| VK2CA |
Rating:  |
2012-04-18 | |
| Awesome radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Hi All
I won’t get technical as there are lots out there that have been there done that. This review is my feelings on owning/operating the FT5000 for a year so far.
Having had an FT920 (loved that one!) then an FT2000 and now the FT5000 I have to say that the clear winner is the FT5000. I changed from the 920 to the 2000 and to be honest the change was not that great. I had Inrad filters etc. in the 920 (a must!) and eventually even went to the NS filter mod in the 2000 looking for that bit extra.....
Still not overwhelmed by the 2000 I bit the bullet and went for the 5000. On air one night I was asked to summarize how I felt about the 5000 compared to the 2000. I answered "the 2000 is good but the 5000 is Wow!" Honestly when I first turned it on I thought there was something wrong as I couldn’t hear any real noise. On tuning around I found lots of sigs but was blown away by how quiet the RXer was. Contesting with this one is so much easier over long periods. As to the noise reduction options, and a lot has been said in previous posts, suffice to say they REALLY work. Ergonomics are great, but I suppose that is subjective to each user, but having most options available up front instead of buried in menus is excellent.
Is it perfect….No. but then is any radio? I currently have a hardware issue with the “dreaded white line” through the VFO A sub display and it has developed a hum on RX…..both of these issues have necessitated a trip back for service. Also can’t understand the AF Gain for A and B being the wrong way around…..strange? Also I have to back up a previous poster who pleaded with Yaesu to not hide the update switch. Again having to pull your radio out of its position on the desk just to do an update is painful! Listening Yaesu?
Ok so why still a 5? I just think that any radio could have an issue or two but the overall impression of my first year operating this rig, in all conditions and all modes, far outweighs these small problems.
My overall summary is that it is an expensive radio but I really do feel that when I sit in front of the FT5000 if I can’t hear something then there is nothing currently available out there that will hear it either. A nice feeling! I doubt you would be sorry spending the money on this one.
Cheers….Allan VK2CA
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| N0AZZ |
Rating: |
2012-02-05 | |
| Still The #1 Radio On The Market |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Thought I would post an update I'm coming up on my 2nd anniversary of ownership in 30 days had the second one delivered in the US. I have been through several firmware and hardware updates each bringing this radio to even higher numbers in the ratings than when first tested by QST,Sherwood. Even during the the major loss of life and property in Japan to this company they kept going on this project.
I have owned several radios before this FTDX-5000MP ordered it 5 mo before if was to reach us here in the US took a chance and I have never looked back. When I got it I had a IC-7700 that I had traded a FTDX-9000C for so had it on the bench to compare it to. The K3 was boxed up hoping someone would buy it on eBay had it 6 mo now that was a radio I wished that I had not thrown my money away on never really liked it and was glad to see it go.
The Icom and the Yaesu were put on a A/B switch on the same yagi's to compare them it didn't take long for a very noticeable difference to show up the Icom was out classed almost across the board most of all the receiver and the DNR like night and day.
Is the FTDX-5000 a perfect radio no it isn't there will never be one made and something new and better will surely come it always does but for now the FTDX-5000 rules the roost.
I found it amusing at one statement made in one post here about a new Orin I belong to 4 different radio clubs 2 local and 2 DX. 2 of the dx members in the last few months have returned their Orin's in the return period in order to buy FTDX-5000's and both say the 5000 is a much better radio funny how those things work. |
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| G0CVL |
Rating: |
2012-02-02 | |
| Amazed ! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Having owned an IC-7700 for eighteen months, that spent nearly as much time on Icoms workshop bench as mine, I decided it had to go, and the only viable alternative for me in this country was the FTdx5000.(See my IC-7700 review)
I've had the radio a month now, and within an hour of unhooking the 7700 and plugging the Yaesu in, I WAS AMAZED !!
The difference in the receiver is astounding.
I thought the 7700 had a good receiver, but having been loyal to Icom for the last ten years, I guess I've been "brand blind" !!
Don't get me wrong, I HAVE had other radios at the same time as the Icoms (Ft1000MkV, FT950 etc) but never rated them any better in the receiver dept.
However, allthough it was a forced decision to change radios, it was by far, the best thing that's happened in a long time.
It's night and day, the difference in the performance from the Icom to the Yaesu, especially on cw, where this thing is a scalpel, compared to an old penknife !
I suppose I should have realised about the 7700, when, within a few days of buying it, I realised that the receive performance under strong signal handling, didn't seem any better really than the ProIII it replaced.
I was a bit dissapointed.
The figures I suppose bear my astounded ears out, when I think about it.
The 20db or so difference in close spaced performance, is VERY noticable, especially on cw, when the "20 over key click merchant" opens up a few hundred Hertz away. Very impressive !!
I was also taken aback by how quiet and sensitive it is as well, something that I thought the 7700 had dabs on.
The NR is superior, and the NB as well.
I thought from the tales I read, I might have trouble with the menus and settings, being as the tales spoke of how many settings and variations there were compared to the Icoms.
Well RUBBISH !
They both have about the same selections, just displayed/selected differently.
