Good Evening Scott, thank you for your video and insight into the various transceivers you have owned and operated. I also enjoyed reading the comments which shows how different we all are. My first HF transceiver in the UK was a Yaesu FT-902DM which I purchased new in 1981. I don’t think I used this radio for 10 hours before I left England and began living and working overseas. I left this radio in the original box with my sister and it sat in the attics of three different houses she lived in. I now live in the U.S. and got my FCC Amateur Radio licenses in early 2021. I bought a Yaesu FT-991A which served me well to start. Long story short, I shipped my FT-902DM to my home in the U.S. I converted it to the U.S. voltage and had a veteran Yaesu Tech go though it to make sure it was all OK. This is a great radio and I love using from time to time. Later in 2021, I purchased the Flex 6400M and truly enjoyed the New SDR experience. As you mentioned, it has a great receiver and it’s easy to filter out the garbage. A few months ago, I purchased a Yaesu FTdx101MP and sold the Flex. I don’t have your long experience in Ham radio, but I do prefer the Yaesu over the Flex and have zero issues with the ergonomics, but this could be due to my experience level. I don’t run an amplifier, so the 200 watts is nice to have. I also had the three optional filters installed. You never say never, but I can’t imagine changing this radio as it serves all of my needs. All the Best.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Funny you should mention the 902DM. I had a 201ZD from 1980 through the early 2000s and found it was built like a tank. It had that early hybrid design that offered the best of both worlds- vacuum tubes and solid state engineering. Glad you like your 101D. Thanks again and 73
Pretty confident I will buy one of these soon, I had an FTDX10 to play with for a few months, much the same applies to the ergonomics but was soon able to interface it to a Raspberry Pi to do remote operation and digital modes. For normal SSB activity I have also been spoilt by old rigs with dual receivers on separate antennas. Sadly many of the Eham reviews state the radio cannot do things which it can. It is a shame that many owners have not had the attention span needed to learn how the radio works. The RF environment has changed a lot over they years, as much as I love my "Classic" rigs the SDR topology has a lot going for it. Edit: I have now had my FTDX101MP a month or so, added the optional filters figuring I will get plenty of use out of them over the future years. Hopefully I will not be seeing the inside of this radio again for many years to come. Very pleased with the radio, predictably the image rejection is not impressive, if you tune around 32MHz you will hear stations operating on the 20m band. Of course this is the price of having a low first IF frequency. Since I don't usually tune around 32MHz I don't regard it as a big issue. Noise reduction is very impressive, playing with the FTDX10 previously did a lot to convince me...
Great Video - I’ve been in the computing industry for a long time, and for me having the ftdx101d with all its knobs and dials is a refreshing change from computer driven interface. Using the ftdx101d captures the experience that is, the ham radio/shortwave listening experience! Good luck with your radio and enjoy!
I currently own a FTDX10MP and I was considering moving to the 6400M, but watching your video has made me decide to stay with the 101MP. Thanks ! 73 ' M0UGE
Thanks for the video. I own both a Flex 6700 and a FTDX-101MP. Both are outstanding radios but I must say that since I bought the Yaesu, I have not used the 6700 much. I love the Yaesu and have grown to prefer it much more than the SDR.
I purchased a 6400 and it had all sorts of issues. I literally had to unplug the lan cable to start it up then plug it back in. Flex told me it was a known issue and a fix would come eventually. So here I am looking at the 101d and the 7610. I’m leaning to the 101d.
I have set up my 101mp so I can make all my usual changes on the panel without having to go into the menu. I use the 3D scope and adjust the level often. I have mic gain, power output, etc all easy to get to. Love the rig!
