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Vintage Amateur and Military Radio Amateur/military receivers and transmitters, morse, and any other related vintage comms equipment. |
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7th Dec 2018, 9:12 pm | #1 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Reigate, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 65
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FT290r mk1
Hello,
My FT290r has developed a fault. The green busy light has lost intensity over a period of time. I have replaced the LED but there is no improvement The red 'on air' lamp is also dull. I think it must some drive problem but wondered if anyone has a clue regarding where to look. Apart from this the radio works very well including the CTCSS that I fitted last year. Thanks, Chris G4BYZ |
7th Dec 2018, 10:16 pm | #2 |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 951
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Re: FT290r mk1
Did you replace the series resistor as well? Could be that's gone high
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I got food in ma belly and a license for ma telly My Blog - http://g7mrv.blogspot.com |
10th Dec 2018, 5:03 pm | #3 |
Tetrode
Join Date: Dec 2017
Location: Reigate, Surrey, UK.
Posts: 65
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Re: FT290r mk1
Thanks for your reply Martin. The resisters all seem OK and I am investigating related areas.
Will post results. Chris |
12th Dec 2018, 10:15 pm | #4 |
Banned
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: Horncastle, Lincolnshire, UK.
Posts: 203
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Re: FT290r mk1
good luck,these things are just plain under built,mine had its audio go choppy anything over a quater volume,was a resistor in shrinkwrap turned to dust,it fed the vcc to the audio amp ic ,a 1 watt output ic fed by an eighth watt resistor ***!!,in my opinion these ft 290 rigs are just plain cheap underbuilt junk!! good look, imho better off file it in the junkbox where these pieces of steaming turds belong!! 73 m3vuv.
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13th Dec 2018, 7:40 pm | #5 |
Nonode
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK.
Posts: 2,015
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Re: FT290r mk1
It's an opinion...maybe a modern one.
If you were around when they came out, you might think, my god - how have they done that? As I did. That's my old opinion. |
13th Dec 2018, 7:57 pm | #6 |
Nonode
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Dukinfield, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 2,038
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Re: FT290r mk1
I had its sister the FT790 and it was a little marvel. I took it almost everywhere with me and it never let me down until it was 20 years old. Finally tracked the fault to an off-frequency xtal in the PLL mixdown cct.
Yes, these rigs are now coming up with numerous faults, but they came out in the early 80's and the earliest examples are now over 30 years old. As for the eighth-watt resistor, perhaps that rating was suitable for the amount of voltage and current involved? A 10r resistor passing (say) 100mA would only be dissipating 0.1 w. Or maybe it was a 'fusible' type?
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Andy G1HBE. Last edited by Andrew2; 13th Dec 2018 at 8:06 pm. |
13th Dec 2018, 10:46 pm | #7 | |
Dekatron
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Newcastle, Tyne and Wear, UK.
Posts: 11,587
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Re: FT290r mk1
Quote:
I have an 290-R2 which I have owned from new, and that was and still is a decent enough little radio, I used to use it to take part in the PW low power contests and, when I was still keen, used to carried its modest bulk up onto every Lakeland fell I walked up as well, just as people (occasionally) lug the FT x90's spiritual successor the FT-817s up onto hilltops. |
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17th Jan 2019, 10:29 am | #8 |
Retired Dormant Member
Join Date: Jan 2019
Location: Sheffield, South Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 4
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Re: FT290r mk1
I never had a FT290 mk1 but I did work a few stations with them. For their cost they were OK.
I did & still have a FT790 mk1 which I believe to be better. Last year I was given, In return for some work to be done a FT790 mk2. I have not yet used it much, it does seem to perform very well. Other radios still working are my Yaesu FT221R, FT757GX, FT2700RH & a Chinese dual band portable. It is fair to say radio wise I am not particularly active. I have been licenced since the early 80's first as G6BMN & then G4RVS. Regards Andrew. |
17th Jan 2019, 12:51 pm | #9 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cottingham, East Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 5,768
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Re: FT290r mk1
Some useful info on mods and repairs at these links, including the lights:
http://www.radiomods.co.nz/yaesu/yaesuft290.html http://www.vss.pl/mods.dk/mods.php3-...ectid=1186.htm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1jv-5jddwk Hope that might help a bit.
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David. BVWS Member. G-QRP Club member 1339. |
13th Feb 2019, 10:41 am | #10 | |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2014
Location: Salisbury, Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 998
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Re: FT290r mk1
Quote:
I had the same feeling about the first FT817...when I got that out of the box, one of the first brought in (from Greece) I was shocked because I thought they'd forgotten to include the battery pack...
