Strong Signals
First Impressiosn

Yaesu VR-5000
VR-5000 image

by
Rich Wells, N2MCA

No one likes anything that's stale. And that's just how the receiver market had grown for the price range around $1000. AOR's AR3000A was about the only game in town for those listeners wanting to step up to this semi-professional class of monitoring but weren't looking to spend $1500 for Icom's IC-R8500 or hundreds more for AOR's AR5000 offerings.

While the AR3000A has achieved something of a cult status due to its range of features and performance, compared to some of the handheld models recently released by Alinco, AOR, Icom and Yupiteru, the AR3000A was showing its age and that's an understatement. Pushing the state-of-the-art when it was introduced over a decade ago, the fast-paced world of consumer-based electronics is only outpaced by the released-today, outdated-tomorrow realm of the personal computer.

These days, buyers want loads of features, computer interfaces and outstanding performance; understandably so when you're thinking about parting with one grand. While AOR has pioneered the frontier of wide-range receivers, the latest entries from their competition have served notice that AOR is no longer the lone wolf it once was.

Yaesu has thrown their hat into the ring with their new VR-5000 which looks to be an incredible package loaded with features and given their track record with amateur gear it promises to be well-built and a very good performer. Why, that sexy LCD might be worth half the purchase price alone!

What follows are my personal impressions regarding the features and usability of this radio. This, in no way, should be viewed as an endorsement to purchase this radio nor is it intended to discourage anyone from buying it. I have no personal nor business relations with Yaesu (US, UK or Japan). These are simply thoughts offered to my fellow hobbyists who may be interested in purchasing this particular software or simply knowing more about it.

A lot of hard work and effort has gone into the testing and writing of this review. I would appreciate it if every effort is made to keep this document whole with me as the original author. Of course, it doesn't hurt that this document is copyrighted and therefore protected by US law and international treaties governing intellectual property. Except for personal use, and for the sake of brief passages quoted in reviews and given appropriate credit, no part of this work may be reproduced in any forms or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author.

And if you want to share your thoughts about this review with me or have further questions, feel free to send e-mail.

Thank you and enjoy!

