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In response to the introduction of the AR8000, Yupiteru has finally given us
the successor to the wonderful MVT-7100 and MVT-7200 multi-band receivers. The
MVT-9000 has been vastly updated with more banks, more features, and keeps the
wide receive coverage we've come to know.
As soon as I saw the ad for this radio, I just knew I had to have it. I have always loved my MVT-7100 for it's wide coverage, superior sensitivity, outstanding audio, decent scan/search speeds and ease of use. What follows are my personal impressions regarding the features and performance 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 or business relations with Yupiteru Industries Company. These are simply thoughts offered to my fellow hobbyists who may be interested in purchasing this particular radio. 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 |
| Channels | 1000 |
|---|---|
| Banks | 20 |
| Coverage | 531 kHz - 2039 MHz |
| Scan | 30 channels/second |
| Search | 30 steps/second |
| Steps | 50/100/200/500Hz 1/5/6.25/8/9/10/12.5/15/20/25/30/50/100/125 kHz |
| Modes | AM, NAM, FM, WFM, LSB, USB, CW |
| Sensitivity | Listed in the manual: 2 - 30 MHz AM: S/N 10dB 2.5µV SSB: S/N 10dB 1.0µV 30 - 470 MHz FM: SINAD 12dB 0.5µV WFM: SINAD 12dB 1.0µV AM: S/N 10dB 1.0µv SSB: S/N 10dB 0.5µV 470 - 830 MHz WFM: SINAD 12dB 1.5µV 470 - 1000 MHz FM: SINAD 12dB 0.75µV 1000 - 13000 MHz FM: SINAD 12dB 1.0µV 1.3 - 2.039 GHz FM: SINAD 12dB 2.0µV |
| Sensitivity | From HAM RADIO TODAY Vol. 15 No. 2 : 500 kHz - 350 MHz AM: SINAD 12dB 0.24 - 1.26µV 500 kHz - 1900 MHz SSB: SINAD 12dB 0.09 - 0.59µV 500 kHz - 1900 MHz FM: SINAD 12dB 0.15 - 0.89µV 100 MHz - 750 MHz WFM: SINAD 12dB 0.43 - 0.63µV |
| Conversion | Triple |
| IFs | 1=763/254 2=45.185 3=0.455 MHz |
| Priority | 10 channels |
| Search limits | 20 |
| Search skip | 500 frequencies |
| Auto-store | Yes |
| S-meter | Yes |
| Delay | 2/4 seconds |
| Lockout | Yes |
| Attenuator | VFO, Search & Memory |
| Lock | 2 types |
| Tone codes | No |
| Computer intf | No |
| Rotary control | Yes |
| Channel count | No |
| Data skip | No |
| Clock | No |
| Timers | No |
| Weather | not programmed |
| Weather Alert | No |
| Light | Display & keypad |
| Power | 4 AAs |
| Audio | 150mW at 10% THD |
| Size | 2.6" W x 6.1" H x 1.6" D |
| Weight | 410g (w/batt & ant) |
| Memory | non-volatile |
It is broken up into six sections, each leading you from attaching the antenna and installing batteries, to working the VFO and then performing searches, scans and finally covering the lesser used functions. There is also a good reference section on trouble-shooting, specifications and control charts which step you through the operation of all the features using key labels and icons.
Overall, this radio is pretty easy to use when you consider its power and the sheer number of features it has. After reading the manual, you still find yourself having to experiment with the radio and figure out what it is that the manual is trying to convey.
Considering my frustration, and that of other 9000 owners I have communicated with, I took it upon myself to write my own manual. On my MVT-9000 page, you'll find a link to what I call the MVT-9000 Owner's Guide. It takes you step by step through all the features and makes it very easy for anyone to use this radio.
Construction and Physical
Yupiteru is well known for making a nicely constructed radio and the 9000 is no
exception. Build quality and finish are excellent. The materials used are top
notch and one look at it lets you know this is one serious piece of equipment!
Compared to the MVT-7100, the MVT-9000 is a tad shorter, a tad wider and very similar in depth. The biggest difference is in the weight. The 9000 is probably the heaviest receiver on the market today. It weighs in about 30% more than the 7100. It is one hefty little brick.
The entire case is constructed of a very dark gray plastic; in typical lighting it will appear black like the MVT-7100/7200. Considering the other radios on the market, this is probably the "sexiest" design you will find. All corners and edges are well rounded. Special inlays and curves abound which help to enhance its appearance.
A front view reveals that the top and bottom edge widths are not quite as wide as the middle. The side view shows that the bottom is the most narrow and widens as you go up. It is the thickest at the middle for the LCD then tapers a bit as it nears the top. Running down the left side is an an insert which houses the side function buttons, running nearly halfway down that side. This strip joins a similar one running across the top of the radio.
The front panel houses the speaker grill, and power and function buttons in the top third. The power button is round and slightly recessed into the case to prevent accidental activation. Below this is the FUNC button which is used to activate the second and third function for each key on the keypad. I do not know what ergonomic genius thought this up but this is not the ideal place for a key which is used so often. It is a pain to use one-handed since it requires an adjustment when holding the radio so that you can reach it with your thumb. It should be put back on the keypad or made the lowest control on the left-hand side for easier access.
Below these are the LCD which is also uniquely crafted. The top edge of the LCD cover is rounded upwards and the sides taper slowly as they descend. At the bottom of the LCD, this taper is continued via the case itself and forms the background for the keypad. This tapering effect is created by a recess into the case which is nearly 1/8" deep in the middle of the keypad.
The LCD itself has good contrast and can be viewed from almost any angle. Viewing from head-on and above is the best but it can be read easily from below. Side viewing is limited to about 45 degrees due in large part to the thickness and reflectivity of the LCD cover.
The keypad is composed of five rows and four columns of white keys with black lettering on them except for the ENT key which is written in orange. The second and third function text for each key is printed above the key unlike the confusing MVT-7100/7200 which had this text below the respective button. The secondary function text is printed in a light cyan while those four keys with a third function have this text printed in blue.
Overall, the keypad has the same layout as the 71007/7200s which is nice if you are use to it. Even the second function keys are largely the same. Key press feel/feedback has been changed though. This keypad requires a lighter touch than the 7100/7200 which is good news but I feel they went a bit too far and made them a little too "spongy". The changes made are for the better though now that I got use to the 9000 and find the 7100 requiring much heavier key presses.
