New HF/50 MHz Transceiver by (Vertex-Standard)

FT-2000 /-D Latest Ver. AH010_0133 improvement: (Version indicated  on the Display)!!

Report by Lidio Gentili IØGEJ, updated 20.08.2007

Hold the three buttons [GEN]+[50]+[ENT], then turn transceiver ON.

Note: Vertex-Standard heading:

" This procedure is used to update the flash programming for the FT-2000/D transceiver." However, "to update your FT-2000 or FT-2000/D" appears several times in the text of VS' instructions.

Version 0133 implements the following improvements:

1. The software version can be displayed in the VFO-A window for 2 seconds (10.29 1.33) !!
2. Menu 116 - add 5Hz step to tuning dial steps  
3. Also includes all previous updates

FT-2000 Latest FW Update: data file AH010_133_08-14-07 Report as of 20.08.2007

The new Version 0133 firmware, which VS released on 14.08.2007, should be downloaded from a Yaesu/VS official or authorised site. This version can be uploaded to your own FT-2000 or FT-2000D radio, using the procedures described in the instructions (which should be carefully followed.) Choose one of the following two methods:

• connect the CAT (RS-232) plug and operate switch S3004 via the access hole (see photo);
• connect the CT-119 data cable to the PGM jack. Disregard switch S3004.

Also on 14.8.2007, Vertex Standard released update version AH010_0326 for the FTdx-9000. This update can be installed in these units simply by uaing the CT-119 data cable and the mini-DIN plug inserted in the ACC connector. No write-enable switch is fitted. For owners of the FTdx-9000 Contest, there is also a firmware update for the DMU-9000 (V.005 sys and V.415 App.zip), downloadable from official Yaesu/VS websites.  

FT-2000 Serial number format FT-2000 (Y M LL NNNN)

Report as of 29.07.2007

It may be useful to recap the procedure for decoding the data presented on the ID label affixed to each unit by the manufacturer (VS). In particular, the software versions and service bulletins relating to various modifications and product upgrades do not refer to the date. They are keyed to the production lot number which the user will find on the ID label.

2006, October, Lot No. 8, unit S/N 027X		2007, January, Lot No. 14, unit S/N 021X

The data are for identification only, and are also searchable via the Internet: Year: Y indicates year of manufacture as follows: 6 = 2006, 7 = 2007 etc. Month: M indicates month of manufacture as follows: C = January; D = February; E = March; F = April; G = May; H = June; I = July; J = August; K = September; L = October; M = November; N = December. Lot Number: LL indicates the production series (lot) number. (Architecture and circuitry are common to all units in a given lot.) Unit S/N NNNN indicates the sequential serial number of a unit within the same lot.

New procedure used for uploading new software into the FT-2000 and 2000D
Report as of 12.07.2007
Upgrade new Firmware AH025 V0131 update 06.14.2007 and use CT-119 cable !
	A Vertex Standard CT-119 new programming cable is required to plug the mini-DIN connector into the PGM Jack, on the rear panel of FT-2000 and FT-2000D. Connect the CT-119 Cable's DB9F connector to the Serial port COM-1 in the computer. When using the CT-119 cable it is NOT required to operate the internal Switch S3004 or to remove the cover of the Transceiver. (READ Yaesu instructions step by step). Yaesu are introducing a new procedure for uploading firmware updates which they will release from time to time. Perhaps taking account of a continuous succession of new software versions, they have brought out the Type CT-119 data cable (order #AAE99X001) which will be available at the end of July. (Watch the Yaesu USA website.)
By plugging the CT-119 into the "PGM Jack" mini-DIN socket on the rear panel of the FT-2000 or FT -2000D, it will be possible to perform a direct firmware upload without operating switch S3004 or opening the radio case. Until v.0129 (May 2007), the upload instructions showed the CAT socket (RS-232) as the upload port, requiring the somewhat clumsy manoeuvre of turning security switch S3004 (located on the CONTROL Unit inside the transceiver) on, then off again. The ongoing need to update the software periodically in tandem with the various production rev. levels gives one to understand that the manufacturer intends to resolve operational/design problems identified during development or reported by users, and to improve overall product performance. Input from various highly-active discussion forums is also a factor in this process. The availability of such updates is a good thing, and makes sense to the manufacturer - but it is incumbent upon the purchaser to keep himself informed as to the latest updates, and to install them as they become available so as to keep his own transceiver current. Note: For those who do not yet have the CT-119 cable, Yaesu (VS) states that uploading is still possible via the earlier procedure. (VS/Yaesu instructions must be followed in all cases.)

