| KU7I |
Rating:  |
2021-04-04 | |
| Industry standard DSP with so-so bandscope |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
This is the first rig I have owned with a band scope. The DSP is amazing. Completely removes adjacent QRM, even 59 + signals 2 khz away. Contour function is AMAZING. For weak signal DX work the Contour function really brings weak signals out of the background noise on SSB dx.
NB is average, not great. Tried it on all types of noise and it was not that effective.
Built in auto tuner does work but it is about 4X slower than the one in the FT1000D. I am okay with the clanky relays but it just takes forever to find a match.
But where this rig does NOT shine is the lame band scope. There is always a delay with the scope and it just does not really add any value. I have seen the current day band scopes used in the new Icoms and they are real time displays. Very much not the case with the FTDX3000. I guess the newer Yaesu rigs such as the FTDX101D have a real time scope as well but overall I NEVER used the scope, it just did not make any situation better or easier.
A fatal flaw with the scope is that when it is engaged it causes a delay in the S meter on rcv. Weird. The S meter gets sluggish, maybe a firmware issue, I have no idea.
Being able to receive out to 4 khz in SSB is fun and great versatility on setting up your xmit bandwidth in SSB. I generally ran it from 200 to 2800hz with the speech compression at 100%. Worked FB with DX and with keeping out of other stations pass bands only a few khz away. Speech processor really makes a huge difference.
Main VFO encoder.......VERY touchy. Breathe on it too close and it changes freq. This was not a huge deal for me because I got used to it right away but this encoder is way too easy to spin.
Overall this is a great non-SDR radio. I think it might have the best non-SDR DSP out there. Simply amazing QRM fighting ability but the lame band scope is more of a toy to me and I found it almost useless. Also the fact that is causes the S meter to get sluggish makes me to have to rate it a 4/5. |
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| WA3SIMI |
Rating: |
2021-01-25 | |
| Wonderful receiver. It's a pleasure to listen to audio. |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I moved up from an FT-950. The FTDX3000 receiver so much better, in a different class.
This radio and the IC-7300 were both having sales prices when I picked the Yaesu. This was about $300 more than the IC-7300.
I already have two of the external Mu filters that I can use with the 3000.
I really don't need those filters in my current QTH unless another ham arrives in the neighborhood. They might become useful when the sunspots return.
At first I didn't like the menu access, but I loved the familiar knobs arrangement. I prefer knobs over touchscreen that shows fingerprints. I rarely use my convertible laptop as a notepad.
Many menus are accessible directly by holding panel button down. For example AGC held down will open up the AGC area of the menu.
The receive audio is wonderful! A pleasure to listen. Quiet background and punchy audio. That's important.
I connected an SDRPlay Duo to the RX out jack. That displays much better WF and Spectrum. However, after experiencing nicer eye candy, I really am fine with only the built in displays of the FTDX-3000.
I can spin the knob faster to a signal of interest than messing with the PC mouse.
Note: The FTDX3000 band selection filters the output of the RX out jack. Maybe OmniRig can switch band as well as frequency?
If you work digital modes, then your eyes will be on the PC screen, and you will ignore the radio display. (I have the PC is displaying the SDR too.)
Lastly, the 3000 receiver SNR is noticebly better than the SDR-Duo. The SDR is much better at eliminating adjacent channel interference. I guess that is a benefit of the SDR based designs. I am refering to when a strong station appears 3khz away. To be fair, I really haven't mastered the IF filters of the FTDX-3000.
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|
| KE7MU |
Rating: |
2021-01-13 | |
| What a very nice radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I am really impressed with this radio! After 40+ years of Ham radio, I have had allot of radios, and this is the best ever. No comparison to the Icom rigs, and better than Kenwoods, various older radios from yaesu ( older technology ) I even like it better than my Kx3. It is quite, I can hear allot of stations with no S meter movement, and beats the kx3 for intelligibility an quietness. I hear allot of DX that can't hear me with 90 watts and wire antenna. But it is a joy to use, no headache from listening to noise, and I have been listening since 1960 when my dad brought home an old Hallicrafters S38. Best rig for the money, buy one!
I put a SDRPlay on the receive out port of the radio, used SDRuno software, and omnirig. I now have a great panadapter that I can click on any signal over the complete freq. Allocation. Love it, don't need a FTdx10 now! |
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| KM4RT |
Rating: |
2020-11-24 | |
| A very high-quality transceiver, great value at current price! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned the FTDX3000 since late 2017 replacing a Yaesu FT-450D (which was also a great rig). Current setup on the desk is the FTDX3000, and IC-7300 and an IC-7100.
The FTDX3000 has a nice crystal-clear screen and an easy to read frequency display just above the VFO knob. Compared to the other two rigs mentioned above, I would say that the FTDX3000 projects audio out of the speaker with a quality level that slightly exceeds the IC-7300 to my ear. The FTDX3000 is also very quiet when the TX circuit is activated (there is a noticeable relay sound in the IC-7300) and the output performance has been rock-solid. I have not experienced any glitches with the screen or controls. I use the Yaesu MD-100 desk mic with this rig and I consistently get complements on the audio quality. The FTDX3000 drives my AL-1200 amplifier without a hitch.
