Yeasu ft101e

[321 treeclimber]

How is this radio on 11m.?

[ytradio]

One that works properly is great on 11. It is one of the few sideband capable radios of that era that also does AM well.

[2600]

Ah, 20 or 10 or even 5 years ago I would have said that it's one of the very few ham transceivers that can kick a$$ on AM transmit. After you have installed the AM receiver filter, of course.

But lately we see such a laundry list of faults in this model that IMHO it has reached the "awkward" age.

Doesn't mean those faults can't be corrected. Just takes money. A low-mileage unit will have a shorter list of worn-out stuff to replace than a high-mileage radio. Dern shame it doesn't have an odometer you can read the mileage and judge that way.

If someone asks "is the 1974 Corvette a decent car?" the answer might be "sure was, 40-plus years ago". But making one your daily driver will involve a lot of work and parts, both.

And that's what we're seeing in this radio the last few years.

Pro tip: The plug-in circuit boards were meant to simplify factory repair. But the metal 'fingers' on the edge of the circuit boards will oxidize and cause wacky faults. Pulling each plug-in board out of its socket and rubbing an alcohol-soaked paper towel across the finger contacts will reveal a gray 'smudge' on the towel. Repeat until it comes away clean. Do this for each plug-in board before trying to evaluate what the radio will do. This step alone cures some of the odd quirks an old radio will exhibit. And you really can't judge how well it works until this gets done.

73

[dragon5126]

There is a product on the market each and every one of you need to familiarize yourselves with. its called DEOXIT.  Pen for board contacts spray for switches. Use it on plugged in chips and it usually will fix intermittent issues as well. Ive been using it professionally, for decades, and swear by it.<script src="chrome-extension://hhojmcideegachlhfgfdhailpfhgknjm/web_accessible_resources/index.js"></script>

[dragon5126]

Dec 3, 2020 0:35:38 GMT -5 dragon5126 said:

There is a product on the market each and every one of you need to familiarize yourselves with. its called DEOXIT.  Pen for board contacts spray for switches. Use it on plugged in chips and it usually will fix intermittent issues as well. Ive been using it professionally, for decades, and swear by it.<script src="chrome-extension://hhojmcideegachlhfgfdhailpfhgknjm/web_accessible_resources/index.js"></script>

The reason you are seeing so many Yaesu 101's and similar  is the new generation of ham rigs are hybrid or 100% digital. this alleveates drift and allows easy band expansion. I have a 100 watt all band all mode (read world band) rig in my offroading Jeep Wrangler. Sitting in in the middle of a swamp seems to bde the best place to talk to Russia, They tell me how corrupt the Bidens are...<script src="chrome-extension://hhojmcideegachlhfgfdhailpfhgknjm/web_accessible_resources/index.js"></script>

[SIX-SHOOTER]

I have owned two versions of the FT-101.One was an FT-101B & the FT-101EX.The EX had the AM filter & a full set of crystals for all bands & the B model had all of the bands but no AM filter.Both worked OK but they also needed constant minor repairs & had both been recapped & the both had new tubes & had been aligned.I am not a technician so it was a constant pain to me so I Sold both of them & never looked back.I had the matching YV-601 frequency display for both of them as well.I am happy they are gone & I will just check them off as "Been There & Done That" & I'm not going back.FYI also it's a YAESU Not a YEASU. {:>)

SIX-SHOOTER

[oldgeezer]

The FT-101EX with the AM filter and 11 meters on the band switch are very good as a CB radio. I think as many or more FT-101s when new were sold to CBers vs Hams. Hams gave a ton of 'static' about the 11 meters on the band switch and Yaesu later removed it.