Last update: Monday, 10-Mar-2014 15:28:55 GMT

Sept 16, 2003

Well, the FT100 is no longer being made. Too bad, but I guess that's the way it goes. My original FT100 has been working fine since being repaired by Yaesu last year. I recently added a CW filter, and the TXCO. I was considering replacing this radio with an FT857, but I have heard mixed reports. Most people seem to think the FT100 is a much better radio. I'm happy with mine... It's doubtful that I will replace it, but I may ADD an 857 to my collection of Yaesu rigs.

February 03, 2002

Dropped my FT100 off at Yaesu this afternoon. I'm told it will be 6-8 weeks for any repairs to be made. Hopefully it will not take that long.

February 01, 2002

Well, the infamous high SWR problem has finally hit me. My FT100 has served me well for the past three years, but now it's going back to Yaesu for repairs. I'll post more when I know more...

May 25, 2000

Yaesu has announced a couple of cool things at Dayton. The FT100D is basically the same radio with a larger speaker, the TXCO, and a 500Hz CW filter installed. It will cost about $1299.

They also announced the FT1000MP Mark V. It has 200w output and some other upgrades. It will be shipping in about two weeks. Hope to get my hands on both at some point in time.

January 5, 2000

I've had my FT100 since April 1999, and have had ZERO problems. This is a cool radio with a lot of neat features. If I had to complain about anything, I'd complain about the lack of optional filters. I'm not a CW nut, but the CW filter options work fine for me. If I were to use the CW filters, I'd have the 500Hz filter for my RTTY time. However, the SSB filter is simply too wide, and I'm not particularly fond of the DSP (especially when compared to the DSP in my FT920). I'd like to have a 2.0kHz or 1.8kHz SSB filter as an option for the FT100.

Other than that, this radio is pretty neat. It replaced the FT900 and FT8500 that were in my truck, and it works just fine with the hamstick antennae that I have. No tuner here, but I think I may get the LDG kit and play around with that next.

August 27, 1999

Still no issues with my FT100. I drove to Oregon on July 30th, and used my FT100 quite a bit on the return trip. I had one QSO that lasted four hours on 2M, and the radio behaved well.

The lack of updates is due to several projects... I purchased a home earlier this year, and right now I am in the middle of raising my 70 foot tower. Hopefully this project will be completed soon, then I can get back to playing radio and enjoying my FT920 and FT100!

June 14, 1999

Yesterday was a great day to play radio... KE6IHX and I went chasing the Sante Fe 3751 and used our FT100s all day with zero problems. We spent most of our time on 440, but we used 10m and monitored the BNSF railroad on 160MHz while we were not driving.

I have had absolutely no problems with my FT100 since it's arrival in April. I'm very happy with the radio, and may purchase another for use in my shack.

Also, I am looking forward to my vacation in a week. I'll be mobile between Southern California, Reno and possibly Southern Oregon.

June 02, 1999

I have to comment about the problems people are having, and the comments that are being made about the FT100 as a piece of junk.

Up on soapbox...

First, I have not had ANY problems with my radio. It works perfectly and I am very happy with it. NO I have not received any special consideration from Yaesu, and this rig is a standard off the shelf model.

Second, problems with any new radio design are common. I don't care how long a manufacturer takes to test and release a product. There are things that simply cannot be found until that product is released to the general public. There were problems with my FT920 (and I had to have one of the first), but Yaesu dealt with them, and the FT920 is a fabulous radio. I believe that the FT100 will also be a fabulous radio!

The internet is a powerful medium, and the words of a few are taken as the words of many. There is an old saying in retail... Make one customer happy, and he'll tell a friend. Upset one customer, and he'll tell TEN friends. Take what is said on the internet with a grain of salt.

I know of problems with some FT100s, but I also know that there were problems with the IC706. A friend of mine has one that was very problematic in the beginning, but Icom took care of him as well. The FT847 had problems as well... SO WHAT! If you want a radio that has been shaken out... wait a few months, or buy a used radio.

Down from soapbox...

I am looking forward to using my FT100 during Field Day, and perhaps while I am mobile during my vacation later this month.

