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| Reviews Summary for Yaesu FT-450 |
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Reviews: 126
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Average rating: 4.6/5
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MSRP: $aprox 999.00 new
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Description: The FT-450 is a rugged, innovative multi-band, multimode portable transceiver for the amateur radio HF & 6M bands. Providing coverage of the 160-10 meter bands plus the 6 m, the FT-450 includes operation on the SSB, CW, AM, FM, and Digital modes, yielding the most comprehensive performance package available for field operation.
Designed for use from an external DC power source, the FT-450 provides 100 watts of power output from a 13.8-Volt external power supply, 160 - 6 meter coverage
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More info: http://foxtango.org/FT-450/Yaesu_FT-450.htm
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G8UBJ
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 23, 2009 04:06
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Basic
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Sort of does what it should but no more.
Thats the point.. the build quality is excellent, has lots of nice features, I can't fault the TX and its really compact. But... the DSP isn't narrow enough for serious digital use and there's no option to fit a filter. Also the tuning knob is very small.
If neither of these are a problem to you then consider it a five..
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K0UA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 21, 2009 07:36
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great radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Works well, I have it for a backup rig to my 756proIII. I bought the bail for an FT847, and put on it. It looks great and works great! Thanks to K2PJW web page! Mine is one of the 2007 models, and therefore you can change the display to any color you want, I really like that. Ok it is not quite the receiver the 756proIII is but it is also 1/4 the price. Good audio reports. the tuner is good, but wont quite match the loads the 756 does. they really mean 3 to 1 max. The contour control is really nice for cw audio peaking. The DSP is as good as the ICOM. All in All a great value for the money.
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IZ0PXT
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 21, 2009 05:36
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Great RIG !
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I Owned this rig for almost 3 months and I can say it's hard to beat for the price, performance ratio. The riceiver is very sensitive, it look like to my old and faithful Yaesu ft 102,is very sensitive and selective.The TX section is very easy to setup,mic gain has 3 settings low, nor,high my advice is to keep on NOR, the MICEQ has 9 setting I advice to set on 2 for normal operation on 9 for dx or pileup,I use the radio with a MD 100 with complimentary audio reports.
The DSP in this machine is very good is easy to pull up weak station using the right combination of DNR,CONTOUR and WIDHT, the NOTCH is superlative !!! I like also the voice memory useful for contest operation.
I am also a CW operator the rig is very good on cw, someone has complained about the noisy QSK, for my modest opinion it works fine,the only negative point I would like a 250 hz setting on the dsp width for the cw.
My 450 cames with the internal ATU and I can say that it perform well very similiar to my Kenwood TS 480 SAT.
Final if ur budget is below the 1000 €, the ft 450 is your machine, you can also use on portable on the car as I do.
73 to all the ehamnet members good choice
IZ0PXT Simon
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N3IBX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 12, 2009 02:42
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Great value for the money!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Hello All, I've always wanted a Ft-450 since their inception, and finally acquired one a few weeks ago. I've been playing around with it and really like what I find. The true IF DSP works wonders on some QRN/M, the addition of a singe 10KC roofing filter is a good thing but a couple of other roofing filters would be nice, but considering the price I paid for the radio, I'm not complaining. It's a definite class leader, and I think you'll find that after you figure out a few quirks the operation will come natural to you.
I anticipate running "HRD" - Ham Radio Deluxe with the FT-450, and can use the same serial cable I acquired for it's operation on my FT-950.
The FT-450 is a lot like the FT-950 in some respects, but it's operation is just a little different.
I do have a issue with the transmitted audio quality. From what I've read, your transmitted audio won't go below 400hz, even when enhanced by the onboard voice frequency synthesizer. At best, it's punchy but very clear, and good for general ssb work. I've been using the stock microphonium and plan on trying a MD-100 desk mic to see if it's any improvement.
There are two quirks I think you should know. First,the microphone gain control is a function of a menu. You're given three choices: low, normal, and high!
Secondly, their is no conventional speech processor as we're accustomed to. Speech processing is a enhancement from a mix of audio settings in the menu, tailored to your specific need. I personally like to push a button for my speech processor when trying to bust a pileup! I digress.
Good luck and I think you'll be very happy with your purchase, considering it's initial cost.
Joe Cro N3IBX
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AD5QP
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 2, 2009 08:59
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Great affordable radio
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I operate casually on HF and 6m. As such, I find this radio to be a keeper. Have had many radios over a period of about 40 years, but this one will probably be the last. It has a great receiver and covers all the bands and requirements that I have. The knob is not a problem to me. As long as it turns...... When I get to it, I will open it up for MARS. It works better than my Kenwood TS-850S as far as pulling a signal out of the noise. Recommend this radio to anyone...