Rich Wells
N2MCA
Strong Signals Resource Page

This document contains the following sections:
  • What You Get
  • Model Tested
  • Basic Specs
  • Operating Manual
  • Construction and Physical
  • Pictures
  • Antenna
  • Features
  • VFO
  • Memory
  • Scanning
  • Searching
  • Priority
  • Interface
  • HF Performance
  • VHF/UHF Performance
  • Ranking
  • Things I Like
  • Things I Would Change
  • Summary
  • Recommendation
  • Thanks!
    • What You Get
  • Yaesu VR-5000 receiver
  • AC Adapter (PA-28; 13.5V @ 1A)
  • DC cable (cigarette lighter)
    • Model Tested
  • Model #: VR-5000
  • Serial #: 0H0201xx
  • Made in: Japan
  • Market: Japan
  • Version: 1s.07 JP:0001 (hold V/M down on power-up)
    • Basic Specs
    Channels 2000
    Scan Banks 100
    Search Bands 25
    Coverage 100 kHz - 2.6 GHz
    Scan 15 chan/sec
    Search 15 step/sec
    Steps CW/SSB: 20/100/500 Hz, 1/5 kHz
    AM/NAM/WAM: 1/5/9/10/20/25/50/
    100/500 kHz
    FM: 5/6.25/10/12.5/20/25/
    50/100/500 kHz
    WFM: 10/50/100/500 kHz
    Modes AM/NAM/WAM FM/WFM/SSB/CW
    Sensitivity As specified in the manual:
    0.2 - 0.49998 MHz
    SSB/CW 4.8 µV
    AM 10.8 µV
    0.5 - 1.79998 MHz
    SSB/CW 1.0 µV
    AM 4.0 µV
    1.8 - 3.99998 MHz
    SSB/CW 0.6 µV
    AM 2.5 µV
    4.0 - 29.99998 MHz
    SSB/CW 0.3 µV
    AM 1.1 µV
    28.0 - 29.99998 MHz
    FM 0.35 µV
    30.0 - 1999.99998 MHz
    SSB/CW 0.30 µV
    AM 1.20 µV
    FM 0.45 µV
    WFM 1.50 µV
    2000.0 - 2599.99998 MHz
    SSB/CW 0.5 µV
    AM 1.8 µV
    FM 0.8 µV
    AM/CW/SSW = 10dB S/N
    FM/WFM = 12dB SINAD
    Conversion Triple (WFM)
    Quadruple (all others)
    IFs 1 = 614 MHz
    2 = 45.775 MHz
    3 = 10.7 MHz
    4 = 455 kHz
    Priority 1 channel
    Search skip TBD
    Auto-Store Yes
    S-meter Yes
    Delay Per channel
    Lockout Per channel
    Attenuator Yes
    Lock Yes
    Tone codes No
    Computer intf Yes, RS-232
    Rotary controlYes
    Channel count No
    Data skip No
    Clock Yes
    Timers On, Off, Alarm, Sleep
    Weather No
    Weather Alert No
    Light Display
    Power 13.5V DC, 700mA
    Audio 1.0 W typical
    Size 7.1"(W) x 2.7"(H) x 8"(D)
    180 (W) x 70 (H) x 203 (D)
    Weight 4.2 lbs/1.9kg
    Memory Non-volatile
    Operating Manual
  • While Yaesu's manuals are usually very well done, this has to be the worst one I have ever seen them turn out
  • Compared to the Japanese manual which came with the radio, the English version omits entire sections and explanations of some features
  • In some sections, steps are incorrectly specified or even missing (such as the section which details the LCD indicators and layout)
  • Information flows from beginning to end taking the new user from the very basic material and working up to the more involved procedures
  • The translation is, overall, fairly good from the original Japanese
  • Some of the radio features are not at all intuitive so keep the manual handy
  • It starts, as every good manual should, with a description of the front panel controls giving names to each and a brief description
  • The rear panel is then covered in the same manner
  • I was disappointed that there was not a similar, detailed analysis of the LCD contents nor the of the intricacies of the Set Menu system
  • Next up are the power and antenna connections
  • The good stuff starts next with a description of basic frequency input and tuning followed by receive mode and step selection
  • Shortly thereafter is a nice piece on using the pre-programmed selections of shortwave stations which allow for instant tuning and receiver gratification (if you've connected a suitable SW antenna)
  • Next are the details for programming and recalling memory contents followed by various memory operations like grouping, alpha-tagging, etc.
  • It's then on to scanning and its various settings
  • The next section covers searching (although Yaesu likes to call this scanning, too)
  • I don't understand why the Smart Search section is not immediately following the search programming section
  • The Band Scope is then covered followed by priority operations
  • Having built-in time-of-day and word clocks, the features based around these time-keeping devices are covered which includes the various timers
  • Various, miscellaneous features such as the attenuator, noise blanker, RF tuner, LCD contrast and such are then covered
  • The last "real" features discussed are those relating to the optional features that are provided when any of the three, optional board units are installed
  • Radio-to-radio cloning is then explained followed by details of the PC interface. Strangely, although the interface protocol is discussed as far as the low-level transmission details are concerned, no information is provided on the actual commands and responses that can be sent to/received from this port on the back panel
  • Just before the sparesly-detailed specifications page is a handy chart which provides the radio's bandplan (which receive modes and step sizes are selected automatically by the radio when tuning in the various frequency ranges)
    • Construction and Physical
  • The 5000 appears quite small in pictures given the size of the LCD compared to the total front panel real estate
  • It actually is pretty small (tiny compared to Icom's monstrous R8500) and while just over 7" wide and 3" high, it is a full 8" deep!
  • The LCD dominates nearly 50% of the front panel space and immediately grabs your attention (even when off)
  • The radio case is metal and composed of top and bottom sections attached at the sides by two screws at both front and back. The front panel is all plastic while the rear is all metal
  • The front panel can be roughly broken up into three sections
  • The first and leftmost section includes the Volume/Squelch and Volume/Tone controls with the headphone jack in the bottom corner. Just to the right of this jack is the bright orange Power button
  • The next section is composed of the large LCD and just below it a row of seven control keys
  • The third and rightmost section is largely composed of keys (control and numeric) along with the VFO rotary control in the bottom corner
