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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-100D

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-100D
Reviews: 167MSRP: 1,200.00
Description:
HF MOBILE
Product is not in production
More Info: http://yaesu.hamgear.eu/ft-100.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001674.2
KA7EII Rating: 2002-02-21
Fun Little Rig !!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hello everyone,
Got my first Yaesu FT-100D in September of 2000 and used it as my main rig in the shack. At first I had a hard time using the rig but after learning how to access all of the features via the menus I can get around pretty well. The rig that the FT-100D replaced is a Kenwood TS-440S/AT which I have had for about 14 years.
I have a butternut HF9VX ground mounted vertical for HF and a Comet GP-9 for 2m and 70cm. I also purchased the FC-20 tuner, the 6khz AM filter and the separation kit. Installation of the AM filter was kind of scary (don't really like to take apart a brand new $1000.00 toy) but I took my time and all went well. Took me about 45 minutes to do it. I got the AM filter because I still enjoy shortwave broadcast listening and without the filter, the AM mode selectivity is not very good.
I have always got very good sound quality reports from both domestic and DX contacts on HF. The sensitivity and selectivity are at least as good if not better than the TS-440S/AT. The only thing on the FT-100D that could be better is the notch filter. It is really not that great. I'm sure that the receiver is not on par with a "contest quality" rig but still I am impressed with what Yaesu has packed into the FT-100D. Besides a great little HF rig, I now have access to 6m and ssb on both 2m and 70cm. Sensitivity and Selectivity on VHF and UHF seem very good on both CW/SSB and FM. It is sure nice to be able to chat on a local repeater one minute and then be able to switch to HF the next - all with one rig.
In may of 2001 I installed this rig in my pickup (a 1989 Ford F-250) with the Yaesu ATAS-100 antenna and a Diamond K-400 mount. I have a Comet dual band antenna for VHF/UHF. The FT-100D works fantastic as a mobile rig! The noise blanker does a great job on the ignition noise but I still have work to do on the noisy fuel pump. I made an "L" shaped bracket which sticks out between the bed of the truck and the fiberglass camper shell. This is towards the rear drivers side. The VHF/UHF antenna is mounted to the drivers side door. The radio is mounted behind the seat. I have an external speaker mounted below the ashtray and the control head is on a Pana-Vise pedestal mounted next to the seat. This set up works great on all HF bands (40 through 10 meters) including the WARC bands and 6m. Have had a lot of fun running mobile HF!
I liked the FT-100D so much that my XYL Cindy bought me another one for the shack. Since she just got her ticket in 2001, we both enjoy the rig at home and on the road.
Yaesu sure has a winner as far as I am concerned.
See you on the air. 73, Rocky.
XE2TGH Rating: 2002-02-11
ft-100d control Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I am very happy with my FT-100d.

Thanks Gabriel
N9BAL Rating: 2002-02-02
MOBILE to the MAX! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I AM A VERY HAPPY FT-100D CUSTOMER!
The radio is great, especially when matched with the ATAS-100 for mobile operation.
I have had the rig for a month and it has already performed way beyond my high expectations.
While operating mobile I am able to work into my fair share of DX pile-ups. Using the many filters I can 'dig-out' any signal or virtually eliminate any interference. I could not be more pleased with the 22 DXCC counties worked MOBILE in the last 30 days!

Grounding is everything, when done properly the radio operates flawlessly.

The ATAS-100 WILL tune up just fine on the WARC bands.

P.S. Get Dave Mangels (AC6WO) book "The Mobile DXer" for great tips on mobile DXing.

73s
N9BAL Mobile in Minnesota


N2ZD Rating: 2002-01-15
read and learn :-) Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Below is a review of the FT100. Why did I post it here? Its silly to separate two radios that are identical in every way with the exception of a few options.
If you are mobile, the larger speaker comes in handy but you will most likely prefer an external one if you are mobile. I did, even with the D model. The CW filter is cool but the AM filter would have been a better addition as it really make the rx shine when used for SWL work.

The tcxo is useless as the radio is pretty much drift free in both versions. The decode board is a plus though for 10m FM, 6m, 2m, 440mhz.

What is the difference? Not much besides the above. The FT100D is just an FT100 with the add on options. Dont get me wrong, this is cool but If you read the below review, the same problems exist in both radios with the exception of the May 2001 run. So two years plus went by before any action was taken in production corrections..
Please read on...

*************************

Ok, I see alot of mixed reviews and here is why.

