Comments on Yaesu equipment used by
ZS6DX
FT-1000MP Mark V
Likes:
- Great RX, DSP filters really work with a rock solid front-end, one of the best
that I have tried !
- APF filter, really helps in a crowded CW situation
- Rock solid 100% duty cycle 200W TX
- True dual RX, unlike Icom and others!
- VERY quiet fan, you would hardly know that it is running.
- Many user configurable options that allow you to tailor the radio
according to your taste and operation style.
- Beautiful RX sound, unlike some of the more modern radios with a
"digital" sound.
Dislikes:
- No band scope !, it is something you get spoiled with! I will try to
retrofit a bandscope like I did on the FT-950 and FT-2000
FT-2000
Likes:
- Great RX, DSP filters really work with a rock solid front-end that will be
even better once I have added the NS 3kHz roofing filter.
- Rock solid 100% duty cycle TX
- VERY quiet fan, you would hardly know that it is running.
- Internal switch mode power supply that is quiet as far as RF is
concerned, maybe Icom should look at this!
- True dual RX, unlike Icom and others !
- Many user configurable options that allow you to tailor the radio
according to your taste and operation style, the options you can configure
seems endless.
Dislikes:
- No band scope !, But I added a SDR RX tapped into the IF now it has a
better bandscope than any Icom!
FT-1000MP
Likes:
- Great RX, DSP filters really work with a rock solid front-end, one of the best
that I have tried !
- Rock solid 100% duty cycle TX
- True dual RX, unlike Icom and others !
- VERY quiet fan, you would hardly know that it is running.
- Many user configurable options that allow you to tailor the radio
according to your taste and operation style.
Dislikes:
- No band scope ! It is something you get spoiled with !
- Shuttle jog tuning, takes some getting used to and I believe not as user
friendly as "fuzzy logic" tuning like on the Icom radios.
Update 2014: This radio has been sold for
spares, I wasted enough time with this lemon, having said that if a decent
MP-1000 (later model) crosses my path I will buy it, it is a superb radio my
sample was just a bad copy!
FT-990AC
Likes:
- Great RX with a rock solid front-end, better than most modern DSP equipped
radios.
- SCAF filters, really magic, with them you don't really need any other
filters for SSB or CW.
- Rock solid 100% duty cycle TX, never gets hot.
- VERY quiet fan, you would hardly know that it is running.
- Antenna tuner one of the best in the industry and it far exceeds the
specification.
- Internal switch mode power supply that is quiet as far as RF is concerned,
maybe Icom should look at this !
- Quality of construction, I wish Yaesu still build them like this.
- Great CW radio, mine is also equipped with the additional 250Hz CW and
2.0KHz SSB filters.
- 250Hz and 500Hz filters can be used on SSB, great for digital modes like
PSK31.
Dislikes:
- Dual receive would have been great.
- No band scope !, it is something you get spoiled with !
- Audio from headphone socket very low (similar to FT-847)
FT-107M
Likes:
- Great older rig, one of the first rigs with memories.
- Heavy duty cycle radio, used for a long time on digital modes.
Dislikes:
- Bad frequency stability, worse than some much older rigs like the Kenwood
TS-520SE
FT-767GX
This is one of the radios that the more I use it the more I love
it, I don't think it will ever leave the shack !
Likes:
- Great all rounder for rag chewing etc.
- Build in power supply.
- Finals running on 28V for better linearity.
- Frequency stability great for older rig, as good as current production
radios.
- Additional bands like 6 and 2m available.
- Great RX and TX sound with tone control on RX and TX shift.
- Comes standard with additional CW filter and many QRM/N combating
features, making it a great radio for CW as well.
- Digital SWR and power meters !.
- Lots of features to customize and play with.
Dislikes:
- Very slow tuner and you have to tune at 100W !, can't be good for finals
and causes QRM.
FT-757GXII
Likes:
- Big heat sink, high duty cycle.
- RX front-end not that great.
- Have fixed a few with problems that should have been found in quality
control.
Dislikes:
- Terribly slow external tuner.
FT-901DM
Likes:
- Great old rig, solid construction.
- Noise reduction and variable bandwidth that actually works a lot better
than most modern rigs !
- Frequency stability better than some much newer rigs.
- Tune-up timer prevents you from destroying finals.
Dislikes:
- VFO tunes "wrong" way !, confusing....
- Final Valves (6146B's) are getting harder to find here in "Dark"
Africa but they last forever if you look after them.
FT-101E
Likes:
- Very nostalgic rig, won't use it seriously today but still fun to switch
on sometimes.
Dislikes:
- Lower quality standard compared to rigs like the TS-520 from the same era.
FT-707
Likes:
- One of the first compact HF rigs.
