| WU6Q |
Rating:      |
2002-05-11 | |
| A Rolls-Royce isn't for everyone either ! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| A little over a month ago I purchased the FT-1000MP Mark V "Field". The radio is a marvel, Yes, there is a reasonable about of knob twiddling to bring in those weak, barely discernable signals, but that's the fun of it. When you read the manual and brochures and have an understanding of what your doing by adjusting these knobs, well, it just demonstrates what a command you have over the receiver to work on a signal. I also have a TS-870 …I love it …..I do believe it's one of Kenwood's best-kept secrets. It compares admirably to the FT-1000MP Mk V, however, if your really dealing with a relatively weak signal or a bunch of heavy QRM the Yaesu can leave the 870 in the dust, not because it's a better base receiver, but because you, the operator have the command of the receiver to narrow the front end passband, use a combo of analog and digital processing and a just incredible notch filter system to pull that signal through (to name a few). I selected the "field" unit to have everything self-contained. Yaesu went to a lot of work to produce the Mark V to have 200 Watts (3db gain, ½ "S" unit). I didn't like the 'outboard' power supply system. I think the 200 Watt system maybe have a marketing / sales advantage over the actual readability on the air. I do have an Amp if I really feel the need of higher power ….I rarely use it …but your right I'm really not a BIG DX'er. I summary …..this rig is not for all ….no rig is, no car is, no city is ….but I can say if you use the 1000 to it's full potential (again, it takes reading and understanding the radio) you have a very powerful radio system. Did I say I'm happy with it ? Absolutely ! 73 ….. |
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| N1JAO |
Rating:      |
2002-05-11 | |
| Update- perfect |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I have now had the MKV for going on 5 months,and can report that everything is perfect, no gliches, anomolies, or anything but perfection. This is the perfect rig, receive is the best on the market, transmit is best on the market,(sorry kenwood), ergonomics are user friendly, and it is EASY to use. People should grind their axes elswhere, you can't beat this rig. If you understand electronics at all, and have even a basic knowledge of antennas, you will be AMAZED at this rig. If you are an appliance operator, you can still appreciate it. If you are mediocre at antenna builing, and erecting, then no rig will satisfy you. Like I said, this rig is perfect- 'nuff said.
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| K1ZYW |
Rating:  |
2002-05-11 | |
| RX DIED IN 3 DAYS |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Let me start by saying that the first couple of days I was very happy with the Mark V. Had all the features I wanted. Then the RX-A died. Did the 'reset' worked a few minutes and died again.
I called Yaesu tech support, we worked with the rig and he confirmed that it must be returned.
Ham Radio Outlet of New Hampshire helped me out and I bought a ICOM 746pro in place of the Mark-V. (I was worried about cust support at Yaesu and the many 'issues' others have had with them and this rig.)
Too bad. I liked the rig - but don't want to deal with the BS. This is a hobby - not yet another source of lifes' frustations.
73's
Dr. Ken Manuelian -K1ZYW
ps - Hopefully I can get another Yaesu in the future when the company gets its act together!!!!
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Earlier 5-star review posted by K1ZYW on 2002-04-21
I have found HAM NIRVANA!
It will take incredible intellect and perseverance to master this radio - BUT IT IS WORTH IT! Everything is software programable for customization. WORLD CLASS!
Cheers
Ken K1ZYW
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| K2WO |
Rating:      |
2002-04-30 | |
| Great Rig!! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Jon is right....this is one great radio and frankly, at it's current price, I think that it is an absolute steal. I have owned mine since it came out and it has been a fantastic radio. The receiver is wonderful. I also own a 756PRO and although the display on the PRO is really nice, the ergonomics and the receiver on the MKV are MUCH better. As far as "dual-receive"....the MKV has it all over the PRO. I'm not saying that the PRO is a bad radio, I'm just saying that for serious operating, the MKV is better. For casual operating, the PRO is excellent and iat it's current closeout price, it too is a stael.
Get a Mark V, you will be happy!
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| WB9WHE |
Rating:      |
2002-04-30 | |
| Still the best! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I have owned this radio for 6 months now.
I am still every bit impressed with it as the day I bought it. It seperates the signal from the noise better than any radio I have ever handled. Between the multiple DSP AND ANALOG crystal filters (optional), this radio has the best of BOTH worlds. None better.
As for those giving the radio a "0" or a "1", you can bet that they have some other motive.
On the air, CONSTANT, unsolicited, complements on the audio.
