It a common account for many hobbyists. Curiosity stoked into a high level of excitement by a knowledgeable mentor, followed by investments in time and perhaps money confirming the desire to pursue the hobby. And then. . . life steps in an pulls the captivated soul onto different paths. For Craig (KI5PLA) that might have been the beginning and the end of the story except for two things.
First, a great mentor – a woman he met thirty years ago in Morgan City, LA – who got Craig in the hobby and later guided him to his Technician license. Second, that same person cementing Craig’s interest in amateur radio by passing along her Yaesu FT-101EE HF transceiver – her backup radio – to him. Combine those constituent parts with, perchance, a latent yet viable interest in the hobby waiting for the right opportunity to resurface, and thirty years later you have not an end to the story, but rather a new chapter.
Fast forward three decades. Craig recently passed his test for the General License. Then, he promptly walked into the clubhouse during open house this Saturday with his FT-101EE in hand wanting to see if the old steed still has some oomph.
Mike(W5CFT) and Andre(KI5BBQ) worked with Craig to power-up and attach the rig to one of JARC several antennas. Discussions 
and some testing then ensued on the transceiver. Vintage rigs such as the FT101EE captured the attention of just about every member at the clubhouse.
The FT101EE, known as the ‘workhorse’ in its heyday, is a solid-state (except finals) transceiver covering 160 through 10 meters in USB, LSB, CW and AM modes. The analog display provides 2 kHz accuracy. An eight-pole SSB filter red
uces QRM. Input power is 260 watts PEP on SSB, 180 watts on CW (50% duty cycle) and 80 watts AM (lower on 160 and 10 meters). It operates from 12 VDC 20 amps or 100-234 VAC. There is also an AUX range crystal position for any 500 kHz segment from 14.5-28 MHz. A standout design feature of the FT-101EE FT-101s; it was one of the first amateur radios to have plug-in circuit boards that could be returned for replacement or repair. Such a feature helped to extend the working life of the rig right up to today.
Those with a curious streak, though, might be tempted to ask the following questions. How the did the FT-101EE perform? And perhaps more importantly, how did Craig meet his lovely female elmer in Morgan City some thirty years ago? For those answers, listen on the air for Craig, or stop by the clubhouse one day and look him up. Thanks Craig for giving us the opportunity to see a fine classic radio.
By Greg (K5DEU)
