[1000mp] possible 1000MP upgrade - FT-2000? NO!

[Scott Manthe]

Exactly what "advertised specs"  does it not measure up to? Have you 
actually owned one or do you just pass along stuff "you've heard." I've 
never seem a single "spec" in a FT-2000 ad- maybe you can fill me in on 
where you saw these "specs."

I've owned both rigs, so my comments were based on actual comparison, 
not hearsay from the net.

Many of the problems that users (I stress the term user, rather than 
operator, because operator implies some level of technical knowledge) 
report can be traced directly back to many of them not knowing how to 
adjust the rig. As I mentioned in my previous post, firmware upgrades 
have solved many of the most nagging problems. Careful adjustment can 
solve most of the rest. Actually knowing what AGC does can also be 
pretty helpful.
 
As far as being over priced, how do you figure? The last price for a 
Mark V Field was $1899. The current price for a FT-2000 is about $2500. 
(Not list prices, but what you actually pay- I just want to make this as 
clear as possible.) To get the same level of usability as the FT-2000, 
the Mark V Field required about $500-600 dollars in extra filters, the 
$100 FH-1 to access it keyer,  the  $230 DVS-2 voice recorder and the 
$1100 FTV-1000 to get on 6 meters.That adds up to about $3600 of 
1996-1999 technology. So exactly how is the FT-2000 over-priced?

Most people who are bitching about the FT-2000 fail to understand what 
it is. It is the REPLACEMENT for the Mark V series, not a FTDX-9000. 
When compare to the performance of the FT-2000 to the Mark V series, the 
FT-2000 holds up very well. If you're dumb enough to think you're gonna 
get the same performance of the FTDX-9000 or IC-7800 for a quarter the 
price, you really shouldn't be complaining.

73,
Scott, N9AA


WD8ARZ wrote:
> By the reports of many FT-2000 users on the Yahoo email reflector, I 
> would avoid this radio like the plague.
>
> Doesn't measure up to its advertized specs and over priced are enough 
> reasons, even with out the many problems users report.
>
> MP with the mods is the way to go for this series of radios. Mark 
> series loses the filter flexibility as others have pointed out.
>
> For mobile, I went with the TS-480HX. Run this two hundred watt rig at 
> 100 watts and you almost have a full duty cycle rig. Great for long 
> winded qso's, digital modes and hot environments.
>
> Love my original bought new FT-1000MP and never have plans on parting 
> with it!!
>
> 73 from Bill - WD8ARZ
> http://hflink.net/qso/
> (running the TS-480HX on ALE)