Hype?

Lots of people are talking about the new Yaesu FTX-1F transceiver due "in early 2025". Very little is known about it yet (as far as I am aware) and some are describing it as an FT817/818 or a replacement to the ICOM IC705. 

At the right price ( I expect they are thinking hard) and with the right features it could be all of these, but it could "bomb". Expect prices to drop later.  Also, early products sometimes have software and hardware bugs that get corrected later.

The video below is similar to many. I expect this will be the same until we know more about it ..... and the all important price.

FT710 Field

 One well known UK dealer is selling the Yaesu FT710 Field for £814.99 after the Yaesu cashback.

All quiet on the Yaesu front

Some months ago Yaesu announced the FTX-1F which was hailed as the successor to the FT817/818 range and a competitor to the ICOM IC-705. Since then I have heard  ..... nothing!  Even on the rumour mill, it has been deadly quiet. 

Is there any information out there?

At the right price (below £1000)  and with the right features, it could be a serious player. 

In my time I have owned very many Yaesu products. They have all been very good and very reliable, although I have the feeling Yaesu lost its way and market leadership in recent years. 

The Yen is extremely competitive against the US dollar and UK pound at the moment.

Maybe, just maybe, they will get it right this time. I do hope so.

Yaesu FTX-1F all mode, all band QRP transceiver

When this was announced at the Tokyo Ham Fair some months ago, there was a lot of hype, but little news. 

It was expected "early 2025", but since then I have heard nothing further. Several dealers are accepting deposits, but I have heard no news about price or specs..

Does anyone know anything? 

It looks like Yaesu's answer to the FT817/818 series and the ICOM IC-705. Without the detailed specs and prices, it is hard to know how this will do. 

I imagine much of the software and hardware is based heavily on other Yaesu SDR transceivers to reduce development costs.

I hope the price is well below £1000 so it is competitive against many other products now around, especially as the Japanese Yen is far weaker than it was against the US dollar and UK pound.

Yaesu FTX-1F

This radio is creating quite a buzz. 

It is Yaesu's answer to the IC-705 and it also is the long awaited answer to the FT817/818 series. 

It is not a hand portable, although I suspect Yaesu have done their homework in that most people will not use it pedestrian portable but in hotel rooms and on park benches. In this regard it may be an ideal choice with a large battery capacity.

So far, there is no indication of price, but I hope it is well under £1000. Also, we have only, so far, seen very preliminary specs. The IC-705 has things like Bluetooth and GPS. It will be interesting to see what appears in the full specs.

Often there are hardware and software bugs in very early models.  This will be the first time that Yaesu will have made units in significant volumes, so they will be looking for feedback so they can "tweek" the design on the next production run. In some ways early adopters are guinea pigs.

Yaesu FTX-1F price

Yaesu and the dealers have a difficult job with price. 

They want to compete with the ICOM IC-705, have it as an FT817/818 replacement, but also compete with the Chinese. In my view, they have to capture the mass market or Yaesu could quit the amateur radio market. 

In my view it has to be less than £1k.

4m on the Yaesu FTX-1F

According to something I was sent by Steve G1KQH and the MLS pages, it looks like this new radio will ship with 4m.This must be a good USP along with 2m and 70cm.

UPDATE 1442z: Steve has pointed out that Bangood sell the MCHF radio for £264.52.  I think this is made in China. Pretty sure this is a clone.....but the price! I am always nervous about Chinese quality control, but they will get there and really frighten the Japanese. We already buy most of our consumer goods from China.

See https://www.hamradio.co.uk/ftx-1f. 

Yaesu competitor to ICOM IC-705?

Although not available until next year MLS has announced a Yaesu competitor to the ICOM IC-705. At the moment I don’t know the price, but it has to be well below £1k to compete with the Chinese . This HAS to sell well for Yaesu's sake. Expect the IC-705 to drop in price!

The exchange rate against the Yen has improved a lot in the last few months.

I wonder if Yaesu has considered designing in Japan but manufacturing in a low cost area?

See https://www.hamradio.co.uk/ftx-1f .

FT290/FT790

Many people around the planet own an FT817 or its successor. 

Before the FT817 became ubiquitous there were the 2m FT290 and 70cm FT790. Even today there are FT290s driving transverters.

I never understood why stupid Yaesu never offered a replacement, but it is now far too late as they have "missed the boat". These days there are plenty of rigs. In 2010 the world was their oyster.

