Got back on the air in 1998 with a TS940 which served my needs for casual operating. But now retired and started my search for a premium mid range radio. Looked mainly at TS890 IC7610 and the FTDX101 which I leaned towards. Well just picked up an FT920 at a nice price instead to try my first Yaesu. Such a nifty 25 yo radio with a lot of knobs and buttons to work like the 940 but the deep menu system is very intuitive and fun. Probably wont get bored with the FT920 for a while and can still use the 940 along with the rest of my "antiques collection" which include a TS430 IC735 and Drake C Line.
Nice review Mike I am just starting regarding amateur radio but many years ago a good friend had a Yaesu ft902DM I couldn’t believe how good it sounded let along all the dial’s and warm glow from the front end. I have been lucky to start with a shack in a box FT818ND,
This was a wonderful video, very good information for those of us who might be considering buying a new radio. I own the FT-891 and think it is a wonderful radio. I also own the Kenwood TS-50S, which, although older is still very capable, and I dare say is also very rugged. I like the idea of having a radio with a removable head as my shack space is limited. Tucking the transceiver under the desk frees deskspace. I also like the idea of an all mode, all band radio as it eleminates the need for a separate 2 meter 70cm radio. I favor radios which have the option of running 12 VDC or 120 VAC as needed. Flexability is very important for Emergency Communications work. In my opinion every shack should have alternative power sources and be capable of operating fully off grid for long periods of time.
Just got rid of an FT-2000, lovely old-school looking rig, battleship build quality. Sad to see it go, but equally, the FTDX-5000 that has replaced it has more than made up for it!
Thanks for the video, I was playing radio bingo, only got 4 of them! I agree with you, hate menu driven operating but for portable the 857 and 897 are fantastic, it's a necessity you have to live with.
Wait until it goes tits up. Zero after sales service or tech support from Kenwood JVC.. They are a disgrace... I would not buy another Kenwood rig period.. They are taking the piss Big time..
Hi Mike ,good video and much the same as I would choose however you don't mention the Elecraft KX3 ,in my opinion this is streets ahead of things like the 817 ,runs 15 watts on external power around 7 on batteries ,it is expensive but to be fair you get what you pay for !!,I also run a Ft950,Ic7300 and a IC 7100 love them all !!
Hi Ron. Yes I agree but the KX3 is what I was thinking about when I made the comment about not including certain radios that I fealt were "out of the reach of an everyday purchase" Thanks for watching. 73.
My Favourite radio's are the Yaesu FT920SAT and FT857D. The 920 as studio quality audio and the 857 is brilliant for mobile and portable use because of the all band SSB capability. I do really like Icom radio's but need to wait for the price to come down a bit...been toying with the idea of an IC7300 but just don't have the spare cash at the moment.
@@MikeM0XMX All the Yaesu rigs I use portable or mobile. The main station rigs are a Drake TR7, a TenTec Omni D, and a Elecraft K2 in Twins Config. Have others, but it looks like I've never sold anything after licensed 50+ years. Lee, WA8QFE
Hey Mike - Nice job on covering an overview of so many nice Radios. I am on an extremely tight budget and saving my money to purchase a Yaesu FT-857D in the coming year. I would like to watch, see, and hear you opinions on using an FT-857D for making contacts more locally in your region. Any tips you might offer and just things that make the FT-857D a joy to operate. again, I do not have one, but have been exposed to numerous All Band Mobile radios, I feel the Yaesu FT-857 will work for me also. Thanks for sharing Mike.
Hey Mark. Thanks for the comment. Have you watched my video I did a couple of weeks ago talking about the 857? There is a link in the middle of the video. The 857 is great at 2Mtr and 70CM so they are great bands for local chats and nets plus the kit (antennas, tuners, etc) is really small and can be very cheap. I have a couple of videos showing 2Mtr antennas I have made out of bit for pennies. Good Luck and thanks for your support.