  • A look at the bottom panel reveals the speaker grill along the right hand edge and four feet. The front feet are plastic but when retracted allow small, rubber cushions to protect the surface the radio is placed on. The feet in the rear are simply hard rubber.
  • The front feet which flip down are basically useless. They are so small and given the radio's 8" length, when they are flipped down they only raise the front of the radio up by about 3/4 inches. During my testing, I used two of the plastic 35mm film canisters which fit nicely under the front feet raising it up nicely and allowing easy access to all keys
  • Looking at the rear panel, running along the top from left to right are the DC power jack, transmitter mute jack (RCA), LF/MW antenna terminals, antenna switch and SO-239 jack. Running along the bottom are the external speaker jack (1/8"), line-out audio jack (1/8"), +8 volts (RCA), 10.7 MHz IF out (RCA) and PC/cloning interface (DB-9)
  • The external mute jack is used to mute the VR-5000's audio if a transmitter is used. The manual also points out the need for an external switch or relay to disconnect the antenna input from the VR-5000 if such a transmitter is used nearby
    • Pictures
  • One attractive and powerful little box
  • The back-end
  • Bottoms up! (note the useless, little feet)
  • An idea of the control sizes
  • Three-quarters right
  • Three-quarters left
  • The cramped keypad
    • Antenna
  • No antenna is included (typically the case for base models)
  • There is a SO-239 on the back panel for VHF/UHF (and perhaps HF as well)
  • Why a poor UHF-performing such connector was chosen (not to mention on a $1000 radio) is beyond my comprehension. Did this get remedied in later production run?
  • There is also a pair of spring terminal contacts for attaching the bare wire leads of a higher impedance wire antenna for LF and MW work
  • Both antennas can NOT be used at the same time and to switch using one or the other requires sliding a small switch on the back panel (another poorly designed and short-sighted feature)
  • At the very least make it switchable via the menu system. Even better, use relays that automatically switch the antenna path based on the frequency range being tuned
    • Features
  • The rotary controls for Volume/Squelch and Volume/Tone are a good size and easy to manipulate
  • The two Volume knobs sit atop the Squelch and Tone controls with each having easy grip ridges and white, setting stripes. The problem here is that on the Squelch/Tone controls, the white stripes are painted in skinny notches which makes them hard to use
  • Other than that these controls are solid and smooth acting
  • All of the keys on the front panel are hard plastic and colored either black or gray and contain white lettering
  • Text above the keys for secondary functions is a medium beige
  • All these chosen colors and the chosen font are nicely done which increases contrast and makes it easy on the eyes, even for long monitoring periods
  • The biggest problem with the keys are those used for the numeric keypad in the upper right corner. They are small and spaced closely together so keep that in mind if you have big fingers or poor aim
  • The function key is also placed too close to the rotary control making it harder to get at
  • Each key press is accompanied by a beep which is slaved to the volume setting and can be entirely silenced if desired
  • Strangely enough, there is a keypad lock function which can be configured to lock out the keypad, the rotary control or both. Even better, you can assign a 4-digit password that needs to be entered to release the lock!
  • The rotary control is large and therefore easy to manipulate. It has a rubber coating and inscribed ridges for positive contact and use. This control is also solid and easy to with several fingers or just one
  • My biggest problem with the VR-5000 right out of the box was the amount of audio hiss that's present when no signals are even being received. In a quiet room it is maddening and similar to the rush of static noise heard when the squelch is broken manually while no signal is present and the volume is at a lower level. Luckily it appears that this problem has been solved in later productions runs. Most users won't see it unless you happen to purchase a used model that came from these initial runs before the problem was fixed
  • Audio power is only rated at 1 Watt but it sounds like a lot more!
  • Audio fidelity is very nice on all modes. And the addition of a tone control helps to balance how crisp the audio is versus the amount of noise that may be present. This is a very good example for all other manufacturers to follow (keep in mind that these results are given that my testing was done with the VR-5000's front end propped up about 3.5-4" thereby giving the bottom-firing speaker a better chance and delivering strong and clearer audio)
  • Squelch tail is minimal even with the squelch set at its tightest setting
  • Audio can also be piped to a set of headphones via a front panel jack which provides this signal to both sides of the headphones
  • My next biggest problem with this radio would be discovered at night when it was left on. The LCD lighting is so bright, even at its dimmest setting (of the eight available), that it had to be shut off since it cast such illumination out of my office down a short hallway and into the bedroom
  • The contrast of the display is also adjustable in 16 levels allowing you to compensate for placing the LCD at, below or above eye level. Overall the viewing angles from all directions holds up well making it easy to read no matter where you put it
  • The layout of the LCD is a bit confusing with various details scattered about in some modes
  • Most of the LCD is a dot-matrix-type display allowing this area to display frequencies, alpha-tags, band scope, etc.
  • Various mode indicators exist along the top edge with memory bank and channel numbers and their various settings using indicators which partly run down the right hand side
  • SECRET: Hold DIM key on power-up to see an LCD test of all indicators
