Yaesu FT-9000 Product Review
April 11, 2009 by Darren
A few years ago saw the release of some amazing new gear for Ham and Freeband radio operators but none was more appealing than the breathtaking Yaesu FT-90000 transceiver in 2005 which retails at a whopping $15,000 AUS. Described by those lucky bastards who’ve already added the rig to their shack as the “ultimate” in radio comms, I was fortunate enough to have a play with one for a few hours thanks to a good mate of mine who reps for Yaesu here in 43 Division.
To put it simply, my first impression of the radio was “Oh my God – it’s bloody HUGE!” In fact, the FT9000 is sooo big it could have its very own zip code. Plug it in and turn it on, and the display reminded me more of a space shuttle control panel than of any radio I’ve previously seen. No that I’ve ever seen one lol…
According to my ruler, the width of the FT-9000 is exactly 20.4 inches which is more than 4 inches wider and deeper than the earlier FT-1000 model and allows the controls to be spaced far enough apart to allow each to be operated easily (Unlike my Kenwood TS-2000, incidentally, which is pretty finicky with tiny knobs!!!).
After a few tries, I counted 37 rotary controls and 96 push buttons on the front panel. What’s cool about this is that many controls serve a single function with menu functions and “soft buttons” mostly reserved for the TFT display. I found all the controls to be of user friendly size – no tweezers required.
Like my TS-2000 with its 55 different push buttons and 8 rotary controls, these controls provide lots of flexibility and features for the different operational modes, allowing the DX’er to customise the receive and transmit parameters through variable IF-based DSP to suit a given set of requirements.
On the word of my mate who hasn’t stopped raving about the rig since he first laid eyes on one, a primary focus of the FTDX9000 design team was on receiver performance which is perhaps the most critical feature for serious DXers. In short, this means that an operator will want to be able to receive a weak signal without interference from one or more strong stations very close in frequency to the desired station.
Transmitter Highlights
- 400-Watt (External Power Supply)
- 200-Watt (Internal Power Supply) versions available
- Class-A operation at 100-Watts (400-W version), 75-Watts (200-W version) output with Adjustable
- Bias Control
- IF DSP Speech processing and Microphone Equalization
- Low-Level Transverter Output Port
- Monitor for Voice, Data, and CW modes
Receiver Highlights
- Selectable Roofing filters (15/6/3 kHz) for excellent performance
- Typical IP3 in excess of +40 dBm, and best close-in Dynamic Range on the market
- 32-Bit IF DSP with Adjustable Filter Response Contours, Variable
- Bandwidth, Variable Passband Centre, Noise Reduction, and IF Manual NOTCH + AF Auto NOTCH Filters
- Dual Receive with Identical Receivers for Main and Sub
- IF Noise Blanker
- Variable RF Filter on all bands
- Adjustable Audio Limiter in addition to RF/IF AGC
- Fast-acting Spectrum Display with Variable Frequency Range Feature
Highlights
- HF + 50 MHz Frequency Coverage
- Four TX/RX Antenna Jacks plus Two RX-Only Jacks
- Flash Memory Port
- PS/2 Keyboard Connector for Logging
- Data Port for Interconnection to your PC
- “My Band” Quick Band Switching feature (eliminates unused bands)
- Direct Frequency Entry and One-touch Band Change
- Huge Multi-Function TFT Display
- Analogue Meters for Ultimate Precision in Measurements
- Rotator Interface Jack for Direction Indication on TFT Display
- Direct Input/Output Sound Card Connections.
In addition to the World Clock feature on the TFT monitor, one of the most intriguing features for me (although a little bit mind blowing, lol) was the 160 Menu options. As the pic shows, the large comfortable tuning knob that dominates the middle of the panel does exactly what you would expect – turn it to the right and the frequency goes up, left and the frequency goes down – and it probably has the best “feel” of any I’ve ever twirled. Like the TS2000 menu options, I gather understanding how to use these different functions would require some practice and lots of time to get your head around them!
If you’ve got the cash and can justify to the XYL why you MUST have a toy that costs sooo much money, I would highly recommend this particular rig for the radio shack bench top. Most of the reviews I have read about this radio have been glowing which is really what you would expect from a modern day “release” and a product of this price! I just wish I had time for a bit more of a play…
73 de Darren 43DA010Radio Brand Monogamy
November 23, 2008 by Darren
Radio communications is full of hobbyists who advocate the virtues of particular radio brands; diehard DXers who’d rather cut off an arm and feed it to a Territorian crocodile then introduce another brand into the sacred confines of their radio shack.
We’ve all met blokes like them. Idiots who idolise ICOM; creeps who crave for Kenwood; Yankee-doodles who yearn for Yaesu; passionate preachers that slam products with metaphorical baseball bats which DON’T carry their fave logo on the casing…
But what for those few radio devotees who mix and match? Where does that leave the radio communications enthusiasts whose shack haven is more an amalgam of radio brand collectables; a hybrid of Yaesu, Kenwood, ICOM and others – all working in perfect harmony? What for the communications cross breeder who channels his audio through a Heil Heritage microphone wired to an Alinco transceiver, then to a Kenwood antenna tuner, running to a DOSS SPS-8400 power supply? Where and how does HE fit into the mix?
We ‘bastards of the airways’ can’t help but feel a little chastised when DX geeks start sermonizing the specs of their favourite brand and condemning those of us who prefer not to step up onto the soap box and join the choir of trademark monogamy. Those same anti-polygamous product pushers might say we’re wedged in an identity crisis of sorts… Or worse still, climb on board the XYL nag train and call us ‘indecisive’. Well to hell with them, I reckon!
I can assure you that sitting on the DX fence when it comes to choosing a radio brand as the ultimate of ultimates in our PENTULTIMATE hobby is a perilous pursuit – especially when hobby comrades line you up as an easy target and start hammering away on the ideology of ICOM or the uniqueness of Uniden or the appeal of Alinco… These make for some serious splinters in the backside, let me tell you.
So, where do YOU sit in the world of product purchase? Are you a dedicated one brand man – loyal to the very end? Or are you a mix and matcher; a concocter of communications commodities whose shack can be described as a ‘fusion of the best from the best’?
Something to think about anyway!
73 de Darren
