When I use my 705 at 10w in Hawaii, I usually get around 20-25 QSOs. When I use my 7300 at 100w, I'm getting 150-250 QSOs in the same amount of time. Power is important when working more than a single hop.
A borrowed G90 without noise reduction made me decide to buy an FT-891. The inability to clean up the receive signal was a big decider in and around my home. I find on POTA in an isolated park I use zero noise reduction in most cases as the noise floor is nearly nothing. I think a G90 would be great there. The built in antenna tunner is a huge advantage.
One comment is that receive can be improved even further with properly set RF gain control. The way Yaesu implements RF gain seems better than Icom’s, but the distinction is more about how it reflects visually on the meter for the Yaesu. The G90 likely needed its RF gain turned down some, and in my opinion the RF gain works best on the newest firmware-but it’s got nowhere near the granularity and functionality of the dx10. Even though I prefer the dx10, there’s something quite satisfying about using the g90. That tiny screen gives you a ton of information all at the same time.
You hit the nail on the head. I literally hated the G90 until I figured that out. On my firmware version, I often times am using no agc with just the rf gain with sometimes some attenuation.
Great video Mike. One of the things rarely talked about on the transmit side is audio quality. This is so important, especially with lower powers. A well set up audio with 20W can be better than poor audio on 100W. Clarity and punch are the way forward, especially on SSB. Ian. G0VGS
Spectral purity and transmitter phase noise are two factors in comparing transmitters but I agree it’s all about the receiver. And thanks for adding that the 20 watt signal might not be heard in some band conditions. Just like a 100 watts may not be heard but the 1000 watt station will be at times.
From the desk of WV3V, ALL of my POTA/SOTA activations have been with 20 watts or less, period. I don't own a portable rig with 100 watts and if I did, I guess I would use it for POTA. I like the challenge and it's not for everybody. 12,15, 20 contacts during an activation is OK with me. Making 100's of contact would also be nice but that's not what I am after. I am after the joy of going portable, limited power, antennas and, working for it. Again, that's what makes it a hobby, and to each their own. It's OK to like QRP, and it's OK to like QRO. For me, it's about having fun doing it. -Jason, WV3V
Awesome video!! One of your best ones to date IMHO. That 7300 to G90 comparison sure explained a lot to me and has changed my mind about QRP transmit power.
Two cents... Having owned and operated a 7300 and FTdx101MP I can say this... once you have the radio set up for your mode, you "really" do not need to twiddle knobs and get into the menus especially on POTA as an activator. So essentially what I experience is that on POTA the main interface is two simple steps... TRANSMIT and then LOG. Also, the Yaesu receiver and Noise Reduction is a rather large (Very Large) step above the 7300. If you want to eliminate the menu issue (if there is one) there are quite a few CAT programs that make the human interface go away. If you can't hear em... you cannot work em.... the 101 and 710 series shine. And for POTA... the Xiegu G90 and XPA125B combo is really hard to beat. 73 Art W1SWL
I have had them both and kept the ftdx 10. Once you have it set very little changes needed. 7300 is a good radio but was able to get a better quality sound from the Yaesu. Just my thoughts playing with both
I recently upgraded my station (rather significantly) and my new transceiver can pick up signals that are down in the noise for its predecessor. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that the station on the other end has "ears" as good as mine. Even if they do, they may be dealing with local noise or interference that makes marginal signals hard to hear. This is why, all else being equal, I'll opt for more power capability. I'm not required to use it -- I can always throttle back (and usually do, to be honest), but it can really come in handy in some situations. Nothing against some of the amazing QRP rigs that are out there -- I have a couple of them, and enjoy seeing just how far I can make a few watts go. But when they're maxed, they're maxed.
Mike, not that you ever make a bad video, but this one was def one of the best Monday Mailbag videos. I run a 7300 at home also, coicidentally about to send it off to repair the multi-function knob which operates the notch filter and it’s imperative to have it in working order because that filter is INVALUABLE! Great job, appreciate the hands-on you did in this. 73 buddy 🤘
I love my 710. Sold my IC-746 to get it. Is the Icom "easier" to operate? Yes. Initially. Once you get used to the menu system the Yeasu is far more "customizable". How about sound? My 710 is the AESS and sounds amazing! Receive? Not even close. The 710 is a beast. When looking at a new radio it came down to the 7300 vs the 710. For me it was an easy choice.
See when I bought my 7300, its competitor was the 991A and the main reason I went with the 7300 after owning 2 other Yaesu HF radios was the menus. And the waterfall on the 991 is just garbage.
@@hamradiotube I have a couple of 991s, for, well, reasons, and I've always been envious of the ease of setting the filters and the graphical representation on the screen of the filtering on the 7300. The 991 has various filters on the main screens, but that's not the same. You can eventually set them the same as the 7300 but you have to go into the background stuff to do it. Ain't nobody got time for that!
@hamradiotube I concur about the 991A. Was never a fan. Believe me when I tell you I spent a lot of time comparing apples to oranges before I jumped on the 710. My first ever rig was an Icom IC-706MKIIG. I ran it 18 wheel mobile for years. Quality rig! Then, when I finally decided to sell my Kenwood 530 to upgrade my base the IC-746 was another stellar rig. Loved it too! But, when it came time to jump into SDR the 710 won out for the reasons I stated above. Good "talking" to you, brother. I watch your content often but have never commented before. Thanks!
@paulsengupta971 I absolutely love the screen on the 7300! I wish the 710's was as "roomy". First thing I did was get an external 19" display for the 710. Now I operate the menus with a mouse and my radio via PC and rarely touch the radio.
Very nice compares from 7300-G90 I have them both. 7300 is my base radio. G90 is my Pota radio. I’ve worked the world on the G90 at 20 watts. Kc3pmx Greg
I added a pan adapter and Airspy HF to my 7300, what a difference! The filters and adjustable settings in SDRConsole almost eliminate ear fatigue. Worth the money!
The receive on the G90 sounds better than in your demonstration if you turn down the RF gain control until the noise is just barely registering on the S meter. When I do this, I actually enjoy listening on the G90 just as well as any other rig, including my 7300. It's a very quiet receiver with clear audio on the internal speaker. Better than the 7100 even. My only complaint with the G90 is broadcast interference and CB powerlords. An external broadcast filter is a must have accessory, and if you have to use it, then you lose the tuner. If they had included this in the radio I would have nothing to be unhappy about.
When someone is confused by the FTDX10, I do not understand. Learning the breadth of features is challenging, but the control is simple. Push the function button and select the feature. My most annoying radio is the IC-7000. To use your example, changing the output power takes a roadmap and opening the manual PDF.
Have you tried the FT-991? It's a very useful shack in a box but the menu system still confuses me after years of ownership. My friends IC-7300 I only used occasionally but it's just so easy by comparison.
Dialing in the transmit audio just right can be tricky on the dx10, but mostly if you’re using a unique microphone/headset. Otherwise, the N4hnh guide available to his patreon patrons will helps a lot in getting you up and running quickly. It’s a good radio… and if you’re going to operate from home a ton…. Get the dx10… but if you’re heading out into the great outdoors, the ft-710 really is a better form factor. The size difference in the specifications doesn’t really give you an idea of how much lighter and more compact the 710 is. Not blow your socks off small, but it’s obvious when you see it in person.
Just watched the video. Very good comparison on internally generated receiver noise...but 2x the money gets you that performance edge. My G90 is "good enough" for POTA-rixing.
