#101 

Sir!: I very much enjoy your homespun commentary & your humble attitude. I watch your technique in troubleshooting & repair & I compliment you on both. You are providing a service to amateurs who watch & listen, & they are being taught correctly, & not the BS that I read or see on some sites. I am an old guy 80, who still repairs radios & other ham equipment for the locals, & many NOT local. I spent my career as a communications radio & radar tech, & it tickles me to death to watch your videos. My very best wishes to you for a long, successful & healthy life Sir ! God Bless!

My only complaint is that I can only give you one thumbs-up for this video! Buddy, you tackled and repaired at least 3 problems that I would have walked away from and would have written the radio off as a lost cause. I've only been working on radios for about 46 years, off and on. I considered myself to be pretty good at "simple" repairs. But you, sir, are a MASTER! You take it to a new level. Thank you VERY much for sharing this with us. It was like watching brain surgery. WOW.

Very fitting end to this series of repairs of this Kenwood. Thanks for sharing.

Yep, you had me going after the magic smoke got out! I didn't mind a bit seeing how you repaired those traces. That's education, man! If it gets too tedious, I can skip ahead, but I like seeing the entire process. Thanks, Buddy.

Hell of a job Buddy!!!! Great videos and a fantastic display of patience....

Very meticulous, a fine technician as well as a clock maker. I don't think I know of any other technician that would take the time, or have the skill to do such repairs. You should be very proud. Keep up the great work. Jim WA5WRE

Ok, I saw the video and had to do this. I bought one of these rigs yesterday. It's been a dream of mine since high school, and finally, I get time to do these FUN things! You look like a craftsman, and I am confident enough to give this a try using your example.

I found your channel because someone linked your trace repair video last year or maybe the year before? I subscribed because of the care that you took when you made the repair. I haven't been disappointed since. Nicely done

Another great tutorial Buddy. It can really ruin your day when the PCB traces act like fast blow fuses. Nice job on the repair. I've got a Collins 75A-4 up on my bench at the moment with some frozen trimmer caps. Lots of fun. Looking forward to the next one. 73 Doug.

I can see how much you really enjoy working on these old highbred radios. But you really had me going after the smoke finished and said you were going to junk it all!!😳 What a great fix and so time consuming. Really enjoy watching these old radios come apart and the way you explain to the viewers how to fix them... Another suggestion would be for another video is a fix/repair video on the Kenwood Remote VFO 230 sometime in the future? 😜 would love to see the difference if any between the two? Thanks for all your hard work and putting life back into these Beautiful old boat anchors. As some people say Old school is still cool! PS.This was my 1st radio when I was a novice. Great radio and great job.👍

My God you 're amazing repairing radios. Congrats

Buddy I have been waiting a long time for the aux vfo repairs, became more than planned. With the circuit patches learned a lot there also. I do love all the 520 additional accesories. Need to get antenna tuner also. Probably have to get "tech specials" and a lot of TLC I learned from you..73s Thank You WB9WXF

Another great video on this classic rig. The VFO bearings are a common problem in everything, not just Kenwood rigs. Like you I give them a thorough cleaning and lubrication and they work better than new. A note on the copper foil. The one side is actually textured to give it some tooth for bonding down. Makes for a better bond when fastening the traces down with epoxy. You will have a good as new rig when you get done with it at the rate your going. Mike

Great video Buddy. Thank you for all the time and effort you put in to making it. Regards, Dave

Very informative video! I followed the process of the vfo-clockwork restoration on my own TS520 and it's running smooth like it's all new from the factory. Only thing I failed to notice was, there's a difference in the size of the ball-bearings, the two that go in the bottom of the shaft are slightly smaller than the three that go into the side of the shaft. My first try to assemble the shaft resulted in almost no movement and a wobbly shaft. Maybe they changed this after the TS520 as your radio is a TS520SE. Anyway, thanks a bunch! And keep them TS520's on the air because they're great radio's! 73, Kees, PA3DEB

Thanks for the great video, it was very informative you make it look easy!

Buddy your videos are the best.

Great job. Thanks so much. Can't wait.

Hi Buddy, thanks for all the videos. I'll be trying to repair a non-working ICOM IC-280 an Elmer gave me. It has already been tampered with, and there is a solder pad / trace repair. So I'll be referring to your video #19. I know it takes a lot of time to put these videos together, so again, thanks for taking the time.

