn't find the seller you mentioned (now I know why), but a couple of the other sellers had decent enough feedback. I also ran across the TS-711 and 811 twins- they are closer in size to my TS-430S, rather than the more mobile size of the TR-751 and 851. Unfortunately, it seems the only way to get a TS-790 is through Japan like you did- I can't find an American seller on any site.
@@TheREALJosephTurner I had the TS-711, really nice radio. Sold it when I got the 790. The reason I got the 790 primarily is that it matches the TS-940 I have! Funny how that works.... I hang out on 652 simplex locally all day and NCS a traffic net once a week, so either radio is a lot more than I need. Just don't buy a TS-700 series, it'll drive you nuts to use on repeaters and it took about $80 in mica caps in the VFO to get it to sort of stop drifting. There's no shortage of 790's on eBay out of Japan, but converting them is a gamble and I got lucky. The prices on them are too high, and I don't think any of them are selling.
Interesting! I’d been digging around for a while trying to find something to match my TS-940S as well, and happened to settle on the 790. In the process of bringing one over from Japan as well, so hopefully your video here is just what I need!
Like your videos . I am a newer ham and have a good electronics background. I have the hw 12 and 22a. Got the 40m back up just need to do bias adjustment and it will be good to go . 73 Kd9usk
Somewhere around $180 shipped for the TS-780 and I think a little under $350 for the TS-790V. It was close to a year ago. No duties and taxes whatsoever. Incidentally the radios are still working great!
@@timpoliniak7361 great! thank you so much for the response. I am considering buying a Bluetooth speaker from Japan on ebay and I was concerned about this whole duties and taxes thing that sellers put in their descriptions. So hopefully I will be safe if it is under $200.
@@Ross_Eddy speakers are under a TOTALLY different classification for Japan customs. Even though ham radios HAVE an internal speaker, the shipping classification for speakers is much different. They consider them a magnetic hazmat or some such.....it was explained to me once. Just a heads up.
Now I am curious, what are the basic HF band differences between Japan and the US? I'm going to watch the other videos for the conversions! Interesting video.
The HF are about the same, maybe exactly the same. However, 2 meter and 70 centimetres are heavily crippled. 2 meters covers 144Mhz to 145.99Mhz. 70cm covers 430Mhz to 439.99Mhz. The MARS modifications only increase HF transmit, except for 11 meters. VHF and UHF do not seem to be modifiable for transmit. Though they can be modified to receive a lot more. 6 meters is the same.
@@indridcold8433 And I've seen some old Kenwoods "New in Box" from Japan for extremely high prices. Likely been in storage for decades. They should be selling for a lot less as they could be quite gimped internally by now... It's a gamble.
I well not buy any radio with tobacco stains I well not buy any radio that is not clean I well not buy any radio with out the charger, or the batteries if any, or the accessories, IF I can't turn the radio and see work I walk IF they tell me that they could get twice the price on E-BAY I walk away from it Remember once the hamfest is over you may never see that person again, that you bought from,
Tim, the other thing about SW is that a lot of the foreign broadcasts are in a foreign language...Chinese and Spanish..plus a lot of the foreign broadcasts (BBC comes to mind) are available on the internet with better quality....