Thanks Mike for a very good vid. I hope it helps those who have had the same question. You exibited the results very well, and quite frankly I wanted to see a recived audio comparison for a long time between the G90 and any other rigs like the 7300. I own 2 7300s and a 705 (I Love them by the way) and have looked at the g90 and others for lower food chain type radios.I was just very curious and based on what I just heard, I will be sticking to my higher end stuff. Thanks again and 73, I hope to one day get to meet up with at one of the many HAM fest I attend. I have made contact via ft8 and feel honored to have you there in my log. Now to to get you via Voice some day. take care, Vic de KE8JWE.
It's hard to beat the I-comm radios, they are fairly easy to get around if you have even the slightest idea how radios work. I passed my exam at the YOTA camp Youth On The Air, I work at the university they chose to have the camp and I did all of their audio visual, they booked me an exam so I could pass and walk over to the Bob Heil memorial Shack that was outfited with all I-comm radios and immediately make a contact. Those radios were something I sat right down and I was able to figure it out on the fly no problem. And as you said the power is not as much of a factor as one might think. Since I got my license about 14 days ago I have been working the world with my little uSDX+ SDR QRP radio with an At-100 auto tuner and a wire up into one of the trees in the yard. The first contact I made was to Belgium 5-9 from Nova Scotia Canada. I've worked Serbia, Slovenia and last night a guy just outside of Moscow 6600km away from me. Not many features but enough that I'm happily making contacts.
Thanks for the honest video, Mike. I am also an ICOM fanboy with 2 7300s and a 705. Permanently loaned my FT-891 to my son for portable use as I always struggled with the searching for functions during POTA activations. I loved the DNR function but hated most everything else (relative to the 7300.) If I were to buy a new rig now, as much as I want the 7610 for all the wrong reasons, I would be torn between the FT-710 and the FTdx-10 because of the receiver sensitivity as well as DNR. I also have a G90 which rarely is used now that I have the 705 for CW/QRP. Just like the features and functionality better with the ICOMs than the G90. Thanks again!
I know for a fact that you can work the world with 20 watts and a wire. It can be hard to bust through pileups though, especially when others are running amplifiers. When running lower power you definitely have to work with propagation. I will say the internal tuner on the G90 is fantastic. Before I put up my 80 through 10 EFHW antenna I was using an inverted V wire dipole cut for 10 meter and was able to tune all the way down to 40 meters with the internal tuner on the G90. Was it the most efficient set up? Absolutely not, but I was making contacts. One of my more memorable contacts was with a ham in Colorado who was running an amplifier and decided to turn it off after I told him I was running only 20 watts and he was hearing me without any issue until the band changed. There was no change on my end when he turned off his amplifier.
for the 20w vs 100w thing, I think the big thing to realize is that 100w shows up a lot better on a waterfall. So if you want to just call CQ on a frequency and have people find you, the more watts you have the better, because you will make a big peak on the waterfall, and people can navigate over to you. When I run QRP I generally have to hunt stations that are calling CQ and they may or may not hear me when I respond back to them, but the only times I've ever had someone respond to me when I just call CQ on a frequency was when I was running into an amplifier with ~100w output. You can still hear someone transmitting at 20w in a lot of band conditions, but only if you are on their frequency already. Finding someone transmitting at 20w is much harder.
I started with the G90 when I upgraded to General. I made my first contact within an hour of passing my exam....600 miles. After 9 months I upgraded to Extra and treated myself to the FT710. My first thought was "wow, I can hear now." I also doubled the number of DX contacts in less than a month. Was it because I could hear them or they could hear me? No idea, but I love the upgrade and enjoy the FT710 every day. Thanks for showing power is not as big a deal as we might think but a better receiver is worth a penny or two......
Another great video. I feel you on the Yaesu menus. Not long after the FTdx-10 came out I was in the market for a new HF radio. I really wanted an IC-7300 but everyone had them on backorder. I studied the comparisons, especially the receive, and bought an FTdx-10 and haven't been sorry. I had an FT-891 for portable and it worked fine but I used it so seldom I had to look up menu settings to change things. I sold it and bought a FT-710 for portable since the menus and buttons are somewhat similar to the dx-10. I am happy with that choice so far. And I do now own a 7300 to run my Winlink gateway. I also have a g-90 (I had two but a friend talked me out of one) and ran the Winlink gateway at 17 W and it did fine. I think the G-90 is a good choice for a first radio and really good for portable where the noise floor is much less.
I used to have a 7300 but sold it when I got my FTdx-101MP and I still have a 705 and use it for POTA (as well as my old G90) and I agree with you on the menus. The 7300 and 705 are pretty much the same. The FTdx-10, FTdx-101, and FTdx-101MP are likewise pretty much the same among their new. Yes the menu on the Yaesu are "different", but they really aren't that hard to use once you get to know it. Also, I rarely have the need to constantly make setting changes on a day to day operation, so for me, the clarity of RX is king for me. To each their own.
I have the FTdx101d it's a big radio. I own several amplifiers so didn't need the 200 watt version. It's 3 db difference. There are a lot of guys that buy the 200 watt radio to drive very large amplifiers. Most 1.5 kw amps require 50 watts of drive roughly. These guys are running 4-5+ kw amps
I think COAX helps too. If i am using poor coax, the power drop my be down to 50% and now the G90 is down to 10 watts. It looked like your coax was pretty low loss. Good video! I am glad I got the 7300.
Honest question. And no intent to be obnoxious, because I appreciate this sort of side-by-side testing. I'm trying to work out a solution for remote emcomm. My guess is that in a real life emergency, you would choose an FT-891 or IC-7100 over the G90, in part because of the filters in the 891 and 7100, and in part because a few more dB of power would be a good thing. Is that a safe conclusion?
what radio of anybrand in your opinion have the best receiver? may it should be whole separate video on that. taking in account that transmitting power least important thing
Hey Mike, I guess @KH6WI kind of answered this question. In his case power does matter, but for those of us on the mainland, I wonder how this would work if we had a high-end "QRP" rig like the IC705 vs the 7300. In this case we have newer technology in the 705 that should cut out the noise just as well, if not better than the 7300. Then the question would be, which rig do I want to take out and set up in the field. One advantage of QRP rigs is size. They are usually much smaller and lighter than "normal" 100W rigs designed more towards portable ops. Great comparison and a different twist looking at the receive side. 73
You want to talk about crazy? To get into programming mode for the FT-70DR you have to plug it in, turn it on, remove the battery, hold down one of the buttons, insert the battery and you're in. But wait - there's more! To retrieve memory from the unit, you need to then press another button. And when you are ready to send data TO the radio you need to press a completely different button! Love the radio, but that's just nuts.
I personally would not buy the 7300. On field day that thing was getting beat up by all the other transmitters. We dropped an FTDX10 in its place and the problems were gone completely. Yaesu menus, once you learn them it’s not an issue.
I have all three of the Yaesu FT-891, FT-991A, and FTDX10. The menus on the 891 and 991A are legitimately wonky. Usable once you figure it out, but they have their reputation for a reason - I keep the PDF of the user’s manual for the 891 on my phone. The DX10 is a completely different animal - everything is much, much more intuitive and common things are quick to access. The Icom screens might still be slightly prettier, but I think the complaints about Yaesu menus are obsolete now. Like others said, if they want to haul it around semi-portable, the 710 seems like the obvious answer now that it exists.
The 7300 vs 710/DX10 discussion was actually very balanced, and I appreciate that. I do really wish Yaesu would do just a little more work on their UI, but the 710 is SUCH a good receiver.
Re power. Still if your signal is just at the noise level with 20 watts, 100 watts will get the contact when 20 won't. Power may not always matter but often it can matter.