Up on the top panel, we have the typical BNC connector for the antenna, and the volume squelch and rotary selector controls. The volume and squelch knobs are both inscribed with nice bright red lines for easy visual inspection as well as being surrounded by a series of white dots for help in repeatable settings. The only physical flaw I have found with this radio is with the rotary selector. Something is wrong with the inherent design because this control likes to rock around on its post a bit. If it is not centered within reason, you will find that it hinders its rotation.
The left panel houses the LAMP (top), MONItor (middle) and LOCK (bottom) controls. Each is a small black bar within a circular depression with the LOCK control not protruding as far to help prevent accidental activation. My personal preference would be to swap the locations of the LOCK and FUNC controls. The lock function is used much less often than the lamp, monitor or function keys.
Looking at the right panel we see the mounting for the hand-strap, the earphone jack and 12V DC jack. The earphone jack is monaural so you'll have to buy an adapter if you want to hear properly with a set of stereo headphones. And unless you have the battery saver on and engaged you will hear a loud audio hiss which is independent of volume setting. Processor- induced noise was heard during scan and search using headphones with the volume cranked up sufficiently albeit at levels that would kill should any signal become active!
Also be advised when using DC power. This jack is designed to charge NiCds only! Make sure you have them installed or take out the alkalines before you hook up or you could be in for a costly mistake!
The rear panel houses the mount points for the nice, metal belt-clip, the unit id sticker and battery compartment cover at the bottom. There is just barely enough room for 4 AA batteries in the battery compartment and luckily it contains an "ejection strap" used to remove them.
The bottom panel contains, well, the bottom! Here's another nit-picky item for Yupiteru. Design the feet better! When sitting on my desk, I find it can take up to 10 seconds for this radio to stop rocking after I have tweaked the volume, squelch, etc.
Antenna
I recently wrote a review on 25 antennas for handheld radios so I was prepared
with some hard data to compare the MVT-9000's antenna to. Overall, this antenna
placed 18 out of 27.
It excelled in the 870-890 & 925-960 bands by placing 2nd. It came in third for 400-512. Performance was average for FM radio, VHF aero and 800 MHz public safety. VHF-lo was well below average while VHF-hi was just atrocious.
For more exact details on this antenna, check out my handheld antenna review on my Antenna page.
Features
Let's start by powering this puppy on! Simply press the PWR button for about a
second and it comes to life. And the first thing you will see is the opening
message for about two seconds! Not only that but you have the ability to change
this message using the EDIT function. Cool huh?! Us radio geeks just eat this
stuff up!
Like the R10, the power activation is independent of the volume control allowing power cycles without having to readjust volume each time. Quite nice!
After this, you see what is probably the "sexiest" and largest LCD display of any radio on the market today. This is a custom LCD like the R10 with the top two-thirds dedicated to your typical ennunciators and indicators, with the bottom third consisting of a 2-line by 11-character dot-matrix display. These two lines are used to display the battery meter, battery saver, S-meter, alpha-tags and the bandscope with marker.
The custom portion of the LCD is very large and not only holds up to two frequencies (with 50Hz resolution) with the channel number or step size, but also 32 indicators!
When the radio is powered-on, it will return to the mode it was in when it was turned off. Scanning operations will not resume but will leave the radio in Memory mode on the last accessed channel. Search operations will be put in search pause evidenced by the flashing frequency cursor. Simply press SRCH to resume the search or ENT to stop it. Bandscope and priority settings will be remembered so that they can be enabled on power-up.
Next up is another feature not found on many radios...the battery meter. Regardless of what mode you are in, simply pressing the C/AC key will pop up the battery meter for five seconds. Pressing it again while it is displayed will remove it. This function uses the bottom line of the dot-matrix display to display a graphical representation of the power left in your batteries. This is usually where the S-meter is displayed but in this case, a 'B' is shown instead of the 'S' along with the S-meter bar scale.
Pop in a fresh set of alkalines and all ten segments will light up while using an ordinary set of NiCds will only use 5 or 6 segments. This meter does ramp down rather quickly and stays on the last four segments quite a while. When you get down to one segment, the low battery indicator lights. When the last segment disappears, the low battery indicator flashes and you have about 5 minutes left with alkalines and roughly a minute or two with NiCds before the radio powers off automatically.
Since we're talking about batteries, let's cover the battery saver next. This nifty feature allows you to conserve batter power when sitting in VFO or Memory modes waiting to receive a signal. You can not only enable and disable it but also pick the duty cycle used. The 7100/7200s had three settings which had to be specified each time you wanted to enable it. The 9000 has ten settings and once selected, you simply turn it on and off. Once engaged, the battery saver indicator will light and if no signal is received for five seconds, the save circuitry kicks in. Once active, this feature displays "*Saving...*" on the top dot-matrix line with the chosen duty cycle displayed on the bottom line.
One of the bigger problems with the MVT-7100/7200s was the use of a global 2 second scan/search delay. It was pre-programmed and could only be changed to four seconds. This made the radio very unfriendly for 800 MHz trunked system monitoring. Sad to say this feature carried over into the 9000. Once again, if the radio stops on an active frequency during a scan or search operation, it will wait for two seconds after the signal goes away before it resumes scanning/searching. The four second option is still available. What can I say but...AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
A new feature included on this radio is the Index function. Most radios refer to it as Pause. When enabled and a scan or search operation stops on an active frequency, the scan or search operation will resume automatically if the transmission lasts more than four seconds. While this feature will prove handy to many, the "pause" amount should have been user-selectable (like the FREE function of the AR8000 which allows you to select between 0 and 99 seconds).
Another handy feature for those of you who live in strong radio broadcast locales is the attenuator. Used to diminish the strength of incoming signals, the specifications list it as 15dB at 108 MHz. Each of the two VFOs have their own attenuator setting as does each memory channel. And it can even be toggled on and off while doing a search.
The monitor function allows you to break the squelch to listen for weak signals which may not be strong enough to open the squelch at its present setting. Simply press the MONI button on the side of the radio while in most modes and it instantly breaks the squelch. Later in this review, I'll mention how the MONI button is used for two other purposes.
Another feature accessed via a side-panel button is the key lock function. The 9000 comes with two types of locks too! Both settings always leave the PWR, FUNC and LOCK keys active allowing you to power the radio on and off as well as unlocking it. The least restrictive mode is accessed simply by pressing LOCK.