Me too to a large extent. Before I bought the Flex 3000 the only non Yaesu radio of the 10+ radios I had owned in 2 years was a Boafeng handy (which I still have, somewhere)
Hi Mike again. I like this video and as requested I'd like to share my opinion shortly. I own Yaesu FTdx101MP for half a year. This radio is such elegant and performing excellent during contests when the bands are crowded. This is a Dream Radio as a base station ! All bells and whistles are extremely useful and anyone could have a great fun playing with. Being Ham Radio for a very long time I counted 26 various transceivers in my radio shack. Some of them you present are on this video e.g. FT1000 - great one for base station, just said good bye to this one recently, FT897 - mobile, but rather noisy receiver then was sold quickly and acquired IC-7000, FT817 excellent for trips like you and others do. But, what about vintage radios ? Many of them are still in a good conditions especially receivers with no wide bandpass filters on RX. Prices are affordable and operations are simple especially for beginners. I wonder what will be your favorite "old timer" ? Mine is definetely Yaesu FT-7 renovated recently by myself :-) All the best for now and please keep going the movies. I'd like to watch ! Best 73's Wim, HF5WIM
Hi Wim. Thanks for taking the time to watch my video and indeed for your comments. Yes you are totally right about the older radios. I have only three years under my Ham Radio belt so I dont really have any experience with those but love learning and, there is something happening soon that could put me in front of some very nice older radios. Keep watching my friend. 73.
Older radio but I like the Icom IC-7000 100W all-band all-mode inc. VHF/UHF radio. Color screen and has all the right buttons for me so there isn't a lot of diving into menus. Head can be separated for mobile mounting options. 73 de K9WWW
Me too Richard. In my opinion it is the best all band face off radio ever made. I have just bought another one! Have two now. Separation cable searching is like hen's teeth though. It was before its time though, and I have no idea why there is not a "modern" replacement with colour screen, HF/UHF/VHF, 100W, face-off, and now they could add USB etc. I love them!! They are famous for letting out the "magic smoke" but mine is just fine.
In the headline it says the "best amateur radios" and then in your video you say, "these aren't the best radios..." (?) BTW, my favorite radio now is the (tr)uSDX multi-mode, multi-band rig because it fits in my pocket, and I understand pretty much every aspect of its design and function because I built it. Oh, and it cost me $90 US. That's important to me. My other money has its own purposes. I have somewhat different goals than many hams. For me, ham radio is a hobby where I learn about all aspects of electromagnetic radiation and reception on various frequencies just for the understanding and the love of knowledge. I like to improve my circuitry and antennas to improve their performance, and I like to use my knowledge to help others in times of need. Chatting and collecting certificates on high-powered, expensive boxes that I don't understand just leaves me cold.
I take it you are a Yaesu man? I like the look of the Flex radios, but they might be well out of my price range. Anyway, I have an exam to pass and power supply to fix and a few radios to get going first before I even think about buying sets. I have a problem getting permission for antennas here I have found out, so that is going to very restrict me anyway, a bit of a downer as I gave up sitting getting cold in cars when CB was on the go and not legal cough cough! So I am loosing the incentive!Got all the books and everything, but the antenna thing is a big problem and I can't just run a wire through the night as the wife works for the people that said I couldn't put anything up!
Hi. Thanks for the comment bob fourjs. There are plenty more videos of a similar style in the playlist. Enjoy, and consider subscribing if you haven't already. 73
I have an FT-991, FT-DX3000D, a Kenwood TS-830S(2), a Kenwood TS-820S, and a Collins 75A-4 (2 of those as well) with a Central Electronics 100V for the transmitter. Guess which one gets used the most? The 75A-4. No menus, no watery DSP, receives everything that the FT-DX3000D does, and sounds better doing it. All the other radios stay off. I have yet to find a radio that has as good a sound as the Collins. The TS-830S comes close, very close.
