#59 Yaesu FT 101 Series Part 1 Preliminary Test 

Your videos, method of explaining things and knowledge is incredible. I just acquired an intact but dirty 101e that seems promising to bring back to life, thanks for the help.

Recently I was given one of these radios by a ham who no longer was interested in the hobby. The radio had been boxed up in a closet for a few years. I have not tried to transmit with it yet as I want to make sure all is working first. I know it lights up and none of the switches or controls seemed to be locked up. Your videos are GREAT! It is helping me learn more about this rig. Thank you!

I came to your videos late, but still great to watch. I have to get my old 101 up and running.

Thanks for taking the time ......really enjoy following along...

You absolutely amaze me with your knowledge and your array of test equipment and inventory of radios. I just love watching you work on equipment. You obviously have years and years of experience and education. I am curious about where and how you got started in your electrical education. Thanks Buddy thanks for your awesome videos.

Wow! The condition of all those caps on the audio board is horrible, no matter what the age. Nice to see you regained audio control with a substitute board. Thanks for sharing. Looking at Part 2 now. :-)

Hi, Buddy. I just wanted to take a minute to thank you for posting this series. Several months ago, I became the very proud owner of an FT-101E. The rig has very good receive, but has no transmit power. I'm an electrician, not a tech. But I'm determined to bring this old rig back to life myself. Your first few videos have walked me through testing out the receiver. I'm subscribed to your channel and looking forward to your next video in this series. Thanks again. 73 Jim - KG5MPD

What a great video. I like the detail you show. I appreciate the time that you take to show us the way to preserving these wonderful old radios. 73 NE5U Mike

Thank you sir! So much better than watching television, looking forward to the next installment

This segment helped me clean the relays in my “E” and “B” models. I trimmed the eraser to a wedge and used the cut-offs with tweezers to clean the stationary contacts. Worked really well. Final clean-up with Deoxit and heavy paper and it all ended super clean.. To use both sets of relay contacts it seems one could simple use jumpers to connect the three sets of contact pins on the relay socket. I really hope you go through the full alignment process on a future video - I’m not really confident with this without a spectrum analyzer. Thanks and I’ll keep watching. Zack, KC5IS

Just got a fairly nice EE but does need some work. These videos are invaluable! Thank you Sir!

10$ ? Cannot complain about that. :) Another good thing about videos like this is it is a grand tour of a rig I may have never considered owning. Now I would not mind checking one out. Thanks.

Great, great, great video. Thank you so much! I'm really looking forward to the rest of this series.

Thanks for the video! I got my FT101E about 2 years ago and had to learn all this the hard way :-) Having these vids are a great resource for our community. My mylar caps have little vertical cracks in them but they are still working fine. But I guess I should be thinking about replacements.

I am really enjoying your channel. Got my license in ‘78 and I have a couple of tube radios. You make it look so easy. I enjoy watching an am learning a lot.

Video repeats the split Mylar caps footage at 45:08. Excellent video

Great stuff. Coincidentally I have recently acquired a 101EE. Looking forward to your next video. Alan

Oh, how i love to watch you working on those rigs ;) Great videos, makes me want to get one also, but I will have to finish my FT7 first before starting new projects. Till then your postings will have to do. Already looking forward for the next one !

I had a 101E. Nice piece of equipment. The relay in mine began playing up. I've never seen mylar capacitors like that. I sold it and went homebrew and QRP. 73, Bill, G4GHB.

Buddy bring them back alive good work Thank You

I have a FT- 101E sitting under my bench waiting restoration. Iam watching this series eagerly. Thankyou for sharing your knowlege

Great video can't wait to see the following parts

Excellent... very informative... looking forward to the next one... learned a good deal from this one on my to restoring my own FT-101E... thanks very much...

Great technique Buddy. I recently recapped the large electrolytics on my Drake C-line (Hayseed Capacitors makes great "re-stuffed" cans for a bunch of old rigs) and, less the mods done over the years, it's amazing how radios can still look like new after coming up on 40 years! 73 - Dino KL0S

Excellent - Excellent - Excellent. I have a late model 101E that I am overhauling here in Brisbane Australia - Great photography on the audio PCB. Watching with extreme interest. Keep up the good work - more 101's will live again. VK4HDA

Nice ... i will wait for the next episode with this beautiful radio ... he come back to lifeeeeee .... very good

What a good thing it is when one can see physically what is wrong. If there is no visual then you have to start trouble shooting it.

Excellent video !!! Thank you,,, I also have the FT-101EE

I really enjoyed this Video, it makes me appreciate the instructions that I received in School much more.