Reminder - Dayton Hamvention

This is a reminder that the Dayton Hamvention is this coming weekend.  Dayton is in Ohio, USA 🇺🇸.

As far as I know, it is the biggest amateur radio gathering on the planet. It particularly attracts visitors in the USA, but is also a meeting place for overseas visitors too.

It is often the place where new products are announced. I am still waiting for the FT817 true successor, although I fear it is now too late!

See https://hamvention.org

Yaesu cashback - last hurrah?

 MLS is again offering cashback on some Yaesu products. When they get it right, Yaesu create some great products, but I get the distinct impression they have lost their way in recent years. They now follow others whereas a while back they were clear leaders.

It is my contention that manufacturers and dealers are only really interested in profits. Once the amateur market ceases to deliver profits, they will move on or close.

In my view, MLS will be around longer than most, but both Japanese manufacturers and dealers will be questioning their options. The amateur market is OK now, but for how many years?

I hope I am very wrong.

Yaesu: multi-band, multi-mode, portables - gone?

Just now, I took another look at the Yaesu, Japan website. The FT818 has gone and is no longer shown. Many have been waiting for years and years for a decent successor to the FT817. It never came.

There can be several reasons:

• Yaesu is of the view there is too little profit as the competition is now high.
• They are working on a successor.
• They are thinking (...zzz), but have not decided what to do.

In my view, there is a market gagging for a decent product. Yaesu has the skills to make a good product. They have shown this with the FT710. 

We are on the downward slope (probably) of the solar cycle. This really is their last chance.

Yaesu - wake up!!

FT818 replacement?

There is much speculation that the now old FT817/818 Yaesu had been discontinued about a possible successor. When it was first introduced it had no competition. These days there are many competitors, so Yaesu may decide not to bother.

One of the competitors is the DX Explorer TX-500. This is available from MLS. I have no idea where this is made, but it is rugged and feature rich.

As a Yaesu fan I would consider a new Yaesu portable at the right price and with the right features. Sorry, but in recent years I think Yaesu has been reactive rather than proactive. They will have a tough time unless there are some "killer" applications.

FT-817/818 replacement?

Since before the peak of the last solar cycle (24), I have been speculating about Yaesu launching a replacement to the flagship FT-817/818 series. As most know, these are QRP, all band, all mode, portables. The same basic rig has been around since about the year 2000. Worldwide, it has been very successful.

The Facebook FT-818 user group and QRPer website talk about the FT-818 being discontinued.  Yaesu has all the things it needs to do a good replacement.: an SDR RX architecture, DSP technology, LiIon battery packs, and auto ATU design, speech processing etc..  They could even use the same case!!  It needs to be a market disruptor with unique selling points. The IC-705 has no auto ATU or 2m and 70cm bands. Could they consider a "killer" app that really makes people want one? It is also not a real handheld.  My puzzlement is why has a replacement not appeared already? 

There is a great danger of Yaesu missing the boat (yet again) as sunspots decline. This, as a QRPer, at the right price and spec, is the one rig I might consider for a trade-in.  At the right price and spec, this could be Yaesu's saviour, but they need to launch very soon.

Does anyone have any inside knowledge? Spec, launch date, etc..

UPDATE 2055z:  No inputs yet from anyone.

UPDATE 2110z: I took look at the Yaesu Japan website. All they could manage was the 2011 catalogue!! Does not fill one with confidence. If they want to make profits, you would think they would have a 2023 catalogue at least! Come on Yaesu - wake up!!

See https://qrper.com/2023/01/if-yaesu-designed-an-ft-818-replacement-what-would-you-like-to-see/

Yaesu discounting

At least one UK retailer is making a "big thing" of Yaesu discounts. 

This may be the lead-up to end-of-year sales like "black Friday" and the Christmas holidays. Or it could be Yaesu is desperate to gain or hold on to market share.  

My view is that all Japanese manufacturers of amateur gear are going to struggle in the years ahead. Some customers have lots of faith and I hope I am very wrong.

FT817 and successors

For over 40 years, I have been a great fan of Yaesu. In the past they were at the forefront of innovation in amateur radio.  Like many, I have been waiting for a real replacement to the FT817/818 family. The FT818 was a bitter disappointment as it still lacked most of the features people had hoped for. They still make some good products like the FT-710 which is SDR based.