Excellent presentation Mike. Thanks for the demonstration. I hope you get time in the future to look at the X6200. I'd love to see your feedback on that one. Thanks.
I doubt very strongly I'll ever get my hands on one of those unless someone I know lets me borrow it. I'm pretty sure I've killed my relationship with Radioddity in the last couple review videos I did for the G106 and X6100. That's what you get for being honest I guess.
@@hamradiotube Yes, your G106 was a total Fup. You obviously never read the manual and as such made some bad mistakes none of which was the fault of the radio. Yes it was not one of their better radios, but common sense should have twigged and realized this was reflected by its retail price. I am not surprised Radioditty and Xeigu wont let you anywhere near their products. The review was utterly biased and with perceived opinions in the negative. It was a totally disgusting review "Period" VK6AOZ
Output Power is important. But.. Don't forget that "Receiving" is important also.. check the RX Specs. of the Radio (db Sensitivity / Selectivity). If you can't hear a potential contact, all that power output does not matter.. (All you are is an Alligator Station).. Try to achieve a Happy Balance..
I figured that you were going to spout a load of BS, but I got fooled. Not many Hams have a clue about the 6 db per S unit, but you did. Years ago, I sat down and started with, as I best recall, 30 mw being 1 db and then stepped up 3 db at a time until I got ridiculous up to about 2000 watts. What I found was that you need at least 10 watts to do much of anything on any band, and that includes HF all the way to UHF. With all that said, I participate in a weekly Preppers net and I run 100 watts on an IC -7300 and the Net Control Operator runs 100 watts from a Yaesu FTDX-10 and a fellow 15 miles from him runs a G-90. I can hear the NCO quite well, but the G-90 guy is readable but always weak. If that G-90 had 40 watts, I believe he could compete better as far as me hearing him better. A half an S unit more power would make a G-90 really make more Hams take notice. Hmmm.... I might even want to buy one to use in the SUV. With all that said, I'm not a power freak because I've gotten into some of my buddy's ears about how silly it is to run 600 watts on HF all the time. I think somewhere in the past, some Engineer with more than 3 brain cells figured that 100 watts was pretty much all you need for worldwide communications and that's why most radios come with 100 watts. My first good radio had 200 watts and I didn't do any better than my other Ham buddies that had 100 watts. Good video.
For the bang the FTDX 10 is the winner. For simple minded operating the Icom is best. I can always turn down my 100 watt radio . I can't turn up a 5 or 10 watt radio to 100 watts. are you back packing in on a hard to get to location ? Or setting in your car at a POTA ? There is no real answer to the question.
Having both -- an FT-710 and a G90, that is -- has made me happy. There are reasons to have something smaller and more portable than the FT-710, but when I'm sitting down for a session where I want the power, the FT-710 makes me happy.
Yep, I came down here to say that. I'm not sure the person asking the question appreciates the size and weight difference between the DX10 and 710...especially the field, as it comes with a handle!
I just watched your how to make a coax male connector. I will be doing it for the first time in a few days to repair a antenna cable. I appreciate your videos and just sub to your channel.
When comparing a 20W radio to a 100W on Transmit the difference would be 7 dB a bit more than 1S unit. You are correct in saying that receiver differences are the most important.
All things being equal that is true ? However my ic7300 on 100% power averages around 40-60 peaking around 60w on voice . The G90 peaks around 21w on my meter , and has a average closer to 20w rather than ic7300's 50w average . So in action it's more like 4db ?
@@robduncan599 Your reply suggests that you either may not know how to use your meters or your 7300 is broken. Put the Radio in CW mode on key down the radio should show very close to 100W. You can also use an external power meter. In an SSB transmission if you don't speak the power output will be zero watts and the power will rise and fall with the intensity of your voice. RFM to understand your meter. If the CW transmission does not produce close to 100W your radio needs service. BTW test into a dummy load that can handle at least 100 W.
@@vladtepes481 you may not have noticed I did say ' voice ' . Sure the rig will do 100w key down. But on average talk power with a power / SWR metre in line (Watson wcn200 )always it's around 40- 60 watts average. Sure if you whistle you might get 100 w .but like I said ' average ' is about half the max . I don't think that is uncommon. But the G90 seems to give a good average. That's all I am saying.
@@robduncan599 Well do key down on G90 you should see 20W. The G90 probably has a peak meter. The instantaneous power will always be a fraction of the peak power with a properly modulated microphone. both radios should produce a rather fixed fraction of the max power for a given voice level. RFM to learn how your meters work.
Wow Mike! Did you notice the recieve signal on the 7300 when you were transmitting with the G-90? That switch must not have completely isolated the radios. Maybe if the switch was grounded. ..
If Yaesu could just get their shit together and make a universal GUI like every ICOM radio has it would be such an easy choice, but I feel like there’s always going to be an internal engineering philosophy at Yaesu that will hinder this. Yes they’ve come along way, but I doubt we’ll see full product line ubiquity like we do with ICOM which is a shame :(
Ok, so I have just been getting into GMRS and finding that I am heading into HAM. So after watching this video and reading all of the comments, I understand that the differences between two radios comes down to more a question of receive quality and features but where does that leave the question of transmit power? If a 10 W radio can reach out as far as 100 W radio why does 100 W radio exist? Does a 100 W transmitter give you any benefit over a 10 W transmitter? If so, what is that benefit? Thank you for all of your videos and sharing your knowledge and experience with all of us.
these are more of the things you will learn by studying for the general test. There is no 'right' answer, but 100 watts will likely be 'better' in any given situation. I have the G90 and I work the world with 20 watts, but I will likely get the FT-710 next, for all the reasons in this video. Still 20W G90 is a lot of fun anyway...
I loved my FT-DX10 but for POTA it wasn’t worth the hit on the battery. Almost 3A on RX, although most of the time I found it to be in lower 2A range. In contrast my KX3/KXPA100 combo is right around 250ma on RX. I believe N4HNH has a comparison video of the DX10 vs IC7300. 20*2=40*2=80 so a 100 watt radio is only a little more than an S-Unit difference from 20w to 100w.
Great videos as always.. although your mixup at 8:05 kinda leads me to as why not the 710 as an option instead of the 7300 and the inflated cost of the FTDX10. again .. great video ...
Regarding the Yaesu v the Icom, I'd ask myself what my major use will be. If I'm chasing DX, and I have time to fine tune things through the menus, I'm going with the Yaesu. If I'm doing quick QSOs like POTA, and don't have time to fiddle, I'm going with the Icom.
For pota CW I get 2x the contacts when running 50W vs 10W. I am able to move the weak point to receive on my side. There are ton of guys who run CW QRP and I never hear them and have given up hunting CW because I have a wire antenna and most people in CW run QRP. My run rate at 50w comes close to one contact every 75sec vs QRP (10W) at one every 2 min. Sorry, it is worth the weight to take a 100w radio for POTA.
Use the RF gain control to reduce noise on the G90 works pretty good . The RF gail control on the ic7300 is very poor . I own both G90 and ic7300 . I like the 7300 better and it is more user friendly, however the RG gain control on the icom ic 7300 is a big disappointment turning it back still leaves you with considerable noise , unlike my ts870 ic 781 kenwood ts480hx or ft817 or ic703 . I know the ic7610 has similar RF gain control disappointments.
20W vs 100W, the answer is simpler than S-meter numbers... log into any distant web SDR some evening, and talk to yourself. The difference is much more significant than 1 s-unit would make you believe.
As far as menus are concerned, you'll learn how to work your radio. Sometimes we agonize over one radio versus another, when in reality they're both great. . . . . ps: I have an IC-7300, it’s a fantastic radio.
