Yaesu FT-100 undocumented
Compiled by PA3GMP. Printed 4 April 2004

TABLE OF CONTENTS

MENU SETTINGS OVERVIEW... 3 AT-11MP AUTOTUNER.... 7 ATAS-100 AUTOTUNING... 8 WHAT'S IN THERE?... 13 HOW DO I TAKE IT APART?.... 14 HOW DO I PUT IT TOGETHER?... 14 ATAS100 MANUAL TUNING.... 14 ATAS-1/ATAS-2 SETTINGS.... 15 ATBK100 GROUND PLANE KIT... 15 CWID WITH ARTS.... 16 BAND DATA PIGTAIL PINOUT... 16 CTCSS AND MEMORY FUNCTIONS... 16 DUPLEXERS.... 17 EXTRA BANDS.... 17 FACTORY MODIFICATIONS... 17 Intermittent High SWR ICON... 17 Thermal modification... 20 FC-20 AUTOTUNER... 24 FIRMWARE UPGRADES.... 25 KEYPAD FREQUENCY ENTRY.... 25 MANUAL REVISIONS.... 25 MEMORY PROGRAMMING.... 26 MIC ADAPTER.... 27 MIC BUTTONS.... 28 MICROPHONE MODIFICATION.... 29 MODIFICATION FOR OUT-OF-BAND TRANSMISSION... 29 OUTPUT POWER (MEASURED IN AND OUT OF BAND).. 31 POWER CONNECTORS/LINE FILTERS... 34 PSK31/SSTV/ETC. SOUNDCARD INTERFACE WITH THE FT100.. 34 PROBLEMS WITH FT100 RADIOS... 37 REPEATER OFFSETS... 37 RF EXPOSURE.... 37 TRANSMIT PROBLEMS ON 80/160M... 38 S-METER ANOMALIES.... 38 SATELLITE OPERATIONS... 40 SEPARATION KIT (YSK100)... 41 SERIAL NUMBERS.... 41 SIDETONE/BEEP VOLUME ADJUSTMENT.. 41 SQUELCH SETTINGS FOR FM AND SSB... 42 STORING MEMORIES REMOTELY... 42
SWR METER INTERPRETATION... 42 UP/DOWN BAND SWITCHING.... 43 V/U MESFET PRE-AMP ADJUSTMENT... 43 YAESU CONTACTS.... 44

Menu settings overview

Nr. Function 31 Dial Pulse Beep Scan Mode Scan Speed Resume DW-time DCS Code DCS ENC/DEC ARTS Beep CW ID ID Tone freq Dimmer set Peak Hold Scope moni DSP mic eq DSP NR DSP LPF DSP HPF BPF Width HF TX PO 50M TX PO 144M TX PO 430M TX PO Mic Gain FM Mic Gain Comp Level AFSK Level APO Time TOT Time CW-W Filt tuning rate key and buttons scan restart dwell time hold time polling interval 104 codes normal or invert beep mode enable/disable up to 8 char. 39 tones 63 dimmest.5 sec hold sweep mode equalization Default 200 on tinE 10 ms 5 seconds 5 seconds 23 tn-rn ALL oFF 88.5 oFF oFF oFF oFF 100% 100% 100% 100% 50% 50% 50% 50% oFF 20 oFF oFF HF 2.5 KHz PCt-F 170 nor 1200bps Opt. 1 Opt. 2 Opt. 200 on oFF StoP buSy tinE tn-rn ALL on 67 oFF on Cont oFF oFF oFF oFF oFF tn-rr rAng oFF oFF Chec 1 hi cut on 300 Opt. 4 Opt. 5 Remarks

