Review: FT-991A, PY2RAF

This a living and updated version of my original FT-991A review that I wrote in eHam stating my impressions of the equipment.

Last update: Nov 28, 2021

CONTEXT

I was QRT from 2004-2018.

After this 14 years hiatus, with more time in my hands and greased relationship with HOA, I decided it was time to make a comeback.

So, in Oct 2018 I made a comeback to the radio with full power, brought the FT-840 to the rural QTH and enjoyed (a lot) the HF comeback. However, the FT-840 is… Tiring: while the sturdy and constant FT-840 delivered well what it promised, the operation is definitely not comfortable: CAT and external interfacing with an PC is a hassle, no DSP, no filters; it is tiring a day-long operation with the 840.

This time, I wanted a good and comfortable station, without consuming much space and working on all bands: HF/VHF/UHF.

My first contenders were the FT-857D and IC-7100.

After consulting my company's internal ham radio list, I was really leaning toward the IC-7100 instead of the (now discontinued) FT-857D. The 7100 winning factors were: 1) Newer project; 2) Remote head; 3) USB interfacing, eliminating the need of SignaLink-alike interface.

Then I learned about the 991A. And the 7100 flops to me were: 1) Lack of ATU; 2) Some eHam reviews stated that remote head operation feels... cheap; 3) 7100 finals are RD70HHF1.

On the other hand, 991A 1) provided an ATU, 2) band scope (not as cooler as 7300), 3) newer project, 4) I have a Yaesu background - so after pondering that with $300 more I could buy a FT-991A, and being very well aware of the horror stories of blown finals in FT-991 (non-A version) and a LOT of eHam reading, I stuck to FT-991A.

The IC-7300 was not considered because it lacks VHF/UHF coverage. And I was sorta bummed for Icom using RD70HHF (in 7100 and 7300) finals instead of RD100HHF like the 991A does.

And finally, chosen the FT-991A: the equipment was bought new, in November/2018.

WHAT I LOVE

• ZOMG, the USB port. Both CAT and Virtual Sound Card in the same port is just GREAT: It is a breeze for digital modes, or if you want to save bucks and have your computer to equalize your audio instead of buying 3rd party gear to do your sound effects.

• It's a Superheterodyne architecture. I live in a metropolitan area, with a rooftop antenna, rounded and surrounded by a plethora of nearby transmissions - inband and out of band, as well a non-negligible quantity of nearby fellow amateur radio operators. The Superhet architecture offers great defense against these nearby strong signals, where these can cause problems in pure SDR architectures;

• It is great to shrug at those operators that have that awful habit to tune over the active frequency - Just push the “DNF” button and poof - the annoying tuning is gone, for good.

• The CAT command set: It got virtually all the functions of the radio covered by CAT commands. Gives plenty of headroom to hack and interface with the radio!

• Still on CAT: Yaesu remote command (CAT) is extremely easy and straightforward to use, to the point that you can control you radio even with a Windows Batch file. Comparing with CAT, Icom's CI-V is a lot less intuitive.

• The RX: When comparing with my FT-840, the 991A was able to get some signals that were slightly faint on 840 with more clarity (even without using DSPs or amplifiers).

• VERY EASY to tap the IF stage (all it takes is pulling a U.FL connector)

• Backlit buttons - A breeze to operate in dark rooms / night operation.

• Two independent CAT ports - One in the USB port, other in the DB-9 RS-232 port, completely independent so you can avoid the Virtual Serial Splitter Port.

• There's an third port (the “Standard” COM USB port), which is also independent and is exclusive for PTT/CW control using DTR/RTS signal. More information here.

• Speaking of which, when wetting my toes into contesting, I found the keyer operation to be very useful, especially in CW contests. I found that if you want to integrate your IC-7300 or TS-590 keying with your favourite Contest software, you will need an external keyer, so it can interface the PC with the Accessory port, which will encode the CW sequences/macros. Guess what: The FT-991A provides an exclusive USB keying port, without messing with the CAT functions: Just use the Standard USB Port for keying, as per the above link, configure your Contest software - and enjoy, without extra mess, cables or devices on your desk.

WHAT I LIKE

• The first time I operated the 991A in HF, it was refreshing. The DSP shovels off a good lot of the background QRM, ensuring a very comfortable operation. Some may complaint of waterish/bubblish noise - Those will happen with a low signal-to-noise ratio (but can be counteracted with a bit less of RF gain): Well, no hay milagro: It’s a DSP, not a signal maker. Scored a big one, it is of help and make your reception way less tiring with medium-to-low signals.