This level allows you to still access the rotary selector, LAMP, MONI and C/AC (battery check) keys (as well as the three already mentioned). At this level, the lock icon is displayed. To leave just the PWR, FUNC and LOCK keys active, hold down LOCK until you hear a second beep.
The last function accessible via the side-panel is the LAMP feature. This is used to backlite the LCD and keypad for dim lighting or nighttime use. The lighting is a soft green and for the LCD, comes from four LEDs located along its left-hand edge. Once your eyes are dark adapted, you can use this feature as a flashlight! A simple press LAMP will engage it for five seconds. If LAMP is held for about one second, the LAMP indicator will flash and the light is now locked on. A third setting, accessed via the FUNC key, allows the five second lamp timer to be reset each time a key is pressed.
Shipped from the factory, the radio is configured to emit a beep for each key you press to help with auditory feedback. In certain environments, this can be an annoyance but luckily the 9000 allows you to disable it. The beep volume, when enabled, varies somewhat with the volume setting and is fairly low when the volume is turned all the way down. The BZ indicator on the LCD lets you instantly check its setting.
Like the AR8000, the 9000 is equipped with an internal AM antenna to help in the reception of medium-wave broadcasts. When this internal antenna is being used, the ANT indicator will be visible. To use an external antenna connected to the BNC jack, the internal antenna can be "disconnected" at which point the ANT indicator disappears.
There is also a reset capability should your 9000 decide to lock up for an unknown reason. I have not had the need to do this with my 7100 but it's nice to know it is there. Of course I hope I never have to use it seeing as how the reset wipes out all 1000 channels and resets the VFOs and all 20 search bands to the factory defaults!
The last point to discuss is the audio capabilities of this radio. By visual inspection, you can see that the speaker on the 9000 is much smaller than the 7100/7200s. These older radios had what I considered to be the best audio quality and power available in a handheld scanner/communications receiver.
Audio quality has suffered slightly due to the smaller size making the 9000 sound quite similar to the AR8000 (which ranks 2nd in my book). The audio is still very crisp and makes it easier to understand communications in noisier environments. Wide-FM signals are still quite enjoyable considering the size of this speaker.
As for audio power, the manual lists 100mW. Well this is just plain wrong as far as I'm concerned. The 9000 is almost as loud as my 7100 (which is also spec'd at 100mW) and is on par with the AR8000 (spec'd at 120mW). Most of the time, you will be able to keep the volume set at the 8 to 9 o'clock position and hear just fine. Crank it up and it rivals commercial Motorola radios. One review of the MVT-9000 by a ham radio magazine spec'd the audio power at 151mW at 10% THD. Makes me laugh when I see Radio Shack and Uniden specs that list 250mW and 300mW for their radios and they're nowhere near as loud as the MVT-9000!
VFO
The 9000 comes with two VFOs, just like the AR8000, and they are a welcome
addition. The currently active VFO is indicated by a triangle cursor and
swapping the active VFO is as simple as pressing the ENT key.
Each VFO has its own frequency, step size, receive mode, preset, offset, duplex mode and attenuator setting. When enabled, preset allows the radio to automatically select the step size, receive mode and duplex shift width based on the current frequency. The offset feature allows frequencies to be entered which are not an integral multiple of the current step size.
The duplex shift feature allows a positive or negative shift value to be specified in megahertz. When duplex is enabled, pressing the MONI key shifts the VFO frequency by the shift width and opens the squelch if a signal is detected. This allows for easy monitoring of both input and output of a repeater should the need arise. Of course, you could simply enter the input frequency into one VFO and the output to the other VFO and then use ENT to switch back and forth between them. However, the duplex feature carries over into memory channels allowing you to program up as many duplex frequencies as you desire!
Both VFOs share the duplex shift width value, as well as the delay, index and antenna settings. The delay setting is used to bump up the scan/search delay from 2 to 4 seconds. The index feature is new and forces searching to resume if it has stopped on an active transmission for more than four seconds. Another new feature allows for bypassing of the internal medium-wave antenna. For mobile monitoring, you would probably use the internal antenna but while at home, you could bypass it and use a more suitable antenna connected to the BNC connector.
The frequencies in the VFOs are changed using the keypad. They can also be modified using the rotary control or arrow keys to scroll through the radio spectrum using the current step size. There is also a handy feature which steps by 10x the step size. An ad-hoc method allows for changing each individual digit in the readout but this more combersome than it is worth.
Once a frequency and its settings have been placed in a VFO, they are easily copied to memory. One method allows for successive memory channels to be written which comes in handy when you first get the radio and program up your favorite frequencies. The other method allows you to specify the channel number to write to.
When a VFO is copied to memory, not only is the frequency saved but so is step size, receive mode, duplex shift width and the settings for preset, offset and attenuator. All this info comes in handy when you use the function which transfers a memory channel back into the VFO.
The ten priority channels are really an extension to the 1000 memory channels and are numbered from 1000 to 1009. These numbers must be specified when copying a VFO to a priority channel.
Memory Operations
The MVT-9000 has 1000 normal memory channels split into 20 banks of 50 channels
each with each bank starting at an even number (0, 50, 100, etc.). As mentioned
earlier, the priority channels are really memory channels 1000 to 1009. The
first ten banks are lettered A to J then from a to j for the last ten. The
priority channels are considered bank P.
Memory is programmed using the VFO copy functions or by use of the auto- store feature described below. You can switch between VFO mode and memory mode by simply pressing the MR key. Once in memory mode, you typically use the rotary control to scroll around although the arrow keys can also be used. You can also punch in the memory channel number you wish to go to and then press MR.
When scrolling around, all channels are displayed; even empty ones. One Yupiteru oddity which carries over from the 7100/7200 is that if you stop on an empty channel, the receiver will still be checking for activity on the last non-empty channel's frequency. Weird, but you get use to it.
Another note about scrolling through memory, you can not scroll between the normal memory channels and the priority channels. To scroll around within the priority bank, you must first go to a priority channel by specifying an appropriate channel number (1000-1009) and pressing the MR key. The priority channels are labeled P0 - P9 as opposed to listing their 4-digit channel number when displaying memory.
Once you have your frequency data all programmed in, it's time to add some bank and channel labels. Each bank and memory channel can have up to a nine character label added for it which is displayed whenever you are in memory mode. If no label is programmed, you simply see the bank letter. If labels are programmed, you will see the display alternate between bank and channel labels.
