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write your own review of the Yaesu FRG-100B.
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KG4ORX
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 12, 2009 14:53
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Geart FRG-100B
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had mine since 1998 before i became a ham 2001,i go to kithcen listen to 3980 durning the net time !
73
Jackie
KG4ORX
WWW.KG4ORX.COM
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MI3LVZ
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Rating: 0/5
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Mar 12, 2009 13:54
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Just terrible.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Bought mine new from Waters and Stanton. Deaf as a post, you would be better sticking your ear out the window!
What were Yaesu thinking, very very cheap plastic feel to the radio,VFO is just horrible, none of the buttons are back lit, FM is an option!!!!!
My old FRG-7 just destroys it.
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KG5I
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Rating: 5/5
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May 17, 2007 08:51
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Hard to beat for the price
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Although I have not owned this rig for very long, I am a seasoned ham so I have learned a bit over the years. I would recomend this rig to anyone that wants a nice receiver but does not want to part with a lot of cash. My application is just for receiving ham bands, but now that I have it here, it's very nice to see whats happening in the SW,MW band segments too.
I think the only problem (if you call it that) was the straight wire antenna I used seemed to pick up a lot of noise. When I fed with a 50 ohm feedline to a wire antenna on the tower, this little receiver came alive with activity. It's the perfect companion to the my other station equipment.
Does it receive like a expensive receiver? No, but for the price,($300) you should not expect it to. Perhaps someday I can afford to drop a grand plus on a nice receiver; but until then I'm very happy with my little FROG.
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IV3GWJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 17, 2007 10:35
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VALUE FOR THE MONEY
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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This is the first "serious receiver" I've bought several years ago and it will probably be the last I would sell a day to come. After it, a lot of others radios (that also costs five times this unit) come and go into my shack, but my little frog always remains in its place...and since it will probably feel lonely...I bought another one to keep it company!
It is very easy to use at basic "work" but make attention..you must read the instructions to use it properly because there are a lot of complex functions that at first glimpse you don't see.
It is a very sensitive (too?) receiver for serious listening with good selectivity (possibly improved with kiwa filers)and pleasant sound.
It lacks notch filter, pbt and rf gain but at the end its good behaviour make forget them all.
My advice is to try one of this, if you have opportunity and you can't go wrong...at this price (look at the second hand market!) it's difficult do better.
73...please excuse me for my english....
Andrea
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K1FPV
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 6, 2005 14:10
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Good Receiver for the Price
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I've had my FRG-100B now for over 15 years. I bought it with the optional 500Hz. CW filter and the FM unit. Sensitivity is fine for casual SWLing, and adaquate for amateur use with a seperate transmitter. The internal speaker leaves much to be desired. I use a high quality stereo type speaker with mine and the sound is excellent.
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KG4ORX
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 29, 2004 16:22
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LOVE MINE FRG -100B !
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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i had mine since 2001 love it every minute of it !
i was still study the tech at the time i listen to 80 meter alot learn more from 80 meter i pass my ham in aug 2001 i still have the frg-100b and still going too.great job yeasue !
73
Jackie
KG4ORX
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CLYDEMCCLARAN
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Rating: 4/5
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Dec 29, 2004 16:09
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A very good traditional HF receiver
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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In 2002, I bought my FRG 100 from Universal Radio. After two plus years, the receiver can be considered high grade. It is not top of the line as in a Drake but very utilitarian for weak frequencies with an external antennae.
Audio quality: Not too great on its own speaker. The Sony 2010 or 7600-GR is a better choice for acoustics, but an external speaker accessory will work well with the 100-B.
Memories and Tuning: The number of memories are adequate however, there is only 52 settings (actually a 50+2 setup) accessed through a small rotary dial. Tuning with the main knob has the "old tyme feel" of analogue radio days. A up/down push button tuning makes tuning easy to negotiate, though no keypad is offered on the console itself. Also, the receiver can be programmed to scan similar to a police scanner with channels stored in memory.
One severe negative: VERY DIFFICULT TO USE WITHOUT THE MANUAL. One must keep the manual handy to program the frequencies even if you technically savvy.
The stock filters, noise blankers, and squelch are competent for shielding unnecessary noise. Particularly, 6db and 12 db settings do a nice job of squelching overloads from nearby MW stations. Aftermarket filters are available (and needed) for serious precision and stability for CW/RTTY; though one could get by without them.
The receiver covers from 150KHZ to 30MHZ continuous. It does not cover 6M (like the ICOM R-75), aircraft (like the 2010 or Satellit 800), VHF or frequencies commonly found on a wideband receiver such as the Yaesu VR-5000 or the AOR 8600. For what it is, this is a traditional designed HF receiver that is packed with nice features and excellent selectivity. It is sensitive enough to pick up stations in the deep tropics, low powered shortwave, and sideband transmission thoughout the USA and Canada.
Verdict: A Drake is clearly better, but it costs at least twice as much. At $549 to $649 this is good value (especially over a Satellit 800, IMO). On e-bay these run about $350 to $400 and represent even a better buy. Despite its idiosyncricies, I enjoy mine and it is currently my principal receiver.
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DAROBIN
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Rating: 4/5
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Sep 8, 2003 01:10
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A++
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Like others, I have used many other receivers over the years, mostly high-end, recent and tube. I focus on Drake and JRC, but also use WJ. The FRG100 was one of those I ignored, because I had the capabilities already and more in other sets. But I became intrigued by reading a review, and decided to acquire one through Ebay.
