For a series denoted as HO n/** binary mixtures of ferroelectric, FE, (n = 10, 12) and non-ferroelectric (n = 8) homologues are studied. All homologues exhibit the SmA and SmB phases. With HO10/**- HO8/**mixtures, the FE phase exists only down to 90% of FE homologue. With HO12/**- HO8/** system the phase transition temperature to the FE phase is decreasing when decreasing the concentration of the FE compound, the width of the FE phase becoming gradually smaller. Spontaneous polarization as well as the tilt angle in FE mixtures is increasing with increasing FE component. We found a strong soft mode in all studied non-ferroelectric mixtures, which gives evidence of proximity of a hypothetical SmA-SmC* phase transition.