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K8CEB
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Rating: 5/5
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May 21, 2009 11:07
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Great Rig
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I just recently bought this rig. Prior to that I had been using a IC-718 which is a good rig. I wanted 6 mtr capability, so after reading reviews and comments bought this rig. The price was in my range with the coupon offering that Yaesu had at the time. I have heard some FT 450 owners complaining they are told their audio has a background hum when they transmit. I have also heard they can get rid of this hum by turning the displays "bright" control to a number "4" set point and this gets rid of the hum. Well, I use a Astron 50 amp regulated power supply and HAVE NOT experienced this as I have my brightness set to a number 1. I have been told by Yaesu tech support that this hum will be noticeable if you operate the rig with a 22 or 25 amp power supply. The rig isn't seeing enough amperage with these supplies. The larger the amp rating on a regulated supply the better off your rig will be. The receiver is much better (hotter) than my IC-718 which does have a good front end. I have already been complimented several times about the great sounding audio my rig has using the stock handheld mic. I can tune out adjacent freq QRM much better than I could with my Icom. I truley believe that dollar for dollar you can't get a better rig than this one. I have my rig set on top of my Palstar tuner so I don't have an issue with the small VFO knob or any of the other buttons to operate the rig. I would recommend this rig to anyone that is looking for 6 mtr operations along with regular HF bands. Have a great day.
Greg
k8ceb
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KA4AIY
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Rating: 4/5
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May 9, 2009 10:51
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It's OK I think
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Can't give it a 5 yet. I don't like the manual and I thought ICOM's was deficient. ICOM seems virtuous compared with the FT 450 manual, my experience with Kenwood and ICOM was better.
My gripe is that the 450 manual does not present a clear direct instruction set fro doing a simple thing like invoking 60 Meter operation. You have to do some digging and then it isn't clear how to go straight to 60 Meters. The around about way (my opinion) you have to get to 60 meters suggests it was an add on or after-thought in programming for it in the factory. 60 meters has been a reality for a couple of years now and one would think Yaesu would have re-programmed their eProm to have it more directly accessible like the other bands are. I'm picky here, but why not be able to go to 60M with the panel band switch like the other bands? You can't. To get 60M you have to go to menu setting option followed by another panel button in a rapid sequence and then select the part of the memory menu that includes the 60M presets. Cumbersome and cryptic. It would be better to have it in the band band selection function, as are the other bands.
It took some trial and error to invoke the pre-set section of the 60 meter portion; no mention in manual of how to simply get there directly, as the data is all combined with the protracted memory program option.. when the 60M part is factory preset; getting to it is not easy as it could be. Invoking menu settings several times, it finally popped in.. yet no clear directions are in the manual's memory section... thus you have to "fight" for it.
The filtering and DSP tuning functions are good things... they were the attributes that attracted me to this rig, as I like to go Packet and CW modes, each having a different audio tuning requirement.
The 450 manual is not very user friendly. It could be better organized. Finally, I think this rig is a little over-priced at full retail; Discount program made it price attractive.
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W0BKR
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Rating: 4/5
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May 8, 2009 12:29
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Great radio for the Buck!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I haven't had mine long but so far, I think it is a decent investment on the used market.
Yeah, the knob sucks. The un-backlit keys suck too. But compared to the other radios out there in a similar class, it (FT-450) has real DSP compared to an audio filter, has a tuner and has 6 meters. No compromises there. No filters to buy either. And for around $500 used, or so, you can't go wrong.
Receiver is on par with radios $1000 more, and is quiet. Hears well, works them. Other then the minor ergonomics that suck, not a big deal. No radio gives you all you want.
The IC-7800 has a decent receiver but not on par with some radios in the $3000 range. And there, you pay 11,000. Why?
Anyway, the FT-450 I think will be like the IC-706. Around and in cars and campsites as well bas base stations.
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W4HIJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 13, 2009 16:03
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Great value!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I got my radio in late Febuary of this year and after "leisurely" operation in the ARRL International DX SSB and the CQ WPX SSB contest I will say that I like this little rig a lot. I've mostly owned Kenwood radios and a couple of Icoms before buying this one and I'd have to say all in all that I'm pretty happy with it. I can do without ever owning an Icom again and I think I'll always be a Kenwood guy at heart but when you look at the Yaesu 450 and the feature to dollar ratio there is nothing that comes close. The receiver is quite good for a radio in this price range and as I'm getting the hang of the DSP and all the adjustment options, I'm really starting to enjoy it more and more. The only real problem I've had is with the DIGI VOX when trying to operate soundcard modes. Might just be me but it seems finicky at best. I got frustrated with it quickly. When I got it sensitive enough to key the radio consistently I found I had no room for leeway in adjusting my soundcard receive levels.
The DIGI VOX would trip while my software was in receive mode anytime I got the volume near a comfortable listening level. I finally just whipped up a circuit to hard key the PTT from a serial port and turned the DIGI Vox off. It's a minor issue and it could be something exclusive to my setup so I still gave the radio a 5 because of the exceptional value and feature to dollar ratio.
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KB3RPE
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 11, 2009 13:51
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Happy DX'er
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Owned Rig for a little over a month now, no problems or issues. Am working DX with a 80-6m Windom antenna only 7 feet off the ground, laid out in an "L". It's the only way I can get it setup until some trees "go away". I certainly would agree with the statements that it's a fantastic radio for the money. The only additional feature I'd like would be a "band scope" of some nature. Yaesu does not seem to "throw" that feature in as does Icom. But, that said, LUV the radio & would purchase again.
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