Although this radio has a waterfall, it is very small compared to the IC-7300 and is not an SDR type radio, so the Icom product takes the medal for eye-candy. Having said that, the waterfall is useful and functional. The FTDX3000 will appeal more to operators that like buttons and knobs to access or control rig features in lieu a mostly menu-driven system. One other feature that I find very valuable is that the FTDX3000 has an on-board CW decode function... helpful to me as I have not quite mastered Morse code just yet. It also has multiple antenna ports (3 - 2 TX and 1 RX), where one antenna at a time can be selected for use.
The FTDX3000 is a fairly large radio, so not quite as portable as the IC-7300 or 7100, but this is to be expected as that was not a primary design feature for this rig. It does come with a side carry handle though.
If you aren't swooned by the SDR eye-candy of the IC-7300, you will probably find this rig to be just as capable. |
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| KB9FMV |
Rating: |
2020-11-07 | |
| BEST RECEIVER AROUND |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| This rig by far is one of the best receiver I have owned! I had very many rigs in the past but this is really great based on being built on the same platform of the Yaesu FTDX 5000! I have owned the Yaesu FT 2000 , FT 1000 MKV AND THE YAESU FT 1000 FIELD (TWO OF THOSE ) Yaesu FT 101 , 101 EE also and Icom IC 7410 AND A Yaesu FT 991 NON A ! Also in the past ICOM 706 MKIIG , ICOM 746 , ICOM 756 PRO AND PRO II AND PRO II , also Kenwood TS 120,130,140, 680 , 830, 530, 940, 850, AND TS 2000 , AND MANY OTHERS GONSET HALLICRAFTERS HEATHKIT so have some experience ! TAKE IT FROM ME THIS IS ONE YOU WANT! |
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| K3EY |
Rating: |
2020-10-02 | |
| I REALLY LIKE THIS RADIO, IS AN UNDERSTANDMENT |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| This radio lives up to it's hype and then some. My TS590SG is rated higher on the Sherwood Test Data Chart yet to me it's backwards and should be the other way around. I can hear better and quieter on the FTdx3000 than the TS590SG. They both hear very well but Yaesu beats Kenwood with their filtering and noise reduction. I have the optional 300HZ filter since I am a CW OP and it's better than my TS590SG. I have owned many HF rigs and this reminds me of the K2/100 with DSP I had for working CW. The K2 is a great CW rig and so is this FTdx3000 and a whole lot more as is written here before me. Mine will be with me until I go SK, this I am sure of because I am sure I won’t spend thousands more for a tinge more performance. |
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| K3HVG |
Rating: |
2020-10-01 | |
| One can't do much better! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| As others have noted, the FTdx-3000D is an excellent radio. It has no vices and provides more than adequate power and receive performance one might need. That said, I did have to send mine in for a warranty repair. If one plugs in, for example, the MD-100ax8 mic and the radio is on, it is possible to short out the +5v on the mic plug. Those 8 pin plugs appear foolproof but they are not! If you twirl the plug to find the key, you may do the deed, if the radio is on. Simply do not hot plug the mic! But, its back from its 5 week sojourn and on the air. |
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| THC1 |
Rating: |
2020-08-14 | |
| Best out there at this price point |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned quite a few radios from the big3 & one
Ten-tech.
Icom 746pro,756pro3, 7200, 765.
Yaesu Ft840, Ft950, Ft817
Kenwood Ts520s, Ts530, Ts830,Ts430, Ts850,Ts2000
TS480
I admit to liking Kenwoods more than the others.
The lone Ten-Tech which I tried & returned IMHO was not worth price vs.performance. A Jupiter.
The Icoms I actually liked the 765 the best.Great receiver.
The Ft950 was a decent radio That needed refinement.
The TS830 held its own against a lot of newer radios and still had that unmistakable audio.
Ok let's get to the FTDX3000. This radio took a while to
learn to use all the features but after 18 months of using it my opinion is it is the best value for its price.
The receiver rivals radios costing a lot more and once
the parametric eq is set for your voice has vg tx audio.
I see negatives posted here about the clarifier being too
touchy, a piece of craft felt behind the knob adds just
enough resistance to fix that.
As for the main vfo being an issue tighten the drag just a little and don't use the fast tune step unless you need
to move far in frequency.
The only radio I would sell the 3000 to buy would be the TS-890. I am still a Kenwood guy at heart but it is not in the budget at the present time.