I am very impressed. This is a very nice, and well-designed receiver, stable, with excellent feel. The ability, as noted elsewhere here, to switch selectivity positions in AM, LSB, USB is just great.
Recently, I tested this receiver alonside a TenTec 340. No contest, one would assume. But the FRG100 pulled in everything the 340 could, although obviously the 340 with its DSP can separate and make audible almost anything.
The FRG100, particularly with modifications available, is a great receiver!
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JIM1701
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 13, 2003 11:38
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Good Unit, sound sux!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I had a SW, CB years ago when I was 15, I got rid of everything back then, Now I bought a Yaesu FRG-100 with the FM unit on eBay for 399.99. It is a great unit but the sound sux, I have overcame this, I was going to go to radio shack and buy an external speaker but when I arrived there I saw 3inch replacement speaker with more wattage then the original so instead of getting the 15.00 EXT SPKR I bought the 5.00 replacement internal SPKR, Let me tell you it is 1000% better! I hear everything clearer!!! I've seend MODS that you have to install blah, blah.... This was so simple and cheap, the New spkr is a hair bigger than the original but it fits like the original, I just had to manuver some of the components out of the way of the magnet and I also put electrical tape on the magnet just in case, it doesn't contact anything but it just a bit of insurance... THIS UNIT IS EXCELLENT, NOW!
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N5JOB
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 26, 2002 16:18
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Radio's best kept secret.
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I must admit, the first day I had the FRG-100 I didn't care for it. Then I read the manual. This receiver has plenty of unique features that are very useful in reception if you LEARN HOW TO USE THEM.
Among the great features is the adjustable CW beat frequency. This enables you to adjust the tone of your incoming CW signal to 400, 500, 600, or 700 cycles. You can of course change the CW tone by de-tuning the main tuning dial, but the offset feature allows you to change the tone while keeping the received signal centered in the passband.
You also can select the sideband for receiving CW. Not only does this make for good convenience (for instance, if you only use one sideband and CW all the time) but it is a good interference reduction feature. It's similar to passband tuning in a way, except with a set position (USB or LSB for CW receive.) I have the optional 250 cycle CW filter and it is very sharp. I like it, but some operators will prefer the 500 cycle filter as signals don't sound so "closed up" as when the 250 cycle filter is used.
USB/LSB - I've heard complaints from operators who claim there is only one bandwidth available for SSB. Not true! Here again, YOU'VE GOT TO READ THE MANUAL! You can use ANY bandwidth of the receiver in ANY MODE. Just press the "SET" and "SELECT" switch, then use the MEMO knob to switch your IF filter! The main SSB filter is 2.4 kc/s wide and sounds very good - don't be fooled by the 2.7 display on the screen! It's 2.4 kc/s, at least on mine. (I verified this by opening the receiver and examining the filter.)
Sometimes when I don't have a lot of interference, I use the 4 kc/s filter on SSB. Those station with "big audio" sound fantastic at a wider bandwidth.
Another feature for SSB listening is the variable I.F frequency. With this, you can tailor the received audio to your liking. Here again we have a P.B.T. effect that is variable.
Attenuation Control - A lot of guys don't use this when they SHOULD. This receiver doesn't have a variable RF Gain control, and the selection of either 6 dB, 12 dB, or 18 dB is a good feature. This combined with using SLOW AGC knocks out a lot of interference from SSB and makes listening better.
SOUND - I will say that the "stock sound" is unsatisfactory. There is only a small speaker built into the FRG-100 and it's woefully inadequate. The sound being produced by the audio stage is nothing to brag about either. The solution? Take my advice... Get the KIWA Audio Modification Kit for the FRG-100! I installed mine and it did make a noticable difference. A great improvement! If you are not technically inclined, it would be worth it to get the mod and have someone competent install the mod for you. Kiwa can do it for an extra charge. The $15.00 for the mod kit was well worth it. You'll also want to use a good computer speaker to enhance you listening. Headphone audio is excellent with the mod. SWL's will enjoy the sound of the FRG-100 post-mod.
WHY NO KEYPAD ENTRY? I think this receiver was designed to be controlled by computer. It has the C.A.T. option standard. (Computer Aided Tuning.) I would guess that is why they did not equip the receiver with a front panel keypad. I have NOT tried running my FRG-100 with a computer yet. I've got the interface and will report on it when I finally get it going.
CONCLUSIONS - Even though the FRG-100 lacks P.B.T., Notch, and RF Gain control I would highly recommend it... ESPECIALLY since they're going for so darn cheap on e-Bay! This receiver has got to be the most under-rated unit on the Amateur/SWL scene today! The big problem is that the new operators who purchase this unit are JUST NOT STUDYING THE MANUAL. You will have to "study" it to fully understand it's operation.
I paid $300.00 for mine WITH the Computer Interface Unit (A $90.00 value) so in effect I paid $210.00 for my FRG-100. (I've seen Radio Shack DX-394's go for that, and the FRG-100 is head and shoulders above ANY R.S. model!) If you consider the $15.00 Kiwa mod I paid $225.00 for it.
I bought my FRG-100 off of e-Bay from a guy who bought it new for $600.00+ and didn't like it... WHAT A DEAL! This radio was like new, in the original box will all accessories, used maybe for a month or so! I've seen these fantastic radios sell for as low as $250.00 on e-Bay. There are so many nice ones out there, with low milage that it's a "buyer's market" for these FRG-100's. In this horrible economy today there are great deals to be had by those who want a high-quality radio dirt cheap.
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