| K2WU |
Rating:      |
2015-01-20 | |
| Very nice |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I don't have any major revelations that haven't already been addressed in other reviews, but I'll throw in my opinion.
I treated myself to the FTDX-3000 as a replacement for my FT-1000MP (although I haven't yet disposed of the 1000MP). In terms of sensitivity, I don't really see any difference either on-air or with an HP signal generator (set to <-135 dBm). Selectivity is another story, however. I find the 3000 much better on a practical basis than the 1000MP (and I have most of the optional filters in the 1000MP). Similarly, there is no comparison between the two in terms of DSP functionality (the 3000 wins handily).
The lack of a true second receiver was my biggest concern and I agonized for a while whether or not to go with the Icom IC-7600. But a dozen or so CW split pileups have convinced me that nimble fingers along with the TXW button is about 90% as effective. I still prefer the dual receivers in a perfect world (who wouldn't?).
I really have only two gripes: First, the tuning speed choices are 1, 5 and 10 kHz/revolution. I had my FT-1000MP set to 2.5 and I really miss that. I find the 3000's 1 kHz too slow and the 5 kHz too fast. Second, I've tried the tuner on the 3000 a couple of times and the relay chattering, which goes on for about 5 seconds, makes me cringe. I can't believe the relays can take that abuse year after year.
So, I would give the FTDX-3000 a rating of 4.75. |
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| W3PAL |
Rating:      |
2015-01-14 | |
| Excellent radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've been radio-active for over 25 years and owned many radios from the Big Three including several home-brew HF transceivers.
I bought my FTDX-3000D from HRO, back in December 2013. Prior to this purchase I did a lot of research and "test drove" other radios like FTDX-5000,IC-7600, Elecraft K3, TS-590 etc.
FTDX-5000 was the one I liked the most but I could not convince myself to spend $5000 on a new radio and I really did not need a second receiver.
FTDX-3000 is very similar in performance to a FTDX-5000. I was very impressed with the receiver's performance. It's amazingly quiet and I was very impressed with DSP performance.
So far I made about 5000 QSOs with this rig and participated in several SSB and CW contests.
This rig has an amazing receiver. I also always get compliments on TX audio quality (Heil HM-12 microphone). Having a parametric TX Equalizer was big help to fine-tune my TX signal.
The radio has a well-thought faceplate layout and it's menu access and structure are very intuitive. Simulated analog S-meter looks like a real thing. Band-scope is small but has good resolution. I can see weak signals as well as strong ones. Obviously it's not a 27 inch computer monitor. An aftermarket external SDR band-scope can be easily added. The radio has a convenient IF Out jack in the back.
Contesting was a pure joy with this rig. I've used radios like K3, IC-756Pro3, Flex5000, FT1000, TS-590 in contests. This radio is unlike anything else I've used before. I was pleasantly surprised by it's performance. I can easily hear weak signals right next to S9++ stations. DSP takes care of the noise without compromising audio quality.
Narrow CW DSP filtering has no "hollow ringing" found on many other radios. I added an optional 300Hz roofing filter. A weak signal can be isolated and heard very well in a pile-up, next to S9+++ signals. Long contests can be fun and enjoyable when you don't have to strain your ears. It's a big plus in my book. I'm very picky about RX performance and audio quality. FTDX3000 has exceeded my expectations. Great job Yaesu!
There are two things I don't like about this radio. MODE button location is weird. It must be pressed several times to switch to a correct mode.
Also an optional voice recorder records audio without passing it through the parametric TX equalizer and audio compressor (I can be wrong on this one but it sure sounds different). I use it to record audio for CQ calls. I was told it sounds fine but I can tell a difference when listening to my own signal with MONITOR feature. It's really no big deal. It will probably be taken care of in newer firmware updates.
Overall,I would give this rig a big 5+. It's a keeper. |
|
| KG3V |
Rating:      |
2014-12-30 | |
| Glad I Bought it! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Initial impression after a couple weeks - great Rig. This is the first Yeasu HF Rig I have had and I am very impressed. Yeah, there are many Menus, but I think I will make one-time changes to 90% of them. I love the ability to customize so many features.
Receive seems very sensitive and quiet. The computer interface is exceptionally well thought out. You get true FSK with a PC and only the USB cable. The USB driver creates two ports, one for CAT, the other for CW/PTT/FSK keying.
The DSP filters and many functions (notch, peak filters, shift, contour) are great on this Rig. And they include a keypad for access to Memories.
My only dislikes 1-a clacking relay in QSK mode, 2-The spectrum display needs more gain in "small mode" I see Yeasu has provided several firmware upgrades and I hope they will continue that practice unlike some other Companies.