tr-rn oFF

SgL 2 lo cut

oFF 3 mid only

reduction level high cut low cut DSP CW filter power power power power SSB-AM modes FM mode SSB-AM modes input sensitivity hours to shutoff minutes optional wide path 32 AM/CW-N Filt AM or CW-N filter 33 FM Dev deviation 34 AFSK mode RTTY Shift RTTY display Packet rate Packet display 39 Packet tone mode-sideband frequency shift offset offset set for TNC
6_0 5_0 PCt-L PCt-U 850 PCkF
HF 2.5 2.5 rtty-L 170 nor 1200 -rtty-U 425 Car 1700
40 HF RPT SHIFT RPT SHIFT RPT SHIFT RPT SHIFT 44 144M ARS 45 430M ARS 46 Keyer Type 47 Dot Size 48 Dash Size 49 CW-Delay 50 CW Pitch 51 CW Break-in 52 Keyer Speed 53 QSK Delay
10m shift 6m shift 2m shift 440 shift auto shift on-off auto shift on-off keyer or paddle dot to space dash to space semi QSK sidetone offset QSK
0.1 0.5 0.on on EL30.5 sec 700 FULL 50.5 sec SqL diAL on oFF oFF
oFF oFF EL400 FULL SqL PAnEL on AtAS1 -0.2 -0.2 -0.2 -0.2 oFF
10MHz 10MHz 10MHz 10MHz on on EL125 2.Seni 100 2.5 rF diAL oFF 3
shifts output times 54 VOX gain input sensitivity 55 Vox delay hang time 56 SQL/RF gain mode of control 57 Lock mode lock mode 58 AM&FM Click select knob function 59 Mic SW set mic buttons 60 NB Level IF noise blanking 61 Tuner/ATAS device selection 66 RX LSB CAR RX USB CAR TX LSB CAR TX USB CAR 5167.5 KHz Carrier point Carrier point Carrier point Carrier point Alaska emergency

HOW DO I PUT IT TOGETHER?
1. Basically reverse the above procedure. 2. Be careful to make sure the alignment pin (about 7" long) from the loading coil to the motor-clutch assembly is in place. 3. Pay special attention to the routing of the motor wires to prevent pinching between the motor controller board and motor-clutch assembly.

ATAS100 Manual Tuning

The ATAS100 can be tuned up and down manually by holding in on the PTT switch and using the UP/DOWN keys on the front of the radio. If you thought it meant the UP/DOWN keys on top of the hand mic, you're not alone, as several others have made the same mistake and the manual does not specify which UP/DOWN keys to use. It has been noted that the P1/P2 keys on the mic will cause the antenna tune icon to come on if you push them while holding the PTT, but they do not actually move the antenna.

ATAS-1/ATAS-2 Settings

Menu item 61 is has several settings for controlling the way the ATAS100 antenna works. In the user manual, there are several errors describing this function. On page 14, the instructions are correct and the easiest way to remember the correct settings are: ATAS-1 = one antenna ; ATAS-2 = two separate antennas. In other words, if you're using the ATAS100 on all bands (with a duplexer), choose ATAS-1. If you are using the ATAS100 for HF only and a separate antenna for VHF/UHF, use ATAS-2. Page 62 in the manual is backwards from this as is page 94 which recommends that a duplexer is required with ATAS-2. The newer manuals may have corrected these errors but as of manual revision E08981003 the mistakes were still present. Another user noticed that when either of these selections are made, the radio will not transmit on the 80 or 160 meter bands so don't forget to switch menu item 61 to OFF (or to Tuner) when you switch from the ATAS100 to another antenna.

ATBK100 Ground Plane Kit

The ATBK100 is a kit consisting of 3 ground radials for the ATAS100 intended to make it suitable for use as a base antenna. Although there is no information available on the Yaesu website about the ATBK100, this US$90 kit is supposed to supply a ground plane for the 50 MHz, 144 MHz, and 430 MHz bands. One owner responded that he was able to get the antenna to work on other HF bands by adding two 20' lengths of wire to the ATBK100 to act as a counterpoise.