  • The Set Menu allows for the LCD contrast and dimmer to be adjusted to your liking. While the contrast has 16 adjustable settings that work well, the 8 dimmer levels do not allow it to even begin to approach a usable night level
  • There is both a time-of-day clock which always appears in the lower right corner of the display as well as a world time clock which can be set to any one of 66 different areas of the world (accessed by a cute display of the five continents and a cursor which moves over them as you select). There is also a facility to account for Daylight Savings Time
  • Should you find the desired area for the world time clock but not like the provided name (London, Dakar, etc.) you are free to reprogram it to anything you wish!
  • In conjunction with the day clock is the ability to set three timers; on/off, sleep and alarm
  • The on/off timer is used to select a time at which the radio is to tune to a desired frequency (so as not to miss an important program) and then revert back to the previous frequency when the program is completed. You have the ability to program an alpha-tag with this timer
  • While there can be up to 48 on/off timers set, none of them can overlap in time and the start and end times can not be on either side of midnight
  • The sleep timer is a simple countdown timer which shuts the radio off after a preset time. Available times are 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes
  • The alarm timer is used to turn the radio on at a preset time and to a preset frequency or to have it simply beep to wake you up
  • One interesting (although I'm not sure how useful) feature is the Field Strength Meter. The basic premise of its use is to allow you to set a reference signal level which can then be compared to other received signals
  • The best of use of this feature may be that the vertical bars used to display the signal strengths have MUCH better resolution than the S-meter display on the main panel (which only uses a measly 5-step bar)
  • Another gee-whiz feature would be the Audio Wave Meter. In this mode, the LCD is used to display a sinusoid wave that reflects the characteristics of the audio of the signal being received. The coolest option is the sampling rate which can be varied from 50 - 200 milliseconds in 10 ms intervals
  • When receiving no signal the display is basically a horizontal line. And since the input to this feature is slaved off of the speaker output, there is no appreciable deflection of this line under normal, operating volumes. You really have to crank up the volume (and I mean up) to get the line to turn into the expected sine wave that jumps around with the audio inflections
  • There's also no way to change the frequency or receive mode when displaying the wave. You have to exit this mode, make your changes, and then slog back through the Set Menu to return to this mode
  • The last item we'll cover here is the Reset function which allows you to erase all memory and settings, thereby returning the 5000 to the condition it left the factory in
    • VFO
  • The VR-5000 comes with a nice dual-VFO feature with simultaneous receive. But there is one gotcha. The sub-VFO frequency must always be within ±20 MHz of the main VFO frequency. Also, the sub-VFO frequency can only tune in AM and FM modes (no WFM, CW or SSB). Bummer...
  • Frequencies can be directly entered via the numeric keypad and then adjusted using the rotary control or arrow keys (these keys won't be used often due to the ease of use of the rotary and the semi-obnoxious sound that each key emits when used)
  • Pressing the Function key before using the rotary control results in frequency changes of 1MHz intervals. Pressing Function before using the arrow keys works in 10 MHz steps
  • I was disappointed that the rotary control had no quick slewing ability (makes geometrically increasing step sizes when the control is turn more rapidly)
  • It was also frustrating to find that the encoder used for this control was poor in that it would entirely miss or skip up to three steps at a time forcing you to hunt back and forth when trying to arrive at a specific frequency
  • The VR-5000 does come with an automatic bandplan which will select a receive mode and step size based on the current frequency. There are also MODE and STEP keys which allow you to cycle through the available modes and steps with repeated presses (kind of a pain)
  • I also don't like the fact that you have to press MODE to take the radio out of auto-bandplan mode so that you can adjust the step size. Of course as soon as you press MODE it selects the next receive mode so you then have to press MODE seven more times to get back to the mode you were just in! All this just to select a different step size. Hopefully most users will be able to buy a VR-5000 that contains a bandplan which is largely configured for their use when in auto mode
  • Sadly, the latest-and-greatest from Yaesu has neither a 8.33, 15 nor 30 kHz step sizes
  • Both VFOs have staircase S-meters just to the right (following these funny-looking graphic characters which indicate the current mode). When a signal is received on the main VFO, the BUSY indicator appears in the upper left corner while activity on the sub-VFO is indicated by a B block character following its S-meter
  • The individual VFO frequency are accessed by pressing the M/S key to toggle between the two with the active VFO being displayed with the larger frequency readout
  • There is also a VFO tracking feature such that when it is enabled, the Sub-VFO frequency will change in direct relation to the direction in which the main VFO is tuned. I guess this is handy for those who like to track both repeater input and output frequencies
  • Each VFO has its own scan-resume setting (more later)
  • I didn't get a chance to find out what the ScopeSave feature was that's listed under the VFO Set Menu (and it's not even mentioned in the English manual)
    • Memory
  • Memory consists of 2000 "normal" channels, 5 quick-access presets, and many shortwave stations programmed for several time zones and countries
