Briefly, here's what Yaesu's "New Product News" brochure says about the
five main changes included in the Mark-V FT-1000MP (the notes are mine):
1) 200 watts PEP Transmitter Output:
-- Conservatively-designed 200 W MOSFET Final Amplifier
-- Beefed up high-speed automatic antenna tuner
-- Revolutionary heat sink design for contest and DXpedition environments
Note: The new MP uses an outboard power supply which provides 30 volts DC
for the final MOSFETs and 13.8 vdc for the rest of the transceiver
circuitry.
2) Class-A PA Operation:
-- The first amateur transceiver to provide class-A operation, providing
uniquely-pure signal quality.
Note: Class-A operation can be switched on/off with a new front panel
button named "Class-A".
3) IDBT: Interlocked Digital Bandwidth Tracking System:
-- A unique and formidable interference-fighting system, whereby the
bandwidth of the DSP filter is automatically locked to be the same as the
net bandwidth of the analog IF filters. Engaging the IDBT, the operator
experiences a sudden sharpening of the shape factor of the receiver's
filter system. With IDBT, the DSP filter is automatically programmed to
match any custom bandwidth you set by using the IF WIDTH and IF SHIFT
controls, and the DSP filter then contributes a filtering slope which
resembles a sheer cliff. Additionally, the potential for AGC "pumping"
caused by different analog and digital bandwidths is eliminated.
4) VRF: Variable RF Front-end Filter:
-- Yaesu's engineers have developed the VRF module, a high-Q input
"preselector" filter ahead of all active devices in the front end,
including the main bandpass filters. The VRF circuit provides
narrow-band selectivity which prevents unwanted signal voltage from
hitting the input side of the bandpass filter switching diodes, where
2nd-order IMD is most often created in an HF receiver.
5) Enhanced Ergonomics: Multi-function Shuttle Jog Dial:
-- The shuttle jog tuning ring now includes the activation switches for
the VRF and IDBT features, so the operator does not have to move his hand
position to activate these important circuits during contest or pile-up
situations.
Note: From a picture in the brochure, it's obvious that Yaesu has
completely rearranged the right side of the front panel. Most noticeable
is that the EDSP noise reduction and contour knobs are missing - a single
manual notch control knob is in their place. Rather than being
concentric, the shift and width controls are now separate. There are
three "bandwidth" on/off pushbuttons where the "notch", "nb1" and "nb2"
pushbuttons are on the present MP. There is now only one "tuner"
pushbutton, and a single "nb" pushbutton where the other tuner button was
- the nb level control is missing. It's hard to read in the photo, but
there appears to be one light-type pushbutton where the "edsp"
pushbutton was located, and its label appears to be "contour". The
memory channel tuning knob is now labeled "VRF/MEM CH" -- apparently the
knob is also used to manually peak the VRF circuits.
I heard the price tag on the new MP will be about $4000 US.
73, de Earl, K6SE
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