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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-900CAT

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-900CAT
Reviews: 85MSRP: 1,198.00
Description:
Compact HF tranceiver with built-in ATU + Collins filter
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.qsl.net/sm7vhs/radio/yaesu/ft900/specs.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00854.7
MW1FJK Rating: 2020-07-06
Got it back at last!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought this FT-900 AT not CAT secondhand back in 1999, loved it but sold it on to a friend as I was not using it as much as I should. I regretted it straight away, he used it until he went Silent Key 6 years ago. His family were finally clearing his shack out last year and asked to help. I offered to buy the FT-900 back but they refused money and gave it to me with an MD-100. It's great to have my old radio back again, this time I am never selling it. It is so simple to use with no menus just simple unadulterated radio. The receive is spot on akin to the FT-1000. If only all radios were this simple to use.
WB8SKV Rating: 2019-12-18
Good Ole Radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have had the FT 900 for 3 months. It is a good radio as others have attested. In a side to side comparison it equals the 756 Pro1 in receive audio, very easy listening. The ATU is the best I have used and better than the K2 of which I didn't think could be beat. It does exactly what is was designed to do. It is a keeper and will be used often in fixed station service and yes I would buy or trade for another if the deal was right.
W8NIC Rating: 2016-11-10
Simplicity at it's best!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Mine has the CW and ssb filters. Really good rig for the price, very easy to use with all the functions layed out in front of you. I'm yet to use it on ssb but CW mode is really nice.
Too bad it doesn't have a beacon mode like the newer Yaesu rigs but that's ok. It's still a keeper.
Get one, you won't regret it.
KB3WGE Rating: 2016-08-18
Don't sound so good for the $$$ Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I'm glad I only spent only $700.00 (with rebate) for my FT450D & use my VX-3R with Miragr amp behind it for vhf-uhf apps.Respectfuly sbmitted KB3WGE a.k.a. Jimi
KE7FD Rating: 2016-08-18
OK, but... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought one new when they were in production. It seemed to have a feature that struck me as odd: It would shut itself off at what seemed to be odd times for no apparent reason. Thinking it was some form of protection I ignored it, for a while. It wasn't until I couldn't find any mention of this in the manual, that I sent it back to Yaesu Tech for warranty repairs. Once. Twice, Three times and only on the third try did they find a 50 cent capacitor that was faulty. By this time it was out of warranty but fortunately they had a record of it being repaired (unsuccessfully before) and didn't charge for the repair.

I only mention this to other FT-900 owners so that if you encounter the same behavior, make sure they keep looking until they fix it. Very annoying to say the least. I no longer have the rig but I had it for over a year.


Glen KE7FD
K7WFM Rating: 2016-08-17
One Of The Best Portable Rigs Of All Time Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I just received my second FT-900CAT (sold the first one some time ago regrettably). The radio is providing me the wonderful operating experience that I remember fondly from years past. Does everything right in a small package.
KB0MM Rating: 2016-01-24
Excellent! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It does everything well and is equally fine as
a mobile or base rig. I prefer this radio over
the new radios out because it isn't menu driven
and not complicated with VHF or UHF. I own two
of them as it is now a discontinued model.
N7WR Rating: 2015-09-20
Good Radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this used with the intention of putting it in my truck and using it mobile. However I played with it in my shack running it barefoot into the various antennas I have. Long story short, it is staying in my shack and another rig is now in the truck. Very good receiver and I consistently get "great audio" reports using it with my Heil HM-12 mic. It is an old radio but easy to use, small footprint, and does what I need it to do.
K7JBQ Rating: 2015-06-12
Great rig, wonderful ATU Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought this rig several years ago used. As I recall, spent a little under $600 for it with the narrow CW filter.

With the exception of lack of RF gain control (about the only nit I would pick concerning the design), this is just about the perfect rig for the price. Easy to operate and very reliable. And the ATU, as mentioned by several others, is remarkable in its tuning range. Why the newer Yaesu rigs fail in this area is beyond me!

It does suffer a bit from frequency instability, due to Yaesu "going cheap" with the trimmer cap in the Local unit. Mine got worse over time, but "fixed" it using the excellent online tutorial done by Fabian Kurz, DJ1YFX. While the tutorial is based on the FT-890, it applies perfectly well to the FT-900. After doing what Fabian suggested (with a little contact cleaner applied as well), the rig will stay rock-solid all day, even on demanding digital modes such at JT65 and JT9.

If you can find one of these in nice condition, grab it. They don't change hands very often.
KC7JNJ Rating: 2013-10-11
I really like it Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had this radio going on 13 years. Really the thing works, and it works well. I bought it to use mobile, but I liked it so much that I brought it into the shack. The layout of the radio is very well thought out . It is easy to move around the bands. The atu is a blessing and it works well. The filters are nice to have. I also like to listen to shortwave and having the direct frequency entry buttons is very nice. I run a clear speech speaker with it, so mine even has dsp hi hi. I really like having all the inputs and outputs off the back as this makes it real easy to work sound card digital modes. Also having the extra mic jack in the rear along with the tx switch input next to it, makes using a boom mic easy too. For me this radio makes life easy. It is always on time and on target.