Yeh, that is a really good question. Power, size, all band and all mode. A radio that does HF100W in a portable package and VHF & UHF not really anything I know........ I dont know. The new IC-705 is nice but it is QRP. Sorry. Anyone with any ideas, please reply.
Hi Steven. Thanks for the question although its one I cant answer with any depth or meaning as I havent even touched either radio. From what I know the 5000 is more of a contesters radio with many Knobs and Buttons........ love it! From what I am told the 3000 vs the 5000 is like buying a Canon 250D camera vs a 1DS. The 250D you can pick up and take photos quickly whilst having the advanced creative abilities and functions if you want them. The 1DS needs correctly setting up for each shot, no "easy" mode. Sometimes you may you want to switch on and play. The 101d I suggest is exactly that. So in n answer, The knobs and buttons would tempt me to the 5k but the sheer tech and "state of the art" features would inevitably draw me to the 101d. 73
I'm lucky enough to own a 5000 and absolutely love it! It's a real big heavy beast and it's not something that would leave the shack very often. Like you said, it is renowned for being a contesters Radio, and is an excellent ergonomic Radio with all the most used buttons to hand and with the handy 200 watts . Somewhat tempted by the DX101MD, but really I would find it difficult to be separated from my 5000! The only disappointment with the 5000 was that after using the 3000 it did not have a direct USB connection. So now I use two connections from the PC to the rig instead of one. One for the CAT control, the other the audio (external PC sound card) connection for the digi modes, which I use the RCA connections on the back. I think that yaesu also produce another outboard box that makes that connection too. At the end of the day a 500 0 takes some beating!
Howdoo Mike I've had loads of radios the last couple of years but my keepers are the icom ic775dsp she's an old girl the Rx sensitivity and audio is great along with transmission compliments.I bought the yaesu ftdx3000 couple of month ago a great radio connected with my sdr play rsp1a great keeper too.Icom ic7300 still got it from pre order launch great sdr radio.xigeu G90 a great cheap sdr qrp set too another keeper :) take care 73
TBH The TS 2000 Is a disgrace numerous faults and bugs.. Zero after sales or tech service from Kenwood JVC ??? Avoid this shit show at all costs..Best radio at the price point and ability is The ICOM 1C-7300 Performance is second to none at the price point..And you actually have after sales service and tech support ..Imagine that ?? All that said The FT 857D is my mobile rig of choice and has never ket me down.. A fair reprisal. Excluding The Kenwood TS 2000 Shit show...
Now just a cotton picking moment. Start of vid. Quote you love knobs & meters, you don’t like menu driven radios and then end up as laptop Larry driving a computer. 🤪😂⚡️⚡️⚡️
Got back on the air in 1998 with a TS940 which served my needs for casual operating. But now retired and started my search for a premium mid range radio. Looked mainly at TS890 IC7610 and the FTDX101 which I leaned towards. Well just picked up an FT920 at a nice price instead to try my first Yaesu. Such a nifty 25 yo radio with a lot of knobs and buttons to work like the 940 but the deep menu system is very intuitive and fun. Probably wont get bored with the FT920 for a while and can still use the 940 along with the rest of my "antiques collection" which include a TS430 IC735 and Drake C Line.
Nice review Mike I am just starting regarding amateur radio but many years ago a good friend had a Yaesu ft902DM I couldn’t believe how good it sounded let along all the dial’s and warm glow from the front end. I have been lucky to start with a shack in a box FT818ND,
This was a wonderful video, very good information for those of us who might be considering buying a new radio. I own the FT-891 and think it is a wonderful radio. I also own the Kenwood TS-50S, which, although older is still very capable, and I dare say is also very rugged. I like the idea of having a radio with a removable head as my shack space is limited. Tucking the transceiver under the desk frees deskspace. I also like the idea of an all mode, all band radio as it eleminates the need for a separate 2 meter 70cm radio. I favor radios which have the option of running 12 VDC or 120 VAC as needed. Flexability is very important for Emergency Communications work. In my opinion every shack should have alternative power sources and be capable of operating fully off grid for long periods of time.