Also, I have some updates to owner comments to add, but I have been a little busy lately. I should be able to get to that in the next few days.

May 12, 1999

Ok, I have a thing about the CAT programming. Seems that Yaesu really does do it ok, but they have a habit of changing the operations with every new radio. This radio is no exception, and the manual has some glaring issues.

First, there is a conflict in that the manual states to send the opcode first, but, in standard Yaesu practice, you actually send it last.

Second, they decided to include some references to the FT847 that don't apply and really are meaningless.

Third, in order to decode the frequency data that the radio returns, you must multiply that data by 1.25 to get the actual operating freqency. All other operations seem to work as expected.

So, I have finally figured it out, and I hope to pass this information on to other programmers soon! I will also provide a sample bit of pascal code for those who wish to attempt their own CAT software.

May 09, 1999

My FT100 is installed with the separation kit, and it looks and works great. No problems with RF (but I am not using the ATAS antenna either). My hamsticks work great, and I believe they are a great value for the money!

Has anyone programmed CAT instructions for this radio? I cannot get the frequency decoded. This one seems to be much more difficult to figure out than my FT920/FT900/FT8500 radios.

Thanks to everyone who has sent comments. Please feel free to send more!

May 06, 1999

The YSK100 separation kit arrived today and it's very similar to the kit that I purchased with my FT8500. I'll install the rig in the truck (properly) this weekend.

Comment on the noise floor figures... it's nice to see that my radio is close to the ARRL figures (too bad I couldn't get 500Hz measurements.)

I shipped my FT100 off to International Radio a few weeks ago, and the radio is back. The news is not promising for those of us who like George's filters. The filters are so small that Inrad cannot get them made. Hopefully that will change in the future, as I know there are many people who would like to have other filters for the IC706 as well. The choices for optional filters are not great, but we will have to live with them for the time being.

Oh, while I am on the bandwagon... The DSP in this thing is nothing short of phenomenal. I have enjoyed a great DSP implementation in my FT920 for the past two years, but the FT100 might even top the FT920. The effect of the DSP on CW signals is amazing. Perhaps I'll record some .wave files for the web page.

May 05, 1999

The noise floor figures from the ARRL extended review (with the 500 Hz CW filter installed):

Frequency	Preamp OFF	Preamp ON
14 MHz	-132.6 dBm	-137.3 dBm
28 MHz	-131.8 dBm	-140.4 dBm
50 MHz	-129.8 dBm	-134.7 dBm
144 MHz	N/A	-142.3 dBm
430 MHz	N/A	-143.3 dBm

April 23, 1999

Here are the noise floor measurements from my FT100:

14 MHz	-132 dBm
28 MHz	-134 dBm
50 MHz	-131 dBm
144 MHz	-134 dBm
432 MHz	-139 dBm

These measurements were taken with the SSB filter inline.

April 22, 1999

My FT100 is in Oregon. I hope to have some news about this soon.

April 19, 1999

The FT100 has been a kick to use. I really like this radio. Mine seems to work just fine, but I have heard of several people with problems ranging from DOA radios to heat problems. Comments from other owners can be sent here and would be appreciated. I won't do a BBS due to the amount of moderation required and the fact that there is already the ONElist mailing list.

I'm sending my radio off to International Radio today, with the hope that replacement filters can be made. I am a fan of INRAD's filters and George is a great guy to deal with. If a filter can be made that will fit into the FT100, George will get it done.

The past week of using my FT100 has been fun. The radio is really very easy to operate, but I will be a lot happier when my separation kit arrives. I have the FT100 mounted under the dash in my truck, but it will be moved behind the seat when the kit arrives. I used a cell phone mounting stalk for my FT900/FT8500 combo, and the same mounting point will be used for the FT100 head.

Mounting the radio in the truck solved the RF problem. Seems that this rig is a little sensitive to RF. I did enjoy a few contacts on 2m/440 and 10m last week. However, I keep forgetting to put my other hamsticks in the truck, so I don't have much to say about other HF bands right now. All signal reports that I received were positive.