Erasing channel data is quite easy. A simple two stroke key press wipes out all frequency data and settings as well as the channel label. But be warned; if you erase all channels within a bank, this will also erase the bank label itself.
Once programmed, memory channel can not be changed except for the attenuator setting. Duplex mode can be enabled for all memory channels so that you can use the duplex shift feature on any of them.
Scanning
The MVT-9000 offers quite a few ways to perform scanning. There are three modes
available called Continuous, Bank and Select Bank. Within each of these are
three sub-modes called Normal, Mode and Program. This obviously gives us a
total of nine scan modes to select from making this receiver quite flexible.
Continuous mode is used to scan all 20 banks and I doubt very many will make use of it. Just press the SCAN key and you're off and running!
Bank mode allows up to four banks to be specified. However, you can not mix between the first ten and last ten banks. This is due to an interesting design "feature" whereby banks A-J are specified using the digits 1-0 while the banks a-j are specified using a decimal place and the digits 1-0. While I do have a problem with this type of mapping, what makes it worse is that there is no reference on the radio itself to help you map the bank letters onto their appropriate numbers like the AR8000 does. Quick...what is the number for bank G? Ahhhhhh....duhhhhh...I dunno. I'm sure you'll see plenty of 9000 users mumbling the alphabet while counting on their fingers in order to figure all this out!
Back to specifying banks...to start a Bank scan, you key up to four digits representing the banks to be scanned. As you can see, you must either specify or not specify the decimal point which is used to determine bank A from bank a. Thus you can only scan within the lower or upper ten banks when using the Bank Scan. I personally do not have a big gripe with this since I typically program up the first ten banks with my usual freqs (to match all my other radios which usually have ten banks). I then use the upper ten banks for weird, temporary or auto-store frequencies and therefore rarely have a need to scan across the lower/upper ten bank boundaries.
The last scan mode is Select Bank. This is new functionality and something that was missing in the 7100/7200 which were limited to scanning up to four banks (Bank) or all ten (Continuous). In this mode, you are displayed with a graphical representation of "enabled" banks just like the AR8000. You can then enable or disable any combination of the twenty. To use all this is a tad complex when compared to the Uniden/Radio Shack models where you can just toggle a bank on and off but I'm glad it's here.
Now we move on to the three sub-modes. Normal sub-mode is what you would typically find on your normal scanner. This scans the regular old memory channels within the banks you specify. This sub-mode is the default and is what you will probably be using most of the time.
The next sub-mode is called Mode and refers to receive mode. This allows you to only scan the channels which contain the specified receive mode. The only radio I have ever used this type functionality on is the IC-R1 and that was because it only had one bank. Most of us won't use this but it will probably tickle someone's fancy out there.
The last sub-mode is called Program. Each bank contains a special list which can consist of up to ten specially marked channels. Ahead of time, you select/mark, up to ten channels to be placed in this program list. A memory channel which has been marked as such displays the PGM indicator. In effect, this allows a bank to contain a sub-bank of special channels. You can then use Program scan to scan just these special channels. I really like this feature and use it often on my 7100.
Regardless of the scanning mode selected, empty channels are never scanned. Also, channels which have been marked as 'pass' will not be scanned. This is the equivalent of lockout in most radios.
Once scanning is started, you can reverse the order by simply rotating the rotary control or using the arrow keys.
Scanning speed remains the same as its predecessors and is spec'd at 30 channels per second. This is beginning to be outpaced by most other radios out there so I suggest to Yupiteru that they work on a turbocharger for their next generation.
Searching
Like scanning, searching offers several combinations There are three modes
available called VFO, Band and Select Band. Within each of these are two sub-
modes called Normal and Auto-Store. This obviously gives us a total of six
search modes to select from.
A VFO search is started from one of the two VFO frequencies. Like the memory banks, there are 20 search bands labeled A-j and a-j. Each band can be programmed with a start and end frequency as well as a step size, receive mode and alpha-tag.
The Band and Select Band modes are the equivalent of their scan counter- parts. Band mode allows up to four bands to be searched but no mixing is allowed between A-J and a-j. Band Select allows any combination of the twenty to specified.
The Normal sub-mode is just that; allowing a search to be conducted for any activity. If a transmission is detected, the search is paused to listen to the audio and resumes once the transmission ends.
Auto-Store is a new feature for the MVT-9000 and allows for search discovered frequencies to be automatically written to bank j. Every time this mode is started, bank j is automatically erased and this mode aborts when the bank is full. Two problems here. The first is that one bank storage is a tad too limiting. The second, and more painful, is the fact that this operation is quite stupid. No test is done to see if the active frequency is already in bank j. So it is quite possible for you to fill up the entire bank with the same frequency 50 times!
During any of the search modes, you can adjust the attenuator, index and delay settings to suit your needs. Obviously, index and delay will have no effect on the operation of Auto-Store. Additionally, the search direction can be reversed using the appropriate twist of the rotary control or press of the arrow keys.
Search speed remains the same as its predecessors and is spec'd at 30 channels per second. Like scanning speed, Yupiteru needs to boost it a bit to keep pace with the competition.
Bandscope
Once of the nicest new features in the MVT-9000 is the bandscope. Not only is
it quite sexy, it is actually useful compared to those that exist on other
competitive models. Bandscope allows for the graphical representation of
frequency activity on either side of the current frequency. The 9000 allows for
this function to be used in VFO, memory, scanning and searching modes.
The bandscope is displayed using a single key press. Immediately, the two bottom lines of the LCD are use to display the bandscope. It consists of a horizontal bar with a small mark in the center. This mark represents the current frequency around which activity will be monitored. The number of frequencies which can be monitored will depend on the receive mode and step size of the current frequency. The widest coverage is 1.6 MHz or 0.8 MHz plus and minus the center frequency. For most receive modes, a step size of25 kHz or less will let you see 33 frequencies either side of the center frequency!
You can also choose between standard and narrow modes. This allows you to widen the frequency coverage and suffer the slower updates or reverse the roles to suite your monitoring situation.
Active transmissions will show up as vertical bar on the bandscope display. The taller the bar, the stronger the signal.
A feature of the bandscope is a marker which performs several functions. Once marker is enabled, you can use the rotary control or arrow keys to move this graphical cursor back and forth across the display. As it moves, it displays its frequency allowing you to easily identify displayed signals. If you would like to hear the audio at the marker frequency, simply hold in the MONI key. Wow! Cool or what? And there's also a simply key press that will transfer the marker frequency to the center frequency. And of course, you can change the center frequency at any time by simply keying in a new one.