This radio has none of the "glitz" of other radios. But if you want THE BEST reciever performance to pull out the weak ones or to eliminate QRM, this IS THE radio to have.
Not a single problem, daily use. Also, 200 watts gives you an additional 3db gain over those under-powered 100 watt radios.
Also, the buttons, knobs and controls are FULL SIZED. No more hitting button "X" when you were aiming for button "Y". All controls have a solid feel, not like the whimpy plastic buttons of others.
BUY ONE, AND YOU WILL BE ONE OF THE CONSTANTLY PLEASED OWNERS.
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| KB1HVM |
Rating:      |
2002-04-01 | |
| Fantastic |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Overall a great rig! Tuning through the bands would have been easier if a 500Hz channelized step had been included for the VRF control. I believe the additional SSB filters are a must for this rig even after the 5-0 change to 8.2-455.
The ability of this rig to pull out a single signals from a major pile-up as is always occurring in contest is really good. It takes a little while to get accustomed to the tuning and adjustments afforded by the rig though.
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| AC4CP |
Rating:      |
2002-03-28 | |
| BEST OF THE BEST! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I have owned virtually every "top of the line" HF radio made & this one beats them all! Previously I owned the original 1000MP & really liked it. But I have come to love the MK V.
I have the radio putting out 300 watts on all bands & it is actually capable of nearly 400 watts on most bands (this is why it has a 400 watt meter display). I spoke with a friend at Yaesu & he said they are safe at higher powers. (I am not endorsing this, just relaying my experience). At 300 watts, I rarely use amp & get the same excellent audio reports.
Along with Output Power ... TX & RX audio are awesome. After adjusting my settings, I often hear reports of "broadcast" quality audio. One improvement would be to allow for 2 separate TX settings menu (like on Knwd 870). This would allow you to simply change from DX mode to Ragchew mode. As it is, you have to change all the settings. But still, the best audio around.
At times I have horrible QRN (I live in the city). The Adjustable Noise Blanker works great! It will take out any QRN.
As for QRM, nothing can beat the QRM fighting features of the MK V. It provides many ways to defeat QRM & there has never been QRM that I could not tune out!
There is of course much more to say about the radio ... the list of strengths goes on & on. At the present time, it is truly the Best of the Best! And as for reliability ... I have owned mine for over 6 months & not had the first problem (even though I have turned up the output power). You simply have to buy one in order to understand & experience ... that it is the best. |
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| AA6CC |
Rating:      |
2002-02-19 | |
| Best Yet - Top Of The Line! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| This is by far the best HF transceiver I have owned, which includes the TS-950SD, TS-850SAT, TS-940, TS-930 and many more. The TS-950 probably comes closest to the overall quality, features, feel and performance of the MK 5. The receiver is the most quiet and best "sounding" I have ever used and to my ears is superior to the Icom 756 Pro II and well beyond the TS-2000. I have not heard any DSP only radios that sound as good as the MK 5, and I looked at most everything before I purchased it in January 2002. I have installed the optional 500Hz mechanical filter in both the 3rd IF and in the sub receiver and the 2.0Khz crystal filters in the 2nd and 3rd IF's. The radio is a joy to use on CW, the DSP works well, and I think the ergonomics are good, once you get used to the menu selection scheme. I would prefer a different filter selection arrangement, but the supplied set-up works ok. Transmitted audio reports are excellent and I have had no problems with the antenna tuner, fan noise, or any other issue. I did call Yaesu technical support on two occasions with questions and receied prompt, courteous responses. They have an FT-1000 "guru" on staff for difficult issues. The MK 5 is a quality top of the line radio with a multitude of features and superior performance. I think I will be keeping this one a long time. |
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| N2TX |
Rating:  |
2002-02-18 | |
| 500 Dollar rebate is for return shipping |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I generally don't post many reviews because most of the equipment I buy is new and has worked very well. At this time I feel compelled to write an excerpt about a recent experience that I have had with a Mark 5. Hopefully it saves some others from being "HAD" as they say in this part of the New York.
November 24 -25
After years of having 1000D's and MP's I received my first and last Mark 5 on November 21st just in time to play CQWW code. I ran the weekend as SO HP using an 87a and F12 240X. The rig seemed to perform very well driving the Alpha 87 with only 50 watts all weekend. My only complaint was that the 500 hz 455 mhz cw filter was pretty bad and after viewing the shape factor of this I knew It was time to order the Inrad Crystal 400 hz filter. Everything seemed ok with the radio and thought the investment was pretty good.
