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| Reviews Summary for yaesu VR-5000 |
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Reviews: 29
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Average rating: 2.7/5
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MSRP: $800
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Description: Multimode HF/VHF/UHF Receiver
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More info: http://www.yaesu.co.jp/
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You can
write your own review of the yaesu VR-5000.
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CT2FPE
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Rating: 5/5
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May 16, 2008 12:53
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MUST HAVE SCANNER
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Ok, This is one of the best scanners I´ve had, the display is huge, the all-modes are great, I use FTBVR5K (http://www.g4hfq.co.uk/) software to input and edit frequencies to the VR-5000, the manual is a bit messy, but if you take the time to follow the instructions, it will be ok.
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AF4KK
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 6, 2007 17:46
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An updated review.....
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have two VR-5000s and they continue to serve me very well nearly every day! They are versatile and very flexible! That RF meter is cool and the features are too numerous to list! Knocking wood, I have never had a problem or lock-up at any time! In my opinion, the VR-5000 is a great radio!!
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W8JI
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Rating: 0/5
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Jul 29, 2007 17:46
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Horrid programming interface
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I orignally gave this radio to my son as a birthday gift.
After he didn't use it, I got him something else.
I've been using it as a scanner, but had a difficult time understanding the manual to program it. Tonight I relived that experience. Either the manual sucks or the person who designed the user interface software really should be fired.
If anyone knows a clear flow chart or instruction set to program this "thing" please let me know!!
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KD0ZV
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Rating: 3/5
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Apr 10, 2007 19:37
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Its a nice scanner at best
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This makes a decent scanner with the exception of my HF gear interferring with it. The performance is really sub-standard on HF bands. Barely usable in my opinion.
I replaced it with a used IC-8500. It is 100x the receiver in every way. I guess the VR-5000 would make a nice mobile unit because its small and can cover the spectrum.
As far as operation and the manual. Typical Yaesu. Radio is hard to figure out even after reading the manual over and over.
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K4TB
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 9, 2007 19:51
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It Does the Job
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've owned a VR-5000 for over 3 years and can say it is a good general purpose receiver. It is best to look at it's capabilities individually however. For instance, the World Clock is a nice feature by itself and allows adjusting for daylight savings time, however daylight savings time works differently on the panel clock. Similarly, it work well as a shortwave receiver or as a UHF receiver, but not with the same antenna for both, naturally. Because it has so many capabilities it takes some study to use it properly, and that may be where some people lose interest.
The only beef I had originally was they LSB and USB carrier points seemed to be too far off calibration to satisfy me, but Yaesu service got them readjusted very close (see my separate review of Yaesu service).
The DSP unit is a must accessory. It brings the VR-5000 up to the next level of performance. My dedicated HF transceiver or my VHF/UHF satellite receiver outperform the VR-5000 in their own bands, but neither can match the VR-5000 in total bandspread or choice of modes of course. The VR-5000 is a very good monitor receiver that rounds out my staton.
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KE7ATE
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 14, 2005 12:42
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This actually is a solid receiver
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I own a Yaesu VR-5000 and have found it to perform very well. It is NOT a high end amateur radio reciever, but it almost makes the grade if you know how to use it and you use the right antennas with it. I have the DSP unit installed and it it adds a lot to the radio. I have never had any problems or reservations about this radio. I use it as a scanner and as a general coverage radio. There is nothing the radio can't do. I better radios, they just cost about three times as much. For the price..you can't beat this receiver.
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NN6AA
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Rating: 0/5
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Jul 20, 2005 11:15
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terrible unit
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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the vr5000 is really worthless..... if one didnt have the manual you would not beable to do anything with it except turn it on... that's pretty easy...... yaesu really went way out of its way to program in memory freq's.... just so stupid in this day and age.... anyone that says this is a good unit must be nuts..... and i agree with most here on the hf receive forget it.... as is most of yaesu's hf stuff .. like there all mode daylight to dark handhelds....if one can receive hf on those you must be right next to the transmitter..... anyway this is a piece of junk and i feel for it also like so many others...... now yaesu hf transceiver are vry good radios..... but the rest of their stuff... junk.......
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MW1ROS
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 28, 2005 07:32
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Excellent Radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Bought mine a while back, has firmware 1.7.
I do not get ANY of the problems others experience.
Everything on my radio works fine, even the smart-search.
Although I agree that you have to read the manual over and over again to get it right.
certainly give this one a 5star rating.
have a aor 8600MKII also, VR5000 kicks its ass big time
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N9KIM
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 3, 2005 03:47
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How I Learned to Love the BOMB!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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O.K., lets start with hard love.
