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| Reviews Summary for Yaesu FT-950 |
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Reviews: 113
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Average rating: 4.6/5
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MSRP: $1840
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Description: The Yaesu FT-950 is an HF/6m transceiver which features IF DSP as well as 3 kHz, 6 kHz and 15 kHz roofing filters. The transceiver can be interfaced with the DMU-2000 to add additional functions such Band Scope, Audio Scope, X-Y Oscilloscope, World Clock, Rotator Control, and extensive transceiver status displays, in addition to station logging capability. The optional RF µTuning Kits may be connected via the rear panel, providing improved selectivity to protect the receiver from close-in interference on a crowded band.
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More info: http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/hamhf/0950.html
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write your own review of the Yaesu FT-950.
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KC2PLJ
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 17, 2009 16:24
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Outstanding
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Just purchased this Excellent transceiver and it has been nothing short of amazing, the receiver is first class, Audio reports are excellent. The menu system is a little confusing at first but I am already comfortable operating through it. I see a lot of reference to this unit and the Icom 746 pro, they don't even compare. This one blows it out of the water and makes the 746 look like a welfare case. 73 Mike
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K2VI
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 3, 2009 13:51
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DX MACHINE
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I UPLOADED THE NEW 11.50 FIRMWARE UPGRADE AND THE RIG HAS A DIFFERENT SOUND , ALMOST LIKE MY PRO III. THIS RADIO HAS TO BE THE BEST BANG FOR THE BUCK EVER.SOME MIGHT COMPLAIN ABOUT THE POWER AJUSTMENT IN THE MENU, THIS IS REALLY NOT A BIG PROBLEM FOR ME.I LEARNED THE RADIO WELL AND NAVIGATE WHERE I NEED TO GO IN A SNAP.IF YOUR THE TYPE THAT HAS NO PATIENCE TO LEARN THE RADIO THEN DO NOT BUY IT.YOU WILL BE BETTER OFF WITH AN FT-920 OR 990.FOR ME IT'S A PLEASURE TO HAVE IN THE SHACK AND WILL NEVER SELL IT.5 STAR RATING ALL THE WAY.
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HA2ERO
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 20, 2009 02:38
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Good, but not superb
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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It is more than enough for everyday activities. Its sensitivity, the very low noise level, the good filters make the use of the rig very comfortable. It sounds very good especially on SSB.
However I do not think it is a high end radio and it is not suitable for serious contesting. My main focus on a rig is the receiver performance on CW. I am mostly working on CW. The updates brought us some improvement in the filters but I do not recognize major improvement in the receiving performance.
My concerns with the rig:
- First one, which is not the biggest issue for me.
Any CW station with S-9 or stronger signal is covering +/-800Hz in the band. The DSP filter is able to eliminate its sidetone, but the singal still knocking and the covers the weak signals in this range.
I compared it with a TS2000 too. The two radios are on my desk and I can use the same antenna for the tests. The TS2000 performs better in this aspect. The covered range is thinner.
- Sercond one, which causes more headake.
My neighbor has an electric fence. When it operates I hear a knocking – one knock per second with S-9 strength - noise in all bands. The noise blanker is able to reduce it but cannot eliminate it.
I cannot even hear it on the TS2000. I thought its front end in more robust against local wide band noise and disturbances. I had the chance to try an ICOM 746 and a 706 in my shack. They were also not affected by the electric fence.
So my conclusion is now that the FT950 has an open and sensitive front end compared to the other rings. Considering that the small mobile IC706 has over performed the FT-950 in this point this result reflects a poor performance.
(Please note that the FT950 receiver is better than the ICOM706 and 746 in all other aspests.)
Nevertheless I still do not think about selling the rig off. No other rig performs better in this price.
73!
HA2ERO
Zoli
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KC5LDO
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 14, 2009 15:11
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great rig
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I really wasn't needing a new radio when I bought my FT-950. Pricing and selection on the Yaesu products made it hard not to buy. I wanted to try out a new menu base radio and FT-950 was just what I was looking for.
I am very pleased with the FT-950. It didn't take long to get it set up to my liking. I don't seem to notice the problems others do. It receives very well and filtering works good. I use a MD100 mic ,Zero Five antenna and 100 watts. Stateside and dx contacts seem easy . It's also the quietest radio I've ever had.
It looks good and is a pleasure to use. I used it for 10 hours straight in the na qso party contest and I never got fatigued. If you have the time to learn it you'll love it. 73,James
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G8YTZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 10, 2009 15:48
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You won't be unhappy with this rig.
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I purchased this radio last November, so have owned it just over three months and I am absolutely delighted with it, if you buy this radio you will likely be hooked on Yaesu and keep it for years, it has inner qualities that you appreciate more every time you use it, this is surely a mark of a timeless and quality design.
Pros:
• Fantastic RX and TX performance, turned revolutionary after the recent radio and DSP upgrades. I have had many unsolicited comments about my first-rate SSB transmit audio (the processor is set to Yaesu’s recommended settings in the manual)
• Flexible menu set-up system, you can tweak this radio to just how you want it to be.
• Very clear and easy-to-read VF display, great feel to the main tuning dial.
• Excellent instruction manual
• Works perfectly with Ham Radio Deluxe.
• Fantastic internal build quality with a quality die-cast chassis. (I opened it up to add the excellent VMU board)
Cons:
• Could do with more memories and alpha tagging
• Would love it is Yaesu produced a matching external speaker
• Lacks a discriminator meter on FM (future software enhancement?)