I bought mine in August of 99. The rig was difficult to tame rf-wise and at that time noone knew why. It had suffered hi-swr,disorted audio and degraded rx at times.
The fix came from Yaesu approx 4-6 months after the radio hit the dealers shelves. The radio needed to be modded for the addition of one ground strap and the included strap needed a screw thru it to make a better connection to the aluminum center rib. With this done the radios are rock solid swr wise and usually will work the way they were intended.
The cause is that without these added and modified straps, the radio goes into self oscillation at approx 13.5 mhz forcing a hi-swr icon, rf then distorts the audio and overall operation of the FT100 becomes undesirable.
The RX degradation and UHF/VHF final problems (failures) were traced to cooling issues. If the radio sat idle on UHF/VHF the internal temperature of the rig would rise causing the rx to degrade. This was also a noticable condition on HF also if the radio were able to get warm enough.
The cause was that the firmware which operates the fans would not operate on UHF and VHF at all when the rig was idle. If you tx'ed the fans would come on for the duration of the tx cycle plus 7-8 seconds then shut down. Try this with your Alfa 87A and see how long a pair of 3cx800's will last you :-)

Anyway, if you have a pre May 2001 run of the FT100D or older FT100, you will need the swr strap mod. Corrections have been detected by owners of May 2001 runs and newer. Anyway, you may be saying "mine works great and its not modded, he doesnt know what he is talking about." Well, when that sticky copper tape (take a look for yourself under the top cover) gives up the RF ghost, you too will join the ranks.
If its under warranty Yaesu will make the modifications to the rig, you will need to contact them to see whats what and how long it will take.
The Overheating problem can be circumvented by installing a 1 watt 25-50 ohm resistor from one of the black fan wires to ground, this will allow for air circulation in the radio, keeping the final cool and the rx happy.
Another complaint is the hand mic, I had miraculous results by opening the mic and opening the third hole to the mic element, in addition I repositioned the little round deflector to expose more of the element to the holes. This made the audio reports go from "your muffled" to "hey thats the Best FT100 I have ever heard!"
Any mods you do yourself may void your warranty so be careful how you handle the above situations. If you are shopping for an FT100 on the used market, find one with the mods already done. If you are looking new, look for the May 2001 run for the swr mod. The fan mod hasnt been detected yet in the latest run but the factory does have a correction for this also, so if you are under warranty send it in..

The radio was rated "great" by me as I am very happy with the performance of the radio once the above issues were squared away. It is truly an amazing rig.
Yaesu should have corrected these flaws when they were found and incorporated them into the earlier production runs. They only repaired them after "Joe ham" plunked down the cash and ripped his hair out trying to get the rf bugs out.
Anyway, good luck with your purchase and remember the above when shopping for one. Regards.. Richy N2ZD
N9FMR Rating: 2002-01-15
rfi prob on packet, pactor Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I had an opportunity to check a FT 100d radio out for the last 2 weeks. My main objective was hf and hf digital modes like pactor packet amtor etc.
SSB seemed to work just fine more inteligable than a Ts-50s and recived better reports from half way across the world. When I connected pactor TNC cables and radio control cables RRI became a major problem. Erratic rf output and hard to adjust afsk modulation leveles. Only after using toriods to cool off connecting cables things settled down a bit. (My Ts 50 did not need such help.) This Radio was built in August of 99 and it is a FT 100D. Has anyone had any experience with later built units, say serials starting with 1.., regarding digital modes? Drop me a line with any comments or post it here TNX n9fmr@urbancom.net
WB9WHE Rating: 2002-01-15
VERY GOOD, COULD BE GREAT Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Things I love:

This radio covers an awful lot of the RF spectrum, much more than the 706. Within the ham bands, very good all around performance. The display is adjustable with respect to metering functions (displays power & swr simultaineously). Transmit and receive audio quality is quite good. All significant parameters are adjustable via sub-menu. It is small, but not so small as to create overwhelming problems with sheding heat. 2 redundant built in fans run during transmit. Built in Xtal Osc. for freq accuracy. Durable construction and all controls have a very "solid" durable feel, not cheap, plastic wobbily junk, like some other radios. TTP/Microphone has great selection of propgrammable controls. Cool blue display.

Things I hate:

On 450, only goes up to 470. Out of band, power output drops off rapidly. S meter is calabrated way too low, by nearly 30 db! Fan needs to run on low during receive to keep operating temp down and component life up during long receive times. The mic cord is so thin, that I doubt its durabillity. Wish Yaesu had chosen to install the AM instead of the CW filter.
K4IA Rating: 2002-01-13
Works Great! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I don't get it. I see reviews like the last one but my experience is totally different. It sounds like the last guy does not have the antenna grounded properly. That is an absolute requirement of the ATAS100 or IT WILL NOT WORK. Mine is trunk lip mounted and luckily the trunk lid is grounded so I didn't have to do anything special.

My XYL insisted Hamsticks were not going on the new car so I decided on the ATAS100 antenna system and that made the choice of the 100D for me. The ATAS100 has received the XYL stamp of approval - not just toleration. It really does look presentable.