Most are set and forget, and I can honestly say, I think I glanced at the user manual ONCE in the first few days, to confirm ONE menu item I wasn't sure about.
There is no perfect radio of course, and there are a couple of small things that I think Icom implement slightly better, BUT, and this is a BIG but, overall, I'd say that the Yaesu is far superior, in most of the areas that count.
Still amazed !!
If Icom hadn't treated me with such distain ("customer loyalty means nothing really" !!!), and had been willing to talk about requests for a replacement radio, and had a radio that didn't need 2 x pa's, 1 x atu, new buttons etc, etc etc, then they might well have kept me.
As of last month though, I'M AWFULLY GLAD THEY DIDN'T !!
Great radio, exceptional receiver, and a massive leap from Yaesu.
Well done chaps.
Yaesu 1 Icom 0 !!
Spike - G0CVL |
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| QRPNEW |
Rating: |
2012-01-18 | |
| Excellent radio |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Exceptional radio, 6 months ownership. The receiver and transmitter are both truly a work of art. I am not a brand loyalist, all I want to do is use the best possible transceiver. Since owning the FT5K, I have got rid of a K3, lex5000, and a IC7700.
The best radio for comparison would be the K3. The FT5K outshines the K3 in RX audio quality, TX transmit IMD performance, general TX audio and the ergonomics just leaves the K3 for dead. I wont endlessly nit pick on the K3, the FT5K just outclasses it in all aspects. The only advantage that the K3 has is the true diversity dual receiver which is better. Other than this the FT5K is better in every other possible way.
The 200 watts of clean output combined with 75 watts in class A is superb. It drives my 8877 amp so well that I regularly get comments and call ins congratulating me on how clean my signal is. I have never had anyone call me on any other brand of radio saying you have a big signal 40db over S9 and that my signal was so clean with good TX audio! The K3 is appallingly filthy at 100 watts by comparison. The K3 when examined on a SDR receiver has horrible IMD on TX at 110 watts. You can only make the higher order 11th order products reduce to a low level at 10 watts. Even
the 10 watt PA in the K3 is cleaner at 10 watts than the 100 watt PA is at 10 watts. This is one aspect of the K3 that is very disappointing. 200 watts is a fantastic power, 99.99% of the time you dont have to turn on a linear if you running a beam. I mostly operate CW and rarely need to turn on the linear with its 200 watt of output.
The FT5000 is a winner regardless of how critical you are. In every QST benchmark test it beats or is equal to the K3. Its nice when a nice set of lab numbers translates into performance that can be noticed.
What I dont like is the Sm5000 band scope, its useless.Not that the tiny P3 was any better. The P3 has only 200khz of coverage its screen is poor and way too small. The P3 also has a very slow firmware update schedule and is not even close to something like the Yaesu DMU unit on the FT2000. The P3 would have been a lot better if it was the same size as the K3 and it sat on top of the k3. On the left or right of the K3 its awkward having to take your eyes off the radio for viewing. In this regard the Icom and flex radios have the right idea, you should be looking straight ahead at the panadapter. Elecraft also makes lots of promises and takes forever to deliver on their promises for features. They bait buyers with promises and deliver them so slowly. At least when you buy a yaesu everything thats in the brochure is there and is working 100% The only reason I bought the sm5000 was that I wanted the 0.05PPM OCXO.
This radio is so stable I hardly bother turning on my Trimble Thunderbolt for calibration checks. The K3's so called TCXO is poor because you can be off as much as 40hz off frequency. Even with the TCXO lock board installed it was all over the map when hooked to the Trimble. Everytime you turned the K3 on with the trimble connected the
compensating frequency was totally different. Meaning that you could not dial in the correct calibration frequency in and expect it to be the same tomorrow. The FT5000 when checked on a daily basis is rock solid. This might not be a fair comparison comparing a 1ppm cheap TCXO to a true OCXO, point is that its better! The K3's TCXO in reality is more like a 4ppm TCXO.
The ergonomics of the FT5000 is superb. The K3 is the poorest radio I have ever used for ergonomics. You constantly mess up with the double function buttons. I blew up a test instrument because i forgot that the tune power was set at 100 watts and the real power set on 1 watt. Why did i screw up? because of the stupidity of putting a tune and XMIT function on
one button. The K3 is worst than dumb when it comes to its ergonomics. Not having band and mode buttons is plain pathetic in my opinion. I really hated the K3 because of this one issue, ergonomics and smallness. Mickey Mouse radio that skated over the desk and the Anderson power pole cable kept hitting the desk and falling out, useless!
Price wise the Ft5000 seems like a lot, when you add up the K3's total cost the FT5K is a good deal and is certainly much better radio for the money. The quality of construction just leaves the K3 for dead. The K3 when put alongside a FT5000 is like comparing a old tractor with a latest model Mercedes.
Yaesu needs to be congratulated for producing such a perfect radio that is relatively free of bugs, modifications and updates. The FT5000 is the best radio that I have bought in the last 10 years. Its performance matches its price and makes you feel that you own something thats prestigious and that also performs well. The IC7700 for example was all hype, expensive price with rather mediocre performance. The Flex5000 was just one big can of worms that i did not
have time and patience for. Too many bugs and problems.
