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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-DX560

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-DX560
Reviews: 9MSRP: Radio 449.95,CW Filter 39.95,Spe
Description:
20 Tube tcvr, 80 through 10 m (no WARC), 2×6KD6, AC supply
Product is not in production
More Info: http://hq129.www9.50megs.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0094.7
KE5GK Rating: 2015-12-20
Great Powerful Rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This was my first really new rig. Got it about 1971. Literally worked the world with it and roof mounted 4BTV Hustler Vertical, with radials on roof. What a joy to work KC4 on 40M on back to back nights. Only an impeding assignment to JA land caused me to sell it. Interestingly, the ham who bought it was my Elmer who had helped me get some surplus equipment on the air in 1969. Years later he was still using it. If I had space I would track one down and get that 11 tube beast back on the air. What a super, powerful rig. Oh, how I miss thee!

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Earlier 5-star review posted by KE5GK on 2001-08-17

What a radio!

It was a heavy monster. First real radio for me after my Novice days. My order got hung up in a dock strike in California. The days turned to weeks. But finally, that big hummer arrived.

I had a Hustler 4BTV antenna that was roof mounted and a bunch of radials on the roof.
The XYL hated the setup. But I worked the world from San Antonio, TX.

Even worked KC4 near the South Pole on 40M SSB.
That was when radio had a different flavor.

Thanks for bringing back some very sweet memories about a super radio. It still glows in my memory, after all these years.

AF9Z Rating: 2015-04-26
First Xceiver Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My first experience with the FTDx560 was in the early 1970s at Western Illinois University's club station W9YOL. Fellow ham radio operator Jim Rafferty, N6RJ, ex-WA9UCE, and future HamRadio Outlet VP, lent his Yaesu to the radio club for several months. I was immediately impressed with the rig's ease of operation and quality of construction......many hours were spent on CW and SSB. It was the following year that I purchased my own which I used until a newer, solid state Yaesu became available. This is one rig I should have held on to......but did not.
KF4OZJ Rating: 2009-12-24
Great Rig Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this radio used with the matching speaker. It has preformed flawless. 300 Plus watts on all bands other than 10 meters. I check into net's on HF with a G5RV with no problem all over the United States.Has a recieve equal to or better than some of my Kenwoods. A great starter Radio for the beginner Ham or the seasoned operator. If you find one in good shape, buy it and enjoy Ham Radio like it was 30 plus years ago.
73's
NF8R Rating: 2005-06-27
My first ssb radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Great radio, and yes mine had the 600hz CW filter which was quite good. Kept mine for about ten years before getting a FT 980
N4KZ Rating: 2003-05-27
A real classic Time Owned: more than 12 months.
In 1970, I bought a Yaesu FT DX-400 from Hoss Trader Ed Moorey who sold ham gear mail order out of his Arkansas furniture store. The FT DX-560 was the revised model of the rig I owned. I never knew exactly what changes were made in the radios from the 400 model to the 560. My FT DX-400 was identical in appearance and most features, including those 6KD6 sweep tubes in the final. I put a fan on mine to keep them from sucking in when the glass envelope go so hot! The rig lacked any provisions for a CW filter. Fortunately, a friend loaned me a military surplus audio filter which helped tremendously. I got the rig when I was 16 years old. Yaesu wasn't even selling it directly at that point. An American importer in California was selling Yaesu. As I recall, the FT DX-400 was the first Yaesu sold in the states. It was several years after I bought mine in 1970 before Yaesu actually set up shop itself in the states. I worked a ton of DX with my rig on all bands from 80 to 10. I bought a used remote VFO for working split frequency DX on 80 and 40 meter SSB. I loved that rig. Wish I still had it.
73, Dave, N4KZ
KB2NSE Rating: 2001-05-28
The Classic King Of Yaesu Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I love the FTdx560! It is a great radio with nearly 300 watts of output on all bands except 10 meters which is slightly less. This is a rugged and reliable 20 tube transceiver. It has a stable vfo and a highly sensitive receiver. It is also an attractive unit with a sturdy well constructed case. Yaesu had it all over the others right from the start!
AA4VI Rating: 2000-07-11
Classic Boat Anchor Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I think the Yaesu FTdx-560 is one of my all time favorite rigs. Too bad we had to wait thirty years for a review. I first saw one in operation in 1972, before I had my ham license. The glow of the 20 tubes and massive chrome face plate, I was hooked. I never owned one until a few months ago because I couldn't find a nice one or afford one when I was younger. I purchased a complete station consisting of the FTdx-560, FV-400S vfo, SP-560 speaker and UD-844 microphone. It is in great shape and works great. I like the 250-275 watts out on most bands (with new 6KD6's) and I get good audio reports. My first contact was with a Russian station on 20 meters using a G5RV antenna. I find the receiver to be very stable after about a 30 minute warm up period. It has both the 100 khz and 25 khz calibrators which works great for the analog readout. The only odd thing about the rig is the backward reading S meter it takes a little getting used to. You can see my 560 station at www9.50megs.com/hq129. These rigs were the last of the tube rigs and the beginning of the competition for the American ham equipment.