I have a g90 at 20 watts in an attic antenna when the bands with great last winter I had no problems but now the band's aren't that great I have a trouble I have trouble being heard I purchased the xpa 125 B amplifier 100 Watts and I noticed a big change if I can hear them they can actually hear me with 100 W where they couldn't when I had 20 watts
Bravo. Loved the explanation. The g90 just got taken off the list. Saving for the 7300 or maybe the 710. User experience is important so I dunno 😮. I never knew about the Sherwood report. Keep it up Mike and 73. Pete kf0oqa
And, you can run the 7300, etc. at 20 W if you want to. (I usually concern myself more with how long the battery is going to last, either in a POTA, or in a grid down scenario. As Julian, OH8STN has said many times, most radios don't seem to worry much about receive current drain. I can get my FT-991 down to about 1A on receive. The KX-3 does a whole lot better, maybe 40ma if I'm careful about shutting off features that I don't need at the moment. Mike, what is the receive current on the G-90? (And you're still misusing "exponentially.) Hi to Satan.
What happens to the answer if you are using the same radio but adjusting the power setting from 20 to 100 🤣 i am toying with the 710 and the dx10 😊 massive upgrade from my 817. Great video Mike 👍🏽73
Nothing. Other than you turned the power up. And your current will be higher from your power source on TX. And you may actually be heard if the RX station didn't hear you before when only on 20 watts.
That's a tough one. Honestly, unless you're a serious contester, I don't think most hams would really use all the extra features in those really high dollar radios. Sure Flex radios and the like are super sexy and really really good at doing what they are designed for, but are you going to be operating multiple stations on multiple frequencies at the same time? On the other hand, if you've got the disposable income, go for it. Keep in mind though, your radio is only going to be as good as your antenna system. I would say for a new ham, start with an FTDX-10 or a 7300. They're both great radios with all the features all but the most serious operator are going to need.
@@duanebrumage5281 only consider the pro-level radios if you have room for a bit of an antenna farm - more than one transmit antenna and dedicated receive antenna. You’re basically picking up a second transceiver in the same box with the ability to do some things like diversity receive and monitoring more than one frequency at the same time.
after owning an IC-7200, I would never purchase an Icom. It did introduce me to digital, but I truly prefer my little G90 over that IC-7200 yuck. By the way, I like the mancave...
Heck yeah man, that's awesome to hear! I still think about him often. He was a great guy. Never met in person but we texted, chatted on Slack, and on the digital modes quite often.
Come on Mike why would you compare apples and oranges the g90 is a Chinese radio 7300 is going to be a much better radio made in Japan not only that Mike why didn't you compare the ft 710 or one of those radios from Yaesu that was a dumb comparison on UA-cam here I can't believe you are comparing a g90 against the 7300 it's just not fair that's my story I'm sticking to it I still love you man 🙏❤️✅
Generation that cares about the menu being simple and user-friendly-it's as easy as taking the time to READ the manual, don't be lazy! Yes, the menu of the Yaesu DX10 is complicated, but its receiver is superior. The Difference Between 100 Watt & 20 Watt is: "PROPAGATION AND OP's SKILL " But we are in a generation that wants everything quickly; there is no patience.
Well you're certainly quick to judge, and I'll be the first to admit that patience isn't one of my better attributes. BUT...I'll have you know that I have every single manual to every radio I own (not the Baofengs, of course) downloaded and saved on my phone incase I need to access it quickly. And yes, I have read them all. Even the advanced manuals. Thanks for showing your age and how grumpy and intolerant to change you are though. This was funny to read. All the best.
@@hamradiotube I understand that you feel the need to defend yourself in today's world, where the internet often seems full of anxious people. However, my comment was not directed at you personally but meant for a broader audience. I'm sorry if it came across as offensive; that was not my intention, Not all comments need to be taken as an attack Hold yours horses🐎 have a nice day 73
The question I have is: if QRP is 5 watts cw and less than 10 watts SSB, does that mean 9 watts ssb is QRP but 10 isn’t? And if so what if you are using a 50/100watt radio but you have so much cable loss that it equals 9 watts at the antenna is it QRP?
I believe the general consensus from the people who matter (not me) is that 5 watts or less CW and 10 watts or less SSB is now considered QRP. Who knows? Now that there's a couple 20 watt radios out (I forgot about the FX4CR) people will probably be calling 20 watts QRP. But, if your cable is so bad you're only putting out 9 watts ERP you might want to consider replacing that coax. Good question none the less. I would say that counts as QRP as that's all that is radiating.
For a long time I always thought of QRP as five watts or less, it's only recently that people are calling ten watts SSB QRP. You don't have to be that exact. Just have fun, make contacts. I hope to work you on the air!
I might be wrong but I think my g90 has a DNR and a notch filter I can tune almost all the static out and I think it's almost as good as my 991 and my 857
I would love it if that were true, but sadly, narrowing the bandwidth isn't quite the same thing. What are you doing to achieve these results? Did they add that in some firmware update I missed?
When I use my 705 at 10w in Hawaii, I usually get around 20-25 QSOs. When I use my 7300 at 100w, I'm getting 150-250 QSOs in the same amount of time. Power is important when working more than a single hop.
Worked HI with 5W CW from Western PA during field day using a Rybakov vertical antenna.
Those of us on the eastern portion of the US really appriceate your 100 w. TY for not being QRP or a QRP purist.
A borrowed G90 without noise reduction made me decide to buy an FT-891. The inability to clean up the receive signal was a big decider in and around my home. I find on POTA in an isolated park I use zero noise reduction in most cases as the noise floor is nearly nothing. I think a G90 would be great there. The built in antenna tunner is a huge advantage.
It was fun to work you for this video. There really was very little difference in the signal! POTA Bob KD9TQH
1.2 S units between 20W and 100W on a perfectly calibrated S meter using the old Collins standard. But I am not aware that any such radios exist.
One comment is that receive can be improved even further with properly set RF gain control. The way Yaesu implements RF gain seems better than Icom’s, but the distinction is more about how it reflects visually on the meter for the Yaesu.
The G90 likely needed its RF gain turned down some, and in my opinion the RF gain works best on the newest firmware-but it’s got nowhere near the granularity and functionality of the dx10.
Even though I prefer the dx10, there’s something quite satisfying about using the g90. That tiny screen gives you a ton of information all at the same time.
You hit the nail on the head. I literally hated the G90 until I figured that out. On my firmware version, I often times am using no agc with just the rf gain with sometimes some attenuation.
Great video Mike. One of the things rarely talked about on the transmit side is audio quality. This is so important, especially with lower powers. A well set up audio with 20W can be better than poor audio on 100W. Clarity and punch are the way forward, especially on SSB. Ian. G0VGS
Spectral purity and transmitter phase noise are two factors in comparing transmitters but I agree it’s all about the receiver. And thanks for adding that the 20 watt signal might not be heard in some band conditions. Just like a 100 watts may not be heard but the 1000 watt station will be at times.
From the desk of WV3V, ALL of my POTA/SOTA activations have been with 20 watts or less, period. I don't own a portable rig with 100 watts and if I did, I guess I would use it for POTA. I like the challenge and it's not for everybody. 12,15, 20 contacts during an activation is OK with me. Making 100's of contact would also be nice but that's not what I am after. I am after the joy of going portable, limited power, antennas and, working for it. Again, that's what makes it a hobby, and to each their own. It's OK to like QRP, and it's OK to like QRO. For me, it's about having fun doing it. -Jason, WV3V
Mike what you displayed is why I moved from noisy radios like my 817 to a KX2 that just made listening a pleasure.