So I read the "reviews" and bought the radio anyway. After scanning the manual I plugged it in, turned it on, and played. Very unhappy. Step size didn't work (my problem, not the radio's.) Nothing seemed right about it. Scanning the manual a bit further, I found a couple of obvious and even silly errors. Well, I'm a radio nut or maniac, and I've got lots of other radios to play with (would you believe 100+?) I put it on a shelf and forgot about it.
None of the glarring malfunctions that others have reported occurred with my radio. Oh, a side comment here, if your power supply hasn't got the "guts" to do the job, or you set the voltage too low or too high, maybe you deserve what you get!
As long as I'm in a really bad mood, lets continue. This radio is definitely not for someone who can't or won't read, or has a major brain defect, or is just plain lazzy.
(O.K., sometimes I fall into some of these classes too!) If you expect to plug it in and just use it, don't buy this one. It will burn you.
So why should you listen to me? I built my first radio about 1951, when I was five years old, from a magazine article. It was a two tube regenerative reciever with plug in coils to change bands. I rolled my coils, bended and cut the alluminum and all that stuff. I've got about 20 QRP transievers, most of which I built and some of which I designed. My background is very technical - electronics, computer science, physics, aerospace engineering, some molecular biology. I'm a professor by trade.
Some time ago I hurt my back and got "laid up." The radio came off the shelf, and the manual was opend and read, with the radio on. What a difference! Could there be two completely different radios on the shelf, or are there two different me's? It was wonderfull.
Some radios, short list, that I've owned and used: Scott Phillharmonic, AR88, GRC88/AT77, Yaesu FT-1000, Icom 755DSP, Icom 970, Icom 910, Elecraft K2, K1, K1X, numerous Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu, Tentec portable/mobiles, most Sony's (including two CRF1's,) Russian, Chinese, Italian, American, British military radios, etc. etc. etc. I've also owned a pretty good set of electronic tools, and I teach both digital and analouge electronics. I have commercial radio licenses. I'm capable of acting as a LID sometimes. Enough?
Every decent radio or airplane or firearm or whatever is designed with "engineering trade-off's." The comfort of a Rolls-Royce and the off-road capability of a Unimog simply can't be combined in one vehicle. This radio is a very focused design. It has a great bandwidth, it's close to all-mode, and it is designed to appeal to SWL'ers. If you connect it to a Yaggi or even a big verticle ham antenna your going to overload it on HF. Obvious. Period. Use your attenuator, thats what its for, or make a high pass filter if you like. This isn't rocket science.
The radio has a logical, understandable design and operational phillosophy. It's just different, and different can be a good thing.
Oh, and software to back up your stored frequencies is availabe. Just look it up with GOOGLE.
If ever I meet the engineer(s) that designed this little gem - well, I'll buy them a great dinner out.
Get the DSP option.
I love my little BOMB now.
- Jim (N9KIM) -
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AC5DF
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Rating: 4/5
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Jan 1, 2005 09:00
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"I had to try one"
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have been on the outside looking in at this radio for a long time. 2 weeks ago I drove 700 miles round trip to pick up a used one for $400. It is as new. It is the US Version, purchased from Radio World Canada. Firmware 1.7 Manufactured June 2003 lot 40 unit #90. Ok.......I have spent 2 weeks with the radio and here it is in brief. The radio will not run off the supplied PA-28B supply. Forget it. Put it on some other regulated 12 volt supply and you have solved most all of your problems. I have been able to run all over the operation of this radio by using the supplied owners manual and information gathered off the internet. Only a few things are missing from the manual and at first the manual makes little sense because of how things are worded, but after you play with the radio for some time and look back at the manual, There it is! Makes sense now. Recieve sensitivity is excellent, audio excellent in all modes. Build quality is superb. Display is overwhelming just as you might think. Band scope is fantastic. I have used the aor 3000 and 8600 and can clearly say this thing out performs them hands down. Large alfa tags for bank and freq. I am using a discone at 30 feet. This radio is just not doing all the bad things that others have noted about it. Just bring your own powersupply and bury the one that came with it. It is really funny that untill you have one of these in YOUR hands, I have'nt known what to think about this radio. I figured at the worst I would just put it on my favorite frequency and let it stay there. Make a pretty paper weight out of it. That is not the case though. The radio is about 45% display and 55% knobs and buttons. you got plenty of display but you got to "think kind of thin" when you are using the buttons to program it.. I am having fun with it. It works great but its only a 4 (Good) because of the powersupply and manual. If an AOR is worth $900 , then this is worth $600 for sure. I put out a want ad a few days ago for a VR-5000. I only had one email from someone who was trying to help me by telling me I better read the reviews on eham.net before I buy a VR-5000. The story behind the VR-5000 and posessing one that works great, has put a smile on my face every time I sit in front of it..... If this radio wouldnt have took the bad wrap, I am afraid we would have to give $900 to try it. I'm thankful!!73. AC5DF in SW Arkansas
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