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Reviews For: Certified Electronics, Vintage Yaesu Equipment Repair & Part

Category: Amateur Radio Equipment Repair

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Review Summary For : Certified Electronics, Vintage Yaesu Equipment Repair & Part
Reviews: 114MSRP: N/A
Description:
W4CLM of Fox Tango International
Specializes in vintage Yaesu equipment
Product is not in production
More Info: Http://www.foxtango.org
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001145
KK4CIR Rating: 2015-06-03
BEST IN CLASS Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I recently received my FT-101 from Carol at Certified Electronics. I can write a book on all the positives and the overall service that I received but I will keep this short and to the point. Communication the BEST I have ever seen in dealing with any service providers, Carol and team went above and beyond to keep me updated and informed at all times. They did a fantastic job with my FT-101 mk II and not only repaired what was broken but they also replaced parts that are well known to give problems to avoid future problems. The radio is now flawless and works like it was 43 years ago. They are very reasonable with their pricing and very proffesional. The radio was back in one week and now on the air thanks to Carol and team. I highly recomend them if you need your radio to get the right treatment, don't take only my word but look at the perfect score of 5 after 116 reviews and happy customers. Way to go Carol and keep up the great work, helping the Ham community in keeping this old but reliable radios alive! Best and 73. Paul W4BDX
K7IIV Rating: 2015-03-24
A++++ #1 Facility for a good reason! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently purchased a Yaesu FT-101E that looked to be brand new in the box. I wanted to have it throughly checked out before I set it up. After searching for the best vintage radio repair facility, all searches pointed to Carol at Certified Electronics. I sent the radio in and got it back in a very timely matter. I couldn't be happier with the radio. Carol and his crew did a wonderful job. I recommend Certified Electronics to anyone in need of vintage radio services. Thank you very much for the amazing work.

K7IIV 73!
KG0BA Rating: 2014-11-15
A++++ Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is the second repair that Carol has done for me, and I am very pleased indeed. In discussing the problem with Carol, we both believed that the radio was probably fried, and it was more likely that it could not be repaired economically, a wisp of smoke, a burning smell, and I was quite skeptical that the radio was going to be repairable. Meaning, that to repair it was probably going to be foolish because it was very likely going to be more expensive to repair it than it would have been to purchase a new radio of a different model, since this radio was no longer being manufactured or serviced by Yaesu. These manufacturers these days are releasing radio designs, and discontinuing them after just a couple of years, and they are also discontinuing servicing them directly. But, frankly, even if they offered factory service, I can almost bet that it would be more expensive, and you would get less service and longer turnaround time from the manufacturer. In all honesty, unless it was a warranty situation, I wouldn't even send a radio to the manufacturer any more. I would send it to Carol. This last radio I sent to Carol really wasn't that old in my book, certainly not an antique. I think it had a 2002 manufacture date. But, these manufacturers discontinue stuff so rapidly, that the radios are almost throw away unless you can find a good tech that can keep them going when you have a problem. I think they call that engineered obsolescents. This particular radio was no longer being serviced by Yaesu, and parts are no longer available for it, other than going directly into the boards themselves, and replacing common components. You can't just buy the boards to complete a repair, like so many techs do. Carol has the knowledge and experience to dig deeper, into the actual electronic design parameters. If a common component on the board is the culprit, he is capable of understanding the electronic theory within the manufacturer's schematic, and replacing the individual part on the board. Frankly, I find that to be a rare commodity these days, since we have so much that is of a modular throwaway design. In that kind of circumstance, where a radio has been fried, you aren't going to have the option of just replacing a board or some modular part, like so many techs do. The prospect of successful repair through modular replacement is always going to be more expensive, and a lengthy process while they procure the modular part that often has to come from Japan. You can sometimes replace common components on the boards, but due to the intricate modular design these days, many techs simply aren't capable of doing so successfully. But, of course, nobody can work miracles in the event there are proprietary electronic components, IC's for example, components that simply can't be replaced. But, Carol was willing to take a look at it, and if the repair could be done economically, he (yes, Carol is also a man's name)lets me know what he can do, and if the repair is economical to do, then I give him the go ahead to do so. Our deal was that if the radio couldn't be repaired, then Carol would keep it for parts, and I owed him nothing in return for the diagnostics. You can't get any more fair than that! Carol has done this for me twice now, once about a year ago on a different radio, and now this time about a week ago. That kind of deal is dependent on the circumstances of the repair, and he can't always be expected to do it...it depends on the rig. Sometimes he must charge a diagnostic fee in order to dig deeper into the repair to know whether a radio is repairable, and that takes time and money. So, he isn't in the business of doing diagnostics for free, and keeping the guts of the radios if they are not repairable. But, in the last two instances with me, that was our deal, and it worked out well for us. After having dealt with Carol twice now under that same scenario, either it's repairable or he keeps the radio, he has proven to me that he's not only a great technician, but he's a straight shooter, and doesn't take advantage of his customers. This last time, the repair cost was very reasonable, and I believe that Carol probably gave me a break on the repair cost, especially compared to factory repair prices. I think he did me a gracious favor with respect to cost, just to get my radio up and running. By the way, he did so within about 24 hours of having received it. He communicates with you throughout the entire process via email, or in person, whatever is necessary. The first time we worked together we spoke by phone to discuss the repair in detail. This last time we communicated entirely via email, and that was perfectly sufficient and expeditious. But, the bottom line is, he never leaves you hanging. He keeps you well informed, and he reports back to you as to what he has found during his diagnosis. In both cases, I shipped the radios out to Carol for repair, and had them back to me within about 5 days. Now, that's quick turnaround! I've had occasion to repair radios at Yaesu, and it has taken them weeks to get them back to me, and you hear nothing from them until it shows up at your door. Furthermore, Carol's shipping charges are fair, not inflated...they are the actual cost to ship. He doesn't take advantage that way either. If you want a fair, honest, competent and reliable technician to repair your stuff, you couldn't find a better one anywhere. Thanks very much Carol! You are a great resource, and you are sincerely appreciated for your honest, exceptional competence, and your great service!