Hi Buddy! Just re-watching this video again. Amazing stuff! Have a pair of these radios here. An FT-101EE (late) model that I bought at a hamfest some 25 years ago, and an FT-101 (late) that I bought about 5 years ago from an estate sale. Both radios sat for many years in a damp basement while life was in the way. Troubleshooting them now. I'm finding the brown, waxy caps to be split in the EE, much like the ones in your video. Your moisture theory sounds about right to me. Would you be able to comment, or make a video, about the voltage chart and the resistance chart in the manuals please? I've got a few questions about them that I haven't found answers to anywhere. I know that I could ask these questions on a a variety of forums, but often find responses from the many "armchair" techs that don't actually work on old gear. I believe that your knowledge and experience with these rigs is amazing! My questions are: 1. On both charts, are all measurements referenced to chassis ground? 2. On both charts, what is the difference between "0" and "E", like Pins 1, 2, & 3 on MJ 2? (maybe "E" = "chassis ground", and "0" = "not chassis ground, but voltage should be close"?) 3. On the resistance chart, what is the meaning of the symbol that looks like an "X" with 4 little dots, like Pin 10 on MJ 1, or Pins 4, 17, 19, & 22 on MJ 4? Thanks for your time, and for ALL the knowledge that you share. Cheers, Alan

Very interesting video Buddy - looking forward to the next one. 73, Bill.

wow Buddy really nice video. full of information. the Ft-101 is a radio i know nothing about even though it was one of the most populer radios available when i first came into the hoby so its nice to see a video like this. thanks Buddy this is really usefull information.

Hi Buddy, Great video on one of my favorite radios. Makes me want to get another one. I looked at two or three in Dayton this year but I thought they were too high priced. Thanks for all the tips you put into these videos. Keep COOL! 73

This is a great series. Thank for doing this. I love my FT-101EE and fortunately I have had to do very little to it so far but if I need to your efforts will certainly make it easier. 73 N7IBG Bill

Thanks have learned a lot from you about my radio 73. John

Still a lot to do Buddy with the caps.. Excellent video. Thanks for sharing 73

G'day buddy, This is a good series ,I'm checking my FT101B seeing if needing improvement with your instructions. This is awesome a free tech knowledge. I didn't know about boards in the B's different numbers . I'm learning mate! lol

Great overview of one of the most popular radios ever made. Had to laugh when I saw those cracked open capacitors. I did a video on bad poly caps several months ago. Looked just like these only they were green drops. Just more stuff for us to keep a eye out for.

I love your videos, especially the FT-101 series. I was wondering if you could do a video showing how to test various things without special equipment? An example is when your tested the transmitter you used a spectrum analyzers, most of us don't have one. I'm making this request as a Patreon supporter too, so either here or on Patreon it would be greatly appreciated. I was gifted an FT-101 in great condition recently, I would like to slowly restore it with the apping and the like. Thanks!

Buddy, Great Video. Thank you very much!

Thanks for posting!

You can access some of the voltages on the ACC socket on the back panel...

I think there is an "RF out" BNC jack on the back panel for connection to a spectrum analyser/'scope etc. I think it is a few volts (3v?) peak to peak.

Love your videos. Seems like one of the best instructions on how to go at actually repairing the FT101s. Since I am a noob on this I've got a question regarding the capacitors: I found some Mylar caps with cracks in the coating on the audio board and C18 of my FT101B, but they are quite small. You said on one of your boards they tested okay. So I wonder, do I have to unsolder them all to test, or can I actually test for fault in-circuit? (PS: Audio level adjustment and RF amp seems to work.) Oh and what did you use to clean the boards and case? Looks so much nicer than my rig. 73

thanks for the informed video

Very Nice work.

Excellent videos. Big help with my ft101e. What is your opinion on changing the finals to 6146 tubes?

great fault finding!

Very good video. Eagerly awaiting the next one! Best 73 de Alan G0NFY :)

so the audio board that was in it when you got it was the wrong one?

Great video Buddy. You mention cleaning all the controls--Do you have a video in which you demonstrate your methods for doing that? Total newbie here.

I got a YAESU FT_221R. The audio board has the same problem, every mylar cap is splitting open and deteriorating. Others as well. I wanna add a PL tone generator in place of the out of date tone board. Will need to do some work on those caps though. You know anything about the PA reliability in this radio? I was gonna crack it open and if it seems good shape I may rework and restore radio. The radio actually works, seems put out full 14 rated watts into a load. hard to hit reapeater without pl tone though.