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|
| KC2PUF |
Rating:      |
2014-12-30 | |
| Needs more buttons! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Had a pro3, asst. kenwoods, yaesu 897, 857, icom 7000, 7001, etc.
Friend bought a ftdx1200. I was going for the icom 7600 at same time. Heard his 1200 Ended with a 3000 at it hears! Need more buttons. Menus drive me nuts. I figure they are doing a ftdx5000 revamp next maybe with a big screen and such. I will be there in a heartbeat.
Other than the lack of buttons and dual watch I am ecstatic with this as a replacemnet for my pro 3.
Run it into ameritron amps through the ameriton interface, and it makes the trip. |
|
| N4QT |
Rating:      |
2014-12-05 | |
| Great value |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I just traded my Icom IC7600 I had for five years and really enjoyed using for a new YAESU FTDX 3000D. Why did I make the trade? Good question. Just compare the ARRL product review specifications between the two radios. The 3000 indeed has a very low noise floor. DNR really is amazing. I am getting excellent audio reports using a Heil PR 781 studio mike. I have customized the audio equalizer settings. Easy to do. I am in a learning curve as I have not had a Yaesu rig since 1995. I am doing more reading of the manual than on air time at this point. First contact on the rig 5/9 in New Zealand! That was on 20 meters. Most of the Eham review for this rig are spot on. A few I have dismissed as inaccurate. So far I am pleased with my decision to return Yaesu after all these years and by the way I have excellent support with my questions to Yaesu Tech Support. |
|
| VA3AQB |
Rating:      |
2014-11-21 | |
| Great Radio |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
This is a fantastic Radio, have a few other radios in the shack but only want to use this radio.
Great receiver. Audio is second to none on this radio, better than my Kenwood radio. It is capable of 4k audio with the power up sequence, holding TXW + C.S button then powering up, in menu #104 3000WB will be replaced with TTBF so eSSB guys should be happy.
I find the menus easy to use, basically set it and forget it. Easy to set up for digital modes with the USB connection or R232, only problem you cannot use both, menu option is USB or R232 so with need to use a virtual port program to run some things at the same.
I have played with my friends TS590 as this I feel is the Kenwood’s close’s competitor to this radio but find the 3k for me much better in performance RX & TX.
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|
| 2E1VAR |
Rating:      |
2014-11-14 | |
| Great set |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Owned mine for 6 months now. Previous radios include IC706/746/7400, TS2000, FT847/857.
This is in a different league and is well worth the extra cash. Amazing HF transeiver, audio set up helps me bust pile ups with my meagre 50watts allowance.
The menus aren't an issue, standard settings work fine, as you learn you can delve in and have a play !
Auto ATU takes time to 'learn' the settings at first but now I never press tune.
You must change the contour setting as is well documented. Menu 108, crank it up to 10. Now the contour dial really makes a difference.
I don't have a single critisism.
Latest firmware update fixes the issue of going into menus to change TX power, drops onto the Carrier dial. |
|
| KB8GAE |
Rating:      |
2014-11-11 | |
| Excellent Rig |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned my 3k for over a year. I listen to a lot of hf nets and am a casual cw dxer and cw/ rtty contester. My antennas are wires & verticals and I don’t use an amp. I have found that all the features on the 3k work. The antenna tuner is usable but covers limited bandwidth and needs re-tuned way more my Kenwoods. I enjoy the band scope but it has limited resolution which restricts its usefulness.
Ergonomics : I’m retired and use the rig a lot. I know the rig well, so menus and lack of back lighted buttons aren’t problems for me . If you only use the 3k a few times a month these could be issues.
SSB: Transmit and receive audio are excellent. Low noise, pleasant sound, this rig is a pleasure to listen to. I have the contour set at plus 10 and it can really bring signals out of the mud. I use a Heil HM-12 and took some time to set up the Parametric Equalizer which lets you tweak the 3k for your voice.
Cw dxing: I was surprised how much I enjoy this rig for cw dxing. I love the Tuning Offset Indicator which lets you rapidly see when you are exactly on a calling stations frequency. When operating split I set VFO A for narrow bw and VFO B for wide bw so I can hear a large slice of the pileup when pressing the TXW switch and using the VFO B Knob to tune with. I have found it very effective in pileups for a single receiver rig. I set up the memories and use the FH-2 keypad to send with, which really reduces fatigue.
Cw/Rtty contests: Using a only USB cable between the 3K and PC, I use N1MM to key the rig in cw contests and N1MM & FLDIGI for rttty contests. I worked 400 + qso’s in the ARRL CW SS and the rig and software performed flawlessly. The filtering is rock solid and I am able to work stations in crowded band conditions.
