Yaesu FT-710 AESS: Receiver Test Data (video #7 in this series)

[@marshred]

Your videos on the FTDX10 have been a wonderful resource for audio setup! Everyone says, "don't change a thing!" when I ask how I sound. I'm using a Heil HC-6 headset with my DX10.

[@n4hnhradio]

I’m glad you found the video helpful. I like hearing when viewers get compliments about their audio. 73, de N4HNH

[@n4hnhradio]

Thank you Luciano for keeping watch to see if Mr. Sherwood would release test data for the FT-710 AESS. I appreciate you alerting me. 73, Doug

[@ryano8982]

Great video as always. I have the DX10 probably won't be getting the FT 710 but I'm sure just like the DX10 videos the 710 videos will help with general radio operation, so I'll be sure to follow along. About a week ago I was listening on 40 m and I heard a familiar voice and the call N4HNH, but you were already talking to like three other individuals so I didn't butt in. Hopefully I'll catch you on the air some night. Thanks again for all your help.

[@n4hnhradio]

Hi Ryan! I hope to catch you on the air next time. I don’t have a set time that I get on the air but I do sporadically get on 40m; around 7.150 or 7.205. 73, Doug

[@Ripper13F1V]

I can't wait for you to get your hands on one of these and do a side-by-side comparison with the -10. =)

[@n4hnhradio]

A ham radio retailer told me that would send one for me to shoot a series. I’m still waiting. I expect it to perform very much like the FTdx10. The DSP is the big ??? at this point. 73, de N4HNH

[@Ripper13F1V]

@@n4hnhradio Roger that. I'm a new HAM (took the technician and general back to back) so now looking for a one and done radio. The 710 is appealing to my demographic in this regard. But if the DSP doesn't perform then I need to look at other models. So truly interested in performance here and your thoughts. 73!

[@n4hnhradio]

Congratulations! Well, no radio is perfect. Yaesu gets about as close as can be. The FTdx10 is awesome! I’ve noted some flaws in my nitpick videos. And, like many modern transceivers, the DSP based autonotch and noise blanker can cause distortion. I just try to avoid needing them. I use manual notch only and I try to remedy man-made noise at the source. But, I will use the noise blanker until I can deal with the source. The noise blanker is fine if you keep the level at 4 or less. It will be interesting to see if the FT-710 is any better, with its NXP DSP chip. But the DSP in the FTdx10 beats all other transceivers I tried, except the FTdx5000MP. 73, Doug

[@codywrites]

Number three receiver in the Sherwood testing. Reason #1 why I bought one!

[@n4hnhradio]

Yes, you read the footnote. The Flex 6700 belongs down the list, at around 17th, with its siblings. It belongs with the 99dB radios. The FT-710 has a 107dB dynamic range. 99dB isn’t bad though. Above 90dB is very good. But above 100dB and you can just about choose a radio based on looks, ergonomics, or brand loyalty.

[@jampskan5690]

I would be interested in FT-DX10/ FT-710 AESS comparison videos. How does the speaker the 710 comes with compare to the sp30 attached to the dx10? How does receive audio sound from the same antenna? And, how is morse code on each. Perhaps, how each picks out small CW signals out of the noise.

[@n4hnhradio]

Stay tuned to the series.

[@billsmotrilla6215]

The rankings are on the 2KHz narrow spaced dynamic range - The two columns that you have cut off on the right end of your spreadsheet. That spec most closely emulates a strong station directly next to the station you are trying to hear.

[@n4hnhradio]

Yep. Almost exactly what I said in the video. Except the ranking is based upon trying to hear a weak signal with a strong signal causing interference from 2kHz away.

[@Homer19521]

Wonder if the DSP is the same between the 10 & 710??

[@n4hnhradio]

The FT-710 uses a NXP MRT685SFV DSP chip, running at 594/198 MHz. This represents a departure from the Texas Instruments chips Yaesu has used in most of their modern HF transceivers. Yaesu used the Texas Instruments TMS320C6746 DSP chip in the FTdx101D, FTdx101MP, FT-991A, FT-891, and FTdx10. That chip has a clock speed of 368.64 MHz. The algorithms were improved for the FTdx10 so a few months after its release, Yaesu released an update for the FTdx101D and MP. The FT-891 and FT-991A, though they use the same chip, do not have the improved algorithms. So their DSP isn’t at the level of the FTdx10. The FTdx10 was the first transceiver I found that could compete with the DSP in my FTdx5000MP. The FTdx5000MP DSP beat the DSP of all of the competitive transceivers I tried over a period of 8 months, comparing them on the air. The FTdx1200, FTdx3000D, and FTdx5000 all use the Texas Instruments TMS320C6727B, running at 300 MHz. I hope to obtain a FT-710 AESS soon, and I will test the new DSP against the FTdx10. Stay tuned. 73, de N4HNH

[@Homer19521]

Wow, excellent response!! Every QTH is different & the biggest delta is the operator. My friend has a 991A & 101D and he prefers the DSP of the 991A better. He says he hears less distortion with it. That was my main issue with the 10 I sold. The DNF & NB added more distortion than my Icom or Kenwood to get the same result and at my QTH I have to run the NB all the time. Hearing is a very personal thing. Maybe I'll give the 710 a try. Thanks for the great channel.

[@n4hnhradio]

The FT-710 uses a different DSP chip. It is covered in my next video. Be sure to click the bell if you haven’t already. I’m literally editing that video right now. As far as APRS goes, the Yaesu FT3DR, now replaced by the FT5DR, supports APRS. There is a FT3DR playlist here on the channel that shows the APRS setup. For mobile APRS, the Kenwood TM-D710GA is what my friend Joel uses and he is very pleased. I’m not sure if it is available new anymore. 73, Doug

[@schoocg]

Very informative, thank you!

