My new FT-757GX has officially become the keeper radio of the three Yaesu's I own.
I've spent the last couple of days working on the encoder shaft. I finally was able to get the shaft lubricated and its turning freely again. It's still binding a bit, and after lots of working the shaft and additional lubrication, I've come to think the shaft or the brass sleeve that serves as a bearing must have gotten damaged or roughed up in the past. There are some significant plier marks on the encoder shaft, and it looks like someone got pretty pissed at it.
I had to take a pair of Vice-Grip pliers to break the encoder shaft free – that's how frozen solid it was. I've been working on, applying more 3-in-1 oil and trying to let it permeate the gap between the bearn and the shaft.
I have the VFO knob back on the shaft — on, but not seated fully — and a previous owner had just about worn out the “press fit” nature of the knob. It slides on easily, and if the encoder shaft sticks, the knob continues to turn even if the encoder shaft hesitates. I don't know what I'll do to improve that, perhaps some tape on the shaft to improve the fit so there's no sliding around.
At this point, the encoder turns quite freely, but it won't free wheel like it should when properly functioning. You should be able to easily tune it with your finger in the knob's finger hole. Right now you can do that, but it takes more effort to turn the knob than it should.
I'm not sure the encoder shaft will ever turn as freely as it should. It's gotten where its at and not changed a bit despite my efforts to continue to free it up. But at this point, even if the shaft doesn't turn as freely as it should, I'll be fine with it.
I've been listening to the radio in the library, which is where I've been working on it. Like most FT-757GX's the VFO displays slightly off frequency, but heck, its more than 20 years old and that's not unusual.
The radio needs its memory battery replaced because when you power it off and on, the displayed frequency always reverts to 7.000 MHz. I haven't checked the transmit, but the seller said it was fine, his only complaint was the VFO not working. If there's something else that needs repair or alignment on this rig, I'll probaby send it off for repair rather than dive into it myself. I can swap out the battery, and will if there's no other problem.
I'm pretty excited by the new rig and feel fortunate my hunch regarding the encoder turned out to be a good one. Had I not been able to revive the encoder I probably would have taken one from one of my other FT-757s to see if it was worth permanently repairing.
I still have the VFO knob and the knob tension adjuster disassembled with the rig in the library. After I'm sure the encoder shaft moves as freely as it can, I'll put it back together and move the rig into the shack for some on-air testing. I don't know what it is about this model Yaesu; even with its well-known front-end deficiency its still one of my favorites.
DRAKE ON THE WAY. Last summer I spent much of my eBay time in search of a good deal on a Drake R4x receiver. I didn't really care which model, but I wanted to try one.
I had been talking with WC4F locally about his Drake twins, and he's always told me the receiver is a joy to listen to. If you enjoy the old stuff (and I do), he highly recommended trying a Drake receiver.
The problem is that the Drake receivers often command very big bucks. Eventually I quit looking because prices were just too high.
I ran across an R4A receiver this week that was in original working condition. It wasn't perfect, it had no Sherwood mods, etc., but it was reliable, working and complete. I decided to watch it closely and see what it sold for.
I won the receiver a few days ago via a well-timed snipe. If it works as advertised it should be a sweetie. The guy had the entire A-line up for grabs, but I only wanted the receiver. I probably should have tried for the transmitter and power supply too. Before I do that I probably should be certain I want the entire Drake station. That's a lot of radio gear to lay out on the desktop.
I'll have an additional report on the Yaesu in the next day or so, and particularly on the Drake when it arrives next week.
73 es CUL … de KY4Z … dit dit ….