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| Reviews Summary for Yaesu FT-990 |
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write your own review of the Yaesu FT-990.
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ON4WZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 24, 2008 23:48
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simply the best
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Hi all,I will not add extra info about technical details,already enough online,i just want to say that i use this radio now about 13 years,i have the ac/dc version complet with all filters and MD1 microphone.I made thousands of qso's,made contest,many digital mode activity and this all with my home made longwire about 41mtr long,i used several radios like icom 746,yaesu FT847,Icom 706,yaesu FT901DM,yaesu FT840,yaesu FT757GXII,yaesu FT767GXII,Yaesu FT890 well the FT990 i did never sell because i was so satisfied about it,and trough all those changes this is the only radio that still stay and will never go thil it completely fall apart,hihi,for base i only use this one,no other hf radio in the shack anymore,1 that is working good and do all what you want is enough,the FT990 rules for me,long time i did use also a FT890 and this radio i can also advise more for mobile use,a bit big but also a fantastic tuner inside that tunes all u want,nice to share my thougts here.
Best 73 from Geert ON4WZ / OQ1A / SO5TWS
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N3WXW
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 2, 2008 19:58
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TOP SHELF!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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If you own one of these radios. Don't ever let it go. This is the best Radio I will ever own! The antenna tuner is really fast ,it will tune anything. It is a Joy to operate this radio. I have newer radios with dsp and filters. They are not as good as this FT-990. The reciver is quiet and easy to listen to, no operator fatigue.
I have never recived a bad report on the audio in any mode including AM.
If this radio were stolen or destroyed beyond repair. Then I will run out and replace it with another FT-990
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G0OTT
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Rating: 5/5
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May 30, 2008 08:23
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Golden oldie
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Always wanted one of these,came back into radio after a 7 year lapse and found this nice example on ebay.Havn't regretted it at all,nice quiet receiver and always exellent transmition,auto atu has to be seen to be appreciated(loads my 40mt windom on all bands)!
Easy to operate and a nice size,i use with a timewave 599+ dsp af filter to eliminate noises the 990 cant.
If you find a nice example grab and enjoy!
Regard's Darren G0OTT
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LX1LH
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Rating: 5/5
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May 8, 2008 00:14
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Really nice and easy
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Since nearly all has been written here already about the good rx and audio the rest in a nutshell:
The FT-990 came and the newer TS-480 had to leave!
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N5KNG
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Rating: 5/5
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Mar 4, 2008 16:04
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A really solid receiver - and smoooooooth!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have only had the radio for a short time, but I can say it compares well to the Icom IC-756 (non-pro) I recently sold.
Smooth. That is the one word I'd pick for this radio. The controls are easy to use, and no problem for big fingers. The memories are easy to program and recall. I have been inside the unit, and it is built like a tank! No wimpy assembly here. It is definitely a quality unit.
The auto-tuner works especially well - quick and quiet. You know it is there when the light goes on, but it is pretty hard to hear it operate.
The notch, IF shift, and dual-switched capacitor bandpass filters work quite well to isolate individual signals - even without resorting to installing factory IF filters. If you work CW, the adjustable bandpass filter really shines. Basically, if you work mostly one mode, such as SSB or CW, you can just "set it and forget it" - leaving the radio turned on to monitor whatever you wish.
The audio is great - nice and clear. I can hear it across the house. The meter is also pretty neat - you can just turn a switch knob and see all kinds of parameters: Power Out, SWR, Vcc, ALC, etc.
I found out that you can switch to the RTTY and PKT modes for even narrower filtering of SSB voice signals! Not sure how or why that works, but it provides a surprisingly clean and intelligible voice signal.
All in all, a VERY nice radio for the money.
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UA1OSM
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 7, 2007 08:48
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Nice performer!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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I bought it in late 2006 from W7 ham for $700.
Finally I paid $800 total to get it home LP04GM.
Too far from USA. I bought it for XYL (UA1OSA, look www.qrz.com/ua1osa) and she was really impressed. Her new TS-480SAT was thrown off the shack table to the shelf.
What I can tell: the radio is very handsome. OH2BH, Martti performed the design. It' s like pretty girl - you look and look at it endlessly.
Very good color gamma. It is more handsome than my glorious IC-765. 990 was built by Yaesu right after IC-765 upon it' s heels and it reminds this rig very much. Very quiet receiver. Excellent tuner - TS-480AT can' t be anyway compared with it' s switched capacitors...Very good AF digital filter, and main filters are also fine, not as lossy as in ICOM.
============================================
What can I say out as regretting points?
First of all, you feel lack in SSB monitor.
You have to use the rig w/out headphones, love you VOX or not. I hate VOX and love headphones, so I feel it is a real miss for such class radio.
CW monitor works excellent only in semi-break mode. It does work more-less Ok in QSK too, but you shall try several times adjusting it' s level by opening the cab and turning the pot. No comparison to IC-765.
