New radio

[Joseph Johnston]

Hello everyone, Joseph Johnston kd2syn here. 

My great grandfather, Patrick O'Connors k1qvf  just moved to a nursing home and wants to gift me his old Yaesu FT757GX transceiver. The problem is that we can't find the accessories to go with it. I was wondering if anyone has any advice, or could even give me the things I need. I looked it up and saw that this particular model is discontinued.

Joseph 

KD2SYN 

[Ray Rounds]

Hi Joseph,

What kinds of accessories are you looking for? Does it have the power cord and microphone? To get you started, you’ll need an antenna and likely tuning but what you have is pretty much a great getting started HF rig. 

Ray Rounds, K6RAX 

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[Joseph Johnston]

Hello Ray: 

Last I heard, we couldn't find even the cord or mic. It will be my first HF rig, I started with just a handheld and then didn't operate for several years, so I don't have any of the parts.

Joseph 

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[David Eckhardt]

You will also need a regulated 20 ampere 13.6 VDC power supply.  

Dave - WØLEV

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Dave - WØLEV

[David Eckhardt]

I looked at the back of the radio from the User's Manual.  It uses a female 4-pin connector which may be hard to find.  I have several - somewhere, maybe even connected to Power Poles.  With that, we can make a power cord.  Let me know if you can't locate the 12 VDC power cord.  

Dave - WØLEV

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Dave - WØLEV

[Dana Whitlow]

If the radio really uses a female power connector, then the

associated male will have protruding pins.  Not such a good

idea for a 250(ish) W power source.

I'd suggest looking into replacing the connector on the radio

before anything else.

Dana

K8YUM (in limbo)

Kerrville, TX

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[Joseph Johnston]

Dana, you're saying that the pins are an electrocution risk?

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[David Eckhardt]

The mating connector is female, which I have (somewhere).  The connector on the back of the radio is a 4-pin male.  

Dave - WØLEV

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Dave - WØLEV

[Dana Whitlow]

Hi Joeph,

Not really a shock hazatrd at ~12V.

However, with 20A behind that 12V, a

possibly-significant fire starting hazard.

Also a prolonged short on the output

of the power supply could damage or

ruin the supply independent of whether

it starts a fire.

And things do get disconnected some

times, such as by your child nosing

around the shack, or perhaps your cat.

I've never had children, but I have 

learned from experience that there is

basically no limit to what a cat can do!

I still love cats anyway!

Dana

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[will...@gmail.com]

Hi Joe,

There are 20-35 amp switching supplies that are available fairly inexpensively. More than likely, you can get power cables and microphones from eBay. I have not looked. If you are looking for the FIF-232 (computer interface) for the future, I do have one.

 

As far as antennas, a simple dipole, vertical, and lots of choices. It’s a matter of what you want to do and what you want to work. Hopefully it will help you get on the air!

 

Will WC2L

 

 

William Liporace WC2L

https://www.wc2l.com or https://dxc.wc2l.com

AR-Cluster Node  telnet dxc.wc2l.com 7373 or 144.93 MHz

Will.wc2l@gmailcom

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[Jeff DePolo WN3A]

Looks like a common 4-pin Jones plug which, although no longer in production, aren’t hard to find.  Check the manual for the pinout – you’ll likely find that two pins are DC- (ohm out to chassis) and two are DC+.

 

https://www.surplussales.com/items/113317/cinch-jones-4-blade-female-connector/

 

                                                          --- Jeff WN3A

 

From: ham...@googlegroups.com <ham...@googlegroups.com> On Behalf Of David Eckhardt
Sent: Saturday, October 18, 2025 5:09 PM
To: ham...@googlegroups.com
Subject: Re: [HamSCI] New radio

 

The mating connector is female, which I have (somewhere).  The connector on the back of the radio is a 4-pin male.  

 

 

Dave - WØLEV

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[Bill Mader]

To describe this connector as a safety hazard is doing the same for any connector that uses "female" pins, for example including Anderson PowerPoles.  One would need to insert a conductor into the correct pair of pins to short the power supply which probably has over-current shut down.  And, if properly installed, has fuses in its output.  Please be reasonable in your assertions.

73, Bill, K8TE

[Dana Whitlow]

  The connector on the radio as shown is a male connector

and is not problem.  However, it was described in the first

appearance of this question as "female", and that is what I

objected to.

Dana

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[Larry Dodd]

Elkhart,

You can find those four pin connectors as well as the power supply on eBay. 

CEA-4P-DC#4-20A 13.6 VDC 4-pin Power Cord for Heath, Kenwood & Yaesu Ham Radios

Larry K4LED

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[Dave Rogers]

Hi Joseph,

I assume you know the obvious things needed to put a radio on the air, I suggest searching on Ebay.  I just looked for accessories listed for your specific radio and found many.

73

Dave

KB9YYM

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[Joseph Johnston]

I should need: 

Transceiver 

Microphone 

Antenna, either a beam which would probably require a rotator, or an omnidirectional antenna such as a vertical, it might be good to have something unobtrusive because there's an apartment building next door 

Coaxial cable, amount dependent on the arrangement of the other components.

Power supply 

Grounding (how do I do this?)

Potentially a computer and the cord to connect to the radio if I wanted to do digital modes 

Morse key if I wanted to do code 

Have I missed anything crucial?

Joseph Johnston 

KD2SYN 

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[Joseph Johnston]

I forgot to mention an antenna tuner, which might depend on what type of antenna I'm using 

[Bruce Crandall]

Joseph - I sent you a lengthy reply to pers. email.  from kn4gdx.

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73

[David Eckhardt]

It's a bit early with your "introduction" to HF ham radio.  But, something you might consider is specifically what your main interests are with the HF spectrum now available to you with the new radio.  That decision could drive your choice of antenna(s) in a big way.  In this respect, an item I'd add to your list would be an antenna matching unit (AMU - otherwise known as an antenna "tuner").  Also add an SWR meter.  I'm a fan of a cross needle meter as most available meters to the amateur community do not allow for normalization to the forward power to properly read SWR.  That way you can use one antenna on several bands.  Many AMUs include a built-in SWR meter.    

Many of us started with some sort of simple dipole for 40 and/or 20 meters.  I started some 65+ years ago with a 40-meter dipole.  Building your own is far less expensive and you learn from the experience.   Do not believe all the marketingeeze when it comes to commercially available antennas and beware of "no radials required" or 6-bands with a single antenna.  Most of these can be quite problematic to "tune". 

GROUNDING:   Well, I may be flamed for what I am about to write, but......  ARRL for decades preached "gotta.....just gotta ground your station".  Why?  In the early days, house wiring did not require the "third wire" - the green wire - as a safety ground.  Today that has changed and the NEC requires the presence of the safety ground at all outlets.  So, why a "ground" or, more correctly, an earth connection.   It's strictly for safety and should have absolutely nothing to do with the functioning of any antenna.  

If your antenna requires an earth connection, a portion of the antenna is missing.  Sure, a vertical radiator requires an image plane, but that need not be a "ground" or earth connection.  In reality, a station "ground" (earth connection) is not required for proper RF operation.  

65+ years ago, I accepted the conventional knowledge that the station must be "earthed".  Over the intervening 6 or so decades and various QTHs, I have ignored that false requirement.  My present station is not specifically "earthed".  An additional earth connection is good only for a bleed of induced static charges due to near-by lightning discharges, wind, dust, snow, rain, and....  Other than that, an earth connection should not be considered necessary for the RF performance of the station. 

Just a few additional thoughts to help you get going on HF. 

Dave - WØLEV

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Dave - WØLEV

[Gerry Creager]

I just checked and they ARE available on eBay. Quick google search for FT757GX power cable, and you'll get a number of hits going to eBay directly. 

73

Gerry

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Gerry Creager N5JXS

It's kind of fun to do the impossible. -- Walt Disney

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