W0UI's
Yaesu FT-401b
20-tube High Power Amateur Radio HF Transceiver
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I bought my first Yaesu Musen transceiver in the fall of 1977. This radio, an FTdx560, performed wonderfully for the years I owned and operated it. It met every expectation I held for it. Pictures of that installation are down towards the bottom of this page.
During January 2005, I
purchased the first of three Yaesu FT-401b transceivers.
Owning three of these
jewels now, they make terrific transceivers.
I thought it might be fun to see how this silver-faced radio progressed through the years so I began scrounging through my old QST magazines.
Below are copies of some of the ads I found while searching through old American Radio Relay League (ARRL) QST magazines.
The FTdx400 transceiver was first found in the January, 1968 QST and had a long run being last listed in November, 1969. The new price was listed at $599.
The FT-dx560 was introduced to amateur radio operators in the December, 1969 QST. It sold for $450. A matching FTdx2000 linear amplifier was also listed, selling for $230. The last ad for the '560 appeared in the summer of 1972.
The FT-dx570 replaced the 560's Automatic Noise Limiter with a more advanced noise blanker. The first '570 ad appeared in the July, 1972 QST with a price of $550. In the April, 1973 QST Yaesu announces that it is opening its first office in the USA to enhance its sales effort here. The last ad for the FTdx570 as a new product was found in June, 1973.
The FTdx401 ads replace the '570 in the July, 1973 QST. Listing at $599, the radio has a compliment of matching components. The external VFO (FT401 $99) and matching speaker (SP401P $59) enhance its performance.
The FTdx401 was replaced in the
February, 1974 QST with the FTdx401b
model, also selling at $599.
A matching
linear amplifier, the FL2000b sold for $339.
The FT-401b was
the final iteration of the famous
Yaesu silver-faced high-powered tube-type HF transceivers
(that were released in
the United States) was the Yaesu .
This transceiver first appeared in the
January, 1976 QST selling new for $599. Along with its compliment of additional
equipment, it presented a full range of amateur radio equipment. This radio
dropped the "FTdx" reference in the model name, a departure from
previous marketing and re-added AM onto the SSB and CW modes. The CW filter (XF31c $45), base station microphone (YD844
$29), remote VFO (FV-401 $99) and Speaker/Phone Patch (SP401P $59) were also
available. This transceiver was to be
the end of their HF tube-type transceivers. One full page inside-back-cover ad
was first published in the February, 1976 QST but it was not found as a new
product listing after the Amateur Electronic Supply QST ad in the September, 1976 issue.
SIDEBAR COMMENTS:
There were also some other similar Yaesu radios sold in the international
amateur radio community but not so common in the United States.
FTdx-100
Pictured below from an eBay auction found in Australia, is the 80 through 10
meter FTdx100 apparently first manufactured in 1967. The radio runs
CW-SSB-AM modes and is equipped with controls such as Volume, Squelch, RF Gain,
RIT (clarifier), heater on/off, and others. A 2010 eBay sale of one of these
radios (found in Canada) sold for over $700 (US).
FT-501
FT-501 (pictured below as
found, for
example, in Canada), that apparently never commonly made it into the
American markets.
Hams in much of the world were anxiously moving away from tube technologies and into the booming new solid-state environments, as was evident by the ads that were prevalent starting in the early 1970's. The Yaesu FT-101 series solid-state transceiver was a long time best seller.
One of my three YAESU FT-401b HF Transceivers
(pictured in 2010 with the matching SP-401p speaker/phone patch unit)
Below are close-up pictures of the Yaesu FT401b
Below are some pictures showing the top of the chassis
OWNERS MANUAL FOR Yaesu FT-401b HF transceiver
Pages 1-10 - Pages 11-20 - Schematic Diagram
I am preparing to begin
restoration / realignment on my three FT-401b transceivers.
I expect to post comments and photos of my efforts on this page.
QUESTION: Has anyone successfully restored / realigned one and have any
tips to share with me?
Please send me your comments, ideas or thoughts: CLICK
HERE TO EMAIL WOODY
The 6KD6 final tubes, a pair of old television sweep-tubes, provide plenty of power. When this radio was new, the tubes were plentiful and fairly inexpensive.
Below are some pictures showing the bottom of the chassis
W0UI in 1991
Notice the Yaesu FTdx560
W0UI in 1989
Notice the old Yaesu FT-dx560
W0UI in 1977
My hamshack had its first computer addition during 1977 when I brought home a new Radio Shack TRS-80 Level One computer to learn about. This was during the CB boom and a 23-channel Realistic TRC-57 base station joined the lineup. Notice the Yaesu FTdx560. I had bought it used in 1977 from Long's Electronics in Georgia.
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All personal comments, pictures copyright 1996-2011 - R. Linwood (4L RANCH)
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