• There is a minor scanning bug on memory bank 4 (memory scanning will not start on this bank, but will continue if selected during scanning on another memory bank – Yaesu need top get your software engineers onto this one!)
• No way to save your memories and settings (without the DMU) when you upgrade the firmware, you have to add them all back in manually.
• It should really have a USB interface on a modern radio.
One piece of advice I can give HF radio operators though... Don’t make the mistake that I did and be tempted by the poison fruit of the switch mode power supply... I purchased a “MyDel” switch mode power supply with this rig; I have since seen the error of my ways and purchased a proper Yaesu FP-1030 unit and what a difference, the radio is much quieter and now pulls in the weakest signals with clarity and depth. Moral of the story is always to buy the OEM accessories, switch mode and HF rigs do not mix – and Yaesu know this.
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KC2OYZ
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Rating: 1/5
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Feb 9, 2009 16:32
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FT-950
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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(I would have given this radio a 0, but the RX sounds great and the built in speaker is excellent.)
Yes guys, I read the manual, AND the Nifty Notes. And this is my 7th HF rig. And I write and analyze software systems for a living so I'm not scared of complicated things.
My complaints about the FT-950 are too numerous to list - but this will tell you all you need to know about it: What kind of bonehead dedicates a whole big knob right in front to memory keyer speed and sticks RF Power, and DNR settings, and compression/speech processor settings stuck inside some far away menu with only one menu hot-key?
If you are an operator who wants to work crowded bands, negotiate pileups and chase DX, I'd say a clean IC-735 would be a better choice than an FT-950.
BUT, if you like to look at lots of nice colors and play with menus, run out and buy an FT-950.
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W0DKM
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 8, 2009 08:34
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This rig will be a classic
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought a FT450 for mobile use. And I thought it was as good as the PRO2 I used as a base. So I thought the 950 would be a good replacement for my 4 year old IC756P2. I went to see a ft950 at a neighbor who had one. Liked what I saw. So I found a dealer to trade even for my Icom. This my seem foolish, but I was getting bored with the pro2.
The FT950 comes out of the box, as if all the knobs are twisted right. Not really but this rig is loud and popping, jumping. The S meter is all over the place, but mostly S9+ or more on every noise. I freaked out and shut her down.
Maybe, I thought I'll read the manual. Then heard about the PEP upgrade. Did the upgrade, Better. Then IPO to ON, No preamps. ATT to 6db. Better. Still over reacts to every pop and noise.
So she is more usable now and picks up weak signals very good. It Seems to handle overload, and close signals well.
The transmitter is super hot. Lots to adjust, Lots of punch.
The Display is Great, Perfect for me. The meter is great, colors are perfect. Lots of info.
Large knobs. Well layed out panel. Solid feel.
The DSP is just not there yet. My ClearSpeech Base unit is better. And works better at getting rid of band noise, with very low signal loss. The DSP in the ft950 on par with the Pro2.
I do like using this rig on CW. Seems more geared for CW then SSB.
For the money, value, This is a Great rig.
The IC756P2 is a much smoother rig, and the scope is nice to have.
I will keep the FT950 till the IC7600 is out.
I gave it a 4 because the power output adjustment should be on the front of the rig. And she's a bit jumpy. I really think the FT450 works slightly better.
Regards, Dave.
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F4EGA
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 25, 2009 23:48
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Very good
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The FT-950 needs attention from the very first day it enters your shack ! I mean, prepare yourself to invest some time TO LEARN how this rig is working before spitting on Yaesu's Engineers.
I've tried a lot of transceivers before and last was a 756PRO and i can say the 950 is the best, it's a little FT-2000!
PEP enhancements are great to me, DNR, notch, contour, etc is nice. DNF is working perfectly now so as the PROC which is not giving any distorted audio when properly setup with the EQ.
The FT-950 with PEP is an excellent radio for the price, hard to beat IMO.
I was a little disappointed with YAESU with the MKV and ICOM was my favourite but the FT-950 pleasantly surprised me by the quality of the receiver and the DSP.
Congratulations YAESU!!
Best 73 to all.
Patrick
F4EGA
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OE5BFM
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 24, 2009 03:10
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Surprisingly awesome!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I do not describe the control elements and technical possibilities, just my impressions.
First I want explain, till now I enjoyed the great and famous older rigs like FT-101ZD, TS-830S and at last a TS-930S with all filters in fine condition. So I am a bit fastidious in RX-quality.
So I was very skeptical against these new DSP-rigs.
Ok, I bought a FT-950, switched it on - right out of the box - and was absolutely surprised!
First the handling is transparent, I can use the TRX with it´s main control elements without reading the manual! (Till now, hi) I thought it´s much more complicated.
And second, I like digging out weakest CW-signals. And, that´s no joke, I can hear them at least, and I mean really at least, as well as on the famous TS-930S in fine condition with all filters in it! Wow!
The rig is looking good and is very convincingly with it´s performance for me.
So I am very satisfied. And what I have heard, the brand new software-update available from Yaesu makes ist even better.
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KB4KKX
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Rating: 5/5
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Jan 18, 2009 10:14
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Fine rig...enjoy using it.
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have had my FT-950 for two months now and have found it to be a fine rig...easy to operate and the manual is clear if you have a question. I have set the C.S. button to set the RF output and now I have a very simple and effective way of adjusting the RF out. With the incredible number of features and quality of the equipment, the price is remarkable. I am very satisfied.
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