Subject: Yaesu FT-50R Guide V 1.1
From: childers
The (In)Complete Guide to the Yaesu FT-50 Version 1.1
Compiled by Bill Childers, KE6VVW
Disclaimer & Other Nonsense
The information in this document is a guide to the FT-50 ONLY.
Having had more than a few radios in my amateur experience, I
understand how most hams wish to learn as much about their rigs as
possible. I have compiled this guide to allow other people to
learn more about the radio without having to search all over for
information. I do not guarantee the validity of this information,
as Yaesu may change programming or hardware so that some of the
techniques in this document may cease to function. I am not
responsible if these instructions damage your rig in some way. All
I can say is that I have performed the following procedures to my
unit, and I am quite pleased with the results. Your mileage may
vary, etc.
History
Version 1.0
1st introduced.
Version 1.1
Added:Game mode, Changed High Power Mod to "Internal System
Alignment". In this section I also detail the squelch and S-meter
adjustments. Also added info to the bug on the FTT-12 Keypad.
Introduction
The Yaesu FT-50 is perhaps the most unique VHF/UHF Handheld
manufactured today. Itüs made to MIL-SPEC 810, for dust,
splashproofness, and vibration. Out of the box, it has not only
dual band 2m/440 capability, but wide FM receive and AM receive as
well. In addition, it receives 76-200 MHz, 380-500 MHz, and
700-900 MHz (Cellular Blocked). It has one of the fastest scan
speeds for an amateur HT. It also has the unique ability (w/
ADMS-1C software) to interface with an IBM PC running Windows and
have memories and settings uploaded/downloaded. In addition, it
has DCS (digital coded squelch), ARTS (auto-ranging transpond
system), and Yaesuüs excellent transmit and receive battery saver
features. It also uses Yaesuüs extremely efficent FET power module
that allows for 5W+ of output power with a 9.6V battery pack. With
the optional FTT-12 keypad, the unit also performs CTCSS decode,
DTMF paging, and also incorporates a Digital Voice Recorder! All
of this functionality in such a small package makes it my rig of
choice.
Problems (Bugs)
Unfortunately, the FT-50 is plagued by a few bugs. None of them
are very serious or life-threatening, just a bit annoying. First
among them is its Wide-FM receive. Apparently Yaesu engineers
didnüt put a wide enough filter in the unit, and some of the
bandwidth of broadcast FM signals gets "chopped off". This means
that the rig is near useless for listening to music on the
broadcast FM band. It works marginally with voice only on the same
band. My opinion on this problem: If you want to listen to music,
bring a small Walkman or other transistor radio with you. The ü50
does an adequate job of bringing voice signals in on broadcast FM,
so itüs good for listening to emergency broadcasts.
The second "bug" lies in the optional FTT-12 keypad. The manual
for the radio states that you can set up a "voice mail" type of
functionality that lets your radio operate unattended and record
calls for you. This mode doesnüt work correctly, although the
built-in voice recorder works great. It seems that the unit will
playback the wrong voice partition. The problem appears to be in
the DTMF page-answer-back area. If youüre buying the ü50 and
FTT-12 solely for this purpose, DONüT! It doesnüt work and thereüs
no current workaround.
The third bug has been complained about a bit. It seems that some
þ50s suffer from a low Tx audio problem. This is due to a factory
adjustment that is set a bit on the low side. It is easily fixed.
(See Factory Adjustments below).
The fourth "bug" is synergistic with the ADMS-1C software. If
there is some kind of problem in downloading a file to the radio,
the software aborts with an error, and the rig is left with itüs
memories cleared in a "limbo" state. This state is actually the
European band plan, and if done properly, the rig can be modified
to receive even more frequencieså which will be described later.
(See modification section) However, if you want to return the rig
to its natural state, simply download a blank frequency file
(NONAME.RDF) to the unit. All should be well.
Factory adjustments
If your rig suffers from the low Tx audio problem, hereüs how to
fix it.
