Specifications

From March 2008 QST © ARRL
µ-Tune units. The operator simply presses
one of the buttons to choose which function
to control and then presses the SELECT knob
to activate or deactivate the selected feature.
Turning the knob makes the adjustments.
All settings are retained when moving from
feature to feature and can be recalled. An
improved feature not found on the big rigs
is the CLEAR button that is used to return the
selected function to its default setting.
Pressing and holding the SELECT knob
permits access to the CW memory keyer fea-
tures. I found the keyer easy to program with
standard CW paddles and easy to play back
on the air. I felt that the record and playback
functions could have been separated to avoid
accidentally erasing one of the memories.
This did not happen to me, but I can easily see
how during the heat of battle some operators
could overshoot the playback selections and
land on a record option, hitting the SELECT
knob before noticing the error. You can also
use the optional FH-2 keypad to access the
memory keyer.
The multifunction SELECT knob also
permits access to the FT-950’s digital voice
keyer features if you’ve installed the optional
DVS-6 Voice Memory Unit. With the DVS-6,
you can record and play back five messages
of up to 20 seconds each. The FH-2 keypad
can be used to control the digital voice keyer
functions as well. The keypad is more conve-
nient to use than the SELECT knob and is a
good investment if you use the internal voice
or CW keyers a lot.
Menu setup and operation is similar to
the FT-2000 series, FT-450 and other recent
Yaesu transceivers. Press the MENU button
then use the SELECT knob to call up the menu
items. The 118 menu items are arranged in
groups. Press the SELECT knob and turn it to
scroll through the various groups (DISPLAY,
MODE-SSB, TX AUDIO and so on). When you
have the right group, press SELECT again
and then turn the knob to scroll through
the related menu items in the group. Rotate
the CLAR/VFO B knob to select among the
settings for the menu item. Press and hold
MENU for at least 1 second to store the new
settings.
With the limited front panel space, the
FT-950 has only four dedicated rotary con-
trol knobs in addition to the TUNING and
concentric AF/RF GAIN controls mentioned
earlier. These controls are for MIC GAIN,
keyer SPEED, MONI (monitor level) and SQL
(squelch).
Several traditional front panel functions
have moved to menus. Transmitter power
output adjustment (5 W to 100 W) is now
controlled from a menu. That’s fine if you
normally operate at one power level. It’s less
convenient if you need to vary your power
regularly. For example, you might need to
reduce power temporarily to adjust an external
power amplifier or manual antenna tuner for
Table 1
Yaesu FT-950, serial number 7K030158
Manufacturer’s Specifications Measured in the ARRL Lab
Frequency coverage: Receive, 0.03-56 MHz; Receive, as specified (sensitivity
transmit, 1.8-2, 3.5-4, 5.3305, 5.3465, degrades below 1 MHz).
5.3665, 5.3715, 5.4035, 7-7.3, 10.1-10.15, Transmit, as specified.
14-14.35, 18.068-18.168, 21-21.45, 24.89-
24.99, 28-29.7, 50-54 MHz.
Power requirement: 13.8 V dc; Receive, 2.0 A; transmit, 18 A;
receive, 2.1 A (signal present); tested at 13.8 V dc.
transmit, 22 A (100 W out).
Modes of operation: SSB, CW, AM, FM, As specified.
FSK, AFSK.
Receiver Receiver Dynamic Testing
SSB/CW sensitivity, 2.4 kHz bandwidth, Noise Floor (MDS), 500 Hz bandwidth:*
10 dB S+N/N: 0.5-1.8 MHz, 4.0 µV; Preamp Off 1 2
1.8-30 MHz, 0.2 µV; 50-54 MHz, 0.125 µV. 1.0 MHz –109 N/A N/A dBm
3.5 MHz –120 –129 –136 dBm
14 MHz –119 –130 –137 dBm
50 MHz –119 –130 –138 dBm
Noise figure: Not specified. 14 MHz, preamp off/1/2: 29/18/7 dB.
AM sensitivity, 6 kHz bandwidth, 10 dB (S+N)/N, 1 kHz, 30% modulation:
10 dB S+N/N: 0.5-1.8 MHz, 28 µV; Preamp Off 1 2
1.8-30 MHz, 2 µV; 50-54 MHz, 1 µV. 1.0 MHz 12 N/A N/A µV
3.9 MHz 4.5 1.3 0.57 µV
50 MHz 5.1 1.4 0.56 µV
FM sensitivity, 15 kHz bandwidth, For 12 dB SINAD:
12 dB SINAD: 28-30 MHz, 0.5 µV; Preamp Off 1 2
50-54 MHz, 0.35 µV. 29 MHz 2.2 0.58 0.27 µV
52 MHz 2.7 0.75 0.28 µV
Blocking gain compression: Not specified. Gain compression, 500 Hz bandwidth:*
20 kHz offset 5/2 kHz offset
Preamp off/1/2** Preamp off
3.5 MHz 129/127/126 dB 112/97 dB
14 MHz 128/127/127 dB 111/98 dB
50 MHz 125/125/123 dB 114/98 dB
Reciprocal Mixing (500 Hz BW): Not specified. 20/5/2 kHz offset: –86/–69/–57 dBc.
Two-Tone IMD Testing*** Measured Measured Calculated
Band/Preamp Spacing Input level IMD level IMD DR* IP3*
3.5 MHz/Off 20 kHz –30 dBm –120 dBm 90 dB +15 dBm
–22 dBm –97 dBm +16 dBm
14 MHz/Off 20 kHz –25 dBm –119 dBm 94 dB +22 dBm
–18 dBm –97 dBm +21 dBm
0 dBm –39 dBm +20 dBm
14 MHz/1 20 kHz –35 dBm –130 dBm 95 dB +13 dBm
–25 dBm –97 dBm +11 dBm
14 MHz/2 20 kHz –44 dBm –139 dBm 95 dB +4 dBm
–31 dBm –97 dBm +2 dBm
14 MHz/Off 5 kHz –29 dBm –120 dBm 91 dB +17 dBm
–20 dBm –97 dBm +19 dBm
0 dBm –40 dBm +20 dBm
14 MHz/Off 2 kHz –49 dBm –120 dBm 71 dB –13 dBm
–35 dBm –97 dBm –4 dBm
0 dBm –33 dBm +16 dBm
50 MHz/Off 20 kHz –33 dBm –119 dBm 86 dB +10 dBm
–25 dBm –97 dBm +11 dBm
Second-order intercept: Not specified. Preamp off/1/2: +71/+71/+71 dBm.
FM adjacent channel rejection: Not specified. 20 kHz offset, preamp on:
29 MHz, 77 dB; 52 MHz, 79 dB.
operation on different bands. The VOX adjust-
ments and CW delay are also set via menus.
As on other Yaesu transceivers, the ’950
has a C.S (custom switch) button that you
can program for quick access to a menu item
(your choice, but only one at a time). This
is helpful, but some operators might prefer
several C.S buttons, or better yet, the ability
to assign different functions to one or more
of the rotary knobs. For example, some ops
might get more use from VOX DELAY or RF
POWER controls than from SQL or SPEED.
You’ll need a special 10-pin plug for the
relay and ALC connections to an external