Thanks for the nice comments.
Your message reaches Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Studying for my technician's license. 73 sir.
Just got rid of an FT-2000, lovely old-school looking rig, battleship build quality. Sad to see it go, but equally, the FTDX-5000 that has replaced it has more than made up for it!
Awesome. I would love to spend a weekend playing with the 5K. I loved my 3K and that was awesome.
Great video thanks for posting 👍
No problem. Thanks for the feedback. 73 & Stay Safe.
Thanks for the video, I was playing radio bingo, only got 4 of them! I agree with you, hate menu driven operating but for portable the 857 and 897 are fantastic, it's a necessity you have to live with.
Hey Carl. Thanks for the comment. Wait till the next video, you inspire me to combine radio and cookery!
I own a ts-2000 and I absolutely love it
Wait until it goes tits up. Zero after sales service or tech support from Kenwood JVC.. They are a disgrace... I would not buy another Kenwood rig period.. They are taking the piss Big time..
Hi Mike ,good video and much the same as I would choose however you don't mention the Elecraft KX3 ,in my opinion this is streets ahead of things like the 817 ,runs 15 watts on external power around 7 on batteries ,it is expensive but to be fair you get what you pay for !!,I also run a Ft950,Ic7300 and a IC 7100 love them all !!
Hi Ron. Yes I agree but the KX3 is what I was thinking about when I made the comment about not including certain radios that I fealt were "out of the reach of an everyday purchase" Thanks for watching. 73.
Hi Mike, my wife treated me to a 991A last week so I’m now on HF. Hope to speak soon, 73’s Oscar 2E1HWE
Hey Oscar. Great to hear from you. Wow, what a great wife you have. 73
My Favourite radio's are the Yaesu FT920SAT and FT857D. The 920 as studio quality audio and the 857 is brilliant for mobile and portable use because of the all band SSB capability.
I do really like Icom radio's but need to wait for the price to come down a bit...been toying with the idea of an IC7300 but just don't have the spare cash at the moment.
Yes, the 920, what a great radio I forgot that. Thanks for reminding me, I will add that to my list. The 857 is my all time favourite. 73
Out of these, I own the 817d, 897d, 857D, and the 891..good rigs.
Lee, WA8QFE
You clearly are a Yaesu guy. Just like me. 73
@@MikeM0XMX All the Yaesu rigs I use portable or mobile.
The main station rigs are a Drake TR7, a TenTec Omni D, and a Elecraft K2 in Twins Config. Have others, but it looks like I've never sold anything after licensed 50+ years.
Lee, WA8QFE
I love my Kenwood 480HX.
Hey Mike - Nice job on covering an overview of so many nice Radios. I am on an extremely tight budget and saving my money to purchase a Yaesu FT-857D in the coming year. I would like to watch, see, and hear you opinions on using an FT-857D for making contacts more locally in your region. Any tips you might offer and just things that make the FT-857D a joy to operate. again, I do not have one, but have been exposed to numerous All Band Mobile radios, I feel the Yaesu FT-857 will work for me also. Thanks for sharing Mike.
Hey Mark. Thanks for the comment. Have you watched my video I did a couple of weeks ago talking about the 857? There is a link in the middle of the video. The 857 is great at 2Mtr and 70CM so they are great bands for local chats and nets plus the kit (antennas, tuners, etc) is really small and can be very cheap. I have a couple of videos showing 2Mtr antennas I have made out of bit for pennies. Good Luck and thanks for your support.
