TS 2000 FT 897D or ?

[jmz]

I want to buy a slightly bigger all mode HF rig but I am not into satellite though the TS 2000's other uses are of interest. I already have a 857D and an 817ND but thought about getting a 897D for the rugged aspects, portable use on camping trips and general use at the house. Is it redundant to have all 3 of the Yaesu's in this line?

I am also interested in the remote and cross-band capabilities of the TS 2000 and think it would make a great addition to my shack, but a little concerned on it's reliability....and the possibility that a replacement in this category coming out from one of the 3 that would be more updated...

What are your thoughts....is there a contender I'm missing...is the TS 2000 just the best option and just use the the 817 and 857 for camping/portable. I have plenty of gel cells to run either of these for a week.

I am not the type that buys and trys then sells it....I have every radio I ever bought....so when I buy something I want to get all I can out of it...

What are your thoughts on this one...I'm kind of stuck and I need some help because I keep flip flopping back and forth...

John - KE4HGR

 

[Mudfoot]

Just use what you got.

 

[jmz]

Valid point, and I have considered that as well...

 

[Moleculo]

Part of me says to go for 897D to complete your collection of similar radios. Since you're already familiar with, and like the 817 and 857, the 897 seems like the natural next in line.

It sounds like you're looking strictly at full sized radios and there aren't that many that are HF/VHF/UHF. If you want an HF only rig, you have quite a few more choices. Since you already have the 857D for VHF/UHF, doing an HF only rig might be a good choice.

 

[wa4gch]

I want to buy a slightly bigger all mode HF rig but I am not into satellite though the TS 2000's other uses are of interest. I already have a 857D and an 817ND but thought about getting a 897D for the rugged aspects, portable use on camping trips and general use at the house. Is it redundant to have all 3 of the Yaesu's in this line?

I am also interested in the remote and cross-band capabilities of the TS 2000 and think it would make a great addition to my shack, but a little concerned on it's reliability....and the possibility that a replacement in this category coming out from one of the 3 that would be more updated...

What are your thoughts....is there a contender I'm missing...is the TS 2000 just the best option and just use the the 817 and 857 for camping/portable. I have plenty of gel cells to run either of these for a week.

I am not the type that buys and trys then sells it....I have every radio I ever bought....so when I buy something I want to get all I can out of it...

What are your thoughts on this one...I'm kind of stuck and I need some help because I keep flip flopping back and forth...

John - KE4HGR

I bought the TS-2000 because it has everything built into one box .....

I'm 99% happy with it ......

It has become my main radio and the one I use to run my 2 meter net.

 

[jmz]

Okay.....lets say I went HF only...

If I wanted to go a bit over my abilities I would go for either the Yaesu FT950 or the Kenwood TS590S both look pretty impressive....what are some of the opinions of these two units Pros and Cons.

My interests are Remote Base, Commuter Control, Digital Modes for this type of radio...is the ICOM IC-7410 got anything worth the extra cost in this class?

The TS 2000 is very remote-able are these radios as remote-table?

I know these are a giant step forward in radio compared to a FT 897D...it just looks like a fun radio to have for those times out and about....

What are some thoughts?

Thanks!

 

[W5LZ]

I'm a Kenwood fan, so would naturally suggest the TS-2000. But, there are consideration that I look for besides the electrical ones. One of those consideration is that the TS-2000 has a larger screen, easier to read. For me, that's a biggy, not so much for others.
- 'Doc

 

[Happy_Hamer]

Well, if you look in the past posts I had here, I to would say the TS-2000.

Now though, after seeing several of them with common issues listed all over the net, pre-amp fail, 455hz crystal failures, tuner problems, display lights going out and many many more, I would not buy one again.

And 60 meter has been available since 2003 in the USA, you would think Kenwood would get their head out of the sand and update the firmware so the radio does not have to be hardware modified to work on 60 meter.

 

[TonyV225]

You need to keep in mind that all these all band all mode radios are a convenience deal but for best quality you need to look into the HF only radios where the concentrate on the HF quality as for 2 meter radios ETC.

The problem is no matter what all band radio you inquire about there is always someone that dosnt like the HF or 2 meter portion ETC. It all depends on how familiar you are to each particular band.

I have a pile of radios 6 x HF radios 4 x 2 meter mobiles 6 x dual band HT radios and 1 x 2 meter HT now with a all band like the Yaesu 857D which I included in my HF radio count if that radio would lose or have one of the bands go out you send the whole radio off and have nothing unless you have spares for each band as I do.

I have also noticed little things about how my strictly HF radios are on the HF bands over using say the all band 857D. The other thing is I have all my radios where I can monitor them all at once unlike an all bander you cant play on HF and 2 meters or 7cm its either one or the other so with seperate radios you can monitor everything

 

[AdvancedCommunicationWest]

For your needs from what you are saying I would recommend the 897D

 

[wa4gch]

For your needs from what you are saying I would recommend the 897D

Why ?

Is there something I'm missing ?

 

[RatsoW8]

If you want a competition class HF rig the Yaesu FT-950 is the best deal out there right now and the receiver puts the TS-2000 to shame. All the mostly used functions are right on the front panel and the rig has incredible audio. But the TS-2000 is definately a "do it all" in one box rig if you can tolerate the tiny buttons and seemingly endless layered menus. I got rid of the TS-2000 after about a month.

I've owned both radios and would buy the FT-950 again without hesitation.

 

[wa4gch]

If you want a competition class HF rig the Yaesu FT-950 is the best deal out there right now and the receiver puts the TS-2000 to shame. All the mostly used functions are right on the front panel and the rig has incredible audio. But the TS-2000 is definately a "do it all" in one box rig if you can tolerate the tiny buttons and seemingly endless layered menus. I got rid of the TS-2000 after about a month.

I've owned both radios and would buy the FT-950 again without hesitation.

I'm looking into a 950 for HF only because I have 3 radios that cover 2 and 440 SSB ..... I don't need another 2 meter all mode and having had a 950 here for a few days ( i borrowed it ) it is about the same as the 2000 receiver wise and like you said you do't have to go through 10,000 menuss.

 

[jmz]

What about the TS-590S or the ICOM IC-7410 They are in the same class as the FT-950 but there is only one review for the 7410 on eHam.

Remote basing a rig is important to me...if I wear to move up to the next step in Transceiver...I would like to have have the ability to remote it....the TS 590S looks like a good candidate for that...

I have pretty much talked myself into an HF only next step radio...I can pick up a 897 sometime and use my 817/857 for my adventures in the Sierra's...now it is just deciding on the maker. There is an overwhelming amount of nice talk about the TS-590s I find myself partial to Yaesu does anyone have 7410, 590S and what are the likes/dislikes?

The FT 950 sounds great I wish the DMU-2000 option was just a few hundred dollars cheaper...these options sometimes seem like a wallet rapefest.....are there any bandscope functions being ported out through the TS-590S' Rig control software?

When all great radios come down to an almost level playing field sometimes the things that mean less but would be fun to play with come into light....I honestly don't care about shouting out my call sign at people and lying...I mean...telling them they are a 5 and 9 for hours at a time so all that pile up garbage that is in the marketing sheets is lost on me...We all got our niches of the hobby that keep us interested...I would say I like to listen a lot and talk less...I like to experiment and explore how new technology can bridge ham radio into today's world of PC's and portable devices, but I like to string up a new wire antenna that I though about or see how long I can operate off of a gel cell when I can too...It's all good training for the Zombie Apocalypse...

 

[Happy_Hamer]

I just got the new QST and Kenwood is giving you a free Kenwood Jacket with the purchase of a new TS-590