Report as of 04.06.2007

FT2000 High-visibility Fluorescent Display and DMU-2000 Spectrum Scope
Given the great interest which the new Yaesu transceiver has created, it may be useful for those who have not yet operated the radio to evaluate the operating indications available on the colour display which presents this information. To this end, the above image is provided. It shows all the possible icons (in fact displayed in various colours) which can be activated from time to time, in response to front-panel setup and adjustment controls. The Main Band frequency is displayed in "bright blue", whilst the Sub-Band is displayed in "white" to allow immediate differentiation between the two operating bands.
click f(or large image)
By acquiring the optional (external) DMU-2000 and connecting a colour monitor to it, the operator will be able to use many other digital functions, eg.: RF Band Scope to view spectrum occupancy with selectable span (25, 100, 250 or 500 kHz, 1 or 2.5 MHz) with 1 or 6 kHz RBW; Spectrum Scope with LBWS (Limited Band Width Sweep); and a wide array of informative and useful displays. (See video below: Live DMU Display Demo.)
Yaesu Italy (ICAL) has announced April 2007 availability of the 200W FT-2000D version.

Report as of 21.05.2007

FT2000 Yaesu and DMU-2000 Display Demo - Audio/Video

Report as of 21.05.2007

FT2000 - Firmware upgrade procedure - Operate Switch S3004 without opening the case

Report  as of 10.05.2007

FT2000 - New Firmware upgrade: available as of 1st May 2007 -AH025_V0127 of 27.04.2007
Use data and software downloaded only from official Yaesu support sources! Damage caused by the installation of unauthorised downloads will not be covered under the warranty. It is possible to determine the shipped firmware version from the radio S/N (serial number); of course, this correlation is lost if an upgrade has been performed after production - either somewhere in the distribution chain or prior to end-user delivery. Given the frequent firmware updates, such an upgrade is not at all unlikely. We hope that Yaesu will announce a menu command or feature allowing display of the installed firmware version, as otherwise configuration errors can result, leading to uncertainties about the current functional state of the radio (features added, enhanced or removed, bugs corrected etc.) In addition, an installed-version display will eliminate unnecessary upgrade operations. YAESU expressly states that only software upgrades downloaded exclusively from YAESU support sources are to be used; otherwise, warranty support will be compromised.
(click for large image)

Report  as of 18.04.2007

FT-2000 - Structural examination and components of final transmitter stage - PA Unit and LPF
(Click for large image)		(Click for large image)
The PA Unit circuitry is laid out on a single PC board, which also includes the low-pass filters (LPF) and their selection relays: 2 x AG201344 for 50 MHz and 12 x Omron G5V-1 for the other HF bands. From a side-by-side comparison of the two photos, it can be seen that the Yaesu/VS engineers used the same design in the 100W final stage (PA Unit) of the new FT-450 transceiver. The following Mitsubishi MOSFET power devices are used in both PA Units: 2 X RD100HHF1 in push-pull, with Vdd = 13.8V, as output stage; 2 X RD16HHF1 as driver and 1 X RD06HHF1 as pre-driver.

Report as of 14.04.2007

MAIN Unit - VRF Unit - BPF Unit (a/b) - (Click for large image)
	Architectural analysis, board placement and relative passband limits of the BPF Units: The correct BPF passband is automatically selected when changing the operating band. The VRF (preselector) passband tracks the operating frequency and band over the entire HF range.
When the optional µ-Tuners are installed, the VRF is bypassed, so as to allow RF preselection via these special high-Q tracking bandpass filters. The µ-Tuners are available for the following bands: 160m - 80/40m - 30/20m. (Note that the optional RF µ-Tuners consist of three kits, external to the transceiver, and connected to it via suitable cables.) Type G6K-2F-Y relays perform the RF switching function. BPF(a) uses Taiyo Yuden LAV35VBxxxx axial inductors. BPF(b) employs LLM3225xxxx surface mounted inductors. (The VS designers' choice of overlapping bands for the various bandpass filters is not well understood. In many cases, these filters are rather wide when one considers the HF amateur band limits.) Translator's Note: A general-coverage receiver requires RF bandpass filters with overlapping passbands.

Report as of 06.04.2007

(click for large image)
	This transceiver does not support dual-diversity reception. Yaesu have published an advisory to the effect that the paragraph on "Polarity Diversity" (polarization diversity) on page 44 of the early User Manual is erroneous.
The simplified block diagram facilitates a more accurate analysis of the method used in the FT-2000 to obtain dual receive operation (with a single, common antenna.) The radio shares the entire common RF front end between the two receivers: antenna selector - attenuator - VRF (preselector) or optional µ-Tuner - BPF - IPO (preamp bypass) or Preamp 1/2. From here, the signal selected by the front end is divided by a transformer-hybrid splitter, and fed to the Main Receiver (1st Mixer - 69.450 MHz 1st IF - 1 of 3 roofing filters) and the Sub Receiver (1st Mixer - 40.450 MHz 1st IF - single 15 kHz roofing filter). By tuning the A and B VFO's, the operator can simultaneously receive two signals on different frequencies and modes with two types of IF filtering: DSP filters at the 30 kHz final IF in the Main RX, and crystal filters at 455 kHz in the Sub RX.

