YAESU FT-50R Expanded Transmit 120-230, 315-505 MHz 
[FREEBAND MODIFICATION]

1. Remove battery
2. Remove the Ni-Cd sticker
3. Slowly lift off the keypad and carefully locate the jumper pads
4. Locate and unsolder jumper number "1" (see picture below) it is a solder 
blob
   between 2 pads.
5. Locate and unsolder surface mount resistor "A" (see picture below) be 
carefull!
   It is the first resistor on the from left
6. Reinstall the keypad with the two screws
7. Turn radio off
8. Press down and hold the tuning knob and lamp button while turning on the
   radio.
   VIEW:  looking down with keypad removed
        ***        ***
   =   *****   *   ***
  I *******************
   *  ---------------  *
  I* | [FREEBANDER]  | *
  I* | _____________ | *
   *       YAESU       *
  I*  ===============  *
  I*  ===============  *
   *  ===============  *
   *      ===========  *
   *                   *
   *  ---------------  *
   * | ABCDE         | *
   * | IIIII         | *
   * | : : :         | *
   * | 1 2 3         | *
   *  ---------------  *
    *******************
10. The vfo should display 144.000  Press FW. (this step may not be needed but 
it worked for me)
    Power off.
11. Powerup with lamp/ptt/knob held down. It should now be in tune mode with 
something new
    (BAND= A 1) change it pressing the knob for 1/2 second and then turn the 
knob to FREE.
    (BAND=FREE)
12. Power off and back on NOW RADIO DISPLAYS 50~540 590~1000 no gaps!!!
    (Dont change any other function or you could screw up alot of adjustments 
here)
    IT will tx where ever it locks. One radio 122~231 and 309~502 and another 
radio was
    120-232mhz and 315-509mhz. This varies radio by radio.
    Tx is only miliwatts near the edges (DONT TX OUT OF BAND!!!).
    Rx locks after about 74mhz. it is very def in the 220 band tx is miliwatts. 
no tx above 502
    but varies radio by radio.

13. If you have the ADMS 1 software you should have a copy of what was in your 
radio.before you
    started.
14. Copy from the radio. Save and name this file FREEBAND. This is to be saved 
as a clean copy for
    future use.
15. Copy from the radio again (or just copy the file) name this file MERGE.
16. Merge the old file to this file and send to radio.
17. With your palms facing forward put your thumbs in your ears, wiggle your 
fingers and stick
    out your tongue at your Users manual while it is open to page 10.
18. Then update page 10.

Dont make the FCC and Yaesu angry at you by trasmitting where you are not 
supposed to.

This information came from a Newsgroup message by Alan Judd, information gained 
from the Web Page at
http://members.gnn.com/hca/ft50/index.htm and my own attempts at restoring the 
radio using this
FREEBAND Mod.
Please give Alan Judd great thanks for subjecting his radio to T&E R&D (trial 
and error research and
development).

--
E. Scott Sykes
This is Ground Control. . .