Well done Mike. Not controversial at all. Just nicely presented with valid viewpoints.
73, Marc, W4MPS
Awesome video!! One of your best ones to date IMHO. That 7300 to G90 comparison sure explained a lot to me and has changed my mind about QRP transmit power.
I had "had being the operative word" the 7200 and I prefer my G90 over it. BUT, I've got a 150Watt amp on the way from china.
Two cents... Having owned and operated a 7300 and FTdx101MP I can say this... once you have the radio set up for your mode, you "really" do not need to twiddle knobs and get into the menus especially on POTA as an activator. So essentially what I experience is that on POTA the main interface is two simple steps... TRANSMIT and then LOG. Also, the Yaesu receiver and Noise Reduction is a rather large (Very Large) step above the 7300. If you want to eliminate the menu issue (if there is one) there are quite a few CAT programs that make the human interface go away. If you can't hear em... you cannot work em.... the 101 and 710 series shine. And for POTA... the Xiegu G90 and XPA125B combo is really hard to beat. 73 Art W1SWL
I have had them both and kept the ftdx 10. Once you have it set very little changes needed. 7300 is a good radio but was able to get a better quality sound from the Yaesu. Just my thoughts playing with both
This was a faint idea. Thank you so much for the detailed answers and actually showing a live demonstration!
Excellent channel!
I recently upgraded my station (rather significantly) and my new transceiver can pick up signals that are down in the noise for its predecessor. Unfortunately, there's no guarantee that the station on the other end has "ears" as good as mine. Even if they do, they may be dealing with local noise or interference that makes marginal signals hard to hear. This is why, all else being equal, I'll opt for more power capability. I'm not required to use it -- I can always throttle back (and usually do, to be honest), but it can really come in handy in some situations. Nothing against some of the amazing QRP rigs that are out there -- I have a couple of them, and enjoy seeing just how far I can make a few watts go. But when they're maxed, they're maxed.
Mike, not that you ever make a bad video, but this one was def one of the best Monday Mailbag videos. I run a 7300 at home also, coicidentally about to send it off to repair the multi-function knob which operates the notch filter and it’s imperative to have it in working order because that filter is INVALUABLE! Great job, appreciate the hands-on you did in this. 73 buddy 🤘
I love my 710. Sold my IC-746 to get it.
Is the Icom "easier" to operate? Yes. Initially. Once you get used to the menu system the Yeasu is far more "customizable".
How about sound? My 710 is the AESS and sounds amazing!
Receive? Not even close. The 710 is a beast.
When looking at a new radio it came down to the 7300 vs the 710. For me it was an easy choice.
See when I bought my 7300, its competitor was the 991A and the main reason I went with the 7300 after owning 2 other Yaesu HF radios was the menus. And the waterfall on the 991 is just garbage.
@@hamradiotube I have a couple of 991s, for, well, reasons, and I've always been envious of the ease of setting the filters and the graphical representation on the screen of the filtering on the 7300. The 991 has various filters on the main screens, but that's not the same. You can eventually set them the same as the 7300 but you have to go into the background stuff to do it. Ain't nobody got time for that!
@hamradiotube I concur about the 991A. Was never a fan.
Believe me when I tell you I spent a lot of time comparing apples to oranges before I jumped on the 710. My first ever rig was an Icom IC-706MKIIG. I ran it 18 wheel mobile for years. Quality rig!
Then, when I finally decided to sell my Kenwood 530 to upgrade my base the IC-746 was another stellar rig. Loved it too!
But, when it came time to jump into SDR the 710 won out for the reasons I stated above.
Good "talking" to you, brother. I watch your content often but have never commented before. Thanks!
@paulsengupta971 I absolutely love the screen on the 7300! I wish the 710's was as "roomy". First thing I did was get an external 19" display for the 710. Now I operate the menus with a mouse and my radio via PC and rarely touch the radio.
@@codywrites I also have a couple of IC-706s.
Very nice compares from 7300-G90 I have them both. 7300 is my base radio.
G90 is my Pota radio. I’ve worked the world on the G90 at 20 watts.
Kc3pmx
Greg
I added a pan adapter and Airspy HF to my 7300, what a difference! The filters and adjustable settings in SDRConsole almost eliminate ear fatigue. Worth the money!
The receive on the G90 sounds better than in your demonstration if you turn down the RF gain control until the noise is just barely registering on the S meter. When I do this, I actually enjoy listening on the G90 just as well as any other rig, including my 7300. It's a very quiet receiver with clear audio on the internal speaker. Better than the 7100 even.
My only complaint with the G90 is broadcast interference and CB powerlords. An external broadcast filter is a must have accessory, and if you have to use it, then you lose the tuner. If they had included this in the radio I would have nothing to be unhappy about.
When someone is confused by the FTDX10, I do not understand. Learning the breadth of features is challenging, but the control is simple. Push the function button and select the feature.
My most annoying radio is the IC-7000. To use your example, changing the output power takes a roadmap and opening the manual PDF.
Have you tried the FT-991? It's a very useful shack in a box but the menu system still confuses me after years of ownership.
My friends IC-7300 I only used occasionally but it's just so easy by comparison.
Dialing in the transmit audio just right can be tricky on the dx10, but mostly if you’re using a unique microphone/headset. Otherwise, the N4hnh guide available to his patreon patrons will helps a lot in getting you up and running quickly. It’s a good radio… and if you’re going to operate from home a ton…. Get the dx10… but if you’re heading out into the great outdoors, the ft-710 really is a better form factor. The size difference in the specifications doesn’t really give you an idea of how much lighter and more compact the 710 is. Not blow your socks off small, but it’s obvious when you see it in person.
Just watched the video. Very good comparison on internally generated receiver noise...but 2x the money gets you that performance edge. My G90 is "good enough" for POTA-rixing.
Thanks Mike for a very good vid. I hope it helps those who have had the same question. You exibited the results very well, and quite frankly I wanted to see a recived audio comparison for a long time between the G90 and any other rigs like the 7300. I own 2 7300s and a 705 (I Love them by the way) and have looked at the g90 and others for lower food chain type radios.I was just very curious and based on what I just heard, I will be sticking to my higher end stuff. Thanks again and 73, I hope to one day get to meet up with at one of the many HAM fest I attend. I have made contact via ft8 and feel honored to have you there in my log. Now to to get you via Voice some day. take care, Vic de KE8JWE.
Great video! New HAM since 7/29 and still looking to buy my 1st base station. This really helped give me some direction.
It's hard to beat the I-comm radios, they are fairly easy to get around if you have even the slightest idea how radios work. I passed my exam at the YOTA camp Youth On The Air, I work at the university they chose to have the camp and I did all of their audio visual, they booked me an exam so I could pass and walk over to the Bob Heil memorial Shack that was outfited with all I-comm radios and immediately make a contact. Those radios were something I sat right down and I was able to figure it out on the fly no problem. And as you said the power is not as much of a factor as one might think. Since I got my license about 14 days ago I have been working the world with my little uSDX+ SDR QRP radio with an At-100 auto tuner and a wire up into one of the trees in the yard. The first contact I made was to Belgium 5-9 from Nova Scotia Canada. I've worked Serbia, Slovenia and last night a guy just outside of Moscow 6600km away from me. Not many features but enough that I'm happily making contacts.