  • Memory channels are not grouped into banks (expected on Yaesu models) but individual channels may be tagged with a group identifier for common scanning. There are 100 different groups supported (00-99)
  • Programming a memory channel is nothing short of miraculous and is not intuitive by any stretch of the imagination. It starts simply enough by pressing the Function key followed by the MW key. The CHANNEL option of the displayed memory menu is then selected followed by pressing ENT. The RIGHT/UP arrow key is then used to select a channel from an existing bank or LEFT/DOWN is used to start programming of a new bank. With the channel selected, ENT is pressed followed by the selection of the CHANNEL option once again. The COPY key is then pressed (to instruct the radio to copy the VFO parameters into the selected channel/bank) followed by selecting the WRITE option and finally ENT.
  • Does anyone else find this unnecessarily cumbersome for an operation that will be used often (given the large number of memory channels available)?
  • The memory write operation stores both main and sub VFOs freqs into the channel along with associated settings like mode, step, etc. During the memory write process you can elect to program other settings like an 8 character alpha-tag, scanning skip (lockout), attenuator, noise blanker, etc.
  • Of course each memory group (bank) can also be programmed with an 8 character alpha-tag as well
  • The 5000 is also equipped with a "powerful microprocessor system to search" for memory channels with programmed alpha-tags starting with specified characters. Unfortunately, this "powerful" feature will not allow you to search for matching characters contained within an alpha-tag
  • One feature which is even more powerful than the last described is the ability to sort memory contents based on alpha-tags, frequency, mode or channel number (the default). Unfortunately, this only works on all of memory and not on just one or more memory groups (banks)
  • Memory channel contents can also be "protected" to prevent them from being edited or overwritten
  • masking memories Of course there is also Yaesu's infamous "masking" feature which hides memory channels from being displayed. Although this doesn't really delete the memory channel contents (since they're all still there), this option is displayed as "DELETE" when you access using the menu system
  • One interesting and novel feature is the Programmable Memory Recall (PMR) board. Basically, this feature allows you to tag up to 50 memory channels to be included in this board. Once enabled, this board displays the activity on each of these channel frequencies on the LCD using a grid. While the manual states that this monitors activity simultaneously, we all know that's not true (for a piece of equipment under $1000). The 5000 basically samples each frequency quickly and if a signal is detected, it colors in the block of the grid which designates this channel. Channels with no activity are left blank.
  • The 5000 also comes pre-programmed with other PMR boards for, I think, other radio services for Japan, the UK and the US (it's hard to say, exactly, since the Japanese manual mentions it prominently while the English manual is terse and vague).
  • 5 presets - p29 Beside the 2000 memory channels, there are also 5 preset memory channels which allow quick access to 5 of your favorite frequencies. Once they are programmed, successive presses of the PS key tunes them
  • For those just getting started in SW monitoring, the 5000 comes pre-programmed with up to four frequencies for 23 of the most prominent radio stations found on the HF dial. You also have the ability to overwrite any of these to select stations of your own choosing
    • Scanning
  • While manufacturers like Yaesu don't really make scanning receivers, they do come with some elementary scanning functions and the 5000 is suited to do basic scanning due to the supporting features it includes
  • Scanning can be done in normal, S-meter or voice modes. In S-meter mode, the scan will only stop on an active signal if its strength is at or above a prescribed level. In voice mode scanning only stops on signals which are detected as having actual voice communications
  • Once scanning does stop on a signal, the method used to resume scanning can be delay, pause or hold. Delay mode is the mode used by most receivers where scanning resumes some time after the signal disappears. Pause mode forces the scan to pause on an active frequency for at most the specified number of seconds before scanning is forced to resume. In hold mode scanning stops as soon as it finds an active frequency
  • Not intended to be a "serious" scanner, the 5000 chugs away at a measly 15 channels/second
    • Searching
  • The 5000 comes with a handy set of 25 programmable search limits
  • The basic programming information for a search limit consists of the start and end frequencies along with an alpha-tag
  • Accessing the MISC menu of the SET mode allows the user to set the stop mode (normal, S-meter, voice), resume mode (delay, pause, hold), attenuator, link (not mentioned in the English manual but likely how search limits can be linked together to search multiple ranges in a single pass) and skip (not mentioned in the English manual but likely how access the bank of frequencies to be skipped over while searching)
  • I was troubled to find that once a search was started there was no indicator on the LCD to indicate you were in this mode
  • And once again the manual comes up lacking since I saw no mentioned in the English manual of how one selects which of the 25 limits are searched (which I believe is done by pressing F then the arrow keys to select the desired limit)
  • The firmware reared its ugly side when, at one point while searching, I somehow got kicked into memory mode! The only key which would respond was V/M which, when I pressed it, displayed the lower limit of the range I was searching and nothing else! Pressing V/M again put me back into memory mode and pressing V/M again put it back into VFO mode which somehow forced the LCD to do a full refresh of all LCD data
