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Yaesu ft-102 hf transceiver capacitor replacement kit
This is a complete electrolytic capacitor replacement kit (except the 100uf/500V cans - listed separately) for the Yaesu FT-102 transceiver. The FT-102 is truly a collector's item for the vintage ham radio enthusiast and represents one of the best of the '80's in HF gear. I have been restoring vintage ham radio equipment for years, and electrolytic capacitors have a design life span which one has to recognize if the intent is to keep your FT-102 running for a long time to come.
Part of my restoration process is the replacing of all electrolytic capacitors. Electrolytics over time change value due to leakage, electrical stress, heat exposure etc., and can be very annoying to trouble shoot especially when intermittent. There are 161 small electrolytics used in the FT-102 so for those who like probability calculations, figure out the failure rate possibility for capacitors that already have 25 years of service! In all cases the capacitors have been replaced with the exact value of the original, but in many cases I was able to take advantage of smaller modern day components increasing the voltage rating of the replacement unit. I can't quote measurements between the before and after process of changing the capacitors, but I can state that the overall performance of this radio, its sound quality in both transmit and receive, the AGC performance etc. took on a new persona that really made the change worth while.
These capacitors are becoming hard to locate, so even if you don't want to change them now you will have them in the future as spares ready to install rather than impossible to find! For two values axial mounted capacitor were originally used, but the replacement had to be a radial mount as axial was just not possible.
** Installation Time is approximately 6 hours from start to finish for an experienced technican. For all others, take you time and enjoy its a great project!
Also from the pictures, you can see a crusty looking material surrounding many of the capacitors on the power supply board. This crusty material is internal leakage from the orginal capacitor that occupied the position, failure is usually not too far off when they start to deteriorate this much.
The kit is comprised of the following capacitors (161 in all):
The photos are to illustrate various FT-102 boards and are not included in the kit. The capacitors shown in the photos are to illustrate approximate size and the crossection of capacitor manufacturers used in these kits.
Please have a look at my "View other items" for a wide range of capacitor kits for vintage Yaesu and Kenwood products. Look me up on QRZ.com!