Thanks for the honest video, Mike. I am also an ICOM fanboy with 2 7300s and a 705. Permanently loaned my FT-891 to my son for portable use as I always struggled with the searching for functions during POTA activations. I loved the DNR function but hated most everything else (relative to the 7300.) If I were to buy a new rig now, as much as I want the 7610 for all the wrong reasons, I would be torn between the FT-710 and the FTdx-10 because of the receiver sensitivity as well as DNR. I also have a G90 which rarely is used now that I have the 705 for CW/QRP. Just like the features and functionality better with the ICOMs than the G90. Thanks again!
I know for a fact that you can work the world with 20 watts and a wire. It can be hard to bust through pileups though, especially when others are running amplifiers. When running lower power you definitely have to work with propagation. I will say the internal tuner on the G90 is fantastic. Before I put up my 80 through 10 EFHW antenna I was using an inverted V wire dipole cut for 10 meter and was able to tune all the way down to 40 meters with the internal tuner on the G90. Was it the most efficient set up? Absolutely not, but I was making contacts. One of my more memorable contacts was with a ham in Colorado who was running an amplifier and decided to turn it off after I told him I was running only 20 watts and he was hearing me without any issue until the band changed. There was no change on my end when he turned off his amplifier.
for the 20w vs 100w thing, I think the big thing to realize is that 100w shows up a lot better on a waterfall. So if you want to just call CQ on a frequency and have people find you, the more watts you have the better, because you will make a big peak on the waterfall, and people can navigate over to you. When I run QRP I generally have to hunt stations that are calling CQ and they may or may not hear me when I respond back to them, but the only times I've ever had someone respond to me when I just call CQ on a frequency was when I was running into an amplifier with ~100w output. You can still hear someone transmitting at 20w in a lot of band conditions, but only if you are on their frequency already. Finding someone transmitting at 20w is much harder.
Boom. Sold. I’ve been trying to decide this for a while now. I live in a very noisy environment. Ftdx10 it is. 🍻
I started with the G90 when I upgraded to General. I made my first contact within an hour of passing my exam....600 miles. After 9 months I upgraded to Extra and treated myself to the FT710. My first thought was "wow, I can hear now." I also doubled the number of DX contacts in less than a month. Was it because I could hear them or they could hear me? No idea, but I love the upgrade and enjoy the FT710 every day. Thanks for showing power is not as big a deal as we might think but a better receiver is worth a penny or two......
Another great video. I feel you on the Yaesu menus. Not long after the FTdx-10 came out I was in the market for a new HF radio. I really wanted an IC-7300 but everyone had them on backorder. I studied the comparisons, especially the receive, and bought an FTdx-10 and haven't been sorry. I had an FT-891 for portable and it worked fine but I used it so seldom I had to look up menu settings to change things. I sold it and bought a FT-710 for portable since the menus and buttons are somewhat similar to the dx-10. I am happy with that choice so far. And I do now own a 7300 to run my Winlink gateway. I also have a g-90 (I had two but a friend talked me out of one) and ran the Winlink gateway at 17 W and it did fine. I think the G-90 is a good choice for a first radio and really good for portable where the noise floor is much less.
I used to have a 7300 but sold it when I got my FTdx-101MP and I still have a 705 and use it for POTA (as well as my old G90) and I agree with you on the menus. The 7300 and 705 are pretty much the same. The FTdx-10, FTdx-101, and FTdx-101MP are likewise pretty much the same among their new. Yes the menu on the Yaesu are "different", but they really aren't that hard to use once you get to know it. Also, I rarely have the need to constantly make setting changes on a day to day operation, so for me, the clarity of RX is king for me. To each their own.
How much difference is there between 100 and 200 watts? I'm thinking about getting the 101mp.
I have the FTdx101d it's a big radio. I own several amplifiers so didn't need the 200 watt version. It's 3 db difference. There are a lot of guys that buy the 200 watt radio to drive very large amplifiers. Most 1.5 kw amps require 50 watts of drive roughly. These guys are running 4-5+ kw amps
I think COAX helps too. If i am using poor coax, the power drop my be down to 50% and now the G90 is down to 10 watts. It looked like your coax was pretty low loss. Good video! I am glad I got the 7300.
Honest question. And no intent to be obnoxious, because I appreciate this sort of side-by-side testing. I'm trying to work out a solution for remote emcomm. My guess is that in a real life emergency, you would choose an FT-891 or IC-7100 over the G90, in part because of the filters in the 891 and 7100, and in part because a few more dB of power would be a good thing. Is that a safe conclusion?
@14:20, isn't that the G90's AGC coming back from the drop in signal, though? Why not do the test with no AGC at all and make it a truly fair test?
Great video. The FX-4CR also does 20w
I hope they become available again soon.
@@spaceghost704 He is getting ready tp ship over 500 of them
@@spaceghost704There is expected to be a production release at the end of July 2024, based on a Facebook post from the maker.
I sold my G90 which I liked and bought the ft-710 which I love. What a difference in noise reduction. The 710 is a much superior radio.
what radio of anybrand in your opinion have the best receiver? may it should be whole separate video on that. taking in account that transmitting power least important thing
Hi Mike, thanks for sharing another great video. The comparison between the 7300 and the g90 illustrates your point perfectly.
Hey Mike, I guess @KH6WI kind of answered this question. In his case power does matter, but for those of us on the mainland, I wonder how this would work if we had a high-end "QRP" rig like the IC705 vs the 7300. In this case we have newer technology in the 705 that should cut out the noise just as well, if not better than the 7300. Then the question would be, which rig do I want to take out and set up in the field. One advantage of QRP rigs is size. They are usually much smaller and lighter than "normal" 100W rigs designed more towards portable ops. Great comparison and a different twist looking at the receive side. 73
Brilliant video! Could not have done this better.
1 S unit can mean being heard or not in a pile up, or bad band conditions.
You want to talk about crazy? To get into programming mode for the FT-70DR you have to plug it in, turn it on, remove the battery, hold down one of the buttons, insert the battery and you're in. But wait - there's more! To retrieve memory from the unit, you need to then press another button. And when you are ready to send data TO the radio you need to press a completely different button! Love the radio, but that's just nuts.
7 dB is very significant when it's close to the noise. I would spend the $$ for the 100W rig.
I personally would not buy the 7300. On field day that thing was getting beat up by all the other transmitters. We dropped an FTDX10 in its place and the problems were gone completely. Yaesu menus, once you learn them it’s not an issue.
The 7300 vs G90 comparison is also very nicely done!
I have all three of the Yaesu FT-891, FT-991A, and FTDX10. The menus on the 891 and 991A are legitimately wonky. Usable once you figure it out, but they have their reputation for a reason - I keep the PDF of the user’s manual for the 891 on my phone. The DX10 is a completely different animal - everything is much, much more intuitive and common things are quick to access. The Icom screens might still be slightly prettier, but I think the complaints about Yaesu menus are obsolete now.
Like others said, if they want to haul it around semi-portable, the 710 seems like the obvious answer now that it exists.
Excellent video, great demo! Thanks for the time and effort you put into your content!
The outer ring on the dx10 allow you to assign most menu items that need adjusted.
Really nice video. Quite informative. Well done. I'm going to come back to this channel now with predilection :)
I have a Yaesu 891 and an FT710. Love the 891, but changing power settings is AWKWARD. The 710 is great.
The 7300 vs 710/DX10 discussion was actually very balanced, and I appreciate that. I do really wish Yaesu would do just a little more work on their UI, but the 710 is SUCH a good receiver.
Re power. Still if your signal is just at the noise level with 20 watts, 100 watts will get the contact when 20 won't. Power may not always matter but often it can matter.