  • Another time while searching I got the search to pause indefinitely on an interesting frequency but I couldn't get the search to resume until I pressed SCAN. Come to find out SCAN is used to both manually pause and then resume a search. This is not mentioned in the English manual; I found it in the proper section of the Japanese copy
  • More problems were found when I tried to edit an existing search limit. As soon as you try to edit the start frequency, receive mode and step size revert to the current VFO frequency as though you were programming it for the first time. If you try to edit the end frequency it is immediately set to the start frequency
  • Beside the programmable limits, there is also the option to perform an ad-hoc search starting from the current VFO frequency or between the main and sub VFO frequencies
  • There is also an auto-store option which Yaesu calls Smart Search which can be used to fill a specified bank with search-discovered, active frequencies
  • When I went to test this feature I was quite put off by the fact that I could not select an empty bank. If I wanted to use this feature I had to specify an existing bank which means I can't use an empty bank
  • Another problem arose when I actually used this feature. A bug in the firmware forced the search to stop the auto-store process after storing the first frequency!
    • Band Scope
  • One of the most useful features of the 5000 is its flexible band scope which is used to graphically display the activity on frequencies within a limited range of the currently tuned VFO frequency
  • The range over which the band scope displays activity can be selected from 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 2.5, 5.0 and 10.0 MHz (slightly limited based on the receive mode; like SSB and CW only supports 0.1, 0.3 and 0.5 MHz)
  • The step size can also be selected (with a few restrictions based on the current receive mode) between 100 kHz and 10.0 MHz
  • A simple press of the BS key starts the band scope running which immediately beings plotting signal activity which typically shows up as series of peaks and valleys on the LCD
  • At the top of the LCD are the currently tuned frequency and receive mode. At the very bottom is the sweep range and sweep step size. In between is nearly one half of the screen space dedicated to the band scope display itself
  • The rotary dial or arrow keys can be used to change the center, tuned frequency while the sweep range and step are changed using WIDTH and BS STEP keys
  • Pressing the M/S key accesses a moving Marker cursor which can be placed over a displayed signal to help identify it or immediately copy it as the center, tuned frequency
  • I was glad to see that while the band scope was active audio was enabled for the currently tuned center frequency
  • A quick measurement while the band scope was running over a 1 MHz range showed that it was sweeping at 25 steps/second
    • Priority
  • A single memory channel can be tagged as a channel to be watched periodically
  • A user selectable setting sets this period to 1, 2, 5 or 10 seconds
  • The good news is that priority can be enabled for use while in VFO, scan and search modes
  • The bad news is that, once enabled, there is no indication that priority has been enabled. Most radios will display a P or PRI indicator on the LCD to do this. VR-5000 users will have to wait for the "PRI" indicator to briefly flash on the LCD as the memory channel is quickly checked for activity
  • Another bug in the 5000 firmware occurs if priority is enabled and then scanning or searching stops on an active frequency. If this signal is active and the priority "pops" to check the priority frequency, when the priority returns the scan or search resumes immediately, even if the frequency is still active!
  • Another peculiarity I found is that while listening to a WFM signal, if the priority switched over to a memory channel with FM mode, it took about 2.5 - 3 seconds to sample and then return. That creates a significant period of time while the audio is muted thereby missing details of the WFM signal
    • Interface
  • As indicated in the rear of the manual, the 5000 does have a PC port which is accessed via a DB-9 serial jack on the rear panel. The manual states that the connection is an RS-232 port so that no signal level conversion is needed between the PC and radio
  • The manual mentions that this port allows "control of MAIN VFO frequency and Receiving mode using an external personal computer."
  • This would appear to indicate that the RS-232 port only provides external access to a very small subset of the 5000's capabilities. Looking at the provided data format and operation commands included in the manual, I would guess that this port only provides for setting the frequency, setting the receive mode, reading the squelch status and reading the S-meter level. That would seem to indicate no control over operations (scanning, searching, memory programming, etc.), features (band scope, priority, etc.) nor settings (Set Menu)
  • The 5000 does support radio-to-radio cloning allowing one user to copy the entire contents of one 5000 into another
  • To do this, the PC interface rates are set the same (which goes up to 57,600 bps), they are connected with what appears to be a null-modem cable (if that's what the English manual means by a "cross cable") and then the cloning operation can be started
    • Optional Features
  • There are 3 optional features of the VR-5000 which can be added by purchasing and installing individual modules which increase the capabilities of the 5000
  • These 3 modules include the Digital Signal Processing Unit (DSP-1), Voice Synthesizer Unit (FVS-1A), and Digital Voice Recorder Unit (DVS-4)
  • The DSP comes with three filters (notch, bandpass and CW peaking), a noise reducer and CW Pitch selection. These are obviously important features to have for those into serious HF listening
  • The notch filter claims to be able to remove annoying beat notes which exist within the passband of the signal you're listening to and may be interfering with the proper enjoyment of it