Audio Settings (improving transmitted audio performance)
Bill, N4XEO, has contributed the following advice for those who are not satisfied with their audio reports. First, make sure the rig's chassis is grounded to the frame of the vehicle and that the rig is powered directly off the battery with minimal voltage loss through the power cable. Secondly, make sure that the voltage is sufficient for the rig. The specifications call for 13.8V DC and so if you're not running the engine, it's likely that your voltage won't run the rig correctly for very long. This will be apparent when operating with the engine off as the battery voltage begins to sag down around 12V. Here are some of the settings Bill recommends that have worked for him and others to improve the audio: Menu Item Description Value 25 Mic Gain (for SSB and AM 40 modes) 26 FM Mic Gain Compression Level FM Deviation RX LSB Carrier +RC USB Carrier +TX LSB Carrier -TX USB Carrier -200

CWID with ARTS

The CWID feature appears to have a bug. It sends out the 'W' as a 'U' in Morse code. The CWID feature, when enabled, transmits a CW identifier every 10 minutes when the radio is operating in ARTS mode. Here is a set of instructions on how to test if your radio is affected: Go to menu item 11 and enter a CW ID string with some W's in it. To do this, press Select knob and use the main dial to select the characters. Press the Select knob to advance one character. Program all 8 characters using the Select button to advance. When you get them all programmed, press Select again and the radio will playback the ID you've stored. Use a tape recorder unless you think you can copy comfortably at 35-40 wpm. If you want to hear it on the air, proceed with the following instructions. Go to menu item 10 and enable the CW id during ARTS operation. Set the radio to a clear simplex FM frequency. Press the FUNC key until you get to screen 3 which shows TON DCS and ART. Enable ART. Listen on another radio. The DCS code will be sent every 15 seconds and the CW ID will occur every 10 minutes. Again, use a tape recorder, as the ID comes across at about 35-40 wpm. I have a little recorder that will allow me to record at 2.4 cm/sec and play back at 1.2 cm/sec so I can listen to the CW at a more comfortable 18-20 wpm.

Band Data Pigtail Pinout

The Band Data pigtail can control a VL-1000 amplifier when set internally to control an amplifier. The normal mode is for the CAT/Tuner function, but it can be rearranged with an internal jumper (shown on page 19 of the manual) to control an amplifier. If you're curious about how the signals work in that mode, the table below shows the logic depending on the band selected. The images to help explain this better are shown here. Yaesu FT-100D Band Data Output map H=4.4 vdc L=0 vdc Band 1.8 3.24 A H L H L H L H L B L H H L L H H L C L L L H H H H L D L L L L L L L H

28 H L L H

50 L H L H

144 H H L H

440 L L H H
CTCSS and memory functions
Storing CTCSS frequencies in memory along with frequencies is a bit tricky. When putting frequencies into memory from the VFO you must have encode on and the display
must show ENC for the CTCSS tone to go into memory. If the main display does not show ENC when the frequency is put into memory, the CTCSS setting is not stored.

Duplexers

The ATAS100 is designed to tune on all the bands on which the radio transmits including 2m and 70cm. This requires a duplexer like the Diamond MX62M or the Comet CF706 to connect the VHF/UHF and HF pigtails together. (The actual cross-over frequency between the pigtails is 70.5Mhz.) However, many people prefer to use a separate antenna for the VHF/UHF bands since those antennas typically cost about the same price as a duplexer and usually have some gain whereas the ATAS100 has no gain on VHF/UHF. Also, with separate antennas you don't have to worry about retuning when switching between VHF/UHF and HF. A consideration when using a duplexer is that the DC voltage for tuning the ATAS-100 is supplied through the HF pigtail. Therefore, this pigtail must always be connected to the ATAS for tuning purposes. Also, it must not be capacitively coupled inside the duplexer or it will block the DC motor control voltage.

Extra Bands

You may have noticed two extra bands appear while moving through the normal ham bands using the up/down keys. Apparently, the rig remembers an extra band for HF and another for V/U portions of the radio. If you tune outside a normal ham HF band either accidentally or intentionally, you'll notice that this band will now appear in a list of bands as you use the up/down keys. The same is true for the V/U side of the radio. For example, if you tune to the weather band at 162 Mhz, it will appear in the list between the 2M and 70cm bands. Short of resetting the radio, there's no way to get rid of these bands. Some have elected to move them to the end of the list by tuning a frequency below 160M or above 70cm so that they don't appear inside the list of bands.