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KG0BA on 2014-05-03

Carol also installed a slightly larger heat sink to help cut down on the heat, which may have contributed to causing the problem in the first place.

Carol made a design improvement to the radio by replacing the heat sink with a slightly larger one, a design flaw he observed with respect to there being a potential for excessive heat being generated otherwise. That was something he felt compelled to do on his own initiative. That's the guy I want working on my stuff.

Thanks again Carol! '73 KG0BA Randy
KG7MMG Rating: 2014-11-05
Couldn't be happier! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Well what can I add to nearly 12 pages of perfect ratings?!
As with so many other contributors, the folks at Certified Electronics and specifically Carol took an old FT-101 and made it perform as good as new.

Carol quoted the cost of repairs and tune-up upon receipt and the whole process (including shipping time) took approximately 2 weeks! Remarkable when you consider the shipping time cross country was 3 business days each way!

I received the FT-101 packaged rock solid and fully functioning.

In addition Carol was in the process of liquidating some FT-101 accessories so I picked up the YO-101 scope, FV-101B VFO, YC-601B frequency counter, and the FTV-250 2M and FTV-650V 6M transverters to build out a well rounded station. Everything arrived perfectly packaged and in excellent condition.

It took a couple of weeks to get an open Sunday to hook up everything. During the setup I ran into an issue getting the transverters functioning properly. I suspected I missed something in the configuration so I sent an email to Carol not expecting to hear back until the work week. Well I was expecting wrongly! Carol responded in a matter of minutes with a phone call and resolved the issue in a matter of minutes! I don't know many folks that would take time on their day off to help a customer.

Needless to say Carol and the rest of the folks at Certified Electronics went over and above the call of duty for this Yaesu owner and I would recommend Certified Electronics to anyone looking for tune-up and repair services.

Thanks again to Carol and all the folks at Certified Electronics!

73's
Patrick KG7MMG
NN4K Rating: 2014-09-17
Professional work Time Owned: more than 12 months.
In August 2014 lightning damaged my Yaesu FT-2000 Transceiver. After speaking to the Yaesu Tech Support person and advised that they don't like to work on lightning damaged equipment I got a referral to Certified Electronics in Cartersville GA. Carol, owner, agreed to look the unit over and evaluate it in order to make a decision about keeping it or not. She kept me informed about what she was finding and then summarized the conditions. Carol told me that installing a new Control Board and working on the Power Amplifier board could put it back into working order. I agreed to proceed knowing some risks were possible but in the end the FT2000 was operable. When I picked up the radio, she showed that except for 20 meters the output was meeting specifications. 20 meters output was reduced to 40 watts output. It's a superior radio and has two receivers which I can't find in the same price market today. Thanks to Carol and Ken, assistant technician, for a completely satisfactory experience. In the day of "throw away" circuit boards, they were able to trouble shoot to the discreet failed component on the board and make the repairs. The shop is fully equipped with appropriate test equipment and technical pubs. Their work was very professional.
WA4ALA Rating: 2014-06-07
Top Of The Line Yaesu Repair Facility Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I picked up a Yaesu FT-101EE in trade and was told by the previous owner that the transceiver "had some problems".