[@n4hnhradio]

You’re very welcome. I hav already shot my first video of the FT-710 AESS. It will be released tomorrow. 73, de N4HNH

[@waynemueller1760]

At HRO today the FTDX10 is $200 more than the FT710. What extra features does the FTDX10 have over the FT710 to justify the extra $200? Will the FT710 cannibalize FTDX10 sales? Similarly, at HRO today the FT710 is $50 more than the IC7300. Why would one buy an IC7300 just to save $50? I used to own an IC7300 and loved it, then upgraded to the FTDX10.

[@n4hnhradio]

FTdx10 has the better receiver and better DSP. It can decode CW and display it on screen. Often-used controls are available via knobs. People who buy a IC-7300 are either seeking a more intuitive radio, are only interested in rag chewing, or are just uninformed about the receiver capabilities versus the FTdx10. Some of it is simply brand loyalty. Some is jumping on the populist bandwagon. One of my viewers told me that a “Yaesu is a thinking man’s radio.” I agree. It takes longer to master a Yaesu, but, once mastered, it can usually yield better performance. Everyone talks about the IC-7300 audio. It is great out of the box. Yaesu delivers their radio with two 3-band parametric equalizers. But neither is set up or enabled. But, once they are, the Yaesu can sound as good or better than the ICOM. ICOM only has a bass and treble setting. 73, de N4HNH

[@mattb7406]

Great vid

[@n4hnhradio]

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

[@forgetyourlife]

Just about the only reason I was a desk mic is because I really don’t like the stock dx10 mic. It feels light and cheap. I have started using my 891 mic with it until that M-70 goes on sale again. I think it was 119.00 last Christmas.

[@n4hnhradio]

$119 is an incredible price, especially since the manufacturers now make their profit from the accessories more than from the transceivers. 73, de N4HNH

[@marshred]

I just got the FTDX10 with $400 discount and Absolutely Love It! I have Icoms and Yaesus, Yaesus are much easier to use and performance is great!

[@n4hnhradio]

You got a great deal. 73, de N4HNH

[@JxH]

6:40 "...ICOM IC-7851....also a 105..." This viewer studies the screen intently, searching back and forth, left to right, scanning the IC-7851 row intently, searching and searching for the ASCII string "105". String not found. (Just a comment on the video itself, perhaps not centered on the columns of interest. 🙂 )

[@n4hnhradio]

Did you read the description? Viewers miss so much by not reading the description. But I’m impressed that you watched the video so intently.

[@mikeerstad3705]

FT-710 for $1049.95 and FTDX-10 for 1395.95 during the holidays till the end of January 2023....what a deal....

[@n4hnhradio]

Great deals!

[@douglassewell5856]

Interested in FT-710 and this dragged me in but struggled to hear much about the Ft-710 but loads on other makes of radios so a big waste of time in hopeing to hear a lot of the radio I needed to hear about

[@n4hnhradio]

The FT-710 wasn’t yet released when this video was shot. I guess you didn’t pay close attention. I made an entire series about the FT-710, including after it was released. This video explored the DR3 test scores. Video #9 is the unboxing. There are over 35 videos total. The full series is only available for those who help keep my channel operational via private donations.

[@MrRadiorobot]

And yet in every conversion you can find about any given radio at some point this list gets dragged in to equation, almost as if this league table of Rx sensitivity is potentially the deal breaker. I am an urban ham, most operators are. What is the point of having one of the top 4 Rx sensitive radios sat on my bench when I have S7+ of noise on every hf band? Many operators who dwell in towns/ cities will have varying degrees of the same. I suppose with that lovely colour screen I will not only be able to hear the interference but also see it! So my ownership of one of the 4 yaesu radios based on its Rx performance would just come down to bragging rights, but in real terms I would rarely if ever see the true benefit of that super sensitive receiver. Digital noise reduction? In my experience with these radios the DNR can only attempt to improve upon what the RX can hear at the noise floor, if that noise floor is S7 of VDSL garbage on the street then DNR is attempting to break up a mountain with a tooth pick. So before any other enthusiast dips into their wallet/purse they need to contemplate their own local qrm/noise floor situation and if shelling out the extra $$$$ is truly worth it? Undoubtedly other opinions will be different. Thank you for the video, very informative 👍👍

[@n4hnhradio]

Rob Sherwood tests sensitivity, as noted in his table, but the ranking is based more on selectivity, not sensitivity. That is what males Mr. Sherwood’s list so important. All modern transceivers are sensitive enough. In fact, that is why I talk about using IPO, ATT, and RF Gain so much in my videos. Keeping the noise floor down requires us to limit the sensitivity. Selectivity is what matters when a strong station starts transmitting 2kHz away while you are trying to hear a weaker station. I have viewers who told me that they were planning to leave ham radio due to local noise. They said they watched my videos and thought they would give the FTdx10 a try before throwing in the towel. Both told me that the receiver in the FTdx10 has helped them enjoy radio again. Much of that is owed to the DSP unit in the FTdx10 but, working against the noise in the front end of the receiver helps the DSP do an even better job of separating signal from noise. Ultimately, the utility companies are required by law to remedy RFI caused by their infrastructure. 73, de N4HNH

[@MrRadiorobot]

@@n4hnhradio buying a radio in the hope that it will reduce your local rf noise problem is, at least in my case with the DX10, a £1350 roll of the dice. How many can afford that? Nice if you can afford that gamble..😉 No, I followed your videos on the ft-891, eternally grateful to you. Doesnt cure the home qth noise problem but is at least a mobile/portable radio...if you can't beat the noise then leave it behind 😁 thanks again for all your wonderful videos.