| K4XR |
Rating:      |
2002-09-27 | |
| Excellent Radio |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| All around this is the best and most enjoyable radio I have ever owned, and I haven't been a Yaesu fan over the years. I've probably owned 20 to 25 xcvrs over the last 25 years and the last Yaesu I liked before this one was the FT-107 of the late 1970's. Several years back I owned a FT-1000D which I thought was one of the worst radio's ever made from an operating convenience standpoint. Prior to the 1000MP Field, my favorite radio was the Kenwood TS-850, and I'm still hoping that Kenwood brings out something comparable again. The dual receive option on the 1000MP Field is superb. Being able to listen to the two receivers, one in one ear and one in the other makes an unbelievable difference on split frequency CW pileups. The radio is extremely well designed from an ease of operation standpoint with the exception of dealing with the menus. Luckily, after getting everything set the way that I want it, I find that I seldom have to deal with the menus. Expect to do some reading about how to set up the menus from various internet sites. The setup from the factory was particularly irritating on CW on mine (bought at Dayton) |
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| K2QMF |
Rating:    |
2002-06-19 | |
| Disappointed in QSK operation |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The Mk-5 Field is a good radio. It could be a great radio if Yaesu would correct the thumps
and clicks you hear when using QSK or BK-IN mode and have the narrow filters in line.
I had an old Kenwood TS-940 and it sounded great in QSK. I figured this new radio would be even better but I was wrong... I understand this problem is present in the MP and the Mk-5 also. I sure hope someone will come up with a mod or fix for it as it makes QSK CW very disappointing.
73, Ted K2QMF
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| W5LD |
Rating:      |
2002-05-30 | |
| Great Radio! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I bought my radio in April and have enjoyed it. It replaced my FT1000MP. I too noticed the dim display and sent if back to Yaesu to have the mod done. Had to ship it back to Ca. from Louisiana and 2 weeks after shipping the radio I had it back home. Mike and the guys a Yaesu were great and kept me informed on the progress of the radio. Keep up the good work Yaesu! |
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| K1UO |
Rating:     |
2002-05-01 | |
| Great first impressions |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I'm surprised the other reviews here did not mention theVERY dim display problem. Maybe not all units have them but a call to the technical service boys at Yaesu confirmed that others were also complaining and that they just recently came up with a fix. It requires sending in the radio for repair though...bummer. The 2 days I actually 'played' with the radio left me with very good impressions as to the electrical performance possibilities. I plan on loading up with INRAD filters and possibly i can actually give a review here whenever the radio comes back home!
Yes..I did switch the display intensity between LO and HI many many times. The HI position of the display was still hard to see even with all room lighting switched off! |
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| KY6O |
Rating:      |
2002-04-10 | |
| Go Get One! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I wanted a "state of the art" radio that I could "grow into" as my skills as an operator developed. I found such a rig with the Mark V Field. When I bought mine, it was the 9th one the shop had sold in just 3 days. Yes, it initially appears to be an intimidating radio to start to begin with, but that's really misleading. Once I had the rig unpacked and plugged in (The power supply is built in, so no more Astron under the bench! This puppy has only a line cord.) I spun the dials and started making 5/9 contacts on 20 meters. It's everything you could want in a radio, and more. Downside? The manual is pretty sparse in some areas (Like the purpose of the IPO and VRF buttons) but you can search the web for helpful hints and techniques on setting everything up. In fact, my only complaint lies with the manual. It's got a series of minor, annoying typos (Like "Press the noise branker switch") that a spell checker could easily have caught. But, other than that, no problems. *Everything* on the MV-V Field seems to be adjustable. Hidden "under the covers" are enough menus, sub-menus, functions and options to make your head swim. Again, check the web for some of the excellent "quick start" guides for setting up all the filters and options. Personally, it's better to have features you may need, eventually, then to be unable to add/access them if you ever do decide they are important to you. Like the fact that all the digital modes terminal at the rear of the transmitter. Interfacing is a joy. The only differences between the MK-V and the MK-V Field appears to be the output power (100 watts, 25 watts on Class A SSB) and the built in power supply. The receive is a joy to listen to. The DSP/Notch filters kick in so nicely, you can easily forget you're listening to HF. And when you plug in a pair of stereo headphones, CW comes alive. With twin recievers, as the manual says, you can set both to the same frequency, change one filter to wide, the other to narrow, and listen to code float around inside your head in a really amazing fashion. The built-in tuner works well, also, and automatically matches things to 50 ohms as you tune around the band. Naturally, options abound, but some are rather expensive.
The 50 mhz converter is $880, and the list price on the optional desk mic is a shocking $380! Everyone I've spoken with says ignore that, and buy the Heil ProSet with the boom mic. They're correct with that recommendation. The supplied hand mic works, but it's nowhere near the quality that this rig deserves. Likewise, the $88 "FH-1" remote controller is actually nothing more than 12 switches, each connected to a particular value resistor. Cost to build your own? Just the precision resistors and the phone plug. Odds are you've got enough switches already in your junk box. Again, check the web for help on making this yourself. In summary, if you're looking for the perfect blend between ease of use and features, your search may have ended with the Yaesu Mark V Field. Go get one, and I'll talk with you on the air.