Factory Modifications

There are two common modifications retrofitted to the FT100s manufactured prior to 2001. These include the fixes for the Intermittent High SWR ICON problem and the VHF/UHF thermal sensor modification to enable the fans in the V/U receive mode. Although there had been reports that new radios included the SWR mod, the mod has been through several iterations and it's possible that even radios purchased today do not include the 'final' mod with the screws, but rather just the copper tape held on with adhesive.
Intermittent High SWR ICON
Some owners have had trouble with the HIGH SWR Icon appearing while attempting to transmit on certain bands. The most common advice is to make sure that the antenna mount and radio are properly grounded via some heavy braided material to the vehicle chassis. Some owners have had success in using clamp-on ferrites with the separation kit 17
cable wrapped several times around the ferrite to block common mode current from getting back into the rig. Ten meters seems particularly prone to the problem. Changing the feedline length has also helped in some cases, but this seems to move the problem around more than solving it at the root cause. Also, some owners have found that fixing the grounding of the LPF board by adding solder around the screw holes and in some cases tightening the screws or adding star washers was sufficient to make their grounding problems go away. However, there is a very effective modification that has worked in every case. The mod involves fixing the grounding in the coax sockets on LPF of the radio and a metal shield on the Main Unit. A degradation in the LPF grounding can cause the rig to break into oscillation (even at lower power) causing the HIGH SWR icon to appear intermittently even with a good antenna match on the higher HF bands. The mod will eliminate this oscillation and the high SWR reports. Here are a few pictures of the factory installed mod. The adhesive copper tape has been replaced screws or clamps that are attached to the casting web. Note that on the upper strap, they have added a screw and the lower strap was added and soldered to the shield as well as the coax and also screwed to the casting.

Keypad Frequency Entry

There is no way to key frequencies into the FT100 via the microphone's numeric keypad (standard on US models). That numeric keypad is only used for touch tone encoding when the PTT is held. However, John Hansen, W2FS, has designed an auxiliary keypad called the Millenium QSYer that can be used to enter frequencies from an external keypad. The cost is US$70 for the kit or US$95 for the assembled and tested unit. It can also be used with the Yaesu FT817 and Icom IC706 mobile radios. For details and ordering see http://www.john.hansen.net/keypad.htm

Manual Revisions

The manual revision can be determined by the part number of the manual. This number is located directly below the barcode on the back cover of the manual and will have a format like 'E08981003'. The number on the lower left-hand corner of the back cover with the format such as 9907V-EY is the printing lot number and does not contain information relevant to the revision of the manual. Another common question asked is where one can get a copy of the owner's manual, preferably on line. You can find it on http://k0lee.com/images/FT-100D%20Manual.pdf. 25
There is also an FCC site that has manual, schematic, and other information related to the submission for approval by the FCC. Unfortunately, this information is quite out of date since a product is normally submitted to the FCC well in advance of its actual availability and the manual is often just a rough draft of the finished manual. An exploded view of the rig can be found on http://k0lee.com/images/FT100%20Exploded%20View.pdf. There is also an effort underway to make the alignment procedures available on http://k0lee.com/techsupp.htm. The FCC site can be found at: http://www.fcc.gov/oet/fccid/. To get the information, use the Grantee code K66, and the equipment product code FT-100, and select View Exhibits. Here you may view schematics, photos, block diagram, parts lists and a PDF version of the user manual. The manual shown appears to be only a rough draft with 36 pages of information vs. 108 in the finished manual. It contains no illustrations. The manual and schematics were scanned and converted to.pdf and you will find resolution of the schematics is not high enough to be usable. It is highly recommended that if you lost your manual or bought a used radio without one, that you contact Yaesu Parts and purchase a new one.

