|
New to Ham Radio?
My Profile
Community
Articles
Forums
News
Reviews
Friends Remembered
Speak Out
Strays
Survey Question
Operating
Contesting
DX Cluster Spots
Propagation
Resources
Calendar
Classifieds
Ham Exams
Ham Links
List Archives
News Articles
Product Reviews
QSL Managers
Site Info
eHam Help (FAQ)
Support the site
The eHam Team
Advertising Info
Vision Statement
About eHam.net
|
|
Show all reviews of the Yaesu FTdx-9000 (non PEP version only)
|
|
You can write your own review
of the Yaesu FTdx-9000 (non PEP version only).
|
|
VE7OVY
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Aug 2, 2007 21:02
|
Send this review to a friend!
|
|
happy as the day i bought it!
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
Over the past 21yrs, i've spent a small fortune on HF rigs. Here they are: Eico753, FTDX400, TS-130S, FT-767GXII, FT-840, FT-890. FT-847, TS680, FT-920, and a HW101. All were sold after a year or two of use. By and large its been a quest for performance that's been largely unmet until now. My current 'fleet' of keepers are a FT-817, FT-857, and two IC-746 non-PROs for Pactor use. Point being, i've had a few rigs over the years and feel i can speak with some knowledge. I have often favored Yaesu on hf because of the tonal characteristics of their receivers. I find their rx audio to be smoother, more 'well-rounded' and more pleasing to the ear IMHO. I'm NOT a contester, if you are you may have a different criteria/need than i.
In the continuing quest for 'the perfect rig' after watching & reading the mostly bad reviews on eHam, i finally got my hands on a IC-7800 and FT9K at Radioworld in Toronto. The IC-7800 failed to impress me cosmetically/ergonomically and sound-wise. It was just another fancy rig to me (no offense to the '7800 owners, i'm sure its a fine rig). However the FT-9000 is, i believe, built for those who LOVE to operate for fun/ragchewing. Maybe if you're a CW nut you want an Orion. Or a contester maybe you want a 7800. But for me, the FT-9000 has what it takes to be a rag-chewers ultimate radio with A+ performance when you wanna work the pie-ups too.
Wow. The 2hr demo blew me away. The size of the dial, the controls, the silky-smooth FEEL of the knobs as they turn, the SOUND of the receiver, the ABILITY of the rig to reduce/eliminate QRN/QRM is amazing! The continuously variable DSP bandwidth works great. The MTU8040 really does a noticeable job on eliminating noise in the receiver. For those that claim it doesn't make much difference, i say they must not be in a noisy area because i notice a big improvement in s/n with it in. The variable TX bandwidth was the clincher for me. While i'm not one of these 7khz ultra-wide SSB 'audio gurus' with a rack of gear, i want the rig to SOUND good. Most of my HF-ing is rag-chewing, not chasing DX in pile-ups.
After coming home from the demo, i sold most of my other rigs and picked upa FT9000CONTEST with a Blue Dial and added the DMU, and the MTU8040. Didnt go for the big expensive optional display, instead i use a cheap 15" LCD computer screen. Part of the reason i did this is i like how the contest looks with that row of big knobs and meters across the right side of the radio and i didnt want to give that up for a fancy display. (also the thought occured to me if my LCD display dies, it'll cost $150 to replace. Hate to think what the optional Yaesu display will cost when it eventually dies, so i went with the cheaper option).
Only took 3wks from order to delivery via Radioworld in Toronto. What a brute! About 60lbs and the shipping box is the size of a bar fridge!
The manual is a bit daunting but explains most things. Way too much to sit and read in 1 day. Getting the radio to play was fairly intuitive, once you learn how the menu system works. Then its just a matter of going through the manual and the menu and making changes one by one. Out of the box, the defaults will get you on the air decently, but tweaking to your tases is definitely required. This is not a radio for beginners, you need to know a bit about operating and RF/circuits to understand what you're doing.
I use it with a Heil PR-20 Goldline and a W2IHY 8-band EQ box. Works great for me. While i dont have the processing & downward expanders and all that other rack-mounted gear, i'm happy with what i have and the reports i get.
Having the rig for 8mos now, I must say i am still as happy today as the day i bought it. Now that Yaesu is releasing updates and gave everyone cables to do them with for FREE, its starting to feel like a solid and supported radio. Well done Yaesu, its about time you supported the rig and its users after 2 yrs of neglect on the FT9k Keep up the recent good work!
Sure there were a LOT of intitial bugs 2yrs ago on the first "BETA-TEST" models (shame on yaesu for selling a product for full price when it was still so buggy!). Heck, i could make MY radio shut off by a certain combination of switches!!). Admittedly there were some hardware issues too with RF Amps blowing up and other issues. HOWEVER, it seems like the bugs are now worked out and i'm happy to see more positive reviews as of late, which echo my experience.
So for those of you who want one of the best and sweetest-sounding HF rigs out there, give one a try. Get your hands on a demo rig at your local toy-store and make a contact or two. Dont be turned off by the earlier poor reviews. A lot has happened with this rig in the past 2yrs. This is one rig i don't plan on replacing no matter what they come up with next. This is the first rig in 21yrs of being a ham that meets & exceeds my expectations. NOW i can sit back, enjoy operating and stop buying every new rig that comes out!
73 de Kevin ZL1OVY VE7OVY VA7FE
|
|
Email Subscription
You are not subscribed to this review.
Subscribe!
My Subscriptions
Subscriptions Help
|
If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions about Reviews
please email your Reviews Manager
|
|
|
