[Yaesu] Roofing filter

[Mike Schatzberg]

Hello Yaesu Fans:

The answer to this question in my experience is a little more complex.  I
have had the roofing filter installed in my original Mark V radio since they
became available.

Besides the type of operation, be it contest, or be it rag chewing, the
antenna and antenna site must also be part of the equation.

For operators with large arrays, monoband yagis, etc., the roofing filter
will be found to be quite helpful.  The many strong signals heard with high
gain antennas will often cause the operator to hear whiskering on channel,
from signals quite nearby.  Naturally, the IMD situation is also worse with
large high gain antennas, and here you will find an improvement with ghost
signals particularly during contests with the roofing filter.

Many people lament the lack of being able to switch in either the low noise
1st IF amp modification, or the roofing filter.

My experience is that the earliest prototype roofing filters must have had
greater losses thru the crystal filter.  Accordingly, the two stage low
noise amplifier which Inrad includes with the filter, was designed for
somewhat greater gain than the insertion losses within the filter.  Later,
the filter technology improved, and the latest filters had less insertion
losses.  This left even more surplus gain, allowing the same kind of
improvement which is experienced with the older Inrad IF mod.

This is to say, in the Mark V radio, that beside the above improvements of
less intermod and whiskering, you are able to reduce the IF gain in menu 9-1
by several integers, and reduce the noise floor of your radio.  This makes
working low signal strength stations extremely easy.  I always keep my RF
gain turned down to 1 o'clock to 2 o'clock.  There is very little IF hiss
with the roofing filter mod installed.

Because of these improvements, and the configuration of my personal station,
and its hilltop location, I would not be without this relatively easy to
install upgrade.

It is really hard to go wrong here.  Purchase the mod, install it, test it,
and if you are not satisfied, you will be able to list if for sale here, or
on the Inrad reflector.  It will sell probably in 1 hour.

73 and Happy DXing,

Mike
W2AJI
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Cecil Acuff" <chacuff at cableone.net>
To: <yaesu at contesting.com>; "Peter Sundberg" <sm2cew at telia.com>
Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2006 2:02 PM
Subject: Re: [Yaesu] Roofing filter


> No Flames here....
>
> Probably in day to day use it would not be noticed and only now and again
in
> competitive use on extremely crowded bands....like 20 mtrs.
>
> I don't consider it an obsession as much as a hedge.  No need to invest in
a
> 3 to 15 thousand dollar radio if you can make the receiver you own perform
> as well for a few hundred bucks.  Now I wouldn't invest in the roofing
> filter performance improvement if the basic radio wasn't as good as the
> FT-1000 is....We all agree on that point.  It is an excellent radio.
> Throwing roofing filters at badly designed radio's is probably not
smart....
>
> I've heard reports of the roofing filter mod changing the entire feel of
the
> FT-1000 on receive....and if getting rid of some of the buckshot from a
> nearby power house makes the QSO more enjoyable then it's worth the money.
> Personally I would like it so I could switch the thing in and out to be
used
> as needed.
>
> I think you will find all new HF receivers will incorporate more narrow
> roofing filters in their designs.  Now that close in IMD testing has been
> accepted as more real world than the old wide space testing it just makes
> more sense.  Obsession.....I think it just good engineering practice.
Nice
> that the FT-1000 lends itself to being able to easily take advantage of
the
> improvement when desired.
>
> Just my 2 cents worth though...
>
> Cecil Acuff
> WB5VCE
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Peter Sundberg" <sm2cew at telia.com>
> To: <yaesu at contesting.com>
> Sent: Thursday, July 20, 2006 10:47 AM
> Subject: [Yaesu] Roofing filter
>
>
> > At risk of being flamed, I feel that this obsession with having a
roofing
> > filter in the FT1000 is somewhat exaggerated.
> >
> > How many times during normal use of the radio do you notice a vast
> > improvement with the roofing filter in line?
> > How may times has this helped you to complete a contact you never would
> > have made without it?
> >
> > Yes, there are specific situations when it helps, but the radio
(modified
> > per W8JI) is pretty darn good without it. Even during contests,
including
> > Top band.
> >
> > FWIW.
> >
> > 73 de Peter SM2CEW
> > www.sm2cew.com
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > At 21:25 2006-07-19 , Cecil Acuff wrote:
> >>Think I'll stick a roofing filter in my 1000 series and sit back and
watch
> >>for a while...
> >>
> >>Cecil
> >>WB5VCE
> >>----- Original Message ----- 
> >>From: "David Novoa, W4DN" <dnovoa at bellsouth.net>
> >>To: <yaesu at contesting.com>
> >>Sent: Wednesday, July 19, 2006 6:57 AM
> >>Subject: Re: [Yaesu] FT2000 later... FT1000 BACK!?
> >>
> >>
> >>> The Ham Station is notifying those on their waiting list that they
will
> >>> have
> >>> the FT-2000 in stock by the end of the month for $2999.  73, Dave,W4DN
> >>>
> >
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Yaesu mailing list
> > Yaesu at contesting.com
> > http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/yaesu
> >
>
>
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