Yaesu FT 101E - the old battleship sails again

The Yaesu FT-101E when maintained correctly (like any form of new or old electronics) still holds it's own against many newer rigs and if you put an FL-2100B on the end, they'll come straight back to you! I might do a recap of this rig in the near future, but as you can see, this old battleship has still got it.

Take note of the tune up procedure I employ. You can do what the manual says but this method is perfectly safe (and faster) if you do short 2 to 3 second bursts. With both hands (not one holding a camera to slow you down!), you can make those adjustments in less than two seconds and be done in a total of 15 seconds or less. Of course, always make sure your idle current (checked under zero signal in SSB) is 50 to 60ma. My loading was a bit too high here when I started, but the key is to basically pre set using the markings according to the desired band of operation.