Got a sneak peak at the new Yaesu FT-920 at the Fresno DX Convention last
weekend.
I think Chip, K7JA, said there is only ONE prototype unit in the U.S.
at this time. Look for it at Dayton. Price? Not stated. Should cost
less than FT-1000MP.
Following copied from the one-page hand-out (my comments in parens)
- HF + 50 MHz with 100 Watts Output on all bands
- User-friendly DSP Bandwidth controls
(This is really nice. They added large, concentric knobs labeled High-Cut,
and Low-Cut. You can narrow the passband to any desired width (DSP
controlled I assume), then shift it any direction by moving both knobs
at the same time. At the narrowest setting, the two "tabs" on the
concentric knobs touch each other. Someone did a lot of nice human
engineering on this. It is much nicer than the tiny Shift/Width control
on the FT-1000MP).
- High Performance 33 MIPS DSP in all modes with one touch control
(I assume the DSP is in the last IF as with the FT-1000MP)
- New Design MOSFET PA Finals
- Built-in High Speed Auto Antenna Tuner including 50 MHz. Antenna Tuner works
on both RX & TX (I wish I could make my FT-1000MP do that)
- Auto Notch/Noise Reduction Control (DSP)
- Omni-Glow Dual Display with Twin VFO Knobs
(Twin knobs, but NOT twin receivers as in FT-1000D & MP. Display is
very nice black LCD on orange background -- very easy on the eyes).
- Simplified Tuning with Shuttle Jog Control (easier to use than FT-1000MP;
full turn left or right adjusts frequency at reasonable speed)
- Digital Voice Memory System (?)
- Separate FET RF Amplifier for High & Low Bands
- Quick Memory Bank (QMB) Instant Frequency Memory System
- High Resolution DDS Tuning
- Built-in Electronic Keyer (Message Memory Keyer)
- Built-in RS-232C Level Converter
Other observations:
- Only a single "narrow" bandwidth button. Not sure, but I speculate this
puts a single 500 Hz optional CW filter in line ahead of the DSP.
- 12V DC radio, no built-in PS
- Somewhat smaller than FT-1000MP, but same style buttons/knobs
- Went through all the menus, but couldn't find a setting that will
disable the "beep" tone when you hit a button
73,
Bob, N6TV
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