Excellent presentation Mike. Thanks for the demonstration. I hope you get time in the future to look at the X6200. I'd love to see your feedback on that one. Thanks.
I doubt very strongly I'll ever get my hands on one of those unless someone I know lets me borrow it. I'm pretty sure I've killed my relationship with Radioddity in the last couple review videos I did for the G106 and X6100. That's what you get for being honest I guess.
@@hamradiotube Yes, your G106 was a total Fup.
You obviously never read the manual and as such made some bad mistakes none of which was the fault of the radio.
Yes it was not one of their better radios, but common sense should have twigged and realized this was reflected by its retail price.
I am not surprised Radioditty and Xeigu wont let you anywhere near their products.
The review was utterly biased and with perceived opinions in the negative.
It was a totally disgusting review "Period"
VK6AOZ
Output Power is important. But.. Don't forget that "Receiving" is important also.. check the RX Specs. of the Radio (db Sensitivity / Selectivity). If you can't hear a potential contact, all that power output does not matter.. (All you are is an Alligator Station).. Try to achieve a Happy Balance..
I figured that you were going to spout a load of BS, but I got fooled. Not many Hams have a clue about the 6 db per S unit, but you did. Years ago, I sat down and started with, as I best recall, 30 mw being 1 db and then stepped up 3 db at a time until I got ridiculous up to about 2000 watts. What I found was that you need at least 10 watts to do much of anything on any band, and that includes HF all the way to UHF. With all that said, I participate in a weekly Preppers net and I run 100 watts on an IC -7300 and the Net Control Operator runs 100 watts from a Yaesu FTDX-10 and a fellow 15 miles from him runs a G-90. I can hear the NCO quite well, but the G-90 guy is readable but always weak. If that G-90 had 40 watts, I believe he could compete better as far as me hearing him better. A half an S unit more power would make a G-90 really make more Hams take notice. Hmmm.... I might even want to buy one to use in the SUV. With all that said, I'm not a power freak because I've gotten into some of my buddy's ears about how silly it is to run 600 watts on HF all the time. I think somewhere in the past, some Engineer with more than 3 brain cells figured that 100 watts was pretty much all you need for worldwide communications and that's why most radios come with 100 watts. My first good radio had 200 watts and I didn't do any better than my other Ham buddies that had 100 watts. Good video.
For the bang the FTDX 10 is the winner. For simple minded operating the Icom is best. I can always turn down my 100 watt radio . I can't turn up a 5 or 10 watt radio to 100 watts. are you back packing in on a hard to get to location ? Or setting in your car at a POTA ? There is no real answer to the question.
When you go out to eat do you pay more for 10 % of a plate of food?
FTdx10 Ihave ic-7300 love it, but it's easier to dial in Yaesu. I would recommend icom tho bc of integration with remote especially.
For POTA the FT-710 is probably better than either of these
Having both -- an FT-710 and a G90, that is -- has made me happy. There are reasons to have something smaller and more portable than the FT-710, but when I'm sitting down for a session where I want the power, the FT-710 makes me happy.
@@unclemikeyplays I use the G90, 710, FX-4CR and QDX for POTA activations. I absolutely agree it’s situational.
This. FT-710 is the correct answer.
Yep, I came down here to say that. I'm not sure the person asking the question appreciates the size and weight difference between the DX10 and 710...especially the field, as it comes with a handle!
Agreed!! I have the 710, and sold a xeigu 6100 ...FT710 is very solid ❤
There's got to be a way to filter the static on the built-in speaker in the g90. Seems like the kind of thing a few capacitors could handle.
Excellent information here! Way to make it make sense!
I just watched your how to make a coax male connector. I will be doing it for the first time in a few days to repair a antenna cable. I appreciate your videos and just sub to your channel.
Hey thanks so much! Welcome to the channel.
When comparing a 20W radio to a 100W on Transmit the difference would be 7 dB a bit more than 1S unit. You are correct in saying that receiver differences are the most important.
All things being equal that is true ? However my ic7300 on 100% power averages around 40-60 peaking around 60w on voice . The G90 peaks around 21w on my meter , and has a average closer to 20w rather than ic7300's 50w average . So in action it's more like 4db ?
@@robduncan599 Your reply suggests that you either may not know how to use your meters or your 7300 is broken. Put the Radio in CW mode on key down the radio should show very close to 100W. You can also use an external power meter. In an SSB transmission if you don't speak the power output will be zero watts and the power will rise and fall with the intensity of your voice. RFM to understand your meter. If the CW transmission does not produce close to 100W your radio needs service. BTW test into a dummy load that can handle at least 100 W.
@@vladtepes481 you may not have noticed I did say ' voice ' . Sure the rig will do 100w key down. But on average talk power with a power / SWR metre in line (Watson wcn200 )always it's around 40- 60 watts average. Sure if you whistle you might get 100 w .but like I said ' average ' is about half the max . I don't think that is uncommon. But the G90 seems to give a good average. That's all I am saying.
@@robduncan599 Well do key down on G90 you should see 20W. The G90 probably has a peak meter. The instantaneous power will always be a fraction of the peak power with a properly modulated microphone. both radios should produce a rather fixed fraction of the max power for a given voice level. RFM to learn how your meters work.
Wow Mike! Did you notice the recieve signal on the 7300 when you were transmitting with the G-90? That switch must not have completely isolated the radios. Maybe if the switch was grounded. ..
Let’s get ready to rumble!!!!!!!!!
If Yaesu could just get their shit together and make a universal GUI like every ICOM radio has it would be such an easy choice, but I feel like there’s always going to be an internal engineering philosophy at Yaesu that will hinder this. Yes they’ve come along way, but I doubt we’ll see full product line ubiquity like we do with ICOM which is a shame :(
What about using external DSP noise reduction device?
Ok, so I have just been getting into GMRS and finding that I am heading into HAM. So after watching this video and reading all of the comments, I understand that the differences between two radios comes down to more a question of receive quality and features but where does that leave the question of transmit power? If a 10 W radio can reach out as far as 100 W radio why does 100 W radio exist? Does a 100 W transmitter give you any benefit over a 10 W transmitter? If so, what is that benefit? Thank you for all of your videos and sharing your knowledge and experience with all of us.
Every time you double your power like from 10-20 u get one S unit… so from 20-40 is another s unit and from 40-80 is another s unit… got it?
these are more of the things you will learn by studying for the general test. There is no 'right' answer, but 100 watts will likely be 'better' in any given situation. I have the G90 and I work the world with 20 watts, but I will likely get the FT-710 next, for all the reasons in this video. Still 20W G90 is a lot of fun anyway...
I loved my FT-DX10 but for POTA it wasn’t worth the hit on the battery. Almost 3A on RX, although most of the time I found it to be in lower 2A range. In contrast my KX3/KXPA100 combo is right around 250ma on RX. I believe N4HNH has a comparison video of the DX10 vs IC7300.
20*2=40*2=80 so a 100 watt radio is only a little more than an S-Unit difference from 20w to 100w.
Great videos as always.. although your mixup at 8:05 kinda leads me to as why not the 710 as an option instead of the 7300 and the inflated cost of the FTDX10. again .. great video ...
In his email he specifically said he does not want the 710 due to issues he was reading about in some forums on that radio.
Great video Mike, thank you so much for putting out videos that help us newbies.
Michael
My pleasure, thanks for watching!
Regarding the Yaesu v the Icom, I'd ask myself what my major use will be. If I'm chasing DX, and I have time to fine tune things through the menus, I'm going with the Yaesu. If I'm doing quick QSOs like POTA, and don't have time to fiddle, I'm going with the Icom.
