[Yaesu] FT-1000D concentric knob sticking

[Chris Codella, W2PA]

A solution for anyone else having this problem:

My FT-1000D is 17 years old and still performing well.  But in the last 
three years or so I've noticed an increasing tendency for the concentric 
controls on the left side (e.g. AF/RF gain, MIC/RF Power) to become 
coupled - that is, when you rotate the center, the collar rotates a 
little bit too, and vice versa.  Depending on the severity of the 
problem it can be quite annoying.

Upon removing the inner knobs, I discovered that the problem was not due 
to interaction of the knobs themselves, but rather the shafts of the 
concentric potentiometers.  There apparently is a lubricating material 
between the inner shaft and the outer tubular shaft that, over time, 
gets thicker resulting in a greater viscosity and therefore tending to 
make the two shafts move together.

The solution I found was to use light machine oil, such as the stuff you 
can buy for sewing machines, to loosen up the inter-shaft lubrication 
again.  I applied a drop or two at the end of a screwdriver to the end 
of the control where the inner shaft goes into the outer one.  I removed 
only the inner (black) knob to do this.  I would rotate the inner knob 
fully counterclockwise and the outer fully clockwise, apply a drop or 
two, then rotate them fully in the opposite direction and apply another 
drop or two.  After working it in for a while, going back and forth with 
the knobs, the lubricant worked its way in and solved the problem  Now 
all of these controls work as new again, with no more co-rotation.

73,
Chris, W2PA
www.w2pa.com