Priority
As mentioned in the section on memory, the MVT-9000 comes with ten priority
channels which are grouped within their own bank and are really a ten channel
extension to the 1000 normal memory channels.
Priority checking occurs every five seconds once it has been enabled which can be done for VFO, memory, scan or search modes.
Technically speaking, priority operation is really a scanning action. Like scanning you can quick and dirty specify up to four of the channels to be sampled or use a menu to specify any of the ten. For this reason, priority channels can not be passed nor can they be specially marked like normal memory channels. The priority bank, P, can be given an alpha-tag as can each of its ten channels.
Once priority has been enabled, the PRI indicator lights. You can then continue work in VFO or memory modes, or start up a scanning or search operation. During operation, the priority channels are scanned from lowest to highest and this order can not be reversed as in normal scanning.
VHF/UHF Performance
To measure up the performance of the 9000, I put it up against the best
handhelds offered by Uniden, AOR and Icom as well as comparing it to the
previous Yupiteru flagship model.
To start with, I always slog through the 25-1300 MHz receive range (pretty much common to all top-end models) to check out the number and location of all birdies. And no, I wasn't about to test the full range of the 9000 up to.... yee gads...2 GHz!!!
Most of my recent tests for Uniden, Radio Shack and Icom models put out around 20 - 40 birdies. Most of the models by AOR, Welz and Yupiteru put out considerably more (200+). The MVT-9000 is no exception. Makes you happy to hear that you have 500 search-pass frequencies to work with!
Next, I did a search for images and intermod in a "normal" environment, my home, using the stock antenna. Overall results were promising. Just a few frequencies troubled by pagers and local cordless phones with 8 or so due to strong local TV stations.
I then replaced the stock antenna with a Diamond RH-77CA to see how a more sensitive antenna would effect things. Picked up a few more freqs with pager and TV troubles, a lot of noise throughout 46-54, quite a bit of intermod in the FM radio band and one frequency that had the local NOAA weather station one IF (10.8) lower than it should be.
We then packed up and traveled to a nice location that is just full of strong FM radio, TV, cellular and paging signals. It's a great place for testing for intermod and can make or break a radio.
Using the stock antenna, I recorded about two pages (50 freqs) of cellular data and voice images and intermod mixing with pagers. About ten of these were TV images and nearly half were above 900 MHz where not many of us roam.
While there, I did the same test for the BC3000XLT using its stock antenna. This antenna ranked 17th of 27 in my handheld antenna review while the MVT-9000 ranked 18th so they are roughly equivalent overall. For the BC3000, I managed to record four pages (about 100 freqs) of problem frequencies. So you can see that the MVT-9000, while noisy, is not that bad. The same testing of the AR8000 showed about 25 troubled freqs, the MVT-7100 about 150 and the IC-R10 about 100.
Next up, I replaced the stock antennas with more sensitive replacements. The number of frequencies with trouble just about tripled for both the 9000, 7100 and BC3000 while the AR8000 and IC-R10 doubled.
When it comes to VHF/UHF performance, the MVT-7100/7200 are a hard act to follow. When it comes to pure sensitivity, the MVT-7100 sets the standard by which I measure all radios. With such great sensitivity does come some limitations though usually in the form of excessive intermod when used in urban locations where RF signal strengths are strong.
While at home, I compared the above models on frequencies between 30 and 952 MHz using the same antenna for each frequency tested. In the results table below, for each frequency, I ranked the radios from 1st place to last. If a radio did not receive the test signal, a 0 was registered.
| Freq | MVT-9000 | MVT-7100 | AR8000 | IC-R10 | BC3000XLT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 5 |
| 36 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 40 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 49 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 59 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 71 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 88 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 96 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 0 |
| 107 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 119 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 123 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 132 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| 145 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 151 | 1 | 1 | 5 | 3 | 4 |
| 157 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| 162 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 173 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 203 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| 257 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 |
| 417 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 450 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 461 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 464 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 487 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| 852 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 856 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| 860 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
| 864 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| 929 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 936 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 952 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
Using the above rankings, I took an average for each radio (using 6 for a value of 0) which placed the radios from first to last as follows : MVT-7100 (1.1), AR8000 (2.0), MVT-9000 (2.1), IC-R10 (2.8) and BC3000XLT (3.6).
The 7100 is still the king while the MVT-9000 took second place with the AR8000 which says a lot.
Taking in the big picture, we can see that the AR8000 is the best choice for most people. It offers great sensitivity combined with great image and intermod rejection; even in harsh RF environments. For those who are able to trade some interference rejection for sensitivity, you can't go wrong with the Yupiterus. My testing revealed the 9000 to be a bit more resistant to interference when compared to the 7100 but this cost it some sensitivity points. The R10 proves to be a good performer in a very small package while the BC3000 offers the best value for the dollar.
HF Performance
Not only does the MVT-7100 hold top VHF/UHF honors, it is also a great SW
receiver. In previous testing it has just barely outpaced the AR8000 which also
does a great job when you consider the task of today's do-it-all wide range
receivers.
To measure up the performance of the 9000, I put it up against the best handhelds offered by AOR and Icom as well as comparing it to the MVT-7100. The BC3000XLT was let off the hook for obvious reasons.
While at home, I compared the above models on frequencies between 3 and 24 MHz using the same antenna for each frequency tested. In the results table below, for each frequency, I ranked the radios from 1st place to last. If a radio did not receive the test signal, a 0 was registered. All signals were selected and verified with a Sangean ATS-909.
| Freq | MVT-9000 | MVT-7100 | AR8000 | IC-R10 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 4 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 7 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| 12 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 13 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
| 16 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 17 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| 20 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| 22 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 |
| 23 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 1 |
| 24 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 3 |
Using the above rankings, I took an average for each radio (using 5 for a value of 0) which placed the radios from first to last as follows : MVT-9000 (1.3), MVT-7100 (2.2), AR8000 (2.8) and IC-R10 (3.2).
I was very surprised with the results. The new 9000 trounced them all. It did a wonderful job tuning AM, Narrow-AM, LSB and USB. At times, the reception using a smaller whip rivaled the ATS-909! Granted, the 909 is no world class performer, but it's no skunk and it is a dedicated SW receiver. None of the radios were on par with the 909 for selectivity but the 9000, 7100 and 8000 all did pretty good with the R10 too far behind.
