Any one know where I can send an FT-101 that needs some work?

[kb3ouk]

I have an FT-101(early model, below serial number 25,000) here that needs some work done to it. The driver tube needs replaced(i can do that myself), it will not transmit on SSB(i normally don't use ssb,but it's nice to have anyway), and the receive audio needs worked on since i cannot understand most of what comes out of the speaker(headphones help, but the jack was broken and somehow causing it not to transmit, so it had to go). There may be a few other hidden problems that i don't know about, this is just what I know is wrong with it. Is there anyone or someone who knows somebody that may take a look at it? I live in south central PA, so it may be a little hlepful for me if anybody that may take a look at the rig for me isn't too far from here.

Shelby KB3OUK

[kb3ouk]

put the new 12BY7A driver in it and put it on the air to see if it would transmit. I doesn't, so it makes me believe that something is wrong with the transmitter second mixer. I also forgot to mention that it may need to be realigned and the finals may need to be reneutralized, and the mod to change the capacitor(C125) in the neutralization curcuit from a 100 pf capacitor to a 10 pf one , since it doesn't have the original finals(the finals that are in it are RCA tubes, the originals should be NEC or Toshiba,so the mod does need done since these are US-made tubes that are in it ). I think that I now have everything that is wrong with it listed here.
Shelby KB3OUK

[N3DRB The Derb]

check your pullout board next to the final cage. those HV radial lead lytics on that board all go bad, gotta replace em. the 180 volt rated one especially. Also look underneath final cage for burned up 1 & 2 watt rx's on the power distribution board, dont remember the value, and replace the cap

I got 2 of em I'm restoring but I cant even get my own stuff on the air in a timely manner due to various health issues and so I cant take in any work. After I do 5 or 6 more of them for myself I may start taking some in at some point. By then I'll know the radio well enough.

[WBear2GCR]

Dunno what's wrong with yours... someone brought one around here that wasn't doing squat on receive. Turned out that there was so much oxidation on the main band switch that it did nothing until I turned the heck out of it... then it started to come back to life... probably the thing to have really done is to have opened it up and cleaned the bloody switch. Might or might not be part of your problem...

         _-_-bear

[kb3ouk]

The band switch is okay.  I've been looking for someone local that may take a look at it, but the only guy so far that I was told may take a look at it can't because he's having eye prblems and can't do any radio work. I'll take a look at that board later today, but I don't have any parts or tools here to replace anything.
Shelby KB3OUK

[kb3ouk]

The board looks okay, I don't see anything that looks burned out. I'll have to look under the final cage later today. Maybe something under there is burned out.
Shelby KB3OUK

[W3SLK]

Shelby, you're quite abit south and west of me. What does this thing do in the "tune" position? Ig-drive, Ip, Ep, some of those readings will go a long way to help you restore this on your own. I never worked on the FT-101's but have quite a bit of experience with the Heathkit SB's and HW-101's. Basic troubleshooting methods apply to these rigs as they do to the digital stuff. Start at the power supply and make sure all the V's are up to snuff. If you have a schematic that will help tons. I don't know if some of the filaments are in series, so look down from the top to see if there are "little red/orange dots" coming from the tops of the tubes. Just simple things can cause major pains. Good luck.

[kb3ouk]

I don't have the tools and equipment to work on it myself. And there's more stuff that needs to be done to it that I wouldn't know how to do. The filaments do come on in all the tubes. And it doesn't transmit in any position and I haven't measured the voltages. I do have a schematic.
Shelby KB3OUK

[AF9J]

Hi Shelby,

Here's a simple thing that you may want to check (a friend of mine got tied up in knots with his FT-101, until I told him about it).  Yaesu FT-101s (and Kenwood hybrids like my TS-820), have an accessory/VFO plug that goes in the back of the radio.  If it is NOT on the radio (or a jumper wire bridged across the appropriate socket plug pins), the radio will NOT put out any RF, in spite of the fact all of the tubes are lit. It will be nothing more than a glorified receiver.  Take a look in your manual, and at the back of the radio to check and see if it's plugged in.

73,
Ellen - AF9J
Former Yaesu FT-101B owner, and current Kenwood TS-820 owner.

[N3DRB The Derb]

you wont see anything on the pull out board next to the final cage thats fried. what you need to look for are the bottoms of the HV radial lead caps where they come into contact with board. if they are sitting up off the board, it means the cap is a resistor after 30 years service.

also check for bad coupling cap between the 12by7 plate and final grids. here's a pic or 2 check these caps and rx's in these areas. Is he acc plug in the radio? It wont transmit if not.

[ka3zlr]

And,.. It won't hurt a bit to do a relay swap out..those buggers eat relays..