I've only ever bought yaesu radios I keep meaning to try others but never do
Me too to a large extent. Before I bought the Flex 3000 the only non Yaesu radio of the 10+ radios I had owned in 2 years was a Boafeng handy (which I still have, somewhere)
Hi Mike again. I like this video and as requested I'd like to share my opinion shortly. I own Yaesu FTdx101MP for half a year. This radio is such elegant and performing excellent during contests when the bands are crowded. This is a Dream Radio as a base station ! All bells and whistles are extremely useful and anyone could have a great fun playing with. Being Ham Radio for a very long time I counted 26 various transceivers in my radio shack. Some of them you present are on this video e.g. FT1000 - great one for base station, just said good bye to this one recently, FT897 - mobile, but rather noisy receiver then was sold quickly and acquired IC-7000, FT817 excellent for trips like you and others do. But, what about vintage radios ? Many of them are still in a good conditions especially receivers with no wide bandpass filters on RX. Prices are affordable and operations are simple especially for beginners. I wonder what will be your favorite "old timer" ? Mine is definetely Yaesu FT-7 renovated recently by myself :-) All the best for now and please keep going the movies. I'd like to watch ! Best 73's Wim, HF5WIM
Hi Wim. Thanks for taking the time to watch my video and indeed for your comments. Yes you are totally right about the older radios. I have only three years under my Ham Radio belt so I dont really have any experience with those but love learning and, there is something happening soon that could put me in front of some very nice older radios. Keep watching my friend. 73.
I will Mike. Sooner or later you will find beauty of older radios. Best 73'ss Wim, HF5WIM
Older radio but I like the Icom IC-7000 100W all-band all-mode inc. VHF/UHF radio. Color screen and has all the right buttons for me so there isn't a lot of diving into menus. Head can be separated for mobile mounting options. 73 de K9WWW
Hey Richard. I will look that one up as sounds great. 73
Me too Richard. In my opinion it is the best all band face off radio ever made. I have just bought another one! Have two now. Separation cable searching is like hen's teeth though. It was before its time though, and I have no idea why there is not a "modern" replacement with colour screen, HF/UHF/VHF, 100W, face-off, and now they could add USB etc. I love them!! They are famous for letting out the "magic smoke" but mine is just fine.
In the headline it says the "best amateur radios" and then in your video you say, "these aren't the best radios..." (?)
BTW, my favorite radio now is the (tr)uSDX multi-mode, multi-band rig because it fits in my pocket, and I understand pretty much every aspect of its design and function because I built it. Oh, and it cost me $90 US. That's important to me. My other money has its own purposes.
I have somewhat different goals than many hams. For me, ham radio is a hobby where I learn about all aspects of electromagnetic radiation and reception on various frequencies just for the understanding and the love of knowledge. I like to improve my circuitry and antennas to improve their performance, and I like to use my knowledge to help others in times of need. Chatting and collecting certificates on high-powered, expensive boxes that I don't understand just leaves me cold.
Thanks for the long dialogue. Glad you enjoyed it.
I take it you are a Yaesu man? I like the look of the Flex radios, but they might be well out of my price range.
Anyway, I have an exam to pass and power supply to fix and a few radios to get going first before I even think about buying sets.
I have a problem getting permission for antennas here I have found out, so that is going to very restrict me anyway, a bit of a downer as I gave up sitting getting cold in cars when CB was on the go and not legal cough cough! So I am loosing the incentive!Got all the books and everything, but the antenna thing is a big problem and I can't just run a wire through the night as the wife works for the people that said I couldn't put anything up!
Hi. Thanks for the comment bob fourjs. There are plenty more videos of a similar style in the playlist. Enjoy, and consider subscribing if you haven't already. 73
No kx3,no Ts990s and what about handheld radios like Kenwood 74 icoms 51 Yaesus 2dr etc?
Brilliant Video.....
Thank you for your encouraging comment.
I have an FT-991, FT-DX3000D, a Kenwood TS-830S(2), a Kenwood TS-820S, and a Collins 75A-4 (2 of those as well) with a Central Electronics 100V for the transmitter.
