FTdx9000D Reviews November 2005

Transcription

1 K8RA Jerry Pittenger FTdx9000D Reviews November 2005 I have used this radio since late June and I think it is really wonderful. I have been a ham for 45 years and owned a lot of radios. People must be made aware that there are several of these 9000D radios out here that work well and are a pleasure operate by their owners. This radio has the physical feel like no other that I have ever used. The main tuning knob is large and as smooth as silk. The main controls are all on the front panel and logically layed out. It is clear to me that there has been some human factors engineering done on this radio and it shines as you sit in front of the radio. The frequency readout is large and bright and right in front of you rather than on a large screen with all kinds of other information presented around it. I really like that and it reduces operator fatigue. Not much has been said about the audio scope. It is fantastic. You are given visual feedback of exactly what is coming through the speaker. It is really useful in helping to adjust the bandpass width and shift controls. You can also see the notch in the bandpass to notch out unwanted signals. Sure you can do it with you ear but it is really much easier to see it too. Also the oscilloscope lets you see the trapezoidal patterns of the signal you are listening to as well as the key waveforms on CW. You would be surprised at the number of nasty CW waveforms that are out there. Also, little has been said about the CF memory card. I use it. I have several AGC constants set for slow medium and fast as well different microphone parametric settings for DXing and rag-chewing. In an instant I can load the radio with the menu profiles I want. I currently have 4 menu profiles stored on the memory card. That is a neat feature. I have heard little about the contour feature. I am a 95% CW op. The control is adjusted to peak near the middle of the bandpass and when turned on causes the CW signals to just pop out of the noise. It is amazing. Ok, there are a few things that need to get fixed...i agree. For example when you turn on the contour feature, the audio scope peaks off scale and even the 20db attenuation isn't enough. It needs 30db.

2 Some people have complained that the power control is not linear. Straight up gives 20 watts. From 0 degrees (straight up) to about 170 degrees it goes from 20 watts to 200 watts. But I am also a low power QRP person. I can fine tune at the low power output and I actually like that feature. I hope they don't change that in future software releases. I guess it is personal preference. Another feature that many haven't mentioned is the ability to split the two receiver audio outputs into totally separate output phono jacks on the rear panel. I have two separate speakers that are 2 feet apart and when both receivers are running it provides total receiver separation. There is no balance or mixing control like my FT1000mp Mk V, or Orion. This is great when you operate split. You get total separation of the signals. I have done this with the audio line outputs on other radios, but it takes external audio amplifiers and it is a hassle to say the least. It sure is nice to have exactly the same quality receive on both the A and B receivers. In most other radios, the B receiver is a real compromise. Is that a big deal. In most cases no but when you own the finest you expect little things like this, in my opinion. Okay, now for the micro tuned units. They work. I have a local DXer that lives within 1000 yards of me and runs POWER. He has a BIG signal. I have gone off the side and tried all the features. I think they work as advertised. the IPO helps, the attenuator works, the VRF works and the micro tuned High Q modules work. You are given an arsenal of weapons to use. But they are not miracles and I think people may be expecting too much. With everything engaged, I still know he is there 10 Khz away. But I can still operate. I do think the High Q micro tuning modules are far over priced ($500 each) for the added level of strong signal protection they provide and if I had the Contest version, I probably would not buy them. The VRF is good enough for what I do. But I own a 9000D and they are there. So I use them. On the other hand, from what I can see they are precision devices with closely toleranced machined parts, a stepper motor and software to keep them tracked. I am sure they are not inexpensive to make. (I don't like the cycling of the units when I turn on the radio.) I could go on with things I really like about this radio but I hope I have made my point. I think others need to start discussing some of the really great features of the radio and what they like when they use it. Is the radio worth $12K. No I don't think so but either is a 735 BMW, or a Corvette Z06, or a lambregini (heck I can't even spell it), or the diamond on my wife s right hand. but some people will pay the premium to own the best. Yaesu is in business to make money and the price will be what the market will bear. If you think there are people who will pay $12K for a radio I am willing to bet you too would price it there even if the profit margin is way out of wack. ]. My thoughts... de K8RA.