Larry Carpenter
AA4VI



VE7CRA Rating: 2000-07-11
REAL radios GLOW in the dark! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My how time flies! Not until I read AA2T's report , had I even thought about an FTDX-560!

I don't think anything in the world had more tubes, except a Tektronix scope! I used one in the early seventies, when I was VE8DX, at Pelley Lake, NWT in Arctic Canada. The generator used to change speed in step with RF output from the 560! The generator had a governor that was less than perfect. I worked the world with that 560, & only had one fault in the time I ran it.
My memory is taxed, but I believe the screen resistor for the 6KD6's burned open, either as a result of an internal screen grid short in one of the tubes or because the screen bypass cap shorted.......don't remember which, that was thirty years ago. Hell of a rig at the time. 560 watts pep, One half microvolt rx( didn't matter, I am certain the shot noise in the front end was greater than that!) Dial was not readable or resettable to less than one, maybe two khz! Seems to me you pulled on the xtal calibrator at a 100khz point on the dial, & then rotated the dial logging scale to set freq! Definitely NOT a PSK-31 machine! I did so enjoy that radio, and as we were a group of 16 young men in a tent camp in the arctic, that radio was our link to the outside world & our families. During solar activity, New Zealand was the only place on the globe we could talk to, & ZL1HA used to relay our messages to central Canada. Heat! The 560 was better than the tent stove. We of course, didn't need the fan the other reviewer spoke of.
The FTDX-560 worked as well, & better than many radios of it's era. I would willingly buy one that was not beaten up or butchered today, if only for nostalgia's sake. 73, Brian, VE7CRA
AA2T Rating: 2000-07-10
Classic for it's day Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I guess this was the start of the Japanese onslaught of HF rigs. Bought new in 1972. the "560" means 560 watts PEP ! (500W CW) input! Figured I didn't' need an amp with this rig! My neighbor Milt Lowens (fox tango) and myself were about the first ones to get these new yaesu rigs back then (he had the 101). Been in service on and off up until 1999 (yup!). Still have the pair of GE compactron finals I put in it around 1975. Added a muffin fan on top using 110V out the rear socket on the rig. Many green operators used to suck the bottles in with a little too much tune up time. Besides a few caps and diodes, most of the radio is stock. Still gets 200+W's out even though the finals are a bit soft. Reasonable rig for 20+ tubes (used it once to heat my room when the furnance went out), nice WWV recieve. 500Hz filter is ok but I still hear some bleed through up on the high end of the audio range. SSB transmitted audio is "communications grade" with Yaesu mike. Sensitivity is typical for tube rig with roll off on 10 meters. Adequate power and sensitivity to work decent DX on 15M. Not quite the classic as the FT101, but was the big brother...nothing like 800ma of plate current on a pair of 6dk6's !