Memory Programming

There are a few common difficulties in programming the memories. The radio has a mode to allow rapid tuning through the memories by skipping unused memory locations. This feature must be disabled to store frequencies in an unused memory location. To disable it, place the rig in memory mode by pressing the VFO/M button until MEM is shown in the display. Then hit the STEP key to enable or disable the vacant memories selection. Reverse the procedure with the same sequence. Turning the SELECT knob will help you to determine if the radio is in rapid mode if you see it is jumping over unused memory locations. Another difficulty is getting the memories stuck in a particular memory group. The main memory [1-300] is divided up into 6 separate 50-memory groups. You can restrict tuning to a single group by pressing in on the SELECT dial for 1/2 seconds while in MEM mode. You reverse the procedure with the same sequence. You will see an GCH appear in the lower left hand corner of the display if you are locked into a particular memory group 1 through 6. Pressing the SELECT for 1/2 seconds will put it back in memory channel mode and it will display MCH in the lower left hand corner. If you are not careful and only press the SELECT momentarily, it will put you in VFO mode and you'll have to press the VFO/M key to get back into memory mode. This is not explained correctly on page 71 of the manual. There are no provisions for alpha numeric labeling of the memories in the FT100.

Mic adapter

PowerWerx (www.powerwerx.com) sell an adapter to connect standard base microphones to the FT100. For the lordly sum of $30,-- you are the proud owner of a short piece of wire with a cheap connector on both ends.
It might be cheaper to do it yourself. (In fact it is. much cheaper.) Here's what you need to know: The up/down/PTT switches are all connected to the SW1 line on the FT100 microphone jack. Different resistor values address different buttons:
The pin-out on the FT-100 / 90 / 8100 Mic jack is as follows:
Pin 1: SW 2 multi-function switching Pin 2: N.C. (9600bps packet data output FT-90) Pin 3: + 9 v Pin 4: GND Pin 5: Microphone Input Pin 6: SW 1 PTT, UP, DOWN The circuit below gives you PTT, UP, DOWN, ACC, P, P1, and P. Don't forget that you can program the functions of P, P1 and P2 on the FT-100:
When you try to use various mics with the FT-100D you may find that you have muffled or very low apparent audio drive level. This may be due to the fact that the mic you are trying to use has a relatively high output impedance as compared to the input impedance of the FT-100D. This can result in the low audio and/or muffled transmit audio problems. There is a pre-amp design available at http://hometown.aol.com/ampmicro.

Mic Buttons

The microphone MH36B has a complete set of numeric buttons but they cannot be used for numeric frequency input. They can only be used to send DTMF tones in FM mode by holding in the PTT and simultaneously pressing the numeric sequence. There is no audio
feedback provided to the user while sending the tones. There are also 4 buttons labeled A, B, C, and D but there is no documented use for these keys.

Microphone modification

This modification to the stock microphone will bring you excellent transmit audio reports: Open the mic case. Remove the 3 larger internal screws and the 1 smaller screw in the microswitch. Move the PC board away from the tiny mic element so you can access it. VERY carefully remove the tiny electret mic element from its cylindrical housing using a fine tipped tool. Work it out beginning at the edge where you can pull on the rubber "grommet". Shake the plastic baffle out of the electret housing. Carefully force a sewing needle through the 3rd mic hole that's normally blocked. Insert the electret element back into its cylindrical housing carefully, leaving the plastic baffle out. Re-assemble the mic case. Set the MIC gain to about 55 and enjoy the excellent transmit audio that was previously limited by the plastic "noise baffle". The improvement is dramatic. Note that most hams in Europe seem to have an MH-42b microphone on their FT100/FT100D (the version without DTMF buttons). The MH-42b mic DOES NOT NEED THIS MOD. Instead of the two-out-of-three holes there is a slit in the mike housing, and the plastic baffle is made out of loosely compressed fibers in this version, which does not block sound noticeably. As a result, this mic doesn't have any audio problems. So if you have an MH-42b mic, just leave it as it is. :-)