Ranking
| Category | Score | Out of |
|---|---|---|
| Sensitivity | 25 | 25 |
| Selectivity | 5 | 15 |
| Interference rejection | 5 | 20 |
| Coverage | 90 | 90 |
| Channels | 15 | 15 |
| Channels per bank | 5 | 15 |
| Ease of use | 10 | 20 |
| Scan/Search speed | 5 | 10 |
| Receive modes | 15 | 15 |
| Step sizes | 25 | 25 |
| Conversion | 10 | 10 |
| Audio | 20 | 20 |
| Antenna | 20 | 20 |
| Construction | 20 | 20 |
| Size | 5 | 15 |
| Search | 30 | 35 |
| Attenuator | 20 | 20 |
| Auto-store | 10 | 20 |
| Search frequency lockout | 15 | 15 |
| Backlight | 30 | 30 |
| Alpha-tagging | 20 | 20 |
| VFO | 5 | 10 |
| Squelch tail | 20 | 10 |
| Priority | 0 | 20 |
| Delay | 0 | 15 |
| Hold | 10 | 10 |
| Rotary Control | 10 | 10 |
| S-meter | 10 | 10 |
| Power-on resume | 10 | 10 |
| Computer Interface | 0 | 20 |
| Tone Decode | 0 | 15 |
| Battery indicator | 10 | 10 |
| Channel count | 0 | 5 |
| Tape record control | 0 | 5 |
| Clock | 0 | 5 |
| Timers | 0 | 5 |
| Weather programmed | 0 | 5 |
| Weather alert | 0 | 5 |
| Data skip | 0 | 5 |
| Bank delete | 0 | 5 |
| Bank sort | 0 | 5 |
| Total | 475 | 670 |
| Total | 71 | 100 |
Yupiteru did a fine job by designing in more banks to make better use of the 1000 channels we had in the 7100/7200. Search bands went from 10 to 20 and now everything can be alpha-tagged which is a great enhancement. The new LCD is gorgeous as is the display and keypad backlight. The S-meter, battery meter and bandscope with marker are tools you will not want to do without if you get use to them! And 2 VFOs are always better than 1. The change to allow any combination of scanning banks and search bands is wonderful as is the inclusion of the ten channel priority bank.
These are all the things we come to expect from a radio that carries this kind of price tag. Since this radio does not have FCC certification due to the open cellular band, you can get this radio from outside the US. Due to shipping costs, insurance and import duties, this raises the price of the radio nearly $100. Add that to the going price of around $700 and you have a hefty investment to consider here.
Recommendations
The MVT-9000's main rival is obviously the AR8000 with both radios having very
similar features. But AOR had it first and I think it caught Yupiteru resting
on their laurels. The MVT-9000, while a very nice radio with some new
enhancements over the AR8000, is still a catch-up product as far as I'm
concerned. I hope their next try is more revolutionary.
Here in the US, the AR8000 is not currently available new due to the FCC revocation of its certification. It was selling for around $550 and that's a good deal when compared to the nearly $800 price tag the 9000 commands. Of course the MVT-9000 is new and I remember when the AR8000 first came out it was going for $680-$700. Also consider that was US price for a neutered model. So you had to buy the software and hardware to open the cellular band (more $) or order one from overseas (more $).
Hopefully, we will have the cellular-neutered version of the AR8000 here soon. And this is the radio that will offer the best value for most of us when we consider the bottom line. It is a great radio with great performance and features which includes computer control and reaction tuning with the Opto Scout, among others. The biggest problems with the 8000s seem to be in the mechanical design department. Take a lesson from Yupiteru, gang. I find the 9000 to be a little easier to use too.
The MVT-7100 is still available in limited quantities because I believe they have stopped production in favor of the newer MVT-7200. Who knows how much longer the 7200 will be with us. Recent prices for the 7100 are around $450 while the 7200 nears $540. Of course, be sure to factor in shipping, handling, insurance and import duty since you can't buy these new in the US. Both are great radios but they are older designs and their lack of features is painfully apparent when you consider their price tags.
The IC-R10 seems to be selling pretty well. Priced at $500, I think they're a little too steep. Around $450, I think they could get more people to try them and discover what a solid, little package of features this radio offers. The R10 has lots of nice features, decent sensitivity and very good interference rejection. Too bad it's just plain user-unfriendly and dog slow.
The BC3000XLT really isn't meant to compete with the rest of these radios but I thought I'd throw it in to see how it would hold up. It has some nice features but its coverage is limited to 25 MHz and up. It has 400 channels while the rest have 1000. No alpha-tags, no S-meter, no VFO, one search limit. You get the idea. The BC3000 is targeted at a different audience and like many of the classic Uniden models before it, holds up the tradition nicely.
As for me, I think I'll stick with the 9000. It's proven to be everything I had hoped for and maybe even a little more.
Update - October 16, 1998
How do you go about making a great radio even better? In the hands of those at
Bandercom, the Yupiteru MVT-9000 has gone above and beyond what it was
originally intended to do.
Bandercom online is a relative newcomer to the world receiver playing field as far as dealers go. If you've heard of them, it's probably because of their wonderfully low prices.
Not only that, they offer great service and very friendly personnel. I have exchanged quite a few e-mail with their sales manager, Pete, and their technical manager, Mika. Both are very passionate about their work and are ready to help answer any questions you might have.
Getting back to the MVT-9000, Bandercom originally decided that the radio could be sped up a bit with regards to searching and scanning speeds. Not only that but internal intermod could be reduced as well with a few judicious circuit component changes. This newly redesigned radio was crowned the 'MVT-9000M' and sold as such.
You see, Mika is a Yupiteru fanatic. He especially adores the MVT-9000 and is constantly working with it, if not using it to surf the airwaves. And I thought I liked the 9000!
As if this weren't enough, an M2 model was introduced shortly thereafter. This included a Bandercom installed LED which is used to indicate the status of both the squelch and power saver (it lights when the squelch breaks and flashes when the power saver engages).
For a run-down of these changes, stop by the Bandercom MVT-9000M page.
Quite recently, it was discovered how to enable the PRESET feature which was originally only available on Japanese models. Thus was born the MVT-9000M3.