My own view is that Yaesu has lost direction in the amateur radio market. Against many competitors they now look second best reacting to the market rather than being out front. Arguably the FT-991A and the FT-710 were reactions to the ICOM IC-7300. This is so sad as Yaesu definitely could lead the market. 

After many years, they seem to have lost the battle for the QRP market. ICOM introduced the IC-705 and the Chinese are appearing with some serious kit.

It is my view, hopefully wrong, that Yaesu will leave the amateur radio market before 2027. They will realise they can no longer make profits and go.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commhercial-rigs/yaesu-ft817nd

In 2010 (yes 2010!!) I produced a wish list and Photoshop mock-up of what I was expecting for a possible replacement. Instead we got the real FT818, which was a total letdown.  What I was expecting in 2010 still largely holds, plus an SDR RX architecture. 

Sadly, I cannot see this ever coming.  Who would launch a new QRP portable after a sunspot maximum? We shall call this now the FT819, although I suspect this is now pipe-dreaming! 

Yaesu - very last chance!

These are the features expected:

• All mode 472 kHz to 1296 MHz with 5 MHz, 40 MHz, and 70 MHz.
• 5W RF (2W 1296 MHz).
• 3.5AHr LiPo battery (fast charging).
• Random wire auto ATU.
• SDR RX architecture.
• Full colour OLED display.
• RF speech processor.
• Digital ready.
• DSP noise reduction.

Yaesu FT-710

This is a very good transceiver, scoring very highly on the Sherwood tests. However, I missed 2m and 70cm and found 4m a disappointment. In the end, I went back to the ICOM IC-705 that better matched my needs. 

It is my view that Yaesu has lost its way in the amateur radio market. They are capable of making some excellent products, but need to get a grip before it is too late. In my professional life, I saw signs. Yaesu has them all. Let's hope I am very very wrong. I like Yaesu.

See https://sites.google.com/view/g3xbm4/home/hf-mf-and-lf/commercial-rigs/yaesu-ft-710 .

Yaesu FT-710 and ICOM IC-705

Both are excellent radios. 

On the Sherwood tests the FT-710 came 4th, which is very good.  It is disappointing Yaesu has chosen to, effectively, ignore the QRP market it once dominated. It is almost as if Yaesu has given up. 

The FT818 was really about component obsolescence and really had none of the features expected in a modern QRP rig. To many, it was a total disappointment. 

Yaesu introduced the FT-710 which is SDR based. Personally, I found the ergonomics easier than on the IC-705. The FT-710 includes 4m, but does not do 2m and 70cm which I missed.  It also has an auto-ATU. 

ICOM launched the IC-705 some years ago. It is a 10W portable unit covering 160m-70cms, all modes, but it omits 4m and the auto ATU. It is also too expensive. Having tried 4m both in the Es season and before, 4m has proved a disappointment. Personally, I was expecting more from the band.

In the end, I went back to the IC-705 as I missed 2m and 70cm more than I missed 4m and the auto-ATU. It is a 10W radio and far smaller. As a QRPer, 10W is quite enough, especially on FT8 and WSPR. On its battery it is a 5W radio. Had Yaesu announced a new QRP rig, I might have traded my FT-710 in for one. Sadly, I see no new QRP rigs from Yaesu on the horizon.

Personally, I give Yaesu a maximum of 36 months in the amateur radio business. 

As a Yaesu fan of old, I very much hope I am wrong.  They have had chances and blown them.  To my mind, they are a company floundering.

Yaesu curtains?

For several years I have been worried about Yaesu. At the Dayton Hamvention 2023, I was hoping they would announce a new SDR QRP radio to replace the FT817/818. They have the technology.  Sadly, nothing HF was announced just, yet another, VHF/UHF mobile.

Since the early 1970s, I have been a real Yaesu fan. Many Yaesu radios have been bought over the years. At the present time I have 4 Yaesu rigs.  In my view, they have blown their last chance.

In my view Yaesu will quit the amateur radio market in the next few years. I hope I am wrong.

Friedrichshafen - mid June

This is the biggest gathering in Europe for radio amateurs. It attracts amateurs from a wide range of countries. I still keep hoping Yaesu will announce a new QRP SDR radio to replace the FT817. I suspect they will not, alas. In my view they have "missed the boat"....yet again. Personally, I fear Yaesu will leave the amateur radio market shortly. They could well be joined by others.

 "Times, they are a changing".

See https://www.hamradio-friedrichshafen.com/ .