For pota CW I get 2x the contacts when running 50W vs 10W. I am able to move the weak point to receive on my side. There are ton of guys who run CW QRP and I never hear them and have given up hunting CW because I have a wire antenna and most people in CW run QRP. My run rate at 50w comes close to one contact every 75sec vs QRP (10W) at one every 2 min. Sorry, it is worth the weight to take a 100w radio for POTA.
Thank you for doing the comparison.
Use the RF gain control to reduce noise on the G90 works pretty good . The RF gail control on the ic7300 is very poor .
I own both G90 and ic7300 . I like the 7300 better and it is more user friendly, however the RG gain control on the icom ic 7300 is a big disappointment turning it back still leaves you with considerable noise , unlike my ts870 ic 781 kenwood ts480hx or ft817 or ic703 . I know the ic7610 has similar RF gain control disappointments.
That was a very interesting demo. I did not expect those results.
Barry, KU3X
20W vs 100W, the answer is simpler than S-meter numbers... log into any distant web SDR some evening, and talk to yourself. The difference is much more significant than 1 s-unit would make you believe.
As far as menus are concerned, you'll learn how to work your radio. Sometimes we agonize over one radio versus another, when in reality they're both great. . . . . ps: I have an IC-7300, it’s a fantastic radio.
I have a g90 at 20 watts in an attic antenna when the bands with great last winter I had no problems but now the band's aren't that great I have a trouble I have trouble being heard I purchased the xpa 125 B amplifier 100 Watts and I noticed a big change if I can hear them they can actually hear me with 100 W where they couldn't when I had 20 watts
Bravo. Loved the explanation. The g90 just got taken off the list. Saving for the 7300 or maybe the 710. User experience is important so I dunno 😮. I never knew about the Sherwood report. Keep it up Mike and 73. Pete kf0oqa
And, you can run the 7300, etc. at 20 W if you want to. (I usually concern myself more with how long the battery is going to last, either in a POTA, or in a grid down scenario. As Julian, OH8STN has said many times, most radios don't seem to worry much about receive current drain. I can get my FT-991 down to about 1A on receive. The KX-3 does a whole lot better, maybe 40ma if I'm careful about shutting off features that I don't need at the moment. Mike, what is the receive current on the G-90?
(And you're still misusing "exponentially.)
Hi to Satan.
What happens to the answer if you are using the same radio but adjusting the power setting from 20 to 100 🤣 i am toying with the 710 and the dx10 😊 massive upgrade from my 817.
Great video Mike
👍🏽73
Nothing. Other than you turned the power up. And your current will be higher from your power source on TX. And you may actually be heard if the RX station didn't hear you before when only on 20 watts.
@@hamradiotube great work Mike. I have only just come across the Atas-25. Where has this antenna been hiding. 🤣
Thanks Mike, so now for the big question. Should a new ham like myself spend $1200.00 on a radio or $4-5,000 .00 on a better radio.
That's a tough one. Honestly, unless you're a serious contester, I don't think most hams would really use all the extra features in those really high dollar radios. Sure Flex radios and the like are super sexy and really really good at doing what they are designed for, but are you going to be operating multiple stations on multiple frequencies at the same time? On the other hand, if you've got the disposable income, go for it. Keep in mind though, your radio is only going to be as good as your antenna system. I would say for a new ham, start with an FTDX-10 or a 7300. They're both great radios with all the features all but the most serious operator are going to need.
@@duanebrumage5281 only consider the pro-level radios if you have room for a bit of an antenna farm - more than one transmit antenna and dedicated receive antenna. You’re basically picking up a second transceiver in the same box with the ability to do some things like diversity receive and monitoring more than one frequency at the same time.
one good advice is to spend ~$1200.00 for transceiver and $4-5,000.00 on antenna system.
you’ll see the difference!
I am enjoying my FTdx10....
You can always turn the 100W radios down to 20W and have the great receiver.
This. I rarely run my 710 at 100w. I see no need if I'm making the contact to push more power than needed. I seem to recall something about that.
after owning an IC-7200, I would never purchase an Icom. It did introduce me to digital, but I truly prefer my little G90 over that IC-7200 yuck. By the way, I like the mancave...
I think I fell asleep ... wake me when its over !
If you want to hear the real difference power makes, have a listen to the international beacon project.
Last i checked, about 80 watts. DAMN!
Jerry was a good dude. I still have my speaker wire dipole we made.
Heck yeah man, that's awesome to hear! I still think about him often. He was a great guy. Never met in person but we texted, chatted on Slack, and on the digital modes quite often.
Come on Mike why would you compare apples and oranges the g90 is a Chinese radio 7300 is going to be a much better radio made in Japan not only that Mike why didn't you compare the ft 710 or one of those radios from Yaesu that was a dumb comparison on UA-cam here I can't believe you are comparing a g90 against the 7300 it's just not fair that's my story I'm sticking to it I still love you man 🙏❤️✅
Generation that cares about the menu being simple and user-friendly-it's as easy as taking the time to READ the manual, don't be lazy! Yes, the menu of the Yaesu DX10 is complicated, but its receiver is superior.
The Difference Between 100 Watt & 20 Watt is: "PROPAGATION AND OP's SKILL "
But we are in a generation that wants everything quickly; there is no patience.
Well you're certainly quick to judge, and I'll be the first to admit that patience isn't one of my better attributes. BUT...I'll have you know that I have every single manual to every radio I own (not the Baofengs, of course) downloaded and saved on my phone incase I need to access it quickly. And yes, I have read them all. Even the advanced manuals. Thanks for showing your age and how grumpy and intolerant to change you are though. This was funny to read. All the best.
😳
@@hamradiotube I understand that you feel the need to defend yourself in today's world, where the internet often seems full of anxious people. However, my comment was not directed at you personally but meant for a broader audience. I'm sorry if it came across as offensive; that was not my intention, Not all comments need to be taken as an attack Hold yours horses🐎 have a nice day 73
Great video, very nice job on both topics. Just the Facts. 73s
ATAS helped me choose my mobile rig.
Sadly there's a lack of good mobile radios currently on the market. The 7100 is a great radio but it's so big. The ATAS & 891 is just a winning combo.
I use 3khz digital mode on g90 into pc and use Carla with noise reduction filter on Linux. G90 is silent
I’m considering the g90 for my first HF rig. Glad you said this.
The question I have is: if QRP is 5 watts cw and less than 10 watts SSB, does that mean 9 watts ssb is QRP but 10 isn’t? And if so what if you are using a 50/100watt radio but you have so much cable loss that it equals 9 watts at the antenna is it QRP?
I believe the general consensus from the people who matter (not me) is that 5 watts or less CW and 10 watts or less SSB is now considered QRP. Who knows? Now that there's a couple 20 watt radios out (I forgot about the FX4CR) people will probably be calling 20 watts QRP. But, if your cable is so bad you're only putting out 9 watts ERP you might want to consider replacing that coax. Good question none the less. I would say that counts as QRP as that's all that is radiating.
@hamradiotube very disappointed in the FX-4CR. I gave up on it.
For a long time I always thought of QRP as five watts or less, it's only recently that people are calling ten watts SSB QRP. You don't have to be that exact.
Just have fun, make contacts. I hope to work you on the air!
I might be wrong but I think my g90 has a DNR and a notch filter I can tune almost all the static out and I think it's almost as good as my 991 and my 857
I would love it if that were true, but sadly, narrowing the bandwidth isn't quite the same thing. What are you doing to achieve these results? Did they add that in some firmware update I missed?
Great video, Mike!
Thanks!
Great job 😊 video