I went from a 6400M to the FTDX101MP. In hind sight I should have just gotten the 101D. Not for any particular functional reason but I found I do NOT need VC-Tune on the 2nd receiver and I do not need 200w when driving an amp. I agree with everything you said. But for one item. To this date I will say the Flex 'M' series of radios are the easiest HF rigs to operate, period. So intuitive and fun too. But when speaking of ergonomics this is where it is personal operator's opinion and how they operate. I find the FTDX101 D or MP to 'ME' has much better ergonomics layout than the Flex-M. Especially when active in filtering, of all sorts, and managing two active receivers., switching bands etc.. On the 101s it is just there, perfectly logically laid out and never have to lift your hand up or touch a screen. Is the Yaesu perfect , nope, none are. The only really big gripes I have with the 101s should be dealt with a firmware update. I have learned to operate around those few issues. I could not afford both rigs. I wish I could have kept the 6400M model. But I will say I had a LOVE-HATE relationship with the 6400M. Operated it for less than two years. They sent me two radios and one had to go back a second time. Not to mention the S/W updates from Flex can be catastrophic nightmare to many as it bit me twice. Flex 'M' models has a couple of serious 'achilles heals': One, the Dell consumer Windows tablet for the interface. Not a good choice and is very problematic and has a short 'consumer ' lifespan. Second, the operating system for the radio and firmware is stored inside , bonded to the motherboard , a simple consumer camera 'flash drive'. That is their biggest issue causing Flex's to go south fast and also during firmware updates and the system corrupts itself . The Flex to me was 'like brilliant then they decided to make a couple simple serious architectural systems decisions as if it was a cheap consumer BestBuy product' to save a coupe of bucks. In conclusion, Flex is cool in many regards but it is also a brilliant S/W and design mixed with achilles heals, of just a few I mentioned above. Yes, it takes awhile to get the jest and Yaesu lingo down, as you did with the Flex lingo, but after that...to me hands down I find the 101 D or MP an absolute joy to operate and very logically setup and more fun to operate . One last thing about the FTDX101s and Flex 'M' models. The fit and finish between them is like a Yugo and Rolls Royce in quality build , finish and feel. One BIG thing I do wish Yaesu had compared to Flex, Flex has the best customer support. Flex is second to none, in that support area, period !
Flex customer service has fallen off and they continue to have issues. You can’t even get an m model because of the tablet issue, which is crazy to think that’s how rather are built. I purchased a 6400, nothing but issues. I’m now waiting on a refund and will go with the 101 or 7610.
Hello Scott, this was a great video. As for myself, I do not like the buttons and controls. I started off a few years ago with the FT 991A but when I came across the Flex 6400, I realized I found the radio I could understand. It really depends on a person’s preference, knobs/dial or SDR. Even today I only use my FT 991A for local vhf/uhf repeaters with a Raspberry pi and the MFJ 1234 server software. My background has been with computers, networking and VOIP communications. For these reasons the SDR was much simpler for me to learn how to operate the software and radio. I just was no good in turning knobs or even remembering which knob to turn. I did use Ham Radio Deluxe with the 991A which heled me do better at operating the 991A, but the Flex 6400 also provided seamless remote capabilities. This was important to me since I am on the road 4 months of the year. I did also order the Maestro but was on backorder. My first remote operations were at our condo on Orange beach Alabama. I realized during that time the laptop tablet actually provided more that I wanted which included allowing me to get on the Web, email, and search UA-cam. And again, I don’t like knobs and dials, thus I did cancel the Maestro and purchased a great laptop/tablet combination for less the cost of the Maestro. I think for me the other big driver was the band situation awareness the Flex provided me both in the shack and remote. I am looking at the same screen being local or remote. Before purchasing the 6400 I did consider the Yaesu FTDX101D. Thanks for taking time to develop this video. 73 Randy KN4YBA
Thanks Randy. I still own and use the 101ZD, and I'm not sorry I made the switch. I can understand the need for easy remote operation in your case...and the Flex 6400M fits the bill perfectly for that application.
Sold my Flex 6400 (non-M) and purchased the Yaesu FTdx101D. Pros and cons with both rigs, but I am very happy with the Yaesu. The learning curve with the Flex was steeper and longer than the Yaesu, specifically the PC connectivity required by the Flex. For me, the challenge with the Flex was not the rig, rather it was Windows 10 OS. Seemed like there was always some required tweaking following an OS change by Microsoft. Certainly very happy with the Flex and will probably buy another one in the future for remote operation. 73 de K3WR
Thanks for the comment. I remember 3 years ago when I started on the Flex I had to use the old DAX settings and it required third party drivers. Now with SmartSDR it works without DAX on the Mac. But still it required a lot of time and effort, and sometimes it got finicky. Kinda turned me off, to be honest. Plus it had to boot up like a computer. Just didn’t feel right.
I have both, A flex 6600, and a FTdx101MP. The Flex is great for some applications, excels at digital modes, but the 101MP is a notable better radio in both TX and RX. That multi button in the middle of the 101 still frustrates me. Who ever thought that was a good place for that control?
