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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-501

Category: Transceivers: HF Amateur HF+6M+VHF+UHF models - non QRP <5W

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-501
Reviews: 2MSRP:
Description:
Yaesu 200 Watt SSB/CW transceiver with digital display. Uses early (VFD) Vacuum Fluorescent display.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://foxtango.org/Yaesu%20FT-501.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0025
ZS5WC Rating: 2008-08-30
Solid Performer Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I recently acquired a FT501 from a friend of mine that was in dire need of a rebuild.
It was initially mostly a cosmetic rebuild as it was still working to some form or fashion-the chassis was just very pitted from living at the humid Indian Ocean for most of its' life.
The display was not working-alignment was out by miles-and to make it intersting someone had waxed all the coil / iFt slugs in place with candle wax, so these had to be carefully loosened with a hair dryer. Anyhow , an article about the rebuild will be published in our next AWA newsletter with Pics-so drop me a line at zs5wc1@yahoo.com if you would like a copy.

As far as I know the FT501 was mostly only marketed in VE-land and Europe, as well as southern Africa. Was also the first yeasu rig with frequency readout and interestingly the tube compliment is used for the important funtions like front-end and mixers. The Bal. mod is a ring mixer. The tubes give it an signal to noise ratio range that is excellent to say the least-unplug the antenna and it sounds like the rig is dead!. Plug the antenna back and the signals are LOUD!. It does lack a bit of IF gain-but that is not a huge issue. I prefer the quiet reciever!.
The TX AUDIO is great-I changed the impedance from high to low Z, by swopping out the 0.1micro caps for 1 micro in the mic amp / preamp.
Puts out 220w PEP with the ORIGINAL sweep tubes.
Not sure why hams always put sweep tubes down-treat 'em well and they will Last well.
There is still a drift issue with the carrier oscillator-but it will compensated for in time.
When the rig is hot-the osc. is spot on.
This old yeasu I would describe as a technician's delight-(Most of them do require some TLC now, and nixie tubes + TTL chips are hard to find..).6KD6 Sweep tubes are PRICEY!.
It works VERY well coupled with the Turner plus 3 microphone. I Love my Fox Tango 501!

73 de William
ZS5WC / ZS4L
VE4HAM Rating: 2007-01-14
Superb Yaesu Product Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is one awesome radio. I had bought it new in the 70's and it sure cost a bundle back then that I was almost sorry I bought it. I was really only sold in Canada and Europe. Contrary to the unknowest, it is a real 500 watt dandy transceiver and could punch holes in dx pileups if you had a decent beam, why even could do that with some nice dipoles. The rig is a mizture of all sorts of technology of the day, solid state, tube, digital and plug in boards. This was my main rig for a long long time and still have it without one tube being changed.....I take care of the finals with top notch SWR, and never running full power and half power on RTTY and SSTV which were two modes I ran on this. It's got a nice orangeish digital display to it and tuneing, well is the Yaesu way, smooth. I never had the filters for cw in it, because it didn't matter to me being a cw op till now, my head is the filter. The power supply is super rugged built to last forever. It's and easy radio to use and load up, that being you have a resonant antenna on it. You must be careful on quick tuning in short steps, remember, it's a lot of power at tune up if you have red to one swr. Nonetheless, this rig is a keeper here and I don't think you'll find many of them around these around these days. 100 measy watts just doesn't cut it, but a rig with 5 big ones and a decent antenna makes all the difference in the world, regardless of the naysayers on QRP who have to wait 6.5 yrs at a time to get a measy 1 or 5 watt pip squeak signal to get out and I'm not calling cq all night, that's for sure. 4.5/10 for the FT 501