Not sure it this is top band material or not, but have found
some interesting things about my Ft-1000D and noise levels.
I started hearing some pulsing buzz type noise in my Ft-1000D,
it was almost under the normal noise level on 160 unless using
a quiet beverage or loop, if I pressed the dim switch it would
decrease, over the past few years it has become louder to the
point if the band was quiet I could hear it all the time.
I finally pulled the display board out and recapped it with all new
low ESR 105C electrolytics. Bingo the noise went away, but
now with no antenna I could hear an even lower noise, much
like a hash or power line sound.
I removed the regulator board and recapped it also with the same
higher grade electrolytics, and bingo, again the noise was gone.
I seem to be down now to the low noise receiver I had back in
1990.
Not sure of all the dynamics, but since 1990 the electrolytics have
started to leak, or something, it comes so slowly that I dont think
we realize it until its a major problem.
Looking at the insides of the Ft-1000D there are tons of electrolytics
on the other boards, makes one wonder what replacing them all
with high quality caps would do. I stopped at the display and power
regulator board as all I hear now is atmospheric noise with the antenna
connected.
All of us old FT users may want to do some serious checking on noise
floor levels in the radio, if mine is getting leaky, there must be many
more out there.
By the way 160 is dead here in KH6 today, AU warnings, did work
T30XX this morning but could not even hear ZL3IX and UA9YAB
who is usually 59 was 339, may take a few days to get over this.
73 Merv K9FD/KH6
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