So I have been playing with the FT-101E a little bit here and there and did finally check the output by simply connecting a dummy load and following the factory tune-up procedure.
With a random wire and an antenna tuner, I am able to get 80′ of 26ga wire down to an SWR of 1:1.3 or so which is not too bad! The only problem is that I have to operate it against the side of my building (for the moment) which appears to attenuate much of what I hoped to receive, and as the saying goes: “you can’t work what you can’t hear”.
I am not entirely sure if it is a receiver issue or an antenna issue at this point. The old machine may have detector issues, or a faulty noise blanker (which when removed effectively cripples the radio). I would love to borrow an HF rig to test my set-up with. Perhaps I will just wait to buy a “real” daily-use machine and test with that – the only issue being cost. In a mere five weeks (plus four days), Julie and I are getting married so hobby associated spending has been at a minimum.
Some day I’ll have my own station … 🙂