Hi to the group. Ed and I were talking about some audio modifications to
the
earlier FT-101 series rigs on our own. Since I got on a roll, I though I
would
just send this to the group anyway.
Rgds
Carol W4CLM
-----------------
Yes Ed, I understand where you are coming from regarding the BROADCAST
sound type of audio. This has been then Holy Grail of A.M. which
everyone
seeks to find !! Hi Hi...... I've been running A.M. for about 25
years and this
was the ultimate goal even back then ! Hee Hee.....
I understand, let me look over the schematic and see what we are facing
here.
Usually these type of modifications only require changing some capacitors
in the
audio circuitry (in the case of old tube rigs)..... I just have not yet
looked over the
details of the attachment you sent me. I don't mind modifications,
I just don't like to see a rig hacked on too much. However there are
some
really cool modifications for the FT-101 series in the Fox Tango news
letters that
are minor modifications to the circuitry while keeping the cosmetics in
tack.
If you ask me, this is all part of the fun of being an amateur radio
operator, with
todays rigs most people are reluctant to go into them due to their
complexity and I
can't say that I blame them either.
I use to be a member of the Fox Tango organization back in the mid 1970's
and
I followed the changes in technology and modifications closely that we
saw in those earlier
rigs. Many of the Fox Tango modifications were carried over into the
production
of newer rigs such as the FT-101ZD which followed then by the FT-757gx
and
so forth along with the introduction of digital readouts which are now
all so common
place and expected today when we buy a new rig.
Anyway, guess what I'm trying to say is that the Fox Tango group was
really great
in it's hay day. That was well before the Internet, had there been an
Internet back
then, I don't suppose we would have had a Fox Tango news letter. All
that
information would have been on someone's Web Site, some place on the
World Wide Web..
One really cool mod for the FT-101 is simple to do and it's really nice,
the
FAN Mod.
If you were to look at the back of your Heater switch, there are two
yellow
wires that can be removed and then tied together (They are for the side
tone
oscillator). Tying these wires together allows the side tone Osc. to run
and you can
use it like a code practice oscillator. You never hear it and it does
not bother
anything. Removing those two yellow wires from the heater switch
then frees up a set of switch contacts on the back of the heather switch.
The contacts are rated at 117vac / several amp contacts, the wires
can then be wired into the fan to make and break the fan power.
Thus when the heater is turned off, the fan is turned off and you
don't hear it running. After all, it's not needed when the tubes are
turned
off anyway. I love that little mod and you no longer hear the fan
running
when you just want to monitor. (One of many Fox Tango mods).
A couple of other tiny things that came out of the Fox Tango club......
Those black flip switches on the FT-101E and later models, Power & Heater
switches. They came about from a club suggestion, if you look at those
earlier FT-101 &
FT-101B models you will note they had a WHITE push in switches for power
and
heater. Well, what happened was the paint chipped off the front panel
from one's
finger nail chipping away at the paint each time you pushed in the power
(On) and
turned on the heater pushing in on those switches, it made the front
panel look like
crap after a while. Same was for the Mox/Vox slide switches. You will
often see the paint worn away above those switches on the earlier
FT-101/B models.
The newer black flip switches saved the paint job by lifting up on the
switch to turn
it on Vs. pushing in on the older style switches. Then followed the
plastic protective cover which was suggested by a member of the
Fox Tango club, that was suggested to save the front panel.
The early Ft-101/101b and some E rigs came without the plastic.
It was a clever little addition later to be put on at the factory.
Some people like it, some did not. This came up in one of the earlier
Fox Tango news letters, (Milton Lowens / N4ML who has
passed on) Milt was in constant contact with the president of Yaesu and
the factory back in those days and the factory followed many of the leads
from
the Fox Tango club back in the early days for Yaesu. In my opinion Yaesu
really bent over backwards to give the consumer what they wanted.
To this day, this is why I own Yaesu equipment. They are a radio company
(ONLY).
Not a Stereo / CD / audio Hi-Fi / Amateur radio company like Kenwood.
Try to get the Kenwood service center to give you the kind of assistance
you get
when you call and ask to talk with a Yaesu technician. It will never
happen.
By the way....one last thought since I'm blowing my horn about Yaesu.....
they have not sold out to Vertex Standard. This is a common
misconception
I hear across the amateur bands every day !! It's not true at all.
Yaesu has
not sold out to anyone, where Vertex Standard is only the name that has
been
used on the Commercial side of their business for years. They are all
one
in the same.
Well there you have it, a little Fox Tango history.....
----------------------
Ed, since it took a little while to write this I may post the later part
of this note
to the Yaesu group.
---------------------
Sorry I didn't mean to get on a roll here !! Hee Hee.
I hope that I did not bore you !!
I'LL talk to you later. Best regards
Carol
W4CLM
On Mon, 16 Dec 2002 06:55:17 -0500 "Edward & Matthia Keyes"
<edkeyes@gis.net> writes:
> Hi Carol. I was thinking about that too. Why send the whole rig. I
> dont
> think those kind of modifications would require alingning the whole
> rig but
> I could be wrong. The transmit modifications would give a more
> "broadcast"
> sound (with the proper mic),than the"communication" sound on AM. I
> have
> heard other ops on their 101s and they sound great. TNX AGN de
> kb1hvs ED
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