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Reviews For: Yaesu FTdx-3000

Category: Transceivers: HF Amateur HF+6M+VHF+UHF models - non QRP <5W

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FTdx-3000
Reviews: 191MSRP: 3299.00
Description:
Yaesu newest add to the HF line
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001914.7
EI5JS Rating: 2024-06-11
Excellent rig but a few negatives Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Owner for 10+ happy years, but no rig is perfect and the FTDX3000 is no different in that respect. Here's my honest review...

Positives:
Receive audio is lovely and can be customised in several ways.
Gets excellent TX audio reports when set up correctly (ALC/ Mic gain/ Proc and Comp)
Digital Noise Reduction is great on lower settings, specially for CW.
Auto-notch is very fast and very effective.
The Noise-Blanker easily kills electric fence noise.
Plenty of buttons for Dual VFO, Memory and RIT/XIT control.
A nicely presented display.
Auto-tune is reasonably quiet and fast.
Built in USB modem for computer integration works well.
Huge menu and full CAT gives you complete control over every aspect of the rig.
The optional 300Hz filter is a nice addition for CW reception.
General coverage reception is excellent.
The rig has a heavy, quality, old-school feel.

Negatives: (my major gripes)
The QSK relay is noisy and distracting for full-QSK CW operation. It's actually horrible.
The Mode button is tiny and poorly positioned.
The front panel and button legends are mid-grey in color, and hard to read. White font would have been a better choice.
Overall button placement and ergonomics are not great.


Overall:
I sometimes wish I'd gone with the TS-590S (back then). The ergonomics are better on that rig and the overall look and feel are nicer, (though it's not as well featured). Given the chance of a swap, I'm not sure I could part with the FTDX3000. It's not perfect but it's not far from it.

Conclusion:
My main HF rig for 10+ years I'd give it a 4/5. Solid-state full-QSK alone would have earned it a 5/5 for me. If you are not a full-QSK op, and your eyes are still good enough to read small/ grey legends then you won't do better than the FT-DX3000.

John EI5JS

KT8DX Rating: 2024-04-24
My favorite all time radio - clean and clear signals Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned them all. From pretty much everything Ten-Tec ever made along with a lot of others.

I bought an FTDX-1200 new and used it a lot for CW ragchewing and the occasional contest. Was very happy with it but "upgraded" to an FT-991a. The 991 was a decent radio but I never really liked it on HF. Sure it was a shack in a box but I just didn't enjoy it.

I saw an FTDX-3000 for sale locally and the owner said he wanted to get into VHF so I offered the 991 in trade which he accepted. I expected to be impressed with the RX when compared with the 991, but I was also very pleased with the improvement over the 1200. Its similar but the rx performance is much better and feels different. If the 3000 ever died I would replace it with another 3000 and that is saying something. I did add the option CW filter by the way.

So - now my 1200 and 3000 coexist side by side and I'm setting up an SO2R setup for contesting with the two. Otherwise, the 1200 is sitting on 6 meters waiting for band openings.

Oh, and for the scope - I purchased a license for Win4Yaesu and added an SDR Play. Now I have an excellent panadapter and a ton of flexibility.

As with all radios - ignore the specs and OPERATE. And don't spend so much time reading equipment reviews hi hi.

73s de KT8DX
N3TGY Rating: 2024-02-02
the best I've ever had in 40 years Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have to give this radio a true 5 . exceeded all of my expectations. I'd love to get a newer SDR radio but for me, a daily but casual operator, it does all I ask of it and it still surprises me. the receiver can knock out interference and yet remain sensitive to pull in weak stations. to me this radio is a blessing, I'm crippled and spend a lot of time on radio to pass the time. the ftdx-3kd interfaces to the computer for CAT and internal sound card makes it possible to do digital modes. the rig works FB on CW modes too. it's receiver really shines once you get the hang of running the rig. (albeit, my computer doesn't always play nice ) also I can run an RTL/SDR dongle from the IF output on the rear of the rig, used as a panadapter this is my finest superhet rig. maybe someday I'll be able to get an full SDR transceiver - maybe- until then, I'm more than happy with my FTDX-3000d.
KX2T Rating: 2023-12-24
Great Radio but RTFM Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I owned the 3000 for over 5 years and at this time I sold the radio but for the money it was a very good rig for its time period cause it had very good inter station flexibility. Today I run a 101D but have owned the Icom 7300, 7610 and the FTDX10. The later Icom 7610 was a nice radio but I unfortunately had one that went threw two displays before the last one which was a newer manufacture. The FTDX10 has a better receiver but you give up front panel real estate and user inputs and outputs but the 3000 had almost as much as the FTDX101D has.
The one thing that Yaesu added in the ten and the 101 series is the AMC circuit which actually helped control the overly aggressive ALC circuit and if set correctly will stop some of the splatter which the older designs did not. With the 3000 and even the 5000 if you run the ALC at 2/3rds of the suggested scale there will not be any issue but if you run it at the peak level or harder it will get ugly. A use of a spectrum analyzer in your shack will show this ugly head, please do not use another radio which is merely a display nothing more.
If Yaesu came out with a newer version of the 3000 in size with a larger display and the control flexibility with the RX section of the Ten that would be a killer I believe in todays market, not everyone wants the two RX sections and in most cases its almost not really needed.
Todays used prices on the 3000 are right around a Kilo Buck, a good value in todays used market.
KE5DUY Rating: 2023-12-24
Transceiver review Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I am very pleased with my 3000D, it did take some time to configure the settings for optimum performance from default, it does have a large menu but covers such a wide range of settings I can't complain. My last Transceiver was a FT101EE, just on the shelf now but do power it up 2 or 3 times a year. I saw a minor complaint about the extensive menu range being time consuming, but I see it as well worth it. If you will use a programming software, just a hint, I use RT Systems, once the unit is configured the radio settings can be sent to a computer via data transfer cable supplied with the software and changes can be made anytime at the transceiver or on the program page then sent to the unit. Also, should a reset ever be required on the radio all settings can be sent back to the radio in a matter of minutes instead of hours doing it manually again. Display is small but I prefer my ears over my eyes for operation and band traffic.
W5HI Rating: 2023-11-25
Killer CW Contesting Rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had the FTDX-3000D for about four years so far. The USB port took a power surge from my PC and blew the interface board. So, there's no USB rig control or soundcard available for digital modes. I pretty much keep it in 'mothballs' now and use another rig for daily operations.

