Yaesu Early VHF Transceivers

The early years of Yaesu VHF transceivers were exciting — light, compact mobile rigs welcomed by amateurs worldwide, replacing bulky tube-type Motorola, Heathkit, Gonset, and Swan equipment. We look at the FT-2F, FT-2 Auto, FT-223, FT-224, and more as time permits!

Yaesu FT-2F

Circa 1971 — first solid-state 2 m mobile

Yaesu’s first solid-state VHF transceiver: 2-meter, 10 W, 12 channels, ~¥49,500 (~$380 USD at 130 ¥/$). The advertisement was photographed on founder Sako Hasegawa’s yacht. By today’s standards modest — in 1971, a jewel.

Weighing 4 lb in heavy-gauge aluminum, the FT-2F/B drew 1.7 A TX / 0.31 A RX — runnable on a 2 A supply. Yaesu’s matching FP-2 regulated supply included 12 V battery backup. 28 silicon transistors, 19 diodes, 1 SCR, 3 ICs, 1 FET — manufacturers counted semiconductors for bragging rights in the 1970s!

CQ Ham Radio Japan 1971 — FT-2 at top left

More detailed FT-2F interior coverage coming soon.

FP-2 AC Power Supply

They are indeed hard to find

Ahead of its time: solid-state regulated 2 A supply with internal rechargeable battery — switches to battery backup on AC loss. Export model with multi-tap 110/117/220 VAC transformer.

Mint FP-2 from Australia via Bail Electronic Services.

FP-2 Owner’s Manual & Schematic (PDF)

FT-2 Auto Scan Transceiver

Circa 1972 — eight channels, auto-scan

Eight crystal-controlled channels (one priority), 144–146 or 146–148 MHz, auto-scan at 20 channels/second — like a police scanner before microprocessors. Built-in AC supply; 4 Ω 2 W speaker larger than most modern HTs. Final: 2SC1190, 10 W / 1 W, AFP protection. Double-conversion RX: 10.7 MHz + 455 kHz IF.

Tone burst vs PL: Tone burst (~1800 Hz at start of TX) was audible; Motorola CTCSS/PL tones are continuous and sub-audible. Original PL generators used reed-based Vibrasponders:

Modern PL boards: Communications Specialists Inc. — PL tone list.

Scanning without a microprocessor: sixteen switching transistors, clock generator, flip-flops, and diode matrix — SN7400, SN7473N, SN7472N. Good inputs and outputs — if an IC has power in but nothing out, replace it.