Guess which one gets used the most? The 75A-4. No menus, no watery DSP, receives everything that the FT-DX3000D does, and sounds better doing it. All the other radios stay off. I have yet to find a radio that has as good a sound as the Collins. The TS-830S comes close, very close.
Yep. I see. Have you ever tried a Flex Radio. I love my Flex.
No sir, I haven't. I decided after buying the 75A-4 that I'm more of an "HSDR" ( Hollow State Dusty Receiver) than an SDR kind of guy.
Outstanding video I enjoyed it very much. Thanks for what you do!
Charles kn4qeh
Thank you so much. That is one of the nicest comments I have had. Very appreciated. 73
I like the yaesu 818nd/897d and the 891.
Great choices.
What is an alternative to the Yaesu FT-857. Since it is no longer available
Yeh, that is a really good question. Power, size, all band and all mode. A radio that does HF100W in a portable package and VHF & UHF not really anything I know........ I dont know. The new IC-705 is nice but it is QRP. Sorry. Anyone with any ideas, please reply.
Very good to watch M0INY
Thanks for the nice comment Ian. Appreciated. 73
FTDX5000 vs FTDX101 if you could buy just one go! 73 de N1AD
Hi Steven. Thanks for the question although its one I cant answer with any depth or meaning as I havent even touched either radio. From what I know the 5000 is more of a contesters radio with many Knobs and Buttons........ love it! From what I am told the 3000 vs the 5000 is like buying a Canon 250D camera vs a 1DS. The 250D you can pick up and take photos quickly whilst having the advanced creative abilities and functions if you want them. The 1DS needs correctly setting up for each shot, no "easy" mode. Sometimes you may you want to switch on and play. The 101d I suggest is exactly that. So in n answer, The knobs and buttons would tempt me to the 5k but the sheer tech and "state of the art" features would inevitably draw me to the 101d. 73
I'm lucky enough to own a 5000 and absolutely love it! It's a real big heavy beast and it's not something that would leave the shack very often. Like you said, it is renowned for being a contesters Radio, and is an excellent ergonomic Radio with all the most used buttons to hand and with the handy 200 watts . Somewhat tempted by the DX101MD, but really I would find it difficult to be separated from my 5000!
The only disappointment with the 5000 was that after using the 3000 it did not have a direct USB connection. So now I use two connections from the PC to the rig instead of one. One for the CAT control, the other the audio (external PC sound card) connection for the digi modes, which I use the RCA connections on the back. I think that yaesu also produce another outboard box that makes that connection too.
At the end of the day a 500 0 takes some beating!
What’s a pan adapter?
Howdoo Mike I've had loads of radios the last couple of years but my keepers are the icom ic775dsp she's an old girl the Rx sensitivity and audio is great along with transmission compliments.I bought the yaesu ftdx3000 couple of month ago a great radio connected with my sdr play rsp1a great keeper too.Icom ic7300 still got it from pre order launch great sdr radio.xigeu G90 a great cheap sdr qrp set too another keeper :) take care 73
A 21 minute quick video?
Well quick is relative. There was a lot to cover.
Easy enough to watch, clearly set out so scrubbing forward not a problem, enjoyed it.
TBH The TS 2000 Is a disgrace numerous faults and bugs.. Zero after sales or tech service from Kenwood JVC ??? Avoid this shit show at all costs..Best radio at the price point and ability is The ICOM 1C-7300 Performance is second to none at the price point..And you actually have after sales service and tech support ..Imagine that ?? All that said The FT 857D is my mobile rig of choice and has never ket me down.. A fair reprisal. Excluding The Kenwood TS 2000 Shit show...
Now just a cotton picking moment. Start of vid. Quote you love knobs & meters, you don’t like menu driven radios and then end up as laptop Larry driving a computer. 🤪😂⚡️⚡️⚡️
LOL. I do love knobs and buttons and dial but I love "glass cockpit" more LOL
Ham Radio VLOG 😂😂
ok, buttons, knobs and dials! LOL