1. Remove the battery and antenna.
2. Remove the "NiCd" sticker on the heat sink. If you remove it
very carefully, itüs possible to re-install it later with the same
stickum thatüs on it.
3. Look in the cavity where you removed the sticker. Proceeding
from left to right, hereüs what youüll seeå
Phillips head Screw (Holds the keypad in)
Small Silver Potentiometer (VR1001°VHF Deviation
Adjustment)
Small Silver Potentiometer (VR1002°UHF Deviation
Adjustment)
Small White Potentiometer (TC1001°DONT TOUCH! CTCSS Tone
Adjustment!!!)
Phillips head Screw (Holds the keypad in)
4. Take a small Phillips head Screwdriver and turn both VR1001 and
VR1002 about 1/8 turn clockwise. This will increase the VHF and
UHF deviation and fix the low Tx audio problem. If itüs not enough
Tx audio, simply turn both pots another 1/8 turn. Make sure to
turn both pots the same amount!
5. Replace the NiCd sticker, battery, and antenna.
6. Youüre Done!
Internal System Alignment (May not work on some radios)
NOTE:This setting appears to work on radios that have NO MEMORIES
programmed. You might want to try STEP 3 before clearing your
memories. If step 3 doesnüt work, you probably need to clear your
memories. BE CAREFUL with these settingså itüs possible to really
mess the rig up by setting some funky squelch or somethingå you
might want to write the default settings for your rig down.
1. Select 2m VFO frequency.
2. Turn the radio off.
3. Push LAMP, PTT, Knob, and PWR at the same time. The rig will
turn on with the squelch open, so turn the volume down!
4. The ü50 will display "BAND xxxxxx" where xxxx may differ
depending on your radio and whatever mods you may have performed.
5. Turn the top knob. There are a variety of settings available.
Here is a listing of them:
ù HSSQ:Squelch Hysteresis Adjustment, adjusted by the dial.
ù THSQ:Squelch Preset Threshold
ù TISQ:Squelch Preset Tight
ù S1LV:Low-Scale S-1 Adjustment.
ù S9LV:S-Meter Full Scale Adjustment.
ù HIPO:Hi Transmit Power Adjustment:Should be calibrated for 5W
(Can be pushed higher with a 13.8V Supply)
ù L3PO:Level 3 Power Adjustment: Should be adjusted for 2.8W.
ù L2PO:Level 2 Power Adjustment:Should be adjusted for 1W.
ù L1PO:Level 1 Power Adjustment:Should be adjusted for .1W.
6. Select the adjustment you wish.
7. Push in the Top knob. There will be a "s" that appears next to
the displayed number.
8. Rotate the knob to change the setting.
9. Change other settings, if desired.
10. Push the knob for more than 1 sec to save the profile.
11. Select 440 VFO frequency.
12. Repeat Steps 3-10 to adjust the UHF Settings. UHF Settings will
have a "U" in front of them.
Modifications
The FT-50 is extremely easy to modify. The first modification is
performed for you at the factoryå but for those of you who
accidently disabled it, or changed itå here it is.
Extended U.S. Receive Mod (Expands receive from 144-148 & 430-450
to 76-200, 380-500, 800-999 þcell blockedü) NOTE:All
memories will be erased.
1. Turn the transceiver off.
2. Hold down the Knob and Lamp keys while powering the unit on.
3. The unit now has U.S. Extended Receive.
MARS/CAP mod (Extended Transmit Mod:app. 144-159, 420-470) NOTE:
All memories will be erased.
Donüt transmit on bands that youüre not licensed for!! Besides
being illegal, it creates problems for people using those
frequencies.
1. Remove battery & antenna
2. Remove NiCd Sticker on Rear Heat Sink
3. Loosen (Donüt Remove) Philips head screws on rear that hold
keypad in.