Frequency MHz 100% dBm 43.3 47.1 49.7 50.0 W 21.4 51.3 93.3 100.0 50% dBm 39.3 43.2 45.1 45.3 W 8.5 20.9 32.4 33.9 10% dBm 33.5 37.4 42.5 38.1 W 2.2 5.5 17.8 6.5 0% dBm 30.8 35.2 35.0 35.0 W 1.2 3.3 3.2 3.2
24.9 50.0 100.0 45.3 33.9 38.1 6.50.0 100.0 45.4 34.7 38.1 6.5 18.15 50.0 100.0 45.3 33.9 38.1 6.50.0 100.0 45.3 33.9 38.1 6.5 10.1 49.9 97.7 45.2 33.1 38.0 6.49.8 95.5 45.2 33.1 38.0 6.3 Measured with HP432 + Narda 40dB attenuator ** Power sensor range from 10MHz to 12Ghz All readings at 100% power on all bands: Frequency Output (MHz) (Watts) 30 62
35.0 35.0 35.0 35.1 35.0 34.9
3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.2 3.1 **

Frequency

Frequency 54

Watts 28

50 Mhz

Frequency Watts

169 170

VHF 40 Watts VHF

Frequency 440 441

Watts 22 22

UHF Watts 470 UHF
Power Connectors/Line Filters
An excellent source for power connectors can be found at www.powerwerx.com. They carry the OEM connectors and shells for the FT100 (and other rigs) as well as the Anderson Powerpole connectors which allows you to make up cables so that it's easier to interchange different brands of radios with various power supplies. They also carry line filters to reduce alternator whine from the DC power source.
PSK31/SSTV/etc. soundcard interface with the FT100
Operating soundcard programs like PSK31 is accomplished by using the DATA Jack on the rear panel of the radio. The definitions of the jack as provided on pages 20 and 21 of the manual are: Pin 1: Data In (AFSK input for soundcard) Pin 2: GND Pin 3: PTT Pin 4: 9600 Baud out Pin 5: 1200 Baud out (audio out for soundcard) Pin 6: Squelch
It is necessary to build a circuit or purchase and interface prior to using soundcard programs. There are several sources on the web that describe these interface circuits. You can find them at: http://www.qsl.net/wm2u/psk31.html http://krasnodar.online.ru/hamradio/soundint.htm http://www.qsl.net/kb8wow/Psk_Interface_Page1.html
If you would prefer to purchase an interface, there are several options: A kit complete with cables and enclosure $25 ($39 assembled) http://www.packetradio.com/PSK31.htm Rigblaster complete kit fully assembled $90 (but not available with FT100 data connector) http://www.westmountainradio.com/RIGblaster.htm Buscommco fully assembled interface $50 configured for FT100 www.buxcommco.com
The cable for the DATA jack is the CT39 and costs U.S.$10 from Yaesu. Jon, WA2NKF, put together a diagram on how to interface a soundcard to the FT100 using the CT39 or other 6-pin DIN connector. It is a very simple interface with a minimal number of external components to enable the PTT:
Sandor, KG4FET, has had good success using the FT100 for PSK31 and recommends using the USB mode (not RTTY mode). Playing around with RTTY or AFSK mode settings on the FT100 will only cause confusion. Sandor also used 1:1 600-ohm isolation transformers on the TX and RX lines as well as an opto-isolator for the PTT.

Problems with FT100 radios
Several owners of the early FT100 radios experienced failures of the V/U output transistor. The word from Yaesu was that solder flux left on the board was to blame. Another common issue is related to the Intermittent High SWR ICON problem discussed elsewhere in this document. Overheating on V/U receive was also an issue on units manufactured prior to 2001 and can be fixed with a thermal sensor modification that Yaesu has applied as a retrofit. The ATAS100 antennas seemed to have a rash of early failures where they refused to move after a while. This appears to have been corrected with a new H bridge that drives the motor.