  • The bandpass filter can be used on AM, FM and SSB modes and provides two selectable cutoff points to adjust both the lower and upper signal characteristics that are passed through. The lower limit looks to be able to be set between 100 - 1600 Hz while the upper limit ranges from 1500 - 3000 Hz
  • The CW Peaking filter is used to provide a narrow bandwidth filter to help pick out a CW signal in crowded band conditions. Available bandwidths are 25, 100, 200 and 400 Hz
  • The noise reducer appears to have a wide, selectable range allowing you to select a point which maximizes the signal-to-noise ratio
  • The CW Pitch selection allows you to adjust the center frequency of the CW Peaking Filter to match the CW tone you find preferable. Available values range from 400 - 1100 Hz in 50 Hz steps
  • Moving on to the FVS, installation of this module allows the 5000 to announce the currently tuned frequency of the main VFO. This announcement can be enabled and disabled upon command
  • The DVS allows up to 16 seconds of audio to be recorded which is shared between two "channels." Channel 1 allows up to the full 16 seconds to be recorded which, if allowed to do so, will begin overwriting channel 2 after 8 seconds have been recorded. Or you can choose to record up to 8 seconds in channel 1 thereby leaving up to 8 seconds to record in channel 2
  • Once something is recorded, it can be played back any number of times
  • There are details in the rear of the manual on how to install these 3 modules and it appears easy to do so. The bottom cover is removed via 4 screws and then the modules are simply pressed into provided connectors
    • HF Performance
  • Unfortunately I do not have the antenna or experience to properly evaluate the HF performance of such a radio. But I can give you my impressions of its perceived performance and how it compares to others I have used
  • A sweep of frequencies below 30 MHz revealed 11 birdies frequencies. Not bad as I've seen both better and worse results on other receivers
  • I also tested a number of frequencies across this band to find that all signals were properly tuned within a maximum range of +/- 300 Hz
  • Hooking up the 5000 to my 20-014 (7 foot ground plane) antenna, I was surprised to pull in 54 AM broadcast stations around 10:30 PM Eastern
  • My "quaint" measurements for filter widths (in kHz) turned in the following: AM=9-10, WAM=20-21, and NAM=5-6
  • It was now time to do some side-by-side comparisons with AOR's AR3000A which has been the one and only receiver in this class for quite some time
  • Overall I would say that sensitivity, selectivity and interference rejection are well above normal and befitting of a receiver at this price point
  • Overall the Yaesu was much better suited for HF work. It was more sensitive and definitely more selective. It also became clear quite quickly that the AOR was no match for the Yaesu when tuning SSB signals
  • The 5000 does have a Noise Blanker feature and RF tuning facility (adjustable within 256 steps) to shift the passband and help remove interference from a very close signal to the one you are trying to monitor
  • One bad note here: Using the band scope, which is always helpful for HF monitoring, noise from the LCD updates could easily be heard coming out of the speaker
    • VHF/UHF Performance
  • It was now time to move into the vast ranges of the VHF and UHF bands to see how the 5000 fared
  • Sweeping 30 to 1300 MHz revealed only 7 birdies! 2 were in the 900 range and the other 5 were above 1100 MHz!
  • It appears that there are mechanical relays for switching the front-end filters and these occur at 622, 1240 and 1850 MHz
  • Testing a number of frequencies on VHF/UHF to see how well the 5000 was aligned, everything was well-tuned, just like HF, below 800 MHz. Above 800 MHZ I was disappointed to find that all frequencies were uniformly 6-7 kHz off!
  • My "quaint" measurements for filter widths (in kHz) turned in the following: AM=9-10, FM=15 and WFM=260
  • Again, it was time to put the 5000 up against the AOR to see how well it could do
  • Overall I would characterize the 5000 as being slightly less sensitive, more selective and less prone to interference rejection
  • Almost all of the time, these two radios were very close in performance with one usually just squeaking by the other in terms of sensitivity depending on which band you were tuning. But overall I would have to give the final nod to the AOR by a nose. Two places the AOR did manage to keep ahead of the Yaesu were VHF-lo and VHF aero
  • Interestingly, while the squelch can usually be set and left at the 10:30 position for the most part for all signal types across all VHF/UHF bands, the one exception was for the VHF-aero band when tuning AM. To reliably and effectively scan or search signals in this range required the squelch to be bumped up to the 1:30 position!
  • The 5000 has very few problems with intermod connected to my 20-014 antenna during all testing. FM broadcast images did plague a handful of frequencies on VHF aero and TV images were sometimes heard nearly 300 MHz higher for very strong TV stations in the area
    • Ranking
    Category Score Out of
    Sensitivity 25 25
    Selectivity 15 15
    Interference rejection 20 20
    Coverage 90 90
    Channels 15 15
    Channels per bank 15 15
    Ease of use 0 20
    Scan/Search speed 0 10
    Receive modes 15 15
    Step sizes 20 25
    Conversion 10 10
    Audio 20 20
    Antenna 0 20
    Construction 20 20
    Size 10 15
    Search 30 35
    Attenuator 20 20
    Auto-store 5 20
    Search frequency lockout 10 15
    Backlight 15 30
    Alpha-tagging 20 20
    VFO 10 10
    Squelch tail 10 10
    Priority 5 20
    Delay 10 15
    Hold 10 10
    Rotary Control 10 10
    S-meter 10 10
    Power-on resume 10 10
    Computer Interface 5 20
    Tone Decode 0 15
    Battery indicator 0 10
    Channel count 0 5
    Tape record control 0 5
    Clock 5 5
    Timers 5 5
    Weather programmed 0 5
    Weather alert 0 5
    Data skip 5 5
    Bank delete 0 5
    Bank sort 5 5
    Total 475 670
    Total 71 100