Another great show. Yes I had smoke come out of a FT-101E that I got this week and saw some nasty wiring on the power supply. I wish some people would just leave things alone if they don't know what they are doing. But I think I will replace the transformer and start from there. Looking forward to more repairs on the VFO's and alignments on these older radios. My TS-830S needs some TLC in the VFO as it drifts until total warmed up. Thanks for the great insight and learning experience . Lyle VE5EE

I really enjoy your video's. Thank you very much for doing them to help us all learn.

your attention to details is outstanding Buddy! Like the video thanks for sharing 73

Every time your doorbell goes off I have to hit the pause button and check my front door. They sound the same. Funny

nice work on the VFO shaft

Great video as always i have 2 of these rigs how about more on the FT901 vfo removal & assembly would be great great video's

nice work on 520.

Thanks for the great series on the Kenwood 520 components. I will be restoring one in about 3 months that I bought on ebay about 8 months ago. It's working ok but needs new caps in the power section and probably all the electrolytic caps should be removed and replace. Surprisingly the main tuning VFO is smooth as silk but probably should be cleaned and lubed because of the age. Let us know when you plan to go on the air and I'll attempt to make contact with you. Will need your call sign to make it easy. LOL,,,,,Dale kg7ssb

Nice, Buddy! Can you share a link to the grease you used to re-lube the bearings?

Great Video !

I wonder if the solder was an aftermarket mod. I’m working on a very clean TS-520SE and the main VFO knob was also filled with lead. I assumed it was a factory thing. I’ll check the external VFO next.

Do the two smaller ball bearings go into the main tuning shaft first? I know there are 3 larger bearings and two smaller ones.

Very good job ! As we say in Russia - experience not spend on drink.

Tnx fer a nice video! My first HF radio was a TS520SE including the display. Loaned the display to a friend who also had a TS520SE. He sold his radio WITH my display without asking... :-) He gave me a Vibroplex De Luxe as a 'sorry' gift. Not a bad swap. I still have it standing here. Never learnt to use it properly though - I use my Swedish Key and my Bencher instead. BTW I never got more than abt 100W-ish out of my TS520SE - is your HV perhaps a little high or did I just have a radio with less 'oomph'? Keep up the good work!

Thanks for sharing. I just bought a TS-820s for restoring. I wanted a rig I could actually work on vs. my main rig, a 7300, which is all surface mount and impossible to repair.

nice work sir

Just bought a set of 520 knobs. Getting closer every day

Great video! I have a 520SE that I bought new in 1980. It works very well but is due to be recapped. I also need a couple of plastic paddles for the switches. Do you know of a reliable source for them? Thanks, Jim KA4HLT

Does anyone know the ball bearing sizes for the VFO shaft? I believe there are two small bearings that go inside the shaft and three that go around it, if I remember correctly. I’ve cleaned and lubricated the VFO but it appears that at least one of the BBs has a flat spot which makes the VFO a bit rough.

Good Stuff.

would a spray of 3 in 1 oil loosen up and "wet" the grease back up?

Got the VFO working smoothly. How do I calibrate the white round piece in the front? Is it as simple as lining it up while using my frequency counter? Did you ever do a video on alignment? Thanks Buddy

I would learn from seeing how you hook your scope to the VFO. Do go direct or does it need attenuating?

We all know how to let the smoke out of these machines, I know I've done it myself! Thank you for showing us what we don't know, and that's how to put the smoke back in! In all seriousness, thank you for your videos. They are very helpful!

Hey can you please go over my TS-520 please .. I love this radio .. I need you to go over it and make sure in tune aligned and tubes replaced etc .. please ...

Can I use the same procedure to neutralize the final tubes as the FT- 101 ? i.e the cold neutralization?

Buddy What do you use to remove the old grease from the vfo bearings

Buddy, Excellent video. I will need to take the VFO out of my FT901DM. Suspect dried grease. Hope I will have an easier job of it. :-) 73 WB3BJU

Buddy What is your opinion on the Aoyue 474++ Desoldering Station Thank You

WOW Buddy, what watt is that Cattle Brander? 27:02 ( Soldering Iron ) This video was very interesting and educational. Thank you again.. Angelo.

Having trouble with drive knob very stiff. Any suggestions to limber it up?

I'm not afraid to show my ignorance. What is the source for the copper trace used to repair the VFO board?

Relaxing to watch you work. Except when you blew up the board. Not good. Thanks. KB7GK

We're going to give you a new nickname Buddy - Merlin!

41.14 there is also a broken trace on the ground, just above the metal strip on the vfo board, the trace al the utmost right, is broken to.hope you didnt miss that?

that VFO has some harmonic content

Can you share what type of spray silicone grease you use? I just love your videos! I'm learning so much that I want to make a donation. Tell me how!

What abt the rust on the back

I'd.love to send you my 520

you didn't finish the 101 series...removing the vfo from a 101 looks near impossible

Test

Hello boss🇷🇺