• Very capable DSP: It is the same shipped in the flagship FT-DX101D/MP. Great DNR, Notch filter is awesome, great rejection from nearby stations, NB works fine cleaning my electric fence clicks, autonotch clears almost immediately those pesky tuning stations or birdies. See this video that I recorded exploring the 991A DSP functionalities. Fun fact: the 991A DSP fares even better than the flagship Icom IC-7610.

• I use the notch filter a lot, when working in FT-8 and remove that neighboring QRO station - Works GREAT. Just wish they could have provided a second notch too.

• No provisions for FM broadcast - This in my opinion is a great design choice, because the bandpass filters just shapes out the FM BC range, resulting in a quieter operation in VHF band.

• The Scope - While first I sort of frowned at the spectrum analyzer, this is actually useful: Works good and have a selectable bandwidth, from 50 kHz to maximum 1 MHz wide, 500 kHz to each side from the center frequency. Good to find action when you are not in the mood to turn on the computer and panadapter.

• The overall radio project - I have reviewed the schematics when working my Panadapter project and so far I have not found any component that is out of production - This is a recent and well thought PCB & component selection project.

• The Antenna Tuner: Works fine, works good - but there's a good possibility that yours has a grounding issue in the Tuner board. Good news is you can fix it yourself.

• The SWR meter: Also works for 2M and 70 cm! GOOD to know and keep your radio in a safe operative envelope.

• The reports: Ham radio operators have this ONLY vanity, actually what makes us spend the gross of our QSJ: They want to be well heard and hear back complimentary reports. I have got a lot of both ;-)

• Built-in protections: The FT-991A sports a hefty protection against static, protecting the equipment's RX front-end.

• Yaesu Support: I was answered on every question that I sent them. /me tips his hat at Rodger.

• The C4FM functionality: Originally, I was less than impressed, but then I moved temporarily to a different city away from my home QTH and lost touch with my friends, which we talked in simplex FM. Almost all of them have DMR radios, and we just converged to chat and talk to each other in hybrid C4FM + DMR rooms - and that was great to get in touch with my friends. Wouldn't be possible without the C4FM/WiresX functionality. Huge win. By the way, I like a lot this C4FM / Wires X directory. Use the ID number to join the desired room.

WHAT I MISS

• Dual watch. Not possible because of the unified IF frequency for both HF and V/UHF

• A TX timer - It would be a useful feature, especially when using repeaters - So you could monitor for how long have you been on the air and avoid the long TXs and sudden find out that the repeater went TOT and you lost half of your QSO :-P. In the end, I built mine.

• No Equalizer, DNR or Voice Recorder in FM mode - The Equalizer, DNR or Voice Recorder works only in SSB/AM/CW. The reason? These are functions provided by the DSP - and the FM signal is diverted from the DSP and treated in a 100%-discrete stage. Simply not possible. Bummer. Silver lining: Due to the discrete processing, it is possible to do 9600 bps PSK with your 991A.

• No VHF/UHF selectable Attenuator or Amplifier

• A general temperature monitor - Shame on you again, Yaesu - I do see a THRM pin traveling to the CPU.

• A full Menu Page of Configurable Touch Buttons - While you can configure the bottom-low row of buttons, well, these are 4 buttons: It would not cost a limb to make a menu screen with the 6 configurable buttons.

• APO - Auto Power Off after some time idle

• Password-protect - My VX-8 also has it.

• 220 MHz - Though RD70HUF2 is not suited for 220 MHz, Yaesu could have provided lower power output (like other radios does) for this band.

WHAT THEY COULD HAVE DONE BETTER

• The display. The bezel surrounding the display is The. Exact. Size. of the display - if you look top-down angle, you can’t read what is on the top lines - The time, the channel name, the memory number/VFO mode, etc. It should have some bleed so actually the screen is comfortably seen on all angles. Please give some space to the screen on next products.

• The power cable - My FT-840 power cable is bonded together as parallel cable. This goddamn 991A power cable is not bonded and it entangles very easily. Cmon Yaesu, you have been CHEAP here. Not nice. Tackled it by adding isolation tape after some spacing and keeps the cables together.

• The touch panel - This is a membrane touch, not the real deal like your cellphone. Silver lining: This will work if you are operating with gloves

WHAT I LOATHE

• WHAT THE F THAT VFO B. It is a weird implementation and surely some ugly project shortcoming - its weird behaviour is properly documented in product documentation. Ensure to read and live well with it.

• Memories:

  • 100 memories - WTH?!! My VX-8 is capable of 999 memories!

