[CQ-Contest] FTDX 3000 as a contest radio?

[Jim Brown]

Hi Bill,

Good question. ARRL's tests were before the update. ARRL almost never 
re-tests a radio unless hardware has changed. This is unfortunate, 
especially with respect to radios that are improved by firmware updates. 
There is a similar situation with the Flex 6500 and 6700 rigs, whose 
keying was awful when ARRL tested them, but was greatly improved by 
firmware issued not long after.

The update put the radios in this family roughly on a par with the 
IC7600.  You can see my "before" and "after" tests of a neighbor's 
FTDX5000 in this link.  I'm still trying to get a Flex 6700 with current 
firmware to measure.

http://k9yc.com/P3_Spectrum_Measurements.pdf

73, Jim K9YC

On 10/18/2017 7:12 AM, Bill Parry wrote:
> I don't have a dog in this fight but I was wondering if the FT30000 charts
> were done before or after the firmware update. Just curious.
>
> Bill W5VX
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of Jim
> Brown
> Sent: Tuesday, October 17, 2017 11:06 PM
> To: cq-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] FTDX 3000 as a contest radio?
>
> On 10/17/2017 4:22 PM, John Geiger wrote:
>> What is it with the FTDX3000 that keeps it from being a contest radio?
> Don't know about RX or features, but Yaesu radios of this vintage carry on
> the Yaesu tradition of CW clicks. I wouldn't want to have one as a neighbor.
> A firmware update about 2 years ago improved it, but not enough.
>
> Here's a report I put together a few years ago comparing ARRL Lab data on a
> selection of radios used by contesters. The FTDX5000 is representative of
> the FTDX3000 in this regard.
>
> http://k9yc.com/TXNoise.pdf
>
> 73, Jim K9YC
>
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