Report as of  23.03.2007

As stated above, the update is applicable to units with a "lot code" below 12. Here's how to derive the data from the labels located on the rear panel of the transceiver, or on the packing carton.

Here is an example, showing the data for two different production runs of the FT-2000 (CE) which left the factory at different times.

The first case, Ser. No. 6L802XX, manufactured in mid-November 2006, has the two-digit "lot code" 08 as the 3rd and 4th digits of the serial number. 08 < 12; therefore, a firmware upgrade is required. The firmware should be downloaded from an official Vertex-Standard website, saved on a PC and then uploaded to the radio via the RS-232 port.

Care should be taken to carry out precisely each step of the upgrade procedure supplied by Vertex-Standard. The radio case must be opened to set a switch located on the Control PC board.

For the second case, Ser, No. 7C1200XX (on the carton), manufactured early in March 2007, the two-digit "lot code" is 12. Thus, the new firmware has already been installed in the FT-2000 at the factory. No upgrade is required.

Radio amateurs are interested in the performance, styling, ergonomics and price range of the various radios on the market. These aspects of a radio will all factor into the ultimate purchasing decision.

Although these attributes are certainly essential and important, I believe nevertheless that it is worthwhile to acquaint oneself with the regulatory criteria and type-approval standards in force in the various market areas. Thus, here are the regional codes which may be of interest, in addition to those shown on the non-removable radio ID label. Please take note of the frequency-coverage restrictions in the various European target countries (UK, F, IT, D, EU etc.)

--- FT-2000: Table with test data for MDS, BDR, DR3 and IP3 (click for large table)

The test data for MDS, BDR, DR3 and IP3 are presented in the table, which offers a summary of test data collected from ARRL product reviews. These technical reviews, published in QST, are well worth reading in their entirety to obtain a systematic comparison of the performance and capabilities of the most recent radios manufactured by Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood and Ten-Tec for the amateur marketplace.

Report as of 30.12.2006 

(Main RX VFO A) The 69.450 MHz first IF features three roofing filters, in bandwidths of 15, 6 and 3 kHz. Each roofing filter is a four-pole, fundamental-mode monolithic crystal filter. This device is positioned after the first mixer, improving IP3 performance for all stages that follow. The first mixer features Sanyo SPM5001 FETs, in an active doubly-balanced configuration for no net loss in the mixer circuit. The synthesizer circuits (1st LO) produce a very clean first IF signal to ensure high Carrier to Noise (C/N) ratio. 

In building the FT-2000, Vertex-Standard has utilized miniature surface-mount electro-mechanical relays manufactured by Omron for signal switching in various circuits: BPF, VRF, Preamps 1 and 2, 1st-IF roofing-filter selection and other areas. The specifications for these relays are given above, and are interesting to study. The electro- mechanical relay reduces secondary distortion (passive IMD) at the primary stage of signal processing.

After the VRF and BPF Units (µ-Tune optional) - a front end with highly-selective bandpass and a tunable preselector - the IPO switch permits the operator to route the RF signal directly to the 1st mixer, or insert either Preamp 1 (a 2SC3356 BJT with negative feedback) or Preamp 2 which cascades a second 2SC3356 preamp stage to optimize the dynamic range for the type of signal at the receiver input. The 1st mixer is designed for high rejection of distortion due to multiple strong adjacent signals. It uses SPM5001 FET's in an active double-balanced configuration. The DSP (at the 30 kHz 3rd IF) is fitted only to the Main RX (VFO A). The Sub RX (VFO B) obtains its selectivity from classical crystal filters instead. (The B Rx accepts optional Collins mechanical filters.)

Here is the optimally-designed final (PA) stage, cleanly laid out on a wide, fan-cooled heatsink with high thermal conductivity, to ensure 100W output at 100% duty cycle. The PA employs 2 Mitsubishi RD100HHF1 MOSFET's in push-pull, with a 13.8V drain supply. (These PA devices, although higher-powered, are in the same family as the RD70HHF1 MOSFET's used in the IC-7000.) The 200W version (FT-2000D) uses 2 SD2931 MOSFET's made by ST, with a 50V 10A external power supply. The 200W PA delivers 75W in Class A, with low 3rd-order IMD: -50 dB relative to PEP.)

