YAESU

Sako Hasegawa, JA1MP, established Yaesu Musen Company during 1959 in the Tokyo city suburb of Yaesu.  The Yaesu Musen company was predated by his earlier company, started in 1956 and called  the General Television Co Ltd .

Hasegawa-san's first SSB Equipment was manufactured under the General Television Co Ltd name in 1957.  The ethos of this company and then Yaesu Musem was to design and manufacture modern HF single sideband equipment  for the amateur radio market. 

The Yaesu Musen Company's first product was a crystal controlled mono-band 40 metre transmitter, designated the FL-10/40.  This was swiftly followed by a 5 band crystal controlled mechanical filter HF transmitter named the FL-20.   For the home Japanes market, the FL-20 was marketed during 1963  for 49,800 Yen.

Export sales were commenced during 1963 to Australia and Germany.  The Swiss firm Sommerkamp imported Yaesu equipment and sold it using their own branding.    Yaesu's line of equipment was first imported into the US by Spectronics, Inc. located in Signal Hill, CA, in 1965. Yaesu became an important presence in the U.S. amateur radio market with the introduction and improvement of its very popular FT-101 line of equipment in the 1970s.   

Sako Hasegawa (JA1MP) died in 1990 and Jun Hasegawa took over his job as managing director.

 Yaesu Musen acquired the STANDARD radio equipment brand from Marantz Japan in 1998, and changed the company name to Vertex Standard Co., Ltd. 2000.   In 2007 Motorola announced its intention to purchase 80% of Vertex Standard and form a joint venture with Tokogiken, which would hold the other 20%. This deal was completed in January 2008