Having tried (but not owned) the 101D, the 890s and the 7610 my preference in ergonomics and build quality was clearly the 890s. In terms of build quality / feel the 7610 was the least convincing, the 7300 seems more robust to me. Obviously the 101D and the 7610 have twin VFOs and the fact that Yaesu have allowed complete duplicate controls means that a lot a real estate is taken up with these complicating the layout but with the benefit of complete flexibility. I have operated the 990 and the build quality is also high but it's a massive rig with a substantial learning curve. For reference I run a FTDX-3000 with an SDR1a as an external panadapter and the ability for rig control. It's one of the few not top of the range sets with RF/IF outputs to allow you to do this. 73 Y
Thanks foe the comment. I agree with your assessment of the 890s. I've grown a little tired of the 101D's ergonomics. One day I may just go to an 890S.
Hello Scott and thank you for the video, I just discovered your channel and like it very much. This is my wife's account, I am Robert K5TPC. You mentioned a 'third party owner's manual.' Could you tell us where to get one? I just got my 101mp a couple of weeks ago and am learning the rig (I love it!). Many thanks for helping to educate me on these great rigs!
Is the 'third party' owner's manual you mentioned just a reprint of the original or is it different in its content? Many thanks and keep the videos coming when you can! Robert K5TPC
How is the receiver on the Yaesu versus the Flexradio? I agree that buttons and knobs are nice. I guess it’s whatever you get adjusted to. I run my 6400M on Smart Control. So I use SmartSDR on my Computer. KB3Z
The receiver has that innovative QRM buster feature that is just the bomb. That makes it head and shoulders above many others. Flex had something like this but it was hidden in menus and IMHO not very effective.
Good Evening Scott, thank you for your video and insight into the various transceivers you have owned and operated. I also enjoyed reading the comments which shows how different we all are. My first HF transceiver in the UK was a Yaesu FT-902DM which I purchased new in 1981. I don’t think I used this radio for 10 hours before I left England and began living and working overseas. I left this radio in the original box with my sister and it sat in the attics of three different houses she lived in. I now live in the U.S. and got my FCC Amateur Radio licenses in early 2021. I bought a Yaesu FT-991A which served me well to start. Long story short, I shipped my FT-902DM to my home in the U.S. I converted it to the U.S. voltage and had a veteran Yaesu Tech go though it to make sure it was all OK. This is a great radio and I love using from time to time. Later in 2021, I purchased the Flex 6400M and truly enjoyed the New SDR experience. As you mentioned, it has a great receiver and it’s easy to filter out the garbage. A few months ago, I purchased a Yaesu FTdx101MP and sold the Flex. I don’t have your long experience in Ham radio, but I do prefer the Yaesu over the Flex and have zero issues with the ergonomics, but this could be due to my experience level. I don’t run an amplifier, so the 200 watts is nice to have. I also had the three optional filters installed. You never say never, but I can’t imagine changing this radio as it serves all of my needs. All the Best.
Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Funny you should mention the 902DM. I had a 201ZD from 1980 through the early 2000s and found it was built like a tank. It had that early hybrid design that offered the best of both worlds- vacuum tubes and solid state engineering. Glad you like your 101D. Thanks again and 73
Pretty confident I will buy one of these soon, I had an FTDX10 to play with for a few months, much the same applies to the ergonomics but was soon able to interface it to a Raspberry Pi to do remote operation and digital modes. For normal SSB activity I have also been spoilt by old rigs with dual receivers on separate antennas. Sadly many of the Eham reviews state the radio cannot do things which it can. It is a shame that many owners have not had the attention span needed to learn how the radio works. The RF environment has changed a lot over they years, as much as I love my "Classic" rigs the SDR topology has a lot going for it. Edit: I have now had my FTDX101MP a month or so, added the optional filters figuring I will get plenty of use out of them over the future years. Hopefully I will not be seeing the inside of this radio again for many years to come. Very pleased with the radio, predictably the image rejection is not impressive, if you tune around 32MHz you will hear stations operating on the 20m band. Of course this is the price of having a low first IF frequency. Since I don't usually tune around 32MHz I don't regard it as a big issue. Noise reduction is very impressive, playing with the FTDX10 previously did a lot to convince me...