[kb3ouk]

It has the plug in the EXT VFO socket, But not in the ACC socket

[kb3ouk]

I put the ACC plug off of my FT-901 into the socket on the 101 and it still doesn't transmit. I can hear a very weak signal from the transmitter, but it is not putting out any power. I had it on for about two or three minutes and would key it up for aabout 5 to 10 seconds and then let it sit for a few seconds. It didn't put out any power, but the 12BY7 tube got very hot, just in that short period of time. Could that be an indicator of some  of problem. I'll be going back to my house at 7:00 tonight, so I won't be back on here for a week.
Shelby KB3OUK

[kb3ouk]

I didn't see anything that looked burnt up when I took the bottom off of it. I didn't smell anything burnt either. And the relays do seem towork, actually, everything that was said that may be wrong with it seems to be ok.
Shelby

[ka3zlr]

Prolly wouldn't hurt, if we're gona trouble shoot this thing on here to take some snap shots, top and bottom.. all cases off,  post on the forum here, so some of us may see what you have there...from the symptoms..I'm gona need to look that thing over before i say anything further...

For sum reason i have a feeling something is missing in there...I may be wrong...

[N3DRB The Derb]

if the proper plug is not in the acc socket, it wont transmit. that wire back there has the full 600 volts on it when the rig is keyed. Dont touch it.

the one off your 901 is not the same I'm pretty sure. It's just a jumper between 2 pins, 1 and 2 I think. I'll check later.

[AF9J]

Hmmmm, good point Derb.  I would have thought they were the same.  I guess not.  But it's been so long since I had my '101B.

73,
Ellen - AF9J 

[kb3ouk]

the 901 plug is a jumper like derb said. the 101 didn't come with one, but it did used to transmit. Ellen, I'm going to send you the rig pictures since they are too big to put on here. You can get them to the other two.I'll be gone for two weeks since I am going back home in 10 minutes, so you won't be able to contact me since I don't get on the computer at my mom's since I usually don't have time.

[N3DRB The Derb]

if the 101 didnt come with a plug, it never transmitted. Plug the plug in wired the right way and you might have a winnah.

[Ed KB1HVS]

 Is it switched to INT? Is the red VFO light on?

[flintstone mop]

Shelby
Check your PM. If you have the service manual and are willing to send the radio to MOP radio, I'll smoke it over for you.
That was a pretty nice radio that these old eyes could work on and understand the theory of operation. No synthesizers or microprocessors
Fred KC4MOP

[AF9J]

Hi Fred & Shelby,

Shelby,

I took a look at the manuals for the FT-101 & FT-901.  The accessory plug for the '901 should have worked with your '101 (they both supply heater voltage for the finals via a wire bridge between Pins 1 & 2 of the accessory jack).  so, there's more going on with it.  Nevertheless, if you do not have an accessory plug with this jumper between Pins 1 &2  for your FT-101, you will need to make a jumper wire between to 2 pins, in order to use the radio.

Fred, if you're going to work on Shelby's FT-101 (which is sweet of you to do), you can download the manual for it from the Fox Tango group.  Shelby, is yours an early or a late FT-101 (one of the ways to tell, is that the early plain FT-101 did NOT have 160m band capability)?  The reason I ask, is because there are 2 separate manuals for it, based upon, whether it's an early plain (not B, E, EE, or F), or late plain FT-101.  Fred, here's the manual site:

http://www.securesystemsnw.com/ft/ft-library/FT101/FT101.htm

73 & Good Luck,
Ellen - AF9J

[flintstone mop]

Thanks Ellen,
That would take the burden off of Shelby trying to dig one up. I USED to have one and I always received gud audio reports. I just didn't like the analog dial and its inaccuracies. It would have been better to keep the 101E and buy a freq counter than all of the blood sweat and hassles of getting my Elmac AF-67 on the air. Nonethless a CBer from epay bought it and didn't understand a blamed thing on using the FT101. It's a good ole heavy Japanese radio. I felt sorry for the transciever. I'm sure the finals are ruined and he can't get that good buddy radio sounding like garbage.
Fred

[kb3ouk]

OK, I'm back. I have the manual for both radios, it's the ft101 that won't work. Fred, if you would take a look at it, that would be appreciated. It doesn't have a red light on the vfo, but it was switched to INT. It's an early model 101. IT DID TRANSMIT BEFORE, NOT ALL THE TIME, BUT IT DID USED TO TRANSMIT. It says in the manual that the filament voltage is supplied through pins 1 and2 to the finals.The ACC plug isn't there but the filaments still light up.

[kb3ouk]

I GOT IT WORKING! And not just part of the time. The radio actually is running with no problems so far. I'e had it on all evening and it hasn't had any problems. It only seems to have problems if it gets too hot, but I got it prettty warm a while ago when i was trying to tune my antenna and it didn't shut off.
Shelby