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[CQ-Contest] Re: FT-920 APOLOGY

Subject: [CQ-Contest] Re: FT-920 APOLOGY
From: miltj@aepnet.com (Milt Jensen, N5IA)
Date: Fri Mar 19 07:40:26 1999
PLEASE READ THIS!!!!!!

I MADE AN HONEST MISTAKE!!!!

WHEN BILL POSTED HIS REQUEST FOR INFO ON THE FT-920, I THOUGHT, "IS THAT
THE MODEDL RIG YAESU LET US USE IN XZ??""

I WENT TO ONE OF THE LATE ISSUE HAM MAGS AND LOOKED UP A YAESU AD.  I
LOOKED DOWN THE PAGE AND SAW THE RIG, IN LIVING COLOR, AND SAID "YEAH, THAT
IS THE ONE" AND RIGHT ABOVE IT WAS THE LISTING OF THE MODEL #, FT-920.

OK.  I'LL PUT IN MY TWO CENTS WORTH, AND MADE THE COMMENT.

AFTER RECEIVING A NUMBER OF COMMENTS REGARDING EXISTENCE OF FEATURES ON THE
FT-920 THAT I KNEW FOR SURE DID NOT EXIST ON THE TRANSCEIVER WE USED IN XZ,
I WENT BACK TO THE AD TO LOOK AGAIN.

I FOUND OUT THAT THE MODEL #s ARE LISTED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE PAGE
FROM THE PICTURES, WITH PICTURES ALTERNATING SIDES OF THE PAGE.  THEREFORE
THE MODEL # I SAW AND ASSOCIATED WITH THE RIG PICTURED BELOW IT WAS
ACTUALLY THE ONE PICTURED ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE PAGE.

AN HONEST MISTAKE, NOT BEING INTIMATELY KNOWLEDGEABLE WITH THE MANY AND
VARIOUS LATE MODEL TRANSCEIVERS. 

AGAIN, MY APOLOGIES TO BILL, ED, AND ANY OTHERS WHO MAY HAVE ACCEPTED MY
POSTING AS GOSPEL.  

I HAVE NO EXPERIENCE WITH THE FT-920,    BUT     THE COMMENTS ARE TRUE AND
CORRECT FOR THE FT-847, AND WERE CONFIRMED TO ME IN PERSONAL E-MAIL BY THE
PERSON WHO DID THE IN DEPTH TESTING.

73, AND HAVE A GOOD DAY AND WEEKEND.  73 DE MILT, N5IA


At 06:55 AM 3/19/99 -0500, Ed Parish wrote:
>Thanks for the honest review.  I was considering a 920 as my "contest"
>radio, but will not get one.  The lack of VOX is inexcusable.  I can't find
>anything about VOX in the literature, but the 920 picture has a MOX and VOX
>button in the upper left of the radio.  What is that?   I bought an 847 and
>never thought to ask whether it had vox, and it didn't.  I just came back
>from a Dxpedition to J3 for ARRL DX and we didn't bring the 847 just for
>that reason.  I can't imagine what it would be like in a contest without vox!
>73
>Ed
>
>
>At 08:50 PM 3/18/99 -0700, you wrote:
>>
>>Bill,
>>        One of the transceivers provided by Yaesu for the XZ1N DXpedition
>>to Myanmar last fall was the FT-920.
>>        In brief, no member of the seasoned group of operators was
>>impressed by the operation or    of the FT-920.
>>        To start with, the unit does not have VOX.  The only way to key the
>>radio without the hand microphone is the front panel MOX button.  We were
>>using headsets with boom mikes so the hands would be free to computer
>>keyboard log, etc.  In order to get this radio on the air on SSB, we had to
>>sandwich a J-38 hand key between two heavy pieces of cardboard and hold it
>>together with duct tape to make a foot switch.
>>        It does not have any extra filters or facility for adding extra
>>filters. This lack was extremely evident during the CQ WW CW contest and
>>the many times this radio was used on CW during the tree week stint in
>Yangon.
>>        Don't read this wrong.  It is a decent, all in one radio.  We made
>>over 300 6 meter contacts with it, both SSB and CW.  And it made perhaps
>>6,000 SSB contacts and 4,000 CW contacts on 20, 17, 15, 12, & 10 Meters.
>>It was never used on 160, 80, or 40 Meters as it has no facility for a
>>separate receive antenna input.
>>        I would not recommend this transceiver as a serious DXpedition
>>radio nor as a serious contest radio.
>>        If you would like a deeper analysis of various other deficiencies
>>and shortcomings, E-mail me and I will put you in touch with the individual
>>that did the in depth wring out of the radio.  This includes the CW and
>>computer interface, the receiver analysis, and the amplifier interface.
>>        73, es GL de Milt, N5IA 
>>
>>At 07:38 PM 3/18/99 -0600, Bill Aycock wrote:
>>>
>>>Many of you answered me query about the FT-920, some on the list- some off.
>>> I am answering them, but a summary is in order.
>>>
>>>Except for one person, the most negative thing was "it isnt as good as an
>>>FT1000". One person said I should forget it- go ahead and bite the bullet-
>>>get a 1000.
>>>
>>>Two people recommended a web site that was very helpful- gave specifics of
>>>the manual faults, and the radios quirks.
>>>
>>>Most answers were quit positive. I am reinforced in my choice- I thank you
>>>all.
>>>
>>>Bill- W4BSG
>>>-
>>>Bill Aycock   ---   Persimmon Hill 
>>> Woodville, Alabama, US 35776
>>> (in the N.E. corner of the State)
>>>      W4BSG   --   Grid EM64vr
>>>        baycock@HiWAAY.net
>>>
>>>
>>>--
>>>CQ-Contest on WWW:        http://www.contesting.com/_cq-contest/
>>>Administrative requests:  cq-contest-REQUEST@contesting.com
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>>--
>>CQ-Contest on WWW:        http://www.contesting.com/_cq-contest/
>>Administrative requests:  cq-contest-REQUEST@contesting.com
>>
>
>Ed Parish, K1EP (FN42ln)
>k1ep@arrl.net   YCCC          W2SZ/1 (FN32jp)
>
>


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