I also did a little poking around with the CAT instructions, and I think that I will be able to put together a demo control program rather quickly. It looks as though the basic commands are the same as other Yaesu radios, but as usual, there are changes. Why can't Yaesu pick a standard set of commands, and then expand on them for individual radios? Then you would be able to get the same basic functionality out of any program without requiring a rewrite everytime a new radio is released.

April 12, 1999

Ok, I didn't really do what I wanted to do this weekend. It rained all day yesterday, and I worked on the house on saturday. However, the rig IS installed in the truck (if only temporarily), and I did get a chance to read the manual over the weekend.

One thing I really like so far are the possibilities this radio offers for a frequent traveller. I tried taking my FT900 and power supply to Dallas on a business trip one year, but it was just too bulky for my liking. The FT100 will be dramatically different. I can fit the radio, a power supply, and a wire antenna in my small backpack (along with my clothing, etc), and I'll be set for a little hamming while on business trips.

I did notice that there are indicators on the LCD that puzzle me. I get the SWR indicator, but the "plug and socket" indicator leaves me at a loss. Anyone know what it means?

Also, thinking about filtering: I wonder if you couldn't just wire in a replacement SSB filter if you were willing to give up the space for one of the CW or AM filters. I'm not into AM, so one SSB and one CW filter would make me happy. Anyone with other thoughts?

Another thing... I'd like to see a quick reference chart/card included with the radio. I don't want to carry the manual around with me all the time. I may work on something that can be downloaded and printed.

April 09, 1999

This rig is interesting. Very easy to operate out of the box, but the manual is a little thick. I suppose that considering how much this radio is capabable of, the manual, all 108 pages of it, should have some content.

My first problem was discovered while checking into the 10-10 net yesterday. Seems that this radio is sensitive to grounding. I set the rig on the seat of my truck, and connected it to the antenna on the bumper. The first report was that it sounded as though there was RF on the signal. I can only assume that it was caused by a lack of a real ground in my truck. My FT900 does not have this problem in the truck as I have a ground strap from the radio to the truck body. Hopefully this RF problem will be solved when I get the separation kit and mount the FT100 in place of the FT900.

Another thing I noticed (here we go again), is that there appears to be no provisions for a replacement SSB filter. I opened the case up to look at the filter installation, and discovered that the SSB filter is REALLY tiny. There is room for two CW (or one CW and one AM) filters, but the SSB filter is so small that I wonder if a suitable third party filter can be manufactured. After I spend a little time with the FT100, I will send it off to International Radio to see if a crystal filter with a sharper skirt can be made.

Of course, I have yet to really delve into the operation of the radio. With the move into a new house, I am just now (after six weeks) getting my office/shack set up. I think I'll plant an R5 in the back yard this weekend, so I have at least some kind of antenna to use. Then I'll start playing with the radio and look for reports.

What little listening I did yesterday made me feel good about the reciever. I did a little AM aircraft listening (Orange County - John Wayne - airport is just across the freeway) and it sounded good. I also made contact with the east coast on 10M, and it seems to be as good as my FT900 initially. Keeping in mind that this is freshly out of the box, and has not be tweaked in any way.

The radio does not seem to accept direct keypad frequency entry (with the supplied DTMF mic), but that didn't really seem to be a problem once I figured out how to change the fequency. Changing bands and then moving within the band was really a simply thing to figure out after about two minutes of playing with the knobs.

One thing I would suggest is to spend some time a thoroughly read the manual. This radio is fairly easy to operate, but there are things that would have been easier if I had RTFM first. I'll attempt to get some airtime this weekend, and report on my findings next week.

One other thing, as with the FT920, this page is basically going to be my journal of observations. I'd love to hear from other people too, and comments can be placed on the page by emailing them to me. A summary and a chart for problems/solutions will be forthcoming (as soon as there is something to put in them).

April 08, 1999

The FT100 has arrived. Man this thing is small. It includes the DTMF microphone, and all the usual accessories. I plan to put it on the air in an hour or so for the 10-10 net. Reading the manual will be next, and then I'll try to get some time on the air. Initial observations will be held until I can get some operating time under my belt.

April 07, 1999

My FT100 should arrive tomorrow!