Where the FTDX3K comes back is for all CW contests. The receiver has excellent sensitivity and selectivity (with a selectable 500Hz roofing filter built-in). The DSP stays on constantly for me and I make use of the excellent notch and audio shift features. I run the CW notch down to around 250hz and sometimes even to 50hz.

The not-so-great thing about it lies in the tiny bandscope. I don't use it very often. Some hams complain about the deep menu system but I find I set everything and hardly ever have to touch it.

#1 feature for me is the integrated 3-antenna connections. I run an 80m EFHW on one port, a 20m dipole on another and then a 25-foot vertical on the third. One of those antennas will hear a signal in most cases and I don't have to fiddle with mechanical switches and extra coax jumpers.

This rig is very similar in function to my venerable Icom IC-756Pro3 I owned years ago.
KA2DDX Rating: 2023-11-10
Update Time Owned: more than 12 months.
read ve3njg's review below - I do care about the scope and other frills - but the gentleman to my north hit it dead on - 53 years of hamming says this rig is different - and it's special - I graduated from my ft920 and ft950 both of which I kept and really love to use - but the 3000 is in a different realm - the receive audio is of a quality I've not heard - etc......................no need for repetition........reports from other stations are stellar - barefoot into a ground plane antenna....I don't own an amp.

Regards,
Larry KA2DDX

Nov 2023 ... I still have the ftdx3000. Great receiver, excellent filters and selectivity. I use it bare foot on the higher hf bands. The audio on Cw is sweet music. I have had it 8 years now and can't think of a reason to sell. FB on ssb and digital modes also.

73
Larry KA2DDX
NF4Z Rating: 2023-05-24
Like the FTDX-3000 Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
There isn't much more I can say about the Yaesu FTDX-3000. Most all areas are covered by other reviewers. There is one area that causes me the most concern. The VOX button control should have been one of the more used row of buttons on the left side of the display. Instead Yaesu designers chose to place it under the Scope section. Every time I want to turn on of off the VOX, I have to turn the scope completely off to expose the VOX control button. I use VOX exclusively and that control should have been placed in a one-step location. This is the one thing I really feel Yaesu could have done a better job while designing.

Most all of the other features are right there where the other reviewers have given it good marks. I really do enjoy the receive and other controls. I will also agree with many that the overall view of the scope and waterfall lacks a lot to be desired when compared to the Icom IC-7300. I don't review a lot, but feel the VOX thing is important enough to mention.
W4AIN Rating: 2023-03-14
Good rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased my FT-3000D from a friend in Texas. He was downsizing his station in preparation for RV'ing full-time. A very good radio. The controls are very intuitive and well organized. Excellent receiver with a very low noise floor, great for weak signal work. Very good DSP for Tx/Rx.
WB8YQJ Rating: 2023-02-06
Excellent++ Value HF Transceiver Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The Yaesu Ftdx3000D was brought in to succeed my FT2000 from 2010 after more than 10 years of robust service. It does everything as well or better than FT2000 with some compromise due to the smaller footprint. The FT2000 came out of the box ready to play yet the FTdx3000 took some time to dial in to the same level of satisfaction, actually it took a long while of side by side comparisons. Both radios are excellent phone and Cw transceivers and from what I can see, much less reliant of raiding the Yaesu menus in normal operation than the newer SDR radios. FTdx3000D was released before "Touch Screens" were standard and that suits my taste as I demand knobs and buttons on the radio but don't like touching the screen. Yaesu can really have problems with the user interface on their radios and FTdx3000D is no exception. The radio is compressed in size in comparison to FT2K and yet much of the available front panel and screen gets wasted with redundant function or empty space. There are temporary "flashed" messages on the screen. Yet, Ftdx3000 does well enough with the interface compared to everything the radio has to offer.
The most unfortunate idea for this radio was the spectrum display feature which is just a non-starter. Yet, even IC7300 which has a workable spectrum display in comparison has a very small visible area. In either case I demand a full feature spectrum display for a second receiver SDR displayed on the PC. FTdx3000D has an excellent SDR output for this, which I use, so I don't miss the implementation of the spectrum display on the radio itself.

In summary, I find the FTdx3000D a more robust radio than IC7300 for my operation and a good alternate choice compared to the new Yaesu SDR radios, at a lower cost. The built in roofing filters and superhet design are wonderful luxuries, especially for Cw operators. I wrote a computer program to further simplify radio operation at the front panel - you can see that here: https://wb8yqj.yolasite.com/sdrmetersandafedri.php