Great Video - I’ve been in the computing industry for a long time, and for me having the ftdx101d with all its knobs and dials is a refreshing change from computer driven interface. Using the ftdx101d captures the experience that is, the ham radio/shortwave listening experience! Good luck with your radio and enjoy!
I currently own a FTDX10MP and I was considering moving to the 6400M, but watching your video has made me decide to stay with the 101MP. Thanks !
73 ' M0UGE
Thanks for the video. I own both a Flex 6700 and a FTDX-101MP. Both are outstanding radios but I must say that since I bought the Yaesu, I have not used the 6700 much. I love the Yaesu and have grown to prefer it much more than the SDR.
I purchased a 6400 and it had all sorts of issues. I literally had to unplug the lan cable to start it up then plug it back in. Flex told me it was a known issue and a fix would come eventually. So here I am looking at the 101d and the 7610. I’m leaning to the 101d.
I have set up my 101mp so I can make all my usual changes on the panel without having to go into the menu. I use the 3D scope and adjust the level often. I have mic gain, power output, etc all easy to get to. Love the rig!
I went from a 6400M to the FTDX101MP. In hind sight I should have just gotten the 101D. Not for any particular functional reason but I found I do NOT need VC-Tune on the 2nd receiver and I do not need 200w when driving an amp. I agree with everything you said. But for one item. To this date I will say the Flex 'M' series of radios are the easiest HF rigs to operate, period. So intuitive and fun too. But when speaking of ergonomics this is where it is personal operator's opinion and how they operate. I find the FTDX101 D or MP to 'ME' has much better ergonomics layout than the Flex-M. Especially when active in filtering, of all sorts, and managing two active receivers., switching bands etc.. On the 101s it is just there, perfectly logically laid out and never have to lift your hand up or touch a screen. Is the Yaesu perfect , nope, none are. The only really big gripes I have with the 101s should be dealt with a firmware update. I have learned to operate around those few issues. I could not afford both rigs. I wish I could have kept the 6400M model. But I will say I had a LOVE-HATE relationship with the 6400M. Operated it for less than two years. They sent me two radios and one had to go back a second time. Not to mention the S/W updates from Flex can be catastrophic nightmare to many as it bit me twice. Flex 'M' models has a couple of serious 'achilles heals': One, the Dell consumer Windows tablet for the interface. Not a good choice and is very problematic and has a short 'consumer ' lifespan. Second, the operating system for the radio and firmware is stored inside , bonded to the motherboard , a simple consumer camera 'flash drive'. That is their biggest issue causing Flex's to go south fast and also during firmware updates and the system corrupts itself . The Flex to me was 'like brilliant then they decided to make a couple simple serious architectural systems decisions as if it was a cheap consumer BestBuy product' to save a coupe of bucks. In conclusion, Flex is cool in many regards but it is also a brilliant S/W and design mixed with achilles heals, of just a few I mentioned above. Yes, it takes awhile to get the jest and Yaesu lingo down, as you did with the Flex lingo, but after that...to me hands down I find the 101 D or MP an absolute joy to operate and very logically setup and more fun to operate . One last thing about the FTDX101s and Flex 'M' models. The fit and finish between them is like a Yugo and Rolls Royce in quality build , finish and feel. One BIG thing I do wish Yaesu had compared to Flex, Flex has the best customer support. Flex is second to none, in that support area, period !
Flex customer service has fallen off and they continue to have issues. You can’t even get an m model because of the tablet issue, which is crazy to think that’s how rather are built. I purchased a 6400, nothing but issues. I’m now waiting on a refund and will go with the 101 or 7610.
Hello Scott, this was a great video. As for myself, I do not like the buttons and controls. I started off a few years ago with the FT 991A but when I came across the Flex 6400, I realized I found the radio I could understand. It really depends on a person’s preference, knobs/dial or SDR. Even today I only use my FT 991A for local vhf/uhf repeaters with a Raspberry pi and the MFJ 1234 server software.
My background has been with computers, networking and VOIP communications. For these reasons the SDR was much simpler for me to learn how to operate the software and radio. I just was no good in turning knobs or even remembering which knob to turn. I did use Ham Radio Deluxe with the 991A which heled me do better at operating the 991A, but the Flex 6400 also provided seamless remote capabilities. This was important to me since I am on the road 4 months of the year. I did also order the Maestro but was on backorder. My first remote operations were at our condo on Orange beach Alabama. I realized during that time the laptop tablet actually provided more that I wanted which included allowing me to get on the Web, email, and search UA-cam. And again, I don’t like knobs and dials, thus I did cancel the Maestro and purchased a great laptop/tablet combination for less the cost of the Maestro.