After spending a week or so trying to diagnose all the problems of this transceiver I started a local search for a qualified Yaesu repair facility and was led by a total concurrence of opinion to Carol at Certified Electronics.

Carol and her repair staff were all professionals and treated me with respect. They took my FT-101EE and worked their magic. In less than 72 hours they repaired all the existing problems in this unit, did a total alignment and returned to me a unit as close to original factory specifications as is possible, and the price for all this was very reasonable.

In summation I highly recommend the services of this business. If you have a radio that says Yaesu on it then Carol and the staff of Certified Electronics can fix it.

Thanks and 73's,

Michael - WA4AlA
NQEF Rating: 2014-05-23
repaired a L-7 Drake Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Carol is a very good person, very humble but also very smart as to her work.I took a L-7 amp to her and she had it repaired and working full throttle in a couple of hours or less!She doesn't rip you off either prices were very acceptable!!!All my best wishes go out to Carol!

Ken Hart
NQ3F
K8NOS Rating: 2014-05-05
Wonderful Service Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I cant say enough about how happy I am with my experience with Carol and Certified Electronics!

My Yaesu QTR-24 clocks were showing signs of age and the 24 hr dials weren't working. One of them wouldn't even keep anything close to the correct time.

Carol was busy (which I took to be a good sign) when first contacted, but I was willing to wait to have the job done right. Once she accepted the work she took care to make the clocks work right and kept me informed of the progress of the work.

She did a super job and sent the clocks back to me, bubble wrapped to the extent that there was NO chance of damage to such beautiful clocks and I now have 2 perfectly running Yaesu QTR-24 clocks

KG7JHX Rating: 2014-03-20
Yaesu FT-101B TOTAL REPAIR Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I can't say Enough about Mrs.Carol Maher!

I found a FT-101B that had been through the RINGER!

I noticed several issues with the radio and I was not able to operate on all the Bands and Low Power.

The rig had ALSO been Subjected to 11 Meters,(which is not Terrible IF the person knows how to run and tune the radio properly to begin with).

I Decided to send the Radio in to someone who CLAIMED they could on the Radio.

After that person got the radio , they could not make the necessary Repairs to the radio and could not figure out what was in fact happening to this radio!

I called Certified Electronics, Located in Georgia, and asked if there was anyway they might be able to RESTORE the FUNCTIONALITY of the Radio!

I WAS IN LUCK!

I Called the PREVIOUS TECH that could Not repair the Rig and made arrangements to ship it to Mrs. Carol Maher!

She received the rig and with in a few hours, had the rig FULLY functional!

I got a NEW NOS set of 6JS6C Finals that she TRUSTS and KNOWS are good!

I see it like this.

Don't waist your time with some LONG Description on eBay of someone who Promises they can repair your FT-101 or Sell you an UN-Molested "MOLESTED" Radio!

Don't try to jump into a Chat Forum and find someone to repair your Radio!

These are ALL MY Personal Mistakes!

But Not Mrs.Carol Maher!

She is a Good, Kind and Knowledgeable Woman who will walk the walk, and talk the talk!

Put your Worries aside, and rest assured that you are and going to get what you pay for!

I would rate it at 10 Stars if i Could!

ALSO WANT TO INCLUDE:

I sent this radio packed well (or so I thought).

She BOMB PROOF Packed the radio for return so there was NO chance of Damage to such a beautiful Radio.

I Cant Say Enough about how happy I am with MY experience with Carol and Certified Electronics!

Worth the shipping! ---> I live North of Seattle!


73's
and I hope this helps who ever reads this to make their decision!

KK5RH Rating: 2014-02-26
5 star service Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Carol is the man! I sent him a FT101E that had been in storage for 35+ years. I couldn't get it to transmit. The rig looked like new in an out but unfortunately due to non use for over a quarter century!! it had plenty hidden issues. Carol took a lot of extra time to put the "old lady" in tip top shape. His charges were totally reasonable and the communication from him while my rig was in his shop was amazing to say the least.