Repeater Offsets

The repeater offsets are determined by the values set in menu items 40-43. If you need to program a memory that has a non-standard offset, use the DUP memories since the repeater offset is not stored with the other parameters in the standard memory locations (1-300). Frank, PA4FR, adds this information as an alternative to using DUP memories: FT-100 ARS (automatic repeater shift) might be activated for 2m and 70 CM bands separately. ARS is default enabled for both bands. When ARS is enabled, any (!!) manual change to repeater offset or repeater on/off setting is overridden when you change the channel. The is actually logical, since ARS defines a certain repeater offset and a certain set of repeater channels (band-plan). Any changes that violate these ARS settings are "reset" when changing channel. This is especially confusing in Europe, where the 70CM repeater band-plan differs per country and therefore the "pre-programmed" repeater band-plan often is not correct. The solution: knowing this "strategy" behind ARS operation makes figuring out a solution very simple: just disable ARS (most likely on 70CM only). Then set one of the VFOs into the 70CM repeater band and enable repeater shift. YES: repeater shift setting will be stored with 70CM VFO setting and will remain active when changing channels. Such a channel can be stored into memory and repeater shift and offset will be stored with it. (Note that the repeater-shift on/off setting is tied to the VFO and band, just as it is with other settings like APO) So, it's not a firmware bug, it's a feature - it's meant to be like this.

RF Exposure

Because the antenna is so close to the occupants of the vehicle with a mobile rig, some owners have expressed concern about whether or not the installation of the ATAS100 would comply with the FCC's guidelines on RF exposure. I had my ATAS mounted on 37
the corner of the hood which puts it about as close as possible to the driver. Here are the results of my RF field strength measurements using a Haladay HI3004 RF field strength meter when running a 100W FM signal as measured in the front seat near the driver's head: Band 10M 12M 15M 17M 20M 40M Field strength 8 V/m 20 V/m 15 V/m 15 V/m 12 V/m 16 V/m

Next, to get into the alignment mode, turn the radio off, now press the [A], [B], and [C] keys, and hold them in while you turn the radio on. Now press and hold the [FUNC] key, as you normally would to get into the Menu. You'll find that the Menu is now different. Rotate the selector knob until you find "F-07 [S FULL SCALE]" on the display. Make a note of the current setting of this item, so you can go back to it if you want to. Now adjust this item just like any other Menu item, by rotating the main dial, until you get a full scale reading on the S-meter. There also is an adjustment of the 144 MHz RF Gain (F-01) and the 144 MHz IF Gain (F-05). Perhaps a little adjustment to the RF Gain would help with the weak repeaters. Whatever you do, make a note of the original settings of these items. Adding too much front end gain can degrade the intermodulation performance of the receiver section. Also, if you change the RF or IF Gain, the S-meter indication will change, too. Press the [FUNC] key to exit the alignment mode.
If you have the equipment for it, you can more accurately adjust the s-meter by injecting a 14.200 MHz signal in USB mode into the antenna at +95dbmicroVolt and adjust F07 to read S9+60dB. You could also adjust it for an S9 reading on 40 Meters using 50 microvolts rms for S9, then "re-calibrate" the S meter mentally by remembering that above S5 the "S reading" is one S unit higher than actual, and also that S9+20dB is actually S9+15dB, S9+40 is S9+25 and S9+60 is S9+35. There is only a single adjustment for the S meter which amounts to a DC offset. (It's NOT a scalar!) All you can do is shove the entire curve one way or the other. Most simple RSL indication circuits at least use a DC offset along with a DC gain setting. The latter allows you to set the steepness of the indicated RSL (receive signal level) function. The whole business is about proper interpretation of either a detector output or the AGC voltage. The FT-100D uses the AGC voltage to generate the indicated RSL. But they only included one control (DC offset) to you're really limited in terms of setting the accuracy of it. Probably the best thing to do is to calibrate it on your favorite band for the standard 50 microvolts RMS (single sinusoid) for S9 and perhaps characterize your "indicated RSL versus actual RSL" so at least you know how to translate what the meter is indicating. FT100D CW signal. Assume first segment is S2 based on relationship to segment which corresponds to S9.