 

The FT-2000's construction and design approach appear to be greatly improved, and more carefully executed, as compared to the FT-1000MP. Research and know-how have contributed to the development of new engineering solutions, among which is the DSP based on the TI TMS 320C6713BZDP (as used in the IC-7800). This is a 32-bit floating-point DSP IC,  which processes the 30 kHz third IF signal in the digital domain (IF Width, IF Shift, NR, Notch etc.) [Translator's note: A Cirrus Logic CS4272-CZZ  codec serves as ADC/DAC].

Here is an interesting picture from Tokyo HamFair 2006 (19/20 August 2006) showing a complete FT-2000 station with its optional accessories (DMU2000, FT-2000, µ-Tune and display.)

 

These first available internal pictures of the new FT-2000 confirm statements by Vertex-Standard concerning the re-use of technological approaches derived from  FTDX-9000 R&D. In effect, one can clearly see that the BPF, VRF, DSP and many other subsystems are very similar to those used in the 9000 series, called "The radio." The FT-2000, however, has its own product plan and market sector.  

 

The technical and operating characteristics are already available on several websites, including that of Yaesu USA.

As can be seen from the above image,  the display indicates a lot of information related to the control settings and selections activated from the front panel covered with knobs and buttons:

• ATT: 3-step front-end attenuator: -6/-12/-18 dB
• IPO ON: bypasses the RF preamplifier
• AMP 1: low distortion RF preamplifier
• AMP 2: high gain RF preamplifier
• R.FILT: switch selects first IF roofing filter 3/6/15 kHz bandwidth for VFO A only (Main RX)
• FLT: VRF Variable RF Filter (preselector) on all bands
• DSP: 32 Bit IF DSP  with adjustable filter response contours,  Noise Reduction, IF Notch, etc. 

The Main RX (VFO A is triple-conversion, with 69.450 MHz, 450 kHz and 30 kHz IF's (IF-DSP at 30 kHz). The Sub RX (VFO B) utilizzes traditional crystal filters (or optional narrow Collins mechanical filters for CW), and is dual-conversion, with 40.455 MHz and 455 kHz IF's.

To round out the FT-2000's feature set, and enhance its performance, several external options are offered, such as the High-Q µ-Tune RF bandpass filters. These are identical to those provided for the 9000, but are mounted in a box external to the transceiver. There are 3 µ-Tune modules, for 160m, 40/80m and 30/20m. The transceiver controls the µ-Tune unit's variable tuning directly via an appropriate cable. The center frequency is variable by ± 12 kHz (at -3 dB), with high selectivity at the selected bandpass.

To present the data on an external display (not supplied), the DMU-2000 Data Management Unit is required. This accessory will manage the interface between the transceiver and your PC.  

The 100W transceiver alone costs approx. $3000 in the USA. However, adding the various options to complete the feature set (DMU-2000, display, µ-Tune etc.) will drive the total cost significantly higher! To better evaluate the FT-2000 system, we should wait for the reviews and lab test reports.  

Yaesu first presented the new FT-2000 in Friedrichshafen, at Ham Radio (June 2006).

 

Here is a recent view of the Yaesu FT-2000 HF/50 MHz transceiver as presented at the Friedrichshafen International Expo in June 2006. The radio standing on a rock symbolizes the solidity of the company.

Here is the first advertisement in CQ Ham Radio (Japan), June 2006!!

Based on the technical development of the FTDX-9000, three roofing filters (3/6/15 kHz) will be fitted. The front end is equipped with the VRF (Variable RF Tuning), a tunable preselector which improves rejection of strong out-of-band signals and increases the dynamic range. The FT-2000 has dual receivers with separate controls, the latest-generation TI TMS320C6713B DSP and other features accessible to the operator. The optional DMU-2000 Data Management Unit also incorporates the interface-management system and the high-stability reference oscillator. It is placed to one side of the radio (see below). The DMU-2000 is similar to the internal Data Management Unit in the FTDX-9000.

For the FT-2000, Yaesu (Vertex-Standard) is offering an external interface unit, the DMU-2000, in a separate cabinet. This unit provides PC interface management as well as a connections for an external monitor for displaying various functions.  The interface controller used in the FT-DX9000, a proprietary high-speed CPU VIA C3/667 MHz , is mounted internally on the side of the chassis.

Tokyo, 20-21 August 2005: Yaesu presents the FT-2000, targeted to compete with the IC-756Pro3 -

Surprise - the FT-2000! The new rig presented at Tokyo HamFair, 20 August 2005, would most likely be the intermediate version from Yaesu, with characteristics derived from the 9000 series. The FT-2000 goes beyond the Mark V, and will probably be the radio which will compete with the IC-756Pro3.

 Transceiver for HF and 50 MHz - two versions, 100W with internal power supply, or 200W with external power supply - advanced IF DSP and two roofing filters, 6 and 15 kHz.