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13th Feb 2019, 12:17 pm | #11 | |
Heptode
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Selby, North Yorkshire, UK.
Posts: 951
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Re: FT290r mk1
Quote:
I wonder how many of todays 'wonder' rigs will still be operational after the same time period? Or have the same following? I run the 'Electric Handbag' Yahoo group for these sets - there doesnt seem to be any fall off in people wishing to acquire them. They do have foibles, mostly caused purely by age, some of which are somewhat tricky to solve, but they were quite cutting edge when conceived - nearly 40 years ago! I myself came to the world at roughly the same time, and I also have foibles and degraded components - and no one could say im under built!
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16th Feb 2019, 7:08 pm | #12 |
Nonode
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK.
Posts: 2,015
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Re: FT290r mk1
Going to a few years before the FT290 - who recalls the AR240?
I remember hearing someone describe on air his portable FM rig as "go anywhere with thumbwheels for direct frequency entry". I checked the date for April 1st - thinking...not possible. It was probably 1976 through GB3LO. |
16th Feb 2019, 8:03 pm | #13 |
Nonode
Join Date: Mar 2010
Location: Dukinfield, Cheshire, UK.
Posts: 2,038
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Re: FT290r mk1
I certainly do, as a friend of mine got one. My reaction was similar to yours! This would be in the very late 70's, as I think I had just got married. Over the years I forgot about it, but about ten years ago I was writing a retrospective review of AOR's AR5000 receiver and as I wanted to kick the article off with a brief history of the company I hopped on the 'net and fell over a reference to the AR240. My my, how the memories came flooding back.
They made a nifty little FM monitor receiver too, the AR22 at about the same time.
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Andy G1HBE. |
16th Feb 2019, 8:13 pm | #14 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Apr 2012
Location: Wiltshire, UK.
Posts: 14,009
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Re: FT290r mk1
I never got into the FT290 but I *did* have a Totsuko TR-2100M whose 1-Watt of SSB was boosted by a Pye A200 linear, to about 10 Watts (the A200 could have done a lot more if only the TR-2100 could have driven it harder). Worked all over Europe when conditions were right - I think the furthest I got was Yoguslavia.
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18th Feb 2019, 8:40 pm | #15 |
Nonode
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK.
Posts: 2,015
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Re: FT290r mk1
I didn't really mean to depart from the FT290 Mk1
I think around then a few things came along which disturbed the accepted world as we knew it. The AR240 was a bit ugly - once Icom had some further work on the concept there came the IC2E - what a beautiful baby! FT207 was a Yaesu attempt at reply - better with the the FT208. FT290Mk1 is a landmark for a multi-mode portable rig. |
18th Feb 2019, 10:39 pm | #16 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 3,077
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Re: FT290r mk1
I've got a mk1 FT290R here and also the little AOR240.
I also have a little Standard C58 multimode 2m radio. It is even more compact than the Yaesu FT290R and was released at about the same time as the 290R. I actually prefer the C58 to the 290R, it is built better and has a high quality feel although many people won't like the old school slider switches on the front panel. The rotary VFO control is also a bit clunky to use. However, I think the C58 has a nicer receiver and you only have to put them side by side to appreciate the difference in build quality.
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Regards, Jeremy G0HZU |
19th Feb 2019, 7:32 pm | #17 |
Nonode
Join Date: Nov 2015
Location: Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, UK.
Posts: 2,015
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Re: FT290r mk1
Ah yes --the C58. I never had one.
What this is telling us is we had better start another discussion which is about vintage stuff! FT290Mk1 is definitely in! I look forward to it |
19th Feb 2019, 11:54 pm | #18 |
Dekatron
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, UK.
Posts: 3,077
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Re: FT290r mk1
The C58 is definitely a cute little radio but I think it didn't compete with the 290R in terms of sales because it was only sold as a 1W radio and the battery life wasn't great on the AA cells it used. By contrast, the 290R would last for ages on one charge. The C58 also looked quite dated in terms of styling and it definitely didn't have the overall appeal of the 290R. However, the C58 PA could easily run at 2.5W if desired and it was still clean on SSB like this. But the battery life would be very short like this.
I've not seen a 290R with Tx LED issues but I wonder if it could be a ground return issue from the keypad and/or control board? Most of the micro related part of the front panel (keypad) matrix will run on flea power so a weak ground return would still work OK. But it might cause the Tx LED to go dim? But I'm just guessing...
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