With the great pricing Bandercom was giving all these MVT-9000 models and the worldwide visibility they had through the internet, it wasn't long before I was getting a good flow of e-mail from potential buyers asking about these changes and whether they were worth the additional price.
I finally figured it was time to find out for myself. I e-mailed Pete and he said he would be happy to supply a unit for me to play with and write up a little something on it. With firsthand knowledge of their work, I would be in a better position to advise future Bandercom-modified models.
Mika took one of the M3s they had on hand and it was soon sitting on my doorstep. I was assured that it in no way had been handpicked for my evaluation and was a typical model that anyone would receive.
Opening up the package, I immediately noted a piece of paper which indicated this was an M3 (or M III) model. Also listed was the serial number (70800391) of my unit as well as some figures with Mika's signature.
After each radio is modified, Mika tests them to evaluate the changes. He notes the search and scan speeds both before and after, and they are written down on this sheet with his signature to attest to his personal seal of approval.
My numbers indicated a scan/search speed of 25/25 step/sec before and 35/36 after. That's a 40% increase! I'll take that any day.
Also listed are the other modifications and what they do, as well as the Bandercom telephone number and the e-mail address to contact Mika if you have any questions. They even list a "certain" web site where you can pick up a free copy of a MVT-9000 Owner's Guide (Thanks, guys!).
Upon removing the radio from its plastic baggy, I immediately noticed an unexpected difference. The plastic casing didn't seem quite right. Looking at my 2 year old unit, the M3 was nowhere near as shiny. I wonder if Yupiteru has made a change on purpose or if the shiny cased radios are only meant for the Japanese market (my original MVT-9000 was purchased in Japan at the Akihabara marketplace)? This is definitely not a big issue but I thought it an interesting change worth noting.
I also noticed the installed LED which resides on the top panel in the empty region contained by the squelch, volume and rotary controls. And it's not your typical LED either (which is kind of what I was expecting I guess). It's really some form of flat plastic cap which only extends about 1/16" above the top surface and helps to diffuse the emitted green light.
I attached the antenna and turned the radio on and was surprised to see the opening message display "YUPITERU MVT-9000m3"! Seems Mika (or someone at Bandercom) takes the time to modify the opening message of these modified radios and give them even more of a personal touch!
I forced the squelch open and sure enough, the LED came to life. Closed the squelch and put the power saver on. As the LCD displayed the power saver message, the LED began to flash just as promised.
During the course of using the keypad, I immediately noticed that the key beep was of a higher pitch. I would presume that is due to the modified crystal necessary to increase the scan and search speeds.
With a crystal change, you can bet that other things will change as well since a number of features probably make use of that timed constant to perform some basic tasks. These usually at least include the delay and priority sampling times. I checked both and found the delay closer to 1 second (down from the specified 2 seconds) and the priority sampling rate closer to 4 seconds (compared to the original 5).
More importantly, I wondered how this change would effect the settling time and squelch circuitry. Try to drive a radio too fast and it won't have the time to "settle", or get properly on frequency and detect a valid signal. The end effect is a faster radio which skips over weak signals. Yuck!
I tested a number of signals on both radios from VFO, scanning and search modes but could find no evidence that the M3 was not doing the same job as the original. Wonderful!
In our last few e-mails, Mika had been explaining some of his modifications. He says that while he has the radio open, he takes the time to "correct oscillator phase noise and distortion, verify internal reference levels and VCO locking speed, and make grounding a bit better".
Mika also says that Yupiteru made some internal shielding changes after the 610xxxxx series (which is what I have) as well as INCREASED the sensitivity and changed the 1st IF mixer stage somewhat.
In other talks with Jonathan Clough of Javiation, he indicates that the new internal shielding "consists of a silver anti RF Sheet inside the back cover and a small sheet over the top right of the logic PCB". I would guess that this would be to help remove some of the 9000's self-interference which results in birdies...something which is all too abundant on Yupiteru models, unfortunately.
With this in mind, I swept the same frequency range on the M3 as my original 9000 and noted all its birdies. There was about a 20% reduction which is helpful but I think more work could still be done in reducing internal interference.
My next goal was to see how the modification for the 10.8 MHz intermod worked. Mika explains that there is an "unwanted 10.8 MHz signal in the first mixer" that mixes with the incoming signal to produce interference signals that are +/- 10.8 MHz from the incoming frequency. I know all about this having mentioned it in my original review.
Over in Finland, where the Bandercom office is that Pete and Mika work in, they have trouble listening to some police frequencies due to interference from pagers and this 10.8 MHz intermod. Or as Mika put it, he lives "in the middle of an RF mess." I guess necessity really is the mother of invention!
So I took my original 9000 and found some strong local signals, tuned 10.8 MHz to either side. Sure enough, they were there. I then did he same test using the M3 and I typically found about a 50% reduction! Mika had said 40 - 70% and it seems he knows what he's talking about (never doubted you Mika ;-).
But, it seems you don't get something for nothing. During the above testing, I noticed that actual image frequencies of locally strong Wide-FM signals were much more of a problem on the M3 than on my original unit. I mentioned this to Mika who compared an older 610xxxxx unit to some newer units of the 708xxxxx and 807xxxxx series before they were modified. He admits that they "seem to have poorer characteristic on WFM broadcast" signals. So it appears that Yupiteru has made some change to negatively impact this aspect of the 9000. I was glad to see it wasn't due to the Bandercom modifications (and I'm sure Mika was relieved as well ;-).
With all the M2 modifications covered, that leaves the M3, or PRESET mod to talk about.
As I mentioned above, my 9000 was purchased in Japan and was thus intended for use in that country. With that being the case, it has a PRESET mode which is used to enable the bandplan which can automatically select receive mode and step size based on the frequency you enter. If you need to override this feature, you can simply disable it.
After writing my Owner's Guide, it seems that many users in Europe were getting confused when they couldn't get PRESET to work. Come to find out, all the 9000s which are exported from Japan are modified to disable the PRESET in hardware thereby keeping the user from enabling it.
Recently, the modification became available to "undo" this PRESET disable modification and shortly thereafter Bandercom was offering an M3 model for sale. I haven't studied the Japanese bandplan at length and know basically nothing about the various European bandplans, but I don't think this PRESET feature will be terribly useful for most people outside of Japan. I never use it on mine, it that's any consolation. But if you want this feature or feel the need to have a "complete" radio, this M3 version will only cost you $6 more than the M2.