    For all the gory details of how this ranking system works, read the ranking criteria

    Things I Like
  • Construction and controls - solid and smooth
  • Overall receiver performance in all categories
  • Audio power and fidelity
  • (Limited) dual-receive
  • Individual settings for memory channels and search banks
  • Individual settings for scan/search and VFO
  • Memory sort features
  • PMR boards
  • 2000 channels and 100 adjustable-size banks
    • Things I Would Change
  • Frequency misalignment above 800 MHz (early Japanese models?)
  • Audio hiss (early Japanese models)
  • Missing user manual sections (LCD, Set Menu, Specification details)
  • Better flowing and more comprehensive manual
  • Buggy firmware (early Japanese models)
  • More LCD dimmer control
  • Needs more LCD indicators for modes (search, scan, priority, etc.)
  • Selection of mode and step need to be easier
  • More accurate rotary control encoder
  • Much higher resolution S-meter
  • Flip-down feet that actually serve a purpose
  • Usable, rear panel antenna switch
  • Replace SO-239 with BNC or N-type
  • Small keys on numeric keypad
  • Longer alpha-tags
  • Neutered serial port functionality
  • Many operations are simply not intuitive nor user-friendly
    • Summary
  • When it comes to signal reception and tuning, construction and audio qualities, the VR-5000 is top-notch and easily justifies its price tag
  • Unfortunately this series unit was significantly marred by a very poor English manual and a very buggy version of firmware
  • There are plenty of memory channels and search banks along with attractive alpha-tags to help you keep track of all this information.
  • Being a higher-end model, the 5000 does have a number of higher price tag features which are also useful in everyday monitoring tasks. High up on this list is a very good band scope, dual-receive VFOs, RF passband tuner and multiple, programmable timers
  • For the budding HF enthusiast the exceptional performance of this radio along with the pre-programmed SW stations will help to get the new user up and running quickly and smoothly
  • The ability to add the DSP unit for HF work will likely be particularly attractive to those who seek the highest standards in this type of listening
  • Keep in mind that this radio is a communications receiver and not a scanner. As such, it is not intended to perform scanning and searching tasks with blazing speed. While an excellent receiver when hooked to almost an antenna, it will not serve as a particularly good replacement for higher-end models sold by RadioShack or Uniden
    • Recommendations
  • Given all I have seen with the test model used for this evaluation, I would advise most buyers to use utmost caution and scrutiny before laying down the big 1K bill for this radio
  • While an excellent receiver, this radio is not all it could be due to the limited manual and buggy firmware
  • The good news is that Mika, the technical director of Bandercom, indicates that later production runs of the VR-5000 have improved some physical characteristics as well as having remedied some of the firmware bugs (latest is version 1.12)!
  • Mika indicates that the latest 04 series models have fixed the annoying "hiss" heard even when the squelch is closed. Mika also mentions that internal shielding has been improved and frequency alignment appears much better as well
  • Mika also pointed out that a well regulated power supply is important for some reason since the 5000's microprocessor is susceptible to variances and can create odd behavior. It seems Yaesu has helped to fix this by putting a NiCd battery in line with the power source to help keep such oddities from occurring
  • Mika did mention that his early 02 series unit suffered from SSB distortion (which I did not notice and likely appears due to frequency drifting). He did consult with Yaesu who did confirm this and that 04 series units have fixed this problem (which also helps the clock retain its setting when the unit is unplugged!)
  • Mika also mentions that he can replace the rear-panel IF RCA connector with a BNC type, and even better, he can replace the poor SO-239 antenna connector with a BNC or N-type! Talk to this possibility with Bandercom before ordering to confirm availability and cost
  • We'll likely have to wait for the introduction of this model in Europe or the US before any comments can be made on later revisions of the manual. Hopefully Yaesu does a lot of work in this department to fix the many shortcomings in this area
  • As you can probably see, Yaesu did a great disservice by releasing this radio before it was ready. Early buyers (especially its Japanese customers) will likely have reason to never buy another Yaesu receiver again given all this radio's early problems!
  • It appears that the latest production runs rolling off the assembly line will be much more worthy of the buying dollar. Given its known good performance, coupling it with a worthy manual and no firmware bugs will make for an unbeatable selection for those looking in this price range. It really will be a no-brainer and a very welcome addition to the radio market!
    • Thanks!
    Before you leave, I would like to thank Pete Peltola of     Bandercom for his generosity in loaning the unit used in this review! His efforts have made it possible for you to read this first serious evaluation of this eagerly sought receiver thereby giving you the information you need to help make an informed purchase decision.

    I must also thank Mika for his great technical work and insights which he has freely shared with me and others and have been all his own work since Yaesu doesn't even have a Service Manual for the 5000 yet!

    If you are interested in ordering one of these radios or simply want more information, please stop by their web site (click below) or write Pete at bandercom@bander.com.

    February 27, 2001
    Copyright © 2010 by Richard J. Wells Return to Home Page