Why I'm doing this, I have no idea. Maybe because I've had no takers on the sale of the rig plus a box full of parts, and the thing has been sitting in my dining room/project pile for far too long. Maybe it's because the first generation FT-901 is one of several pieces of equipment which lured me into ham radio - though I've bought, fixed and sold a few of that line over the years.
Maybe it's because - after all these years - the rig is still very high in the Sherwood Labs test rankings. And it's a worthwhile successor to the '901 series, having addressed most of that set's ills.
I bought this particular rig from FleaBay a while back, intending to use it as a donor radio for some projects. Two of which were WARC conversions of FT-901DMs I formerly owned then sold. (That's where the missing crystals went...!)
A couple of things about the 902 I dont care for as compared to the 901: First, the frequency readout and dial scale are yellow, as opposed to red and blue (respectively). Second, the VFO itself tunes in the opposite direction as its predecessor, making operation with the accessory FV-901DM a bit tiresome. The VFO units can easily be swapped between models, and I found a '901 unit online...which is what kickstarted this project. Similarly, the display LEDs can be swapped for a color of the user's choice - if one does enough parts sleuthing.
So now I have a partially disassembled '902 on my workbench. First order of business was to replace the cracked nylon gear which sits on the PA Loading variable capacitor shaft, transmitting motion from its control shaft. (Remember that stash of parts I mentioned? A spare was found therein.)
Much more to come as I work through this set and identify any problems (real or potential) then address them. Pictures too.
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