Yaesu FT 101-EE problems.

[bob85]

mudduck are you saying just the frequency on tx is off from the rx or can your buddies not tune into you even though you can hear them ok, i cant understand exactly what problem you are having from your description,

i dont see the carrier offset alignment in the 101 owners manual which sets the frequency response of your ssb signal and must be set correctly if you want good ssb audio,
you can do it by ear if you have a good ear for that kinda thing or set it for equal output with a signal generator into the mic socket at 2 audio frequencies usually stated in the older yaesu service manuals say 300hz and 2.4khz as an example,

my old 301d used to drift a long way even after warmup due to a blackbox operating ham with an overactive screwdriver,
the cure was adjusting the ptc and ntc compensation trimmers that attempt to cancel out frequency drift with temperature in the vfo untill i got the drift as stable as i could after warmup, there may still room for improvement with more tiny adjustments but it is very time consuming having to cycle the temperature while measuring drift,
anyways i made it much better than it was when i got, it is now acceptable for an old analogue radio.

 

[AudioShockwav]

The radio sounds great on side band it's just that even though the freq counter shows ( 2 different ones i might add ) 27.385 and receives others clearly my friend or anyone else can only hearme loud and clear on 27.381

Humm you got me thinking Bob...
King if you totally disregard the frequency counter is everything fine?
You say:

The radio sounds great on SSB

It receives others clearly.

This whole time I have been thinking that the TX is shifted from the RX....is it just that the fequency counter is not reading were you are on SSB?
If you (with your friend on the air) VFO up untill you are both on 27.385 ( regardless of what you read on YOUR freq counter) is everything ok?

 

[freecell]

27.385 (CH. 38) is the am carrier frequency. in the FT-101 the sideband offset frequencies are plus or minus 1500 Hz.. LSB offset is 27.3835 and the USB offset is 27.3865........

 

[bob85]

jeff i just looked again at what king said,
hes using those inline cb type counters, for a start he cant use that to measure ssb accurately, in fact if the carrier was supressed correctly he shouild only get a reading when he talked so im a bit baffled how hes measuring it with that kind of meter on ssb,
as you change the audio frequency injected at the mic socket the counter will read a different frequency,
in his case i would turn the clarifier off and talk on the radio while his buddy tunes to him on a decent hf set that is known to be transmitting in the same place it receives,
then adjust the zero vr untill his buddy sounds good to him, better still put the radios side by side and zerobeat against each other so the human ellement is removed from the equation,

yes i would ignore what the 6 digit counter is saying especially on ssb, you cant set anything up correctly with that type of meter, they are ok for telling you roughly where you are on AM/FM when somebody gives a qsy frequency rather than a qsy ch but thats about all the use they are,
i would also disregard what i said about carrier offset too if hes got good tx/rx audio reports and hes just off frequency to his buddies hf set.

 

[freecell]

you're right bob. the counters in question are invariably carrier operated and as such require that the ssb transmitter under test be modulated with a single fixed frequency sinusoid input signal at a level in the neighborhood of approximately 30mv. for those offsets to be detectable and measurable.

 

[King Mudduck]

jeff i just looked again at what king said,
hes using those inline cb type counters, for a start he cant use that to measure ssb accurately, in fact if the carrier was suppressed correctly he should only get a reading when he talked so im a bit baffled how hes measuring it with that kind of meter on ssb,

>> The wrong way i'm thinking....i just use my voice as you would a tone generator and once the frequency stabilises i set the frequency that way....on side band.

as you change the audio frequency injected at the mic socket the counter will read a different frequency,
in his case i would turn the clarifier off and talk on the radio while his buddy tunes to him on a decent hf set that is known to be transmitting in the same place it receives,
then adjust the zero vr until his buddy sounds good to him, better still put the radios side by side and zerobeat against each other so the human element is removed from the equation.

>>>he will be bring the Icom 706 over this weekend and we will try just that.

yes i would ignore what the 6 digit counter is saying especially on ssb, you cant set anything up correctly with that type of meter, they are ok for telling you roughly where you are on AM/FM when somebody gives a qsy frequency rather than a qsy ch but thats about all the use they are,

>>>So what kind should i get that wont cost me an arm and a leg?

i would also disregard what i said about carrier offset too if hes got good tx/rx audio reports and hes just off frequency to his buddies hf set.

>>>he says i sound great as long as he can find me.

I really really appreciate the help and your Patience on this guy's. I know i should just send the damn thing out but after seeing the way a lot of packages are handled by Fed X and UPS i dont want to take the chance the radio not getting back to me in one piece.

 

[freecell]

"after seeing the way a lot of packages are handled by Fed X and UPS........"

if the equipment is not packaged so that the contents are undamaged when landing on a concrete floor from four foot above then they're not packed properly to begin with.

 

[King Mudduck]

Well how can you package something this heavy so that it would survive a drop like that?

 

[AudioShockwav]

I don`t think you need to send the radio anywere until you set it next to the icom and see what is going on.
I Do think you should disregard the frequency counter you are using and stick with what works....your ears.
If you get on the air, and dial that radio up to the same frequency that your friend is on and the radio sounds fine on TX and RX, with the clarifier off, there is no problem.

So what kind should i get that wont cost me an arm and a leg?

YC-601 Digital Display Unit
I got mine on E-bay for $104 + $15 Shipping.

King as you run that radio, you will become familar with were it is at....I had my first 101E for almost a year before I got the counter, and found that I could get very close to were I wanted to be real quick.


73
Jeff

 

[King Mudduck]

>>UPDATE<<<

Well i give up! After trying once more today using the Icom 706 i still can not get side band to line up. It will receive dead on freq but it transmits 4 kHz low. Shockwave i followed the book to the letter but still the same thing so i'm done with it. The only adjustments i have messed with were the ones to try and get it to line up so other than take a chance of messing this radio up i will send it out. Someone told me that it could be a bad oscillator tube causing the side band problems......i dont know on that one my self but at this point i will take any ideas. There is someone very close to me that works on these things so i have a few friends trying to get her number, yes it's a female tech! I have heard that she is very good on these radios......so i hope anyway.

I think once it is repaired i will sale it. Simply because there are not many techs that work on these things locally and really i dont need something like this to use on 11 metes. Especially since i cant find the time to get my ticket. This should go to a ham that will use it for it's intended purpose because other than a very few small places on the right side of the case of the radio it is in almost new condition.

Thanks every one for your help!

 

[AudioShockwav]

Someone told me that it could be a bad oscillator tube causing the side band problems

King there are only 3 tubes in the 101E, A 12by7a (driver) and 2 6js6c`s (final pa ) everything else is solid state.
It won`t hurt to have someone look at it....I would not be so fast to let it go afterwards, once it is 100% you might as well enjoy it a little.

73
Jeff

 

[Sonwatcher]

King, Not sure if you ever got this fixed but I had the same problem. I followed the procedure on the site below and it fixed it. It has great instructions and enlarged pictures to show everything that needs done. It is a very easy and quick fix .

W3JXQ's web page - Yaesu FT-101 info