Great video. I have a yaesu 101 mk2 and i also have the same problem with the -100 off the rectifierboard, mine reads -170. But i never heard how you corrected that ?

Thanks for this video really enjoyed watching it. I also have been one of these radios mine is in good shape but the rx and tx are not aligned. Perhaps you could do a section on aligning the rx and tx freq 73 de ve2ota

Really appreciate you taking time to explain how to repair the 101 ft series..I know it's a widely used transmitter and they get really hammered and abused..been thinking about repairing them as a at home hobby to keep me busy when I retire... looking to see if I need a license to repair those rigs...any advice would be greatly appreciated..thx

OUTSTANDING ! ! ! ! ! N5MRZ

Sir - Do you have a video installing a PB-1534, my 101 is one of the 180 series so it's pre-wired with processor switch, I did all of the pre and post power up tests and all readings were per documentation however with the processor off I have modulation, on there is nothing, thoughts/vids?

I have the same mylar capacitor issue. Can you advise where you bought yours, and whats the name on the parts listing in the Yaesu manual? Thanks, VE7ER.

I have a FT101 and have had to disconnect the resistor R2 1K 1/2 W as it starts to smoke. This is a long shot but any ideas there to start looking ? Many thanks.

Why does the unexpected over voltage condition of the power supplies not bother you more? It could swamp the caps which are probably weak anyway and possibly create more problems.

Just curious, how did you fix those voltages that were off, especially -100 v?

Excelente trabajo aunque no hablo inglés supe de que se trata el tema

Hi From the UK. I am watching your series on the ft101 with great interest but find that the jumping around trying to find the next chapter is a bit difficult. How about put the 101 series all onto a dvd which we can purchase from you. My old 101b needs a doctor like you, although I have managed to get it working sort of. It really needs a total alignment / re tune. Keep up the good work and thanks for helping us keep these master pieces on the air. John

Good Stuff.. :)

Hi Buddy, For relays, I've used the cardboard from a " Big Chief" tablet (a hint at my age and I hoard stuff). What about using a contact burnisher, such as a P. K. Neuses Inc. CB-6 Contact Burnishing Tool. Will that jeopardize any coating that might be on the contacts?

Can you go back to the jumper from pin 20 to 19 you said you would get back to it but I can't seem to find anything on it.

It is weird seeing what looks like Russian ceramic capacitors in this transceiver, I suppose some Japanese transceivers use the Phasing SSB modulator/demodulator, could the Noise Blanker circuit not be working which would be really weird as the noise blanker can really clean up the signal, could recap the board, could the audio board have got over heated or something.

Would love to view an FT-101 transformer replacement start to finish

What do you charge to work on a yashoo ft 8800 it was in a car accident an can't here the repter and can not put the voice out but the Meyer says it putting out?

G'day buddy where do you find the serial number for the correct version is it on the back of the backing plate? My plate is new and all shiny, and NO numbers. I'll try and check some of parts.

hello great vedio, can i ask , that some do a vedio on yaesu ft-101 on how to tell if the transformer is working on 110 vac us or 240 vac and how the change working voltage from 110 vac to 240 vac australia? thank you. please.p/s indepeth vedio please.

What does it mean when you have low output on side been high output on a.m.

Interesting Video, I would be interested in know what the 6V power supply measures if it has not been ajusted from its factory settings. I am looking forward to your next video to find out how you are going to tackel the poor receive on these radio's.

i like the video then agine i like all your videos good job from ricks radio shop

BTW--You got the whole radio for $10, right? I'll give you $10 for the cooling fan! Good score.

hi..I restored a ft901dm. Do you like the ft-102's?

What was causing the God awful racket at 15:22 when you first turned on the radio? Was that caused by all the bad caps on PB1315?

why not link the vids to this in sequence?,seems there scattered all over the place!

Very good how to repair 101

Buddy, My radio has a PB1189 that is missing the STK401. Can I substitute a PB1315 in place of a PB1189?

73s and 69s Good buddy

Hi Buddy, Thanks to your videos, I have my 101 up and running but still need to go through the receive and transmit. When I got this radio, it didn't have a speaker or mounting plate. I bought them off of eBay, but can't figure out how the speaker mounts to the plate. I know it should be simple but .... Is there any way that you can show how the speaker mounts from the back?

Wahtassap por gentileza estou com um 101e com defeito

Man a lot of caps are bad! Tech's nightmare....

That baby is clean inside, more please, Les G4XMX.

so the audio board that was in it when you got it was the wrong one?