3 KW4CQ Rating: 5/5 Nov 15, :38 Send this review to a friend My 9000D is a flawless product! Time owned: 0 to 3 months I've had my 9000D for two weeks now and I have been exercising and stress-testing ALL of its features and functions on all bands and modes and I can report that there are no failures or faults with this beautiful radio. In comparing it with the IC-7800 I previously owned for 9 months I can say without reservation that my initial impression of the 9000D is that it is a cut above the IC-7800 in terms of performance and features. I can do things with this radio to cut adjacent frequency interference that I couldn't achieve with the The micro-tune and variable passband tuning performance is excellent. The TX and RX audio fidelity is superb as is the monitor's audio. Much better than a Mark V and nearly equal to some of the Kenwood radios I've owned. I use my 9000D with a 16 inch LCD display, which is a real kick. I have used the 9000D with a Heil PR-40 microphone directly connected to the front panel XLR connector. This, combined with setting up the three band parametric EQing filters in the 9000D, provides TX audio fidelity nearly as good as when using my full rack of audio processing boxes from Behringer, et al. I will come back in 6 months with a more subjective review. 73, Bob, KW4CQ Reston, VA K9FLY Rating: 5/5 Aug 28, :18 Send this review to a friend Loaded Contest Model Shines Time owned: 0 to 3 months Initial impressions are big, user friendly, great ergonomics and it works flawlessly. Absolutely no glitches of any kind and it has been put through most of its paces. Study the manual a bit and the rest is fairly intuitive. It receives very well, transmit audio has gained great reports and the various scope presentations give the operator lots of information. I elected to use an outboard 17" LCD monitor and that coupled with the four meters of the rig provide feedback and entertainment. It has a very quiet fan even at full output. Finals run cool also. Most specs are met or exceeded as judged by this ham. My IC-7800 sitting next to this rig has approved of this brief review. It makes some of my old boat anchors look small though. 73, Tom K9FLY N4ZZK Rating: 5/5 Aug 19, :31 Send this review to a friend

4 Contest Model - a winner Time owned: 0 to 3 months This is a big rig with a lot to like. The Rcvr is very good and lives up to the "best ever" comments in the August QST review. I've owned several mid-range FT s over the years (FT-101, FT902, FT-920) and also have a K2. The FTDX9000C is a big step up for me. If you are interested in this rig and want more info and details, the FTDX9000 group is a good source Al K9CIV Rating: 5/5 Aug 4, :06 Send this review to a friend Stimulating!!! Time owned: 0 to 3 months I am not a technical person and I will leave all of the technical reviews to others. I have the 9000D and it is really stimulating to use. Pileups with a W9INN dipole and barefoot competing with beams and amps is exciting. I get through and get great signal reports. I look forward to more upgrades. The firmware is upgradeable and it seems almost anything is possible if Yaesu will take requests and/or allow more technically minded people to work with programming. I have had none of the problems others have reported after two months. It is exciting to get new countries with this rig. I like Yaesu products. I have owned an FTdx560, FT-902, FT-ONE, TS-820, SBE-35, Atlas 350XL, Atlas 210X, and this is the best of the lot. I never considered anything else after seeing it. Although the FT-1000MP would have been my choice if the FTdx9000D had not come out. NU6X Rating: 5/5 Jul 13, :18 Send this review to a friend Very enjoyable to operate!!! Time owned: 0 to 3 months I have had serial # 9 for about a month now and it has preformed flawlessly. The rig is very enjoyable to operate. The ergonomics of this rig really shine. The large weighted main VFO knob and the large Shift/Width and AF gain controls are really nice. The layout of the front panel is excellent. The Audio Scope has been very useful. The slow update speed of the Band Scope was a little disappointing at first but is less objectionable with time. The 4.0k ESSB capability along with Class A really makes this a nice sounding rig. I have external equalizing so I don t use the internal parametric equalizers, but I would think it would be very useful for many users. The first temporary manual was poor but a greatly enhance manual arrived shortly there after. I personally like Yaesu s method of variable bandwidth ( Shift/ Width control) over Icom s menu system and PBT. The visual feedback with the Audio Scope is very useful. The audio scope is also very useful with the fine tuning capability of the manual notch filter. The Digital Notch Filter (DNF) is not as effective as it should. It is suppose to eliminate multiple carriers. Mine does not. Hopefully Yaesu can improve on this.