I also took a quick look at the supplied manual and noticed that it appeared to have changed some since mine (which was in Japanese) but was still quite awful. Grammar and organization is atrocious. It is a shame to supply such a world class radio with such a shoddy manual.
Bandercom currently offers the regular MVT-9000 for $399, the M2 goes for $479 and the M3 is $485. All their (great) prices include shipping and they do have a 30-day money-back guarantee. Not only do they carry Yupiteru, but Alinco, AOR, iCOM, Uniden and Welz. And the prices for them are just as fabulous!
The latest word from Mika is that he is hard at work on the next modified version...the M4? Hopefully we'll hear more on this soon!
As I sit here looking at the M3, I am tempted to suggest my own modification for Mika to think about. I see a modification where, if the power saver is off, a break of the squelch turns on the LCD backlight and NOT the LED! If the power saver is on, a break of the squelch turns on the LED as it does today. And the power saver would still continue to function as an LED flasher.
So what do you say Mika? Are you up for the challenge?
In closing, I would just like to thank Pete and Mika for the great help they have been to me and the scanning community. And, of course, for providing this one-of-a-kind radio for an evaluation by yours truly! Great job guys and keep up the good work!
Update - August 18, 1999
Not content to let their popular handheld receiver sit idly by, Yupiteru has
taken it upon themselves to freshen up this radio with a few new updates! And
unless you've been living in a cave, you've probably heard of the new MVT-9000
MK II.
Gracious and supportive of the hobby as ever, Jonathan Clough of Javiation was kind enough to quickly pass one along to yours truly to see how this latest version measures up! The serial number of the unit supplied was 812000xx.
The most apparent change is obviously the new silver colored case. It is nicely done and will help to make this highly regarded receiver stand out amidst its darkly colored competitors. A nice contrast are the side and top panel inserts which remain black along with the buttons and controls of the same color that these inserts contain.
While the silver color does freshen it up, it is also likely to attract more attention when taken out in public. While a large radio considering today's ever diminishing dimensions, its previous black color allowed it to remain more of a stealthy monitoring tool. If you do get a Mk II and wish to avoid any unwanted scrutiny, simply purchase the OP-90 leather case which is one of the finest made and most usable cases I've ever run across.
Since the case is a different color, it was necessary to rethink the colors on the keypad. The original 9000 used aqua for function key text above each key and light blue for second function key text. On the MK II, black is used for function and light blue for second function. The light blue is quite hard to read on the silver background but luckily there are only four keys which have such labels.
The new MK II has also tried to keep up with the competition by adding a voice descrambler feature. Yupi experimented with a descrambler on their older MVT-3300 which seemed designed for the singular purpose of intercepting and decoding any and all cellular/cordless signals.
To enable it, the MONI button is pressed twice quickly. If the frequency inversion point has to be changed to make the audio sound more lifelike, the LOCK key is pressed and held which usually puts the radio in a fully locked out mode. But with the descrambler activated, the rotary control is now used to change the inversion point; a feature missing on the MVT-3300!
Pressing the MONI key again turns off the descrambler and puts the radio into a fully locked out mode, just like the original MVT-9000. The MONI key now functions as a squelch break but a quick double click once again turns on the descrambler.
While the manual does not specify the number of selectable inversion points, I have found there to be about 110 - 120 steps available.
Having played with a new Mk II himself, Jeff Goldman pointed out that the Yupi descrambler does effect the audio quality by removing some of the high frequency components. This is also noted in the manual. In a side-by-side comparison with his AR8200 with speech descrambler slot card, Jeff noted that the AR8200 sounded more like the original signal but the Yupi was still more than adequate at getting the job done well.
Turning to the Specifications section of the manual, I noted no differences in the figures posted for the new MK II as compared to the current generation MVT-9000. It was time to delve deeper and do our own investigating.
A quick check of birdies between 25 and 1300 MHz revealed about one half as many as my original MVT-9000! I noted 103 such frequencies. Roughly one third of these are above 1 GHz. Only one on VHF-lo. 4 on VHF aero. 17 on VHF-hi. 19 on UHF aero. Only 5 in all of 400 MHz.
Having received his unit a bit before me, Jeff was quick to offer a look at how it performed in his neck of the woods. Jeff had originally owned an MVT-9000 but had to sell it due to excessive intermod where he listened. But he is happy to report that no such problems exist with the new MK II! Obviously, the engineers at Yupiteru were told to tame the beast and it appears they have done just that.
As a test, I compared both the MK II and my original Japanese model MVT-9000 across VHF and UHF using a 19" whip while at home. Without fail, the MK II passed over spurios interference remnants that stopped the original 9000 while searching across various bands.
I then hooked each radio up in turn to my outdoor discone and tested away again. Without a doubt, the MK II was much cleaner. As examples, the 42 - 43 MHz State Police band has some weak TV images on the upper end using the 9000 which just aren't there on the MK II. And the MK II has about one tenth the interference on VHF aero!
It is indeed an improved receiver. But at what cost? Again, I tested both radios on numerous signals on VHF and UHF, and each and every time the MK II was just a hair behind the original model in terms of sensitivity. The difference was detectable but just barely noticeable. I was reminded of my testing of the original MVT-9000 to the tried-and-true MVT-7100. That 9000 was always just a step behind the 7100.
Will most users notice such a difference? I doubt it. Will their monitoring suffer in any way? Not in the slightest. Most will be delighted with the radio and many who passed up the original 9000 due to interference concerns will want to take another look at this latest Yupiteru advance.
Keep in mind that this is still a VERY sensitive radio and as such with wide band receivers, there is room for overload interference. Those of you who live in an "RF hell" might want to hedge your bets and proceed carefully. But I'm guessing that these changes to the MK II will make this radio even more popular and usable by the general monitoring population.
Those who have tested and used a wide variety of HF/VHF/UHF handheld receivers will tell you that when it comes to sheer performance of tuning signals, nothing really comes close to the original MVT-9000. If any model had to be picked as a runner up, it would probably be its sibling MVT-7100!
And while it might not have all the whiz-bang features of some competitors, the MK II has raised the bar even further when it comes to the single most important factor when choosing a competent receiver.
Let me close by thanking Jonathan of Javiation for providing the unit used in this review update! It is due to his kindness that you now have more information on this superb radio, and more ammunition to help you pick your next receiver!
| Copyright © 2010 by Richard J. Wells |
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