4. Use screws as thumb holds to press keypad out.
5. Remove screws.
6. Remove Keypad.
7. Under Keypad on Left Side there is a series of Solder Jumpers.
They are labeled in white from 1-3. Only #1 will have solder
jumpering it. Remove the solder, being careful not to damage or
touch any other components. WARNING: If youüre not good at
desoldering, or have shaky hands, you might want to have someone
else do this for you. Itüs REAL easy to damage the rig.
8. Reinstall Keypad. Be careful of the O-ring around the keypad.
Make sure itüs not twisted or damaged, as the waterproofness of the
unit could be compromised.
9. Install sticker, battery and antenna.
10. Hold down Knob and Lamp keys while powering the unit on.
(Extended Receive Mod as above.)
11. Completed!
Super-Hyper Awesome Modå The mother of all Mods!!! (Requires
ADMS-1C software and MARS/CAP mod to be performed)
Receive:76-999 Mhz (No displayable holes!!!)
Transmit:120-221 Mhz, 320-499 Mhz (AGAIN, Donüt transmit on
frequencies where youüre not licensed)
NOTE:This mod will disable ARS (automatic repeater shift) and will
set 2m and 440 repeater offset to
weird numbers. Make sure you enter repeater offset and +-
shift manually. Repeater offset needs
be set once for the rig, then it should be able to be
forgotten about. It will also clear memories.
Remember above where I mentioned the ADMS-1C software having a bug?
Hereüs where the enterprising and curious ham can take advantage
of that. This mod will install the European band plan in your
radioåso without the MARS/CAP mod you will lose the top portion of
your 2m band.
1. Are there frequencies in your radio? Donüt want to lose them?
Simply get the data from your radio as it sitså you can "merge" the
frequencies later. Save the file.
2. Perform the MARS/CAP mod as outlined above. Get the data from
the mod and name it USA.RDF.
3. Attempt to send the same data to the radio. In the middle of
the transfer (around 50%), pull the adapter cable to the PC out of
the radio.
4. Thanks to the bug, your radio is now in European mode! Perform
the Extended Receive Mod by holding the Knob and Lamp keys down
while turning the unit on.
5. Now, the Automatic Repeater offset doesnüt work. Thereüs no
workaround. Note that the 2m offset has been changed to 0.00. Go
to the menu by holding down the knob. Go to SHFT, Option 7. Press
the knob. Turn the knob so that it reads 0.60. Press PTT.
6. Now, turn off the radio. Put it back into clone mode. Read the
data back from the radio to the PC and save the file as EURO.RDF.
7. If you want to enter frequencies manually or using ADMS as
normal, go ahead. Everything should work. If you saved
frequencies as above, open EURO.RDF and "merge" the frequencies
from your USA.RDF file into it, and save it as another name. Then
send the modified EURO.RDF (your filename) file back to the radio
using the "template" file EURO.RDF. Youüre done!
8. To return the radio back to the U.S. band plan, send the USA.RDF
file back to it.
Note that I have no way of measuring the sensitivity of the
frequencies or the output power of the rig outside of the ham
bands. The 220 coverage seems to be very poor, however, the radio
does display 220 frequencies. It wonüt transmit on our 220 bands,
though. 800 Mhz receive is vastly improved.
Game Mode
The FT-50R includes an interesting "game" thatüs programmed into
it. Hereüs how it works:
1. Power up the radio while holding down the MR key. (PWR + MR).
2. The display will show GAME on the left side, and Spd 1 on the
right. Youüre in game mode!
3. By rotating the knob, you can change the speed of the game.
Higher numbers are faster.
4. Press PTT to start the game.
5. Numbers will start to scroll across the screen from
left-to-right. As they come, you are supposed to push the number
on the keypad that makes a sum of ten, followed by F. Example: 6
appears, press 4, F. If 0 appears, enter 10 followed by F.
6. The game is over when the screen fills up with numbers.
7. To exit the game, simply cycle the power.
