[TenTec] New $10K Yaesu HF

[ac5e at comcast.net]

Well, at least the new radio gives us something to talk about. But there are no perfect radios, and this one appears to be another radio that will need a PHD to operate.  That is, a Post Hole Digger . 

Actually, a perfect radio would be one that requres the least thought and the fewest physical actions to operate to its fullest capability. Therefore a perfect radio would have a means to select a frequency, a volume control, and possibly a mode selector. And given sufficently intelligent design two of those could be eliminated. 

Everything else - such as bandwidth, RF gain, autonotch, noise eliminator, etc., etc., would be transparently optimized in the radio without operator intervention. And of course, the limiting factor in receiver sensitivity would be the noise floor for the frequency/mode in use at a given time. 

Hallicrafters built the closest thing to a perfect radio that's been out yet. The S-38. Of course, besides lousy performance, it had a band selector switch, BFO switch, and other things that kept it from being perfect.  But it was easy to operate to its fullest capability. 

Looking at the downloaded FT9000 brochure - the new Yaesu is going to require a LOT of operator intervention to obtain optimum performance. So I suspect the operator is going to have to work like a post hole digger getting paid by the hole to use the beast to its potential. Or to anything close to its potential. 

And if the physical size of the case can in any way be described as compact, all those tiny buttons and knobs will require a lot of physical dexterity to manipulate.  I don't know if my creaky carcass is ready for that. 


73  Pete Allen  AC5E