73, N4GLT
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|
| AJ8MH |
Rating: |
2020-08-05 | |
| OK to Good |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
The FTDX-3000 is a good radio for the current selling price. I purchased one when Yaesu was giving a $300 rebate, so the price was under $2k in late 2016. However, after using the radio daily for a couple of months running 30 watts to drive an Elecraft KPA-500, it developed an ALC/Power problem on 18, 21 and 24.5 mHz bands. From a cold start at 100 watts CW keyed into a dummy-load, the ALC meter would show below blue scale on these 3 bands. All other bands showed the ALC meter reading above the blue scale. After several minutes, I'd key the radio and the ALC meter would show a decrease in ALC. In less than an hour, the ALC meter would read nothing and the output power would be reduced to around 80 watts on the 3 bands in question. Other bands would remain at full power and normal ALC meter readings. Setting the radio to 30 watts CW to drive the amplifier worked fine on all bands EXCEPT 18, 21 and 24.5 mHz bands. Power will only be 10-15 watts output. RTTY and SSB power were also low on the bands in question. I sent the radio to Yaesu (close to $130 shipping) and the finals were replaced under warranty. I never would have guessed bad finals with the indicated symptoms. Well, the radio has been back in service for 5 months and has been working fine.
A couple other comments... I never use the analog meter display. I like to watch ALC and PO at the same time, and these can only be seen together using the bar-display. I find the scope function next to useless, and I've tried all the settings. Looks nice, but that's about it. I also don't use the built-in CW, PSK and RTTY functions, since I use FLdigi with a homw-brew interface. These functions work great, I just don't use them. All other functions of the radio are great, especially the receiver and its effective NB and DSP features.
My other radios include an FT-950, FT-847 and FT-757.
Update: 08/05/2020
I reviewed this radio on 07-19-2017 after having the finals replaced under warranty. (Read review for details.) I waited five months before writing the review to make sure nothing else would go south. A little over a year later, I started to have a flashing TFT display after leaving the radio turned off for about a month.
The problem was highly intermittent and only showed up when the radio was off for a few weeks. For most of the time, I just left the radio on and didn't worry about it.
But, the problem got worse over time, so I just recently bought the Display-1 board assembly. It includes the Display-1 board and the TFT display. I installed it yesterday and that seems to have fixed the problem...permanently, I hope.
I'm going to stick with 3 stars, because of the issues I've had. I am disappointed that I've had a couple problems with it in a little over 3 1/2 years, but I do like the radio. |
|
| KX2T |
Rating: |
2020-06-11 | |
| Great Radio but RTFM |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned the FTDX3000 for over 4 years now an when reading some of the negative reviews regarding splattering on the 3000 I find that many of the operators that run these radio's DON'T READ the MANUAL! First off most of the problems I find with any of the 3000, 5000, 2000 and 1200 is the op's have the ALC scale way over driven, these newer radio's are not like the old MP's, that ALC should be set to 1/2 or 2/3rds of the ALC scale on absolute voice peaks. Another thing that will tame the ALC is use just about 3-5Db of compression on absolute peaks again. Another thing to check is if the ham who is complaining is running his RX wide open like his filters set at 4-5Khz bandwidth, just give me a friggin break, an SSB signal is supposed to be 2.4 to 2.7 wide not 4-5Khz, if this is what you guys want use AM. Another fools road to go down is all the extra ESSB junk sold on the market and running the radio's transmiter wider than 3Khz, either leave it off or use 100-2900Khz which will give you more than enough bandwidth for good audio and the built in parametric EQ will do the rest with a good mic. SSB was not designed like AM and for you ESSB guys chasing after Hi Fi audio on SSB well sorry you are fooling yourself cause your wasting your amplifiers power output on trying to produce the low frequency bandwidth that you call base on a range that does not improve intelligibility, kind of like pissing in the wind.
I recently had a IC 7300 in the shack and compared it to the 3000, The little Icom does not have the APF control which work really well on the 3000 but once you get used to using the RF gain control more on the SDR radio it will do everything the 3000 does. If Yaesu ever changes anything on the 3000 it would be a more stable PA bias circuitry and better ALC cause when I talked with the Tech's at Yaesu they said the ALC circuit is designed to make the radio sound louder but if run at full scale as per the manual these newer Yaesu's get WIDE! They also should try and improve the the mixer stage to lower the phase noise plus improve the DSP chip which may improve the NR and DSP filtering up to were the current Icoms are, even the 7300 has 20db better DSP IF selectivity.
Another area were the 7300 bests the 3000 is the band scope, although the 7300 display is small its detailed and the 3000's display is like watching early cartoons. Yaesu did come out with the FTDX101 which has excellent numbers in a lab but the control layout was done in China I think, really very poor placement and grouping of controls plus a very grassy type spectrum display. I do like the 3000 control layout mush better than the newer FTDX101, I really don't know what happened to there front panel design team and what they were thinking with the 3D BS display which makes entirely no sense at all. In 2017 I sold my trusty Yaesu and yes I used to be a Yaesu Fan Boy but as of today I am nobodies Fan boy but chose my radio not from someones list but how your able to manipulate all the controls and how it sounds overall. I have at this time a 7610 and 7300 for backup, the 7610 eats the Yaesu for breakfast, lunch and dinner but it also cost more. |
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