If yaesu keeps on producing radios like the Ft5000 it will NO1 for a long time. Lets hope they will also produce a cut down single receiver version of the Ft5000 like they did with the FT990/FT1000D radios. I would be very happy with a single receiver 200 watt baby FT5000.
FT5000= a real mans radio with real contest receiver performance what more can you ask for? Californian kilowatt no problems 200 watts or class A what more do you want? Go buy it you will not have a single regret.
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| K7ABV |
Rating: |
2012-01-14 | |
| One Very Nice Radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| When a friend wanted his old FT-1000 back, that i had bought from him 15 years ago, I said sure, and the same day he gave me the check I ordered the FTDX-5000D with the 300 cycle filter, which I installed, very easy, for a non-tech guy like me...only a week into it, I am still learning some of the wonderful things it can do on CW and SSB..I have been reading the manual for 7 months off and on...that helped plenty...also having another FT-1000D and an FT1000MK5 also in the shack, I feel at home using this radio..It is as good as they say..I won't go into all the items already done by dozen's of other reviews..It works and I do enjoy the SM-5000.. It is pricey, but being in radio since 1957 I decided to go for it...not getting any younger...glad I did it... |
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| K3PA |
Rating: |
2012-01-13 | |
| Impressive |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've stuck with traditional filter rigs for some time as I disliked the sound of many 1st gen/2nd gen DSP setups. I finally sold the FT-1000MP and got the 5k. Impressive. I can really hear through this receiver, and I don't hear digital artifacts. Maybe a just a little below 100 Hz BW, but pretty darn good. Definately an improvement from the 1000.
Control layout could have been thought through a lot better. And the SM-5000 isn't very good, except as a speaker. Still, one does get used to these things, and I wouldn't let it stop me from recommending the xcvr. So when you hear me calling on freq for a split op, I apolgize in advance. I'll get used to it soon... |
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| GM6TVR |
Rating: |
2012-01-07 | |
| One year on............. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Having now owned and run this rig for a year, and logged a large number of contacts, I can truly say that it is an absolute gem. I won't go into all the technical details and jargon, I am sure that you will be bored to tears with all of that, all I really have to say is that if I can hear those much sought after dx stations, I can and have worked them. Although my previous rigs were top of the range including a number of classics such as the 950SDX, this one is now at the top of my "Best Rig" list. I am having a great time operating this one.
Best wishes,
John - GM6TVR / GM0FQV |
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| N2YPD |
Rating: |
2012-01-03 | |
| Best I've owned so far |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I purchased the YAESU FTdx 5000MP I have to say that I'm impressed the receiver is the BEST that I have heard, I have had many including the Icom 7700,7600,756II, Yaesu FT1000Mark V, Yaesu FT 1000, Kenwood Ts 950SDX, Kenwood Ts 590 etc etc The Yaesu FTdx 5000MP It's truly amazing. The transmitter is a work of Art, beats them All in sensitivity & Selectivity receive signals are Extremely Clear and Audible, can use for hours with no noise fatigue and heard of has an understated elegance, seriousness in its presentation. If you can get your hands on one of these Radio's you will not be disappointed |
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| W5UV |
Rating: |
2011-12-30 | |
| Simply great |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| I sold my TenTec Orion II to buy the FTdx-5000D and haven't regretted it one minute since. The Orion II is a great radio but I enjoy using the Yaesu much more and my ears can't hear a reduction in performance. The FTdx-5000 is excellent in both CW and SSB. It's a massive radio with solid weight - don't have to worry about moving the rig when you plug in your headphones!! I plan on keeping this for quite a long time. |
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| VO1JA |
Rating: |
2011-12-30 | |
| I really enjoy mine |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I have only had four HF rigs in my twenty years as an amateur radio operator: two Kenwood Ts-50s, an Icom 7000, an Icom 756pro3 and now the Yaesu FT DX 5000 MP.
The Yaesu 5K is a remarkable radio. The receiver is the best that I have heard, and heard of. I can literally listen to this rig for hours without any fatique.
Using the TTBF-Total Transmit Bandwidth Frequency-settings (see the webpage of voodoo sound guru NA1A), I regularly receive unsolicited compliments on my transmit sound quality. This morning, for example, a station in Bogota described my sound quality as "mellifluous".
I really do like the layout of the face of the rig. The eighty-odd buttons and knobs are better than hunting through menu settings, and trying the different dsp and noise filtering options is fun.
If there is room for improvement, it is in the manuals: they are not very detailed, and certainly could be improved, especially with the interface with the DMU. On the station monitor, the sound is good, and I have installed a 24 inch stand alone LCD monitor for the band scope display.
All in all, I really have and continue to enjoy my 5K, and I expect that the it will remain the main rig in my shack. Having said that, the 756 pro 3 is there as a backup in case of a power failure (the 5K has a built in power supply, and requires house current to operate). I am keeping the 7000 in the pickup truck, and there's an old ts-50 here for trips to the cabin or other exotic locales. I have started to use it with a Chameleon portable set up, and there's lots of fun there yet.
Who knows, next year there might even be a hand held K3x under the tree! |
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