Several words about inner CW keyer. It works, but only when 3 to 1 ratio is set up. After setting other rates than 3 to 1. it works lousy. Using the keyer daily - we are CW hams, I noticed it is affected RF stray radiation or somewhat else, even if SWR=1. So it is not completely perfect unit, as in TS-480SAT. Besides, it has only A-Iambic, not B by any chance, what me and most of Russians hate. Resume - you better use outer quality keyer, like MFJ, TT or MorseMachine. QSK quality is good, except moni sound, what was said above.
Inner PS - few words. It works, but some QRO-minded people gain output power up to 150 watts, so if you have good antennae, the hint works. Experienced repairmen do not advise that,however, unless you have DC model and a rugged Astron or Diamond PS. The matter is that inner PS is pretty weak, being overloaded for a considerable time.
Ergonomics of knobs and buttons - I like it, except tunable memory steering. Every time
you start tuning in tunable memory, you can' t instantly go to VFO mode back, like in IC-765.
You shall push button twice. Minor and stupid inconvenience kills possibility to use tunable memory banks as second band switch, like it is possible in IC-765. Very handy to have TWO band switches if you like both SSB and CW and hate to spin the tuning knob every time you move between...
Finally I can express sincere thank to Yaesu - 990 is more compact, lightweighty and almost as effective as big and heavy FT-1000D is. For experienced DXer FT-990 is equally as effective - 2nd rx is mostly useless frill in 80% of DX applications. People notice the 990 tuner is even better, being compared to Sr. brother FT-1000D - the same situation occured with ICOMs 765 and 781 - 765 CPU tuner beats 781 old preset-type tuner without any doubt.
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SV1DKR
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 24, 2007 04:33
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My FT-990
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I bought the FT-990 on ebay for a good price 500 euros total.When hooked it on the antennas and heard the first CW... the sound was sweet and had good impresions so far.Keyer is good antena tuner working but not as good as on my old trusty TS-850.Also switching the antenas between my other radio FT-2000 to the FT-990 the difference of the DSP of the ft-2000 is audible.Well nice radio overall enjoy the looks and functions.Not my main radio but use it from time to time.
Definalely if you find one buy it.
de sv1dkr
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MM3XXW
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 25, 2007 04:11
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A definite keeper
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I have nothing really more to add that hasn't already been stated here in the previous reviews.
When I first got the radio though I was using it with a Heil Pro-set with the HC5 insert. Over the last week I removed this and gave the MH1-B8 hand mic a try and in all honesty I can't say that I've received a bad report on that at all.
A fantastic looking piece of kit that does 'exactly what it says on the tin!", most certainly a keeper.
IMHO if you manage to get your hands on one then grab it, you'll love it!
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N9EMZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 10, 2007 18:24
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It's a keeper....
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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After reading all the other reviews there's nothing new for me to add. Here are the things that impress me.
Fantastic auto-tuner; 1.5:1 or less, 160-10, with 80m dipole @ 50' and Antron99 @ 75'.
Rx audio quality is warmer/more natural sounding than my TS-870S but not as mellow as my TS-940S was.
Outstanding Tx audio quality reports....highly rig/mic adjustable with the MD-1.
Great SSB performance, but if you're into AM, this rig really shines on AM Tx compared to other solid state rigs. Reminds me of the FT-101 series where power is concerned, but cleaner, clearer audio.
What impresses me most about the FT-990 is every button and knob actually works and produces the desired results where Rx is concerned. No pin diode or IF mods in my rig. Like any other rig, good shack electrical practices and a good antenna system produce maximum benefits, but they are critical to 990 receiver performance.
If you're a bells-n-whistles, constant tweaker and menu-driven type, you'd soon move on to something else. Once you're used to the 990's controls and get it set up to your taste, reception is distilled down to the pressing of three buttons....NB, Digital Fil, and Notch. Otherwise, you need to be content with just listening and talking.
If you really want to, you can spend twice or more money for the same or lesser basic performance. If I'd purchased my 990 before the TS-870S, the 870 wouldn't have happened.
73,
Sam, N9EMZ
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ZL1CDP
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 22, 2007 04:17
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Beautiful, Simple, yet powerful Radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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So, I used to own the FT1000D and have forever regretted parting with it thinking that other, newer radios would be better. Mistake no1. I have just recently missed out on a second hand 1000D here in New Zealand when I should and could have purchased it. Mistake no2. But, this is not about the FT1000D so here goes...
To mitigate my upset persona based on the above, a fine looking FT-990 became available on trademe.co.nz (our e-bay) and I looked at it and thought, will it do what I want... based on my experiences with the 1000D? my instinct told me that although it looks similar, it's miles apart inside, but I would give it a go.. So I went for the Radio, it cost me $850 NZD delivered (around $595 USD) and that was with no mods or additional filters installed.... So, what do I think?? I love it!!!! What a radio! - It's not the 1000D (but it was never going to be), but it is beautiful. This particular radio is flawless! I can honestly say that in the past 3-5 years i have not enjoyed a radio so much.. (in that time i have operated Kenwood, Icom, Yaesu)... I will search high and low for the optional filters for this radio and will pay a good price as it is a keeper as a rig.!
If you get the opportunity, please take my advice and if the price is right, go for it - you will not regret it!!! Brilliant, brilliant and more brilliant!
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