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| KO6IC |
Rating:      |
2002-04-05 | |
| Awsome!!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I don’t buy radios all that often, so I was careful in deciding my next purchase. The two considerations I had were: (1) I wanted to get the best value I could for the money I spent and (2) I wanted this to be a radio that I would be proud to own five, ten, and perhaps 15 years down the road. At first, I was considering an Icom 746 Pro. But, I remembered that my Icom 735 gave way to the Icom 736 and 737; rigs that are all but forgotten today. On the other hand Yaesu appears to have incrementally improved its offering from the 1000D to the 1000 MP to the Mark V and now the Field. It was this concept that forced me to seriously consider the Mark V Field and the fact that it was introduced at $1999.
I read and reread the Mark V Field brochure for a week. On the last day of the sale, I sat in Ham Radio Outlet for two hours test driving the Mark V Field and perhaps testing the patience of Bill, who walked me through many of the radio’s features. After getting over my analysis paralysis, I pulled the credit card out of my wallet and bought it.
The Mark V Field is a pleasure to operate. Instead of having to drill down through menus, most of the necessary controls are right at your fingertips. The basic controls are intuitive and easy to set up. The audio is incredible. I hear mores stations on the air and they are much easier to hear than with my previous rig. I however still have a lot to learn about this rig.
Since my only other rig is an Icom 735, I am not qualified to compare it to the current generation of rigs out there. In fact, going from the 735 to the Field is like going from behind the wheel of a Pinto into a cockpit of a 747. After a week having it, I am still overwhelmed at all the knobs and menu items. I haven’t a clue as to what menu adjustments I should consider in order to improve the rig’s performance. If anyone has some ideas that I should consider, I would be most happy to hear from you.
Did I make a good purchase? At $1999, there was no better rig for the money. Time will tell if it has the legacy, but judging from the series of radios that came before it, the Mark V Field has the heritage of standing the test of time.
Jack Hafner
ko6ic@arrl.net
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| W4RK |
Rating:      |
2002-04-04 | |
| First Impression EXCELLENT! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
After 2 days of operating with the MK V Field, I must say I'm very impressed. I've done subjective A/B comparisons with my FT1000D on the same antenna and speaker. The receiver of the MK V Field seems to be equal to the "D" in S/N, sensitivity, etc. but with very desirable new features: EDSP, VRF, IDBT, etc. Although I'm still coming up the learning curve, the MK V Field is very intuitive with an intelligent blend of programmable features and explicit front panel knobs / switches. The transmitter has gotten outstanding SSB audio reports from DX stations and CW operation on full break-in seems smoother than the "D" 100W vs. 200W so far has not been an issue and I've been able to break DX pileups easily. I think it is a credit to the design / execution of this rig that my biggest complaint is the location of the CW Sidetone level control on the rear panel.
Stay tuned for further reports. So far, Yaesu has not disappointed me with the MK V Field.
Specific e-mail questions will be happily answered.
Bill
W4RK
Nashville, TN
USA
w4rk@arrl.net
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| W7CPA |
Rating:      |
2002-03-24 | |
| A look Inside |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I had an opportunity to take the knickers off a new Mark V (Lite) radio this week. I own a Mark V and have a pretty good knowledge of it's capabilities internal layout.
1. Same as Mark V except:
a) much lighter
b) has carry handle - nice.
c) no externally visible heat sinks
d) can be run from 13.8VDC power supply
e) built in AC supply
f) 100 watts (25 class A) vs 200 watt (75 class A)
g) covers fit perfectly - very nice compared to Mark V.
2. No white wires and hacks visible, very nice inside. Current production (Mark V has many trace cuts and happy little white wires to fix early design defects plus double sided tape attached relay in tuner section (YUK!)
3. Internal PA heat sink is plain aluminum but uses the same huge fan as the 200 watt model - very, very nice.
4. Unfortunately the display remains an intensity-dullard and they didn't add user defined transmit EQ curves (really stupid - wake up Yeasu) - my 2 major complaints.
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| K4IA |
Rating:      |
2002-03-23 | |
| Run and get one! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I just picked up the new Mark V Field on Friday and I have spent the entire day with it. I would advise you to run, don't walk to your nearest dealer and get one of these. Someone at Yaesu must have made a mistake because this rig has a $400-off coupon good until the end of March. That means you get the latest and greatest for $1999, way below the competition for a rig that is superior.
I have tried this side by side with my 756Pro and the Yaesu is all of it and a bag of chips. Its a Mark V @ 100 watts and you can run it on 12V DC or 110/220 AC using the built in AC power supply. That's nice!
The combination of crystal filters and DSP is very sharp and I am just using the stock 2.4/500 filters. There are lots of available filter options I may add later. Yaesu has filtering in the front end not way down the chain like Icom. I don't notice the bad AGC pumping the Pro suffers and there are no growls or raspy CW tones.
Nice sized knobs, good layout, easy to work split, many many options in the menus, just wish it had a bandscope like the Pro.
Obviously I haven't enough experience with it to give a comprehensive review but considering the heritage of this rig, I'll bet the apple didn't fall far from the tree.
If you've been thinking about a new rig, act now before the coupon goes away. |
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