I got my rig at HRO with a serial number beginning 1 H. I understand the 1 is the year and the H the month (starting with C for January) so my rig was made in June, 2001.

I have been very pleased with the entire system. I didn't expect much from the little screwdriver but get good reports on 40 and above and seem to work everything I hear - and that is a lot. The menus are a pain, I wish the keys were backlighted, there is no direct keypad entry for frequencies, the buttons are small, I am still learning to decipher the memories but what the heck. This is a tiny little mobile rig not a suitcase-sized base station.

The filtering is very good, much better than my old Alinco DX70. You can use the DSP to set whatever bandwidth you want. I push one button and the antenna tunes itself in a few seconds. Unless something goes wrong, I think this is a perfect mobile setup and for that it gets a 5.
KM6XF Rating: 2002-01-13
Have not been able to work any stations with it yet Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is my 7th or 8th transceiver I've bought in my life and, unfortunately, I gave my money away. It has not performed the way it was advertised, mobile nor fixed. After reading some reviews, I wonder if AES sold me a refurbished FT 100 which had been labeled as a D. I guess now it's late for me to complain and will have to do something to get this radio to work.
By the way the piece of junk antenna ATAS 100 should be dumped. Yaesu is a very decent company and they should pick up these antennas and refund the price paid for them.
NJ6F Rating: 2002-01-11
Excellent Investment Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Dear All,
This is the most cost effective, size effective radio I have ever seen. When I opened the box my wife said "where's the rig"
If your not such an old dog that you cannot learn a new trick...menu's that is, and your fingers are too big, then go purchase one of those large dust collectors. Yes it can be small and work better!
Had mine since Dec 18th,01 and love it. With all due respect what it has over the 706 that I am aware of is increased band coverage by far, 350 memories+, a soothing blue screen that is easily readable and no need for a mobile tuner due to Atlas antenna . The choice is a no brainer if you look at what the rig offers...don't let the peer pressure sway you...remember they are stuck with their choice and have to justify it, you don't. I like the pig tail power connectors it a smart feature. The 200 memories in the autotuner is more than the competitive one also I believe.
On power levels, you can adjust the % power for instance and what it says, it is..no need to enter anything.
Here is what I found... for SSB run the rig with no compression and up to 100% gain and DSP on 2 and the rig drives like your using processing but are not with No distortion! and the higher mic gain seems to enhanse the DSP effect on transmit. Using DSP was always better it seemed. Never any processing, leave it off. For AM run it at 10 watts carrier with mic gain at 40% and DSP on 1 for more bass. I run AM without the filter into my pair of 8875 Eimac's for 200+ watts out...perfect. The noise blanker really does work effectively as well as all the DSP receive settings. DSP CW enhansement peaking really is nice. I use the FC 20 tuner with 200 memories!!! It remembers any of my 3 antennas settings for instance on the same band and it's fast and quiet for 6 meters to 160. As sharp as my Butternut HF9V with 160 is on 160 the autotuner makes life easy along with the G5RV and A3 beam.
For all that complain about this rig...get a life.. its small and thats the way I like it. I guess this earlier model did have some fixes but thats the advantage of the 100(D)most earlier bugs were worked out on this model. Another nice feature is the xmit and receive carrier adj. control for LSB & USB, +100 works best for all if your audio has too much bass this helps.
The detachable faceplate with optional kit is great. I am sorry there is nothing I dont like
about this rig. Adjustable power down to 10 watts or less, hey QRPer's... enjoy the technology!
In the suitcase it goes along with the cd player and a small switching supply and Spider antenna.
We are finally free to really go mobile or base!!
Regards,
Rich
KB5VXH Rating: 2002-01-03
Not Happy Yet Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well after many reviews and help from many of my friends, I ordered the Yeasu FT100D. I had it shipped over night air. The next day I could not wait to see my U.P.S man, so I tracked him down. Finally, I had it in my hands and went home, opened it and started to read my manual. Thats when a friend called. We were talking about the radio when he asked what the serial # was. I told him and he informed me that I had a year old radio, which did not have the lastest mods. I got on the phone with A.E.S. (where I had purchased my FT100D) and told them of this problem. Well they told me to contact Yeasu. Well now I have a radio that is a year old (Serial # 0N071034) that has to be sent back so they can fix all the mods to bring the radio up to date. I am not to happy with buying a new radio, shipped overnight expecting to use it awhile before the possibility of having any trouble with it. Well I guess I was wrong. Here is my advice. If you plan to order this radio, ask the salesman if the serial # is a current production run with all of the mods completed. Well next time, I sure will ask so I will not here the words from A.E.S. that this is not their problem.