- Easy to use and bandwidth control very effective on CW.
Dislikes:
- Had problems with finals blowing more than once, 2SC2290's not easy to
find in this part of the world but can be replaced by MRF-454's.
FT-847
This rig never fails to amaze me, after a 2 hour long pile-up on
6m the other day, running stations contest style at 100+ per hour flat out at
100w, I started wondering if I should get an additional fan to keep the rig
cool. The temperature in the shack was 32C. Well, no need to worry, the rig was
so cold that it felt like it was not transmitting at all !. Even with both the
external and internal fan running it was so quiet that I had to check visually
if they were running. I have owned many rigs and this must be the coolest
running rig I have seen !. I will be using this rig in the future for
contest/field station operation on VHF/UHF, it is SUPERB !.
Likes:
- Fantastic RX on VHF/UHF !, better than rigs like TS-2000 or even the
IC-746/756PRO/II
- FM narrow band (12.5khz) at the push of a button.
- I have found the digital filter to be useful even on 2m FM, gets rid of
"rain" on the signal, perfect for using as a relay from 2m/70cm to
HF.
- Easy to use Satellite mode and sensitive enough without having to resort
to external pre-amplifiers.
- Great computer interface, real plug and go with no extras needed.
- Compact and layout of front panel good with positive feel push buttons.
- Shuttle jog tuning just like its big brother the 1000MP, great once you
get used to it.
- Great scanning features and capable of cross band (even HF !) repeater
functions with some PC software.
- Great looking radio with fantastic display.
See comments on TS-2000 compared to FT-847 by G7TOK !
Dislikes:
- Lack of internal tuner.
- CW delay max only 300ms, not long enough !. I ended up using a separate
PTT control for CW bypassing VOX.
- When in "fast" tuning mode the up and down band keys jump bands,
I don't know why they allowed this !!
- Plugs used for accessories not easy to find.
- Lack of support from Yaesu, I send more than one request to them about the
CW delay and they never even responded....
FT-890SAT
Likes:
- Robust and well made.
- Compact, great for portable operation
- Great RX front-end (Quad FET). Better than rigs like the TS-2000 !. Add
additional CW filter and you have a great CW rig. I have a cheap INRAD
250Khz filter in mine and it work great.
- Great fast tuner that will match a lot more that some of the more modern
tuners that just use relays.
Dislikes:
- Problem with VFO shaft getting stuck, fixed it with Q20 and lots of
patience !
- Frequency stability problem till I replaced a cap in the reference oscillator.
FT-200
Likes:
- Great old rig, in winter it warms up the shack!
- Very quiet but sensitive RX, low noise floor.
Dislikes:
- Slow AGC and lack of frequency stability, even for an old rig.
FT-747GX
Likes:
Dislikes:
- VFO knob with "clicks" !
- Plastic case and clip open structure.
FT-290R
Likes:
- Compact 2m all mode.
- Internal or external battery options.
Dislikes:
- RX problems and really needs pre-amp unless you modify the front-end.
Sometimes the AGC will peg the S meter on switch on and only release slowly
after a few minutes. I have seen this on more than one sample.
- 2.5W can be a little low !
FT-227R
Likes:
Dislikes:
- Switches often get intermittent.
FT-51R
Likes:
- Compact and powerful.
- True dual channel receiver with great air band RX.
- Cross band repeat.
- Nice layout and construction.
Dislikes:
- Price !
- Up/Down keys used for volume control.
FL-2100Z
Likes:
- Compact desk sized amplifier.
- Well made compared to some amplifiers I have seen.
- Easy tune-up.
Dislikes:
- Uses expensive and scarce (in South Africa) 572B tubes. I am currently using cheap 811A's
and still get 400W+. I have found the 572B tubes to be less robust that for
example tubes like the 3-500Z or 4-250/400 families. It only took me a few
months of contesting to wear out a new set !.
- Runs very hot unless you install an additional fan like I did.
- High keying voltage, BEWARE of using it with modern radios!
FL-7000
Likes:
- Compact desk sized amplifier and it is good looking too.
- Very quiet, even with the second fan running I hardly know it is there.
- No-tune band change, great in the heat of a contest. Band change can
be completely automatic with most Yaesu and some other radios.
- Internal tuner useful even if it is slow.
- VERY Well made compared to some amplifiers I have seen.
- This is the most convenient amplifier I have used, I will purchase a
second one if I can find one !
Dislikes:
- Amplifier can trip easy but it is actually a good feature as it protects
the finals !. I have not found this to be a problem !
- Signal can be wide if you overdrive, this goes for most amplifiers and solid-state
amplifiers are especially prone to this.
- Tuner can be VERY slow but once tuned it remembers the settings.
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