I think for me the other big driver was the band situation awareness the Flex provided me both in the shack and remote. I am looking at the same screen being local or remote.
Before purchasing the 6400 I did consider the Yaesu FTDX101D.
Thanks for taking time to develop this video.
73
Randy
KN4YBA
Thanks Randy. I still own and use the 101ZD, and I'm not sorry I made the switch. I can understand the need for easy remote operation in your case...and the Flex 6400M fits the bill perfectly for that application.
I would like to see you do a video working station on the 101D.
Sold my Flex 6400 (non-M) and purchased the Yaesu FTdx101D. Pros and cons with both rigs, but I am very happy with the Yaesu. The learning curve with the Flex was steeper and longer than the Yaesu, specifically the PC connectivity required by the Flex. For me, the challenge with the Flex was not the rig, rather it was Windows 10 OS. Seemed like there was always some required tweaking following an OS change by Microsoft. Certainly very happy with the Flex and will probably buy another one in the future for remote operation. 73 de K3WR
Thanks for the comment. I remember 3 years ago when I started on the Flex I had to use the old DAX settings and it required third party drivers. Now with SmartSDR it works without DAX on the Mac. But still it required a lot of time and effort, and sometimes it got finicky. Kinda turned me off, to be honest. Plus it had to boot up like a computer. Just didn’t feel right.
I have both, A flex 6600, and a FTdx101MP. The Flex is great for some applications, excels at digital modes, but the 101MP is a notable better radio in both TX and RX.
That multi button in the middle of the 101 still frustrates me. Who ever thought that was a good place for that control?
Great video de W2CSI
Thanks & 73
good job Scott vy 73 enjoy
Ty!
I commented below and forgot to thank you for sharing.
You’re welcome!
Having tried (but not owned) the 101D, the 890s and the 7610 my preference in ergonomics and build quality was clearly the 890s. In terms of build quality / feel the 7610 was the least convincing, the 7300 seems more robust to me. Obviously the 101D and the 7610 have twin VFOs and the fact that Yaesu have allowed complete duplicate controls means that a lot a real estate is taken up with these complicating the layout but with the benefit of complete flexibility. I have operated the 990 and the build quality is also high but it's a massive rig with a substantial learning curve. For reference I run a FTDX-3000 with an SDR1a as an external panadapter and the ability for rig control. It's one of the few not top of the range sets with RF/IF outputs to allow you to do this. 73 Y
Thanks foe the comment. I agree with your assessment of the 890s. I've grown a little tired of the 101D's ergonomics. One day I may just go to an 890S.
You can select preset filters and APF on the display on the Flex .
I have had my flex 6600m for a few years. I wanted an Ftdx101mp . I bought it but I couldn’t bring myself to sell my 6600m
Hello Scott and thank you for the video, I just discovered your channel and like it very much. This is my wife's account, I am Robert K5TPC. You mentioned a 'third party owner's manual.' Could you tell us where to get one? I just got my 101mp a couple of weeks ago and am learning the rig (I love it!). Many thanks for helping to educate me on these great rigs!
Thanks for the compliment Robert! I don't put too much time and effort into the channel like some do. Perhaps I should.
Is the 'third party' owner's manual you mentioned just a reprint of the original or is it different in its content? Many thanks and keep the videos coming when you can! Robert K5TPC
@@CamilleCullen-ow6qj I called it the wrong thing, sorry. It is actually a book called "Radiotoday Guide to the Yaesu FTDX101" by ZL3DW.
How is the receiver on the Yaesu versus the Flexradio? I agree that buttons and knobs are nice. I guess it’s whatever you get adjusted to. I run my 6400M on Smart Control. So I use SmartSDR on my Computer. KB3Z
The receiver has that innovative QRM buster feature that is just the bomb. That makes it head and shoulders above many others. Flex had something like this but it was hidden in menus and IMHO not very effective.
For me the Apache Labs 7000 DLE MK2 is the only radio for me. 73's de ON8EI John.