I used the radio a few times to listen around the band between November and February. I was still concerned that I hadn't made one qso on SSB yet.. but hey there's no 3 pointers on between contests. On February 6th I ordered a pair of 2.1 filters and the 400 hz crystal filter. Installed them on Saturday February 9th and moved the collins 500hz filter to the sub receiver. On February 10 I made the first ssb qso with a local and adjusted the carrier oscillator (Menu 8-9) to match my voice under ssb conditions. I then in the next week called 7 dx stations for a quick exchange and everything was going great. Still no 3 pointers around ....
February 16 - Almost the 17th
Start ARRL code running Mark 5 with C3 and Force 12 240X antennas and no amp. Us hackers on code don't want to draw to much attention to a CQ. At this point I can't believe how well the radio is doing and IMHO think its a close match to the "D" on receive. The 400 hz Inrad Crystal filter is real nice. As Saturday afternoon approaches I go to 40 and start Cq'ing and then my 40 meter yagi goes to 3:1 swr... So I qsy to 20 and I have a 2.5:1 here, So I run outside to see if there's antenna's on the tower. All seems well out there so now I qsy to 15 and the SWR is 1.1 which strikes me as very strange. So I tune down the band and answer a cq and when I release the key my headphones are filled with "Mixing Products and birdies" and within 10 seconds it disappears and the station I called repeats N2TX ..--.. I send 5nn ny and here the same noise on release of key. I tune the vfo to 21300 and I still here YT8X calling cq contest but there's no way with even these great conditions he could be cq'ing here. (No I didn't call him there) So as I'm listening to all this cw activity and birdies on 21.300 Mhz I hit the automatic antenna tuner and all the CQ's and birdies disappear, I turn the tuner off and everyone is back on frequency.
Days After
Now I follow the warranty instructions so I call the dealer (HRO) and I'm told to call John Lynn the service manager out at Yaesu to return the unit at my cost. I call John and he seems like a nice guy and I explain the issues. He's says I've never heard of a tuner problem. I said then why are there a few guys on E-Ham that have had this exact problem? His reply was it may not be your problem but your going to have to return the rig. I explained that I wanted to do contest in 2 weeks, He said I was dreaming and that once he gets the rig its going to be 3-4 weeks to get it on the bench and then a week to send it back. I didn't want to start yelling so I said ok but I find this totally unacceptable. I call HRO back and explain my conversation with Yaesu and this will not be acceptable. I'm told I should call Chip Margelli and explain to him this will not be acceptable. So I call and get the operator at Yaesu and ask for Chip, and she asks who is calling Mike Anderson from Long Island... she comes back and says Mr Margelli is in a meeting would you like his Voicemail, Sure. I leave him a message and a return phone number. Never did get a call back.. That's customer service at its best.. Where I come from this tact doesn't cut it.. Yes Doctor your 2.5 Million dollar MRI will be working next month.
I must admit that building the W2A station out out KE2TR's was a great experience. The Yaesu 1000 mp's were really great radio's in light of this. I could remember having 5 mp's and 87's,91's 77's + acom's running at the same time and don't recall any problems other than self inflicted one's. The Mark 5 when working is nice but this will not overcome there unprofessional approach to customer service. If your going to buy one of these make sure you get an exception to the warranty in regard to the tuner. Read the other reviews and you can see the trend, but Yaesu says "We've not heard of this problem"
Finally they have a design flaw in the tuner unit. Unless your lucky you to could be in this position after spending 3,000 dollars. The 500 dollar rebate Yaesu is offering is to cover the cost of shipping and to put up with their unprofessional business tactics. Accepting reasonable offers on a 3 month old 1000mp Mark 5 back fresh from California.
Next day UPS for 1 Mark 5 $153.87 Tracking Number 1z149x830110169530
See you all in October CQWW. Dit Dit
73
Mike N2TX
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| N8ZX |
Rating:     |
2002-02-11 | |
| great transceiver..filter setup sucks |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
THIS IS A GREAT UNIT. iT WOULD BE PERFECT IF THE FILTER SETUP WAS THE SAME AS THE 1000MP WHICH I ALSO OWN. ONLY AN ELECTRONICS ENGINEER WHO WAS NOT A HAM COULD HAVE DESIGNED THE HALFBAKED FILTER ARRANGEMENT ON THE NEW MARK V
GENE KLINGLER N8ZX |
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