Separation kit (YSK100)

The separation kit is intended to allow the display/user interface portion of the radio to be physically separated from the chassis of the radio to facilitate installation in confined spaces. There are three cables included with the kit. One cable connects the front panel of the radio to the radio chassis. Another cable is an extension for the microphone and the third is an extension for the external speaker. There is a convenience to having three separate cables because it gives you more flexibility in mounting the display, microphone, and external speaker. There is also a plastic bracket to hold the display. It has a quick release feature similar to the radio chassis, but is not as convenient to use because the latch is harder to reach and to actuate. The price of the kit is US$79.95.

Serial Numbers

Yaesu appears to use the following format for serial numbers on their amateur products: Year of manufacture-Month of manufacture-Production Run-Individual Unit number Example: 9D051234 = 1999, February (second month, or "D"), Production Run 05, unit #1234 in this run. (Apparently Yaesu does not use the letters A or B as a letter in the second position, hence the first month, January, would be a 'C', February is a 'D', etc.) Some members have reported that they are receiving models beginning with 9D at late as February, 2000 while others are getting units with serial numbers beginning with 9I. It is unlikely that the 9D units are factory refurbished but rather units that had been accumulating waiting to be updated to the latest revision level and sold as new. Refurbished products are required by law to be marked as such.
Sidetone/Beep Volume Adjustment
The sidetone/beep volume can be adjusted using VR1004 (labeled VR04 on the board). It is located under the top cover adjacent to the speaker connection. Be very careful as this pot is very small and can easily be damaged.
Squelch settings for FM and SSB
As shipped, the squelch threshold on the FT100 is the same for FM and SSB. As you change from 144 Mhz FM operations to HF SSB operation it's preferable to have the squelch open up in SSB mode and then close when going back to FM mode without having to change the SQL/RF control all the time. This can be accomplished by changing Menu F08 (SSB SQL) in the secondary menus. For example, set the F-menu F08 value from 003 to around 050 to get the desired squelch behavior.

V/U MESFET pre-amp adjustment
When the FT-100 is in receive mode on VHF or UHF, now and then the squelch may 'splatter'. To clarify, what happens is this: The S-meter indicates brief peaks from S1 to S9++ (like there's a lot of static or irregular spark-induced QRM) The green 'busy' LED goes on and off Lots of 'static-like' crackling sounds come from the speaker
This all looks like there's just a lot of QRM'ish noise on the frequency, but when you turn the squelch threshold knob counterclockwise to open up the squelch, the whole phenomenon disappears. If there really was static or QRM being received, this should not happen. Also, if you turn the squelch threshold knob fully clockwise, the speaker remains muted but the 'busy' LED and the S-meter still indicate irregular, intermittent and brief signal peaks. This is caused by spurious responses in the V/U MesFet pre-amps, the SGM2016s. The cure is to go into the hidden F menus , hold in the ABC keys and power the radio on and then press the function key and rotate the dial until you come to the F menus and the first on will be F01 and once you find F01 the VHF receivers RF gain, lower the DAC value to 115 and then go to F02, the UHF receivers RF gain, and lower its DAC value to 106. You may want to note the original DAC values and write them down just for reference. Some users have had this problem and lowering the DAC value for each pre-amp cured it. IMD tests with the original values and the lowered values show no difference in sensitivity, nor any change in 3rd order intercept point. There is however a marked reduction in spurious response. Apparently the radios are set up with a generic factory programmed DAC value and not by actually measuring intercept points or by looking around the receiver range for spurious responses. The DAC values have nothing to do directly with controlling the gain such as controlling an attenuator value, all the DAC does is set the bias to the MESFETs and they are borderline unstable at the bias setting with the factory DAC values.

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