IMHO the for the price FTDX-3000 is an excellent all round rig. I love mine. |
|
| KE5RHE |
Rating:      |
2014-11-02 | |
| Great radio for the money |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
A little about myself. I have owned a IC-7000 and a FT-450. I have also spent considerable time operating an IC-7800 into a 6 element 20m beam at 110 feet. But my QTH has a simple rotatable dipole at 30 feet. I only work SSB and digital so I cannot comment on CW performance.
First of all this is a quiet radio. I am not talking about DSP functionality but the receiver itself. The RF gain tends to stay at about 50% on the dial and AF gain at 50-75. With this setting there is very little noise.
Some comments on common topics:
Selectivity/Sensitivity: WAY better than either of my other radios. I can always tell stations are there but often times cannot work them except on the FT3000. But this is to be expected. I have done an A/B comparison at a friends QTH using the setup described above. That day I was not able to work anyone with the 7800 that I could not with the 3000. I am not saying its is as good as a 7800 but on that particular day the higher priced radio did not get me better performance regarding the ability to work a station.
Bandscope: People that say this is worthless are spoiled. No, its not an high end Icom or panadapter but it does give you good information. I have worked a lot of DX and W1AW stations before the pileups because I noticed activity on the band I happened to be on. In short, it will show you strong signals very well but weak signals will not be obvious.
Ergonomics: I am lucky enough to live near an AES and used the radio a few times before the purchase. The text is hard to read in a poorly lit room. I think its due to the bright LCD. The controls (or lack of) does not bother me like it does some people. Power level was added as an option on the comp level knob in the last software update. If you have been using new radios for a while I doubt you find this radio troublesome. But if you are coming from a 1000 or 5000 you might be a little annoyed. After setting up the behavior I wanted in the menus I have not needed a function not available on the front panel. I do wish the front panel menu items (DNR, ANF, PROC, etc) had softkeys as well.
DSP: Works well and very intuitive.
USB port: Install the PC drivers correctly and it will show up as two serials ports (1 CAT) and a USB audio device.
My biggest complaint is that it does not have a way to setup a dedicated "auto tune" button. Previous radios had a feature that would allow me to hold a button to tune. The radio would revert to CW at low power and key up when the button was held. And it would revert back with released. This radio has this but only for the internal tuner. It is cumbersome to do this manually using the knobs/buttons.
I do have a few other complaints but nothing unexpected. Read the first few pages of the manual before you buy and there should be no surprises what this radio can or cannot do. 73's. |
|
| ON4VP |
Rating:      |
2014-10-15 | |
| Specs on par with the best on the market |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I agree with most reviewers that the FTDX-3000 has a fantastic receiver. It's among the best on the market. This transceiver plays in the leaque of radios that cost 3 times more and surpasses most of them. One of the most attractive things is its price. This rig still cost you some money but the price is far more fair considering what you get for it.
Looking at the previous reviewer, KD0S, I totally disagree with his statement about the menu. If he would have been following up on his purchase he would know that a recent firmware release not lets him set the power output level by a simply turn on the PRO/CAR knob on the frontpanel. So nothing to fall short here and Yaesu did listen to its customers.
Where I do agree with him is the subject on the mode setting. The push button is not in a good place and for a radio with this features a dedicated mode button for all modes should have been used or if not a bigger and easier to use mode button should have been placed on the panel.
Also in my case I notice some muffled audio with the optional DVS-6 board. It does record the received audio very well but when I record messages to play back on air using almost any kind of mic I trow at it, the audio just is not good. Most microphone elements need the internal EQ when set up for your own voice. I regret the EQ stage is passed by when recording to the DVS-6 and also play back is without EQ. This results in audio that's just not good for playback. I needed to introduce outboard EQ to get decend recorded messages to play back on air. Yaesu should address this in future firmware. I contacted Yaesu UK to tell them.
Some transceivers have better scopes but it never played that important part for me when buying a radio. If this is very important to you consider the use of a sdr panadapter or look for other radios that offer better bandscopes. For me the FTdx-3000 scope is enough to have a quick overview. Also the smaller audio bandscope is good enough to tune to some signals and I find it handy for digital modes with the markers displayed on the screen.
A small extra complaint I have is that the FTdx-3000 does not allow you to use both the RS232 port and the USB port for CAT at the same time. Some other radios do. Yu have to select to use either USB or RS232 for CAT.
I would rate this radio 4,7 on a 5 scale if I hade the chance. But Eham only allows me 4 or 5. No radio is perfect but I rate the FTdx-3000 more than simply a 4. It is so good on air that it makes up for the few minor things that I would have been seen fixed like the DVS-6 audio, the mode button and the use of RS232 and USB for CAT at the same time. Apart from that the transceiver performance is fantastic. |
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