5 In my opinion the Digital Noise Filter is only fair but this just might be personal preference. I like the Noise Reduction on my 756PROII better. It has several Bells and Whistles on the TFT screen such as the Rotor control, Log, SWR graph, and world map/gray line. One of the common questions I get is Is it worth $11,500? or Is it $8000 better than a Pro III or Mark V? I certainly would have preferred to pay less for this rig, but I m NOT disappointed with my purchase. It s not 2 or 3 times better than a Pro III or Mark V but that s the law of dimensioning return Fortunately I can keep my Pro II and TS-870S for when I need an Icom or Kenwood fix. The other common question is Is it better than the Icom 7800? I have a very limited operating time on a 7800 but I m sure it s a very good rig. The 9000D ergonomics and the 4.0k ESSB capability were the deciding factor for me. The 9000D reliability has not yet been proven but I have confidence in Yaesu s customer support. I purchased this rig with the expectation of some problems. I assumed at least one trip back to the factory. That s the risk with purchasing from a very early production run but Hey Life is Short!!! Mark NU6X N9PY Rating: 5/5 Jul 13, :53 Send this review to a friend Excellent Time owned: 0 to 3 months I've had my serial # 20 for about a month now. As I slowly comprehend how to effectively use the myriad of controls, the more I love it. I intermittently experience the TFT not lighting up. It usually lights up the next time I turn it on. The gray-line display certainly needs to be fixed. I understand that it is being addressed along with several other issues in a firmware update. The new manual they mailed to all of us certainly is an improvement. It says a lot more than just how to turn the knobs. This one seems on a par with the 1000MP Mark V manual. Both fall far short of helping the "non-professional" learn how and when to use the various features. To be fair, their new "advice" sections are an attempt to address that issue. But they could do a lot more. Perhaps they will monitor this group and other resources to find out what people don't understand. I would be happy if they would periodically issue manual updates via.pdf files on-line. I would think they would need to do this anyway as they release firmware updates. Hopefully this user's group will help fill void to answer questions in the meantime. On my wish-list would be for the Yaesu culture to change a bit. I would encourage more phone and/or on-line give and take between the technical staff and the end-users. I realize there is a language problem here, but I wish they would communicate more openly like TenTec. It improves confidence when the amateur radio community feels that they are heard and that the company knows about problems and are addressing them. 73's all, Torrey N9PY K8RA Rating: 5/5 Jul 13, :42 Send this review to a friend I love it Time owned: 0 to 3 months

6 I have had none of the problems posted by others. My radio has worked perfectly except for a couple of very minor problems that Yaesu is addressing. For example the clock does not keep accurate time on the screen. Also, the labeling is a little small and hard to see (they will not fix that on this radio...maybe an FTdx9000E model). Some of the other problems I thought I had were operator error. You have to read the manually very carefully on this radio. The radio is complex and you really do have to "learn to use it". In fact, my objection about the small labels vanished because after a week, I knew the controls and didn't have to read the labels. By the way, the indirect lighting that Yaesu has placed under the meters and TFT screen to light the panel is not effective. I am not a novice and have owned many radios (ask my wife). I have owned the Mark V, Orion, TS2000, 756ProII, K2,... so I have a baseline. I still have the Mark V, TS2000 and K2 and have done a lot of comparisons. The 9000D is one of the best radios I have ever owned. Many have asked how it compares to the Orion. I have not had it on a test bench side by side. I think they are both very good radios. However, there is no comparison on the operator interface and the screen displays. I feel like I am using a 1990s radio with the Orion probably because of the weak implementation of the black and white screen display (just my opinion). The spectrum scope on the 9000D runs rings around the Orion. Both have excellent receivers, needless to say. Will I work anything with the 9000D that I won't with the Mark V or the Orion? NO...not a chance. But then again, I can work 99% of the stuff with my S-line or my Drake-C Line. I love the features on the 9000D, especially the TFT display (bandscope, audioscope and oscilloscope are much more useful than I expected), the size and layout of the controls and the clear crisp audio. I need more time with the radio and will post again in a few months. But I had to say that not all 9000Ds have the problems the other gentleman posted. In reading his post, I would have been very upset and displeased also if those problems would have occurred in my 9000D radio. To me it is like this. I own a PT Cruiser and a Corvette. I occasionally drive them both to work. They both get me there in the same time and use about the same amount of gas (actually the Corvette has better gas mileage!!!). But guys and gals, I sure have a whole lot more fun driving the Corvette to work. I feel the same about the FTdx-9000D. I love the feel and sound of the radio. It operates like a fine precision piece of machinery that is fun to use. As long as it works, you can take it to the bank that the Mark V and other radios around here are going to gather dust. Is the 9000D that much better than the others? Probably not $10K worth but it sure is a whole lot more fun to use. I guess you have to factor in the enjoyment parameter into the equation when deciding to spend this kind of money. The bottom line is that I would buy the radio again and so far have no regrets. This is just another person's opinion and purely an opinion. With thanks to all the above Radio Hams for their personal opinions and reports. For further information on the New Yaesu FTdx9000 Series, see: