The YAESU Model FT-720RU

The YAESU Model FT-720R, another great find for my father-in-law, or "The old man from California" as he likes to refer to himself. In 1981 they wanted over $400 for this unit and my shrewd  father-in-law was able to gain possession of this jewel of Ham Radio history for a mere $30 at a swap meet.

This Model FT-720R was recently shipped back East to me so that I could bring it back to original spec. My father-in-law enjoys the "hunt" but cannot keep all of his treasures due to limited space.

The FT-720R Series is a compact VHF/UHF mobile, microprocessor controlled, transceiver that offered modular flexibility. Starting with the FT-720R Control Head, you could either connect a modular FT-720RU 10Watt RF Deck for 70cm (440.00-449.975 Mhz) operation or the FT-720RVH RF Deck for 25Watt operation on the 2M (144.00-147.99 Mhz)  band.

But wait, there's more, with the addition of the S-72 Switch Box, you could tether both the FT-720RVH and FT-720RU RF Decks to the FT-720R Control Head for dual band 2M/70cm operation!  Dual-band operation is taken for granted these days but was pretty revolutionary back in the 1980s. 

I possess a YAESU Model FT-720R with the attached FT-720RU RF Deck, which means it is setup for 70cm operation.

The FT-720R series is built like a tank and is very sturdy with an all metal case for the Control Head, Switch Box, and RF Deck modules. The metal knobs and buttons give you confidence that this YAESU was built to last!

The Control Head sports a LED (Light Emitting Diode) readout but many Ham Radio enthusiasts complain that the vintage LEDs are not visible in bright daylight, which could be a problem with in vehicle operation. 

I can't wait to dive into this project. It will start with fashioning an adapter cable allowing me to connect one of my other YAESU microphones to the Control Head. Followed by a "re-cap", which is the replacement of all of the Electrolytic Capacitors, as they have a finite life span.