  • No TX power config on memory entries: I would like to be able to configure the TX power on individual memory entries (hint: VX-8 does it)

Some comparison between the nearby competitors

Feature	FT-991A	FT-891	FTDX-10	IC-7300	IC-7100	FT-857D
Architecture	Superhet	Superhet	Superhet + SDR (hybrid)	SDR only	Superhet	Superhet
Front-end HF Bandpass Filters	5	5	15	15	??	5
Front-end protection	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	✅
Built-in Antenna Tuner	✅	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌
Built-in USB Sound	✅	❌	✅	✅	✅	❌
Built-in USB CAT	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
Built-in USB Keyer	✅	✅	✅	❌	❌	❌
GPS	💲	❌	❌	❌	💲	❌
C4FM	✅	❌	❌	❌	❌	❌
DSTAR	❌	❌	❌	❌	✅	❌
Scope	✅	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌
Built-in RTTY Decoder	❌	❌	✅	✅	✅	❌
TX Voice Memory	✅	✅	✅	✅	✅	❌
Records over-the-air activity	❌	❌	✅	✅	❌	❌
HF Finals	2x RD100HHF1	2x RD100HHF1	1x RD70HUP2	2x RD70HHF1	2x RD70HHF1	2x 2SC5125
Frequency Stability (PPM)	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	0.5	4
VHF/UHF	✅	❌	❌	❌	✅	✅
VHF max power output (W)	50	🔘	🔘	🔘	50	50
UHF max power output (W)	50	🔘	🔘	🔘	35	20
# of independent CAT interfaces	2	1	2	1	1	2
CAT command set	Yaesu Advanced	Yaesu Advanced	Yaesu Advanced	Icom CI-V	Icom CI-V	Yaesu Basic
Touch Display	Membrane	❌	Membrane	Membrane	Membrane	❌
Backlit buttons	✅	✅	❌	❌	✅	✅
Detachable front	❌	✅	❌	❌	✅	✅
New In Box Warranty (years)	3	3	3	1	1	EOL

CLOSING REMARKS

Don't expect an rich, full, round, heavy, sound from its built-in speaker - this is a compact radio - don’t forget about it. If you are not operating on-the-go or outdoors, do yourself a favor and attach an external speaker (I love Yamaha NS-AP2600, a few bucks in eBay) to your equipment - THEN expect it to sound even better than your $TUBE or $LARGE plenty-of-real-estate-for-speaker transceiver. It definitely can sound great - but give it a good external speaker. On the other hand, if you are going outdoors, the radio outputs just the right audio level for signal discrimination when outdoors.

Again, this is a compact equipment - The FT-991A will provide you great TX/RX performance, antenna coupler, VHF/UHF, great DSP performance (same as the grown-ups FTDX10 and FTDX101) in a small portable package, and notice again the small package. There's a compromise on it if you haven't noticed - When comparing with the IC-7300, the 991A height is roughly half the height. Just no enough real estate for a big display. If the larger display is a must, there are other Yaesu and Icom options.

Moving on, the fan kicks in on-demand and responds to the equipment’s temperature. It is completely stopped (and silent) if cold enough and ramps up in speed according to the temperature near the finals. I do find the fan a bit noisy to my taste - And I replaced it with a quieter one. Also documented in this article.

For some time I moaned/bitched about the lack of Dual Watch capability, just like some VHF/UHF radios does. The thing is, the 991A front-end design has no dual-watch. It has a single full-superhet RX chain, and both HF, V and UHF shares the same signal decoding chain. All of them converge to the same 69.450 MHz IF and further decoding, yielding the same sensitivity and quality, irrespective of the band.

There are a few items that could surely have been done better or well thought.

The User Interface (read: Usability) is not the best or more intuitive one. Takes some time to master it. After you get it sorted out in your head, you will be able to have a enjoyable radio experience - But, again, will take time and tinkering. Read the manual. Explore. Be adventurous. If you FUBAR’ed, do a master reset. And no, it is not your FT-101E or TS-440.

If you are a button and knobs person, steer clear from this equipment - Otherwise it will result in one of those disgruntled rants and reviews - and selling the radio at a loss. Be smart. Make good and well-informed decisions.

Finally - Radio has been moved, transported, abused, opened, hacked, transmitted for long periods - in Full power settings, made great contacts, good friends, memorable QSOs, tried FT8, RTTY, SSB, FM, C4FM, SSTV, FreeDV, from 160m to 70 cm - and still performs without a glitch, like new.

Very satisfied with the equipment after busy two years harrassing it of operation. I'm ranking it 5/5 - couldn't be different.

73 de PY2RAF.

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