HF/50 MHZ TRANSCEIVER FT-950 OPERATING MANUAL VERTEX STANDARD CO., LTD. VERTEX STANDARD 4-8-8 Nakameguro, Meguro-Ku, Tokyo 153-8644, Japan US Headquarters 10900 Walker Street, Cypress, CA 90630, U.S.A. YAESU EUROPE B.V. YAESU UK LTD. P.O. Box 75525, 1118 ZN Schiphol, The Netherlands Unit 12, Sun Valley Business Park, Winnall Close Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 0LB, U.K. VERTEX STANDARD HK LTD. Unit 5, 20/F., Seaview Centre, 139-141 Hoi Bun Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong VERTEX STANDARD (AUSTRALIA) PTY., LTD. Normanby Business Park, Unit 14/45 Normanby Road Notting Hill 3168, Victoria, Australia ABOUT THIS MANUAL . . . The FT-950 is a leading-edge transceiver with a number of new and exciting features, some of which may be unfamiliar to you. In order to gain the most enjoyment and operating efficiency from your FT-950, we recommend that you read this manual in its entirety, and keep it handy for reference as you explore the many capabilities of your new transceiver. Before using your FT-950, be sure to read and follow the instructions in the "Before You Begin" section of this manual. GENERAL DESCRIPTION Congratulations on the purchase of your Yaesu amateur transceiver! Whether this is your first rig, or if Yaesu equipment is already the backbone of your station, rest assured your transceiver will provide many hours of operating pleasure for years to come. The FT-950 is an elite-class HF transceiver providing exceptional performance both on transmit and receive. The FT-950 is designed for the most competitive operating situations, whether you primarily operate in contest, DX, or digital-mode environments. Built on the foundation of the popular FTDX9000 transceiver, and carrying the proud tradition of the FT-1000 series, the FT-950 provides up to 100 Watts of power output on SSB, CW, and FM (25 Watts AM carrier). Digital Signal Processing (DSP) is utilized throughout the design, providing leading-edge performance, both transmit and receive. The Data Management Unit (DMU-2000) is available as an option for the FT-950. It provides extensive display capabilities via a user-supplied computer monitor. Included are Band Scope, Audio Scope, X-Y Oscilloscope, World Clock, Rotator Control, extensive Transceiver Status Displays, and Station Logging Capability. For exceptional protection from strong signal interference, the optional RF Tuning Kits may be connected via the rear panel. The Tuning Kits provide extraordinarily sharp selectivity, and protect your receiver from close-in interference on a crowded band. In the front end, you may select one of two RF preamplifiers, or IPO (Intercept Point Optimization) providing direct feed to the first mixer. Three levels of RF attenuation are available in 6-dB steps. The FT-950 receiver utilizes DSP filtering, incorporating many of the features of the FTDX9000, such as, Variable Bandwidth, IF Shift, and Passband Contour tuning. Also provided are Digital Noise Reduction, Digital Auto-Notch Filtering and a manually tuned IF Notch filter. On the transmit side, the Yaesu-exclusive Three-Band Parametric Microphone Equalizer allows precise and flexible adjustment of the waveform created by your voice and microphone. The Amplitude, Center Frequency, and Bandwidth are adjusted separately for the low, mid-range, and high-frequency audio spectra. The transmitted bandwidth may also be adjusted. Advanced features include: Direct Keyboard Frequency Entry and Band Change, Speech Processor, IF Monitor for Voice modes, CW Pitch control, CW Spot switch, Full CW QSK, adjustable IF Noise Blanker, and all-mode Squelch. Two TX/RX antenna ports are provided on the rear panel. Two key jacks are provided (one on the front and one on the rear panel). The key jacks may be configured independently for paddle input, connection to a straight key, or computer-driven keying interface. The CW Message Memory is provided. Frequency setup is straightforward on the FT-950. Enter frequency directly for both VFO-A and VFO-B. Separate keys are provided for band selection. Each band key provides three separate VFO settings for three different parts of each band. You can establish three independent VFO settings of frequency, mode, and filter for each band. In addition, 99 memories are provided to store: Frequency, Mode, IF filter selection, Clarifier offset, and Scan-skip status. What's more, five quick-recall ("QMB") memories can instantly store operational settings at the push of a button. The built-in antenna tuner includes 100 memories that automatically store antenna matching settings for rapid automatic recall later. Interfacing for digital modes is extremely simple with the FT-950, thanks to the dedicated RTTY/PKT connection jack on the rear panel. Optimization of the filter passband, DSP settings, carrier insertion point, and display offset for digital modes, is possible via the Menu programming system. Advanced technology is only part of the FT-950 story. Vertex Standard stands behind our products with a worldwide network of dealers and service centers. We greatly appreciate your investment in the FT-950, and we look forward to helping you get the most out of your new transceiver. Please feel free to contact your nearest dealer, or one of Vertex Standard's national headquarters offices, for technical advice, interfacing assistance, or accessory recommendation. Watch Vertex Standard U.S.A.'s Home Page for late-breaking information about Vertex, Standard Horizon, and Yaesu products: http://www.vertexstandard.com. Please read this manual thoroughly, to gain maximum understanding of the full capability of the FT-950. We thank you again for your purchase! FT-950 OPERATING MANUAL Page 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS General Description ..................................................... 1 Accessories & Options ................................................. 4 Supplied Accessories ............................................... 4 Available Options ..................................................... 5 Before You Begin ......................................................... 6 Extending the Front Feet .......................................... 6 Adjusting the Main Tuning Dial Torque .................. 6 Resetting the Microprocessor .................................. 7 Resetting Memories (Only) ................................ 7 Menu Resetting ................................................... 7 Full Reset ............................................................ 7 Installation and Interconnections ............................... 8 Antenna Considerations ........................................... 8 About Coaxial Cable ................................................ 8 Grounding ................................................................ 9 Connection of Antenna and Power Cables ............. 10 Connection of Microphone and Headphone .......... 11 Key, Keyer, and Computer-Driven Keying Interconnections ..................................................... 12 VL-1000 Linear Amplifier Interconnections .......... 13 Interfacing to Other Linear Amplifiers ................... 14 Plug/Connector Pinout Diagrams ............................ 15 Front Panel Controls & Switches ............................. 16 Display Indications .................................................... 24 Rear Panel .................................................................. 27 Basic Operation: Receiving on Amateur Bands ...... 29 Operation on 60-Meter (5 MHz) Band (U.S. version only) ................................................. 32 CLAR (Clarifier) Operation ................................... 33 LOCK ..................................................................... 34 DIMMER ............................................................... 34 Convenience Features ................................................ 35 Using VFO-B ......................................................... 35 "MY Bands" Operation .......................................... 36 Band Stack Operation ............................................ 37 C.S (Custom Switch) .............................................. 37 Rotator Control Functions ...................................... 38 More Frequency Navigation Techniques ............... 39 Keyboard Frequency Entry .............................. 39 Using the [CLAR/VFO-B] knob ...................... 39 Using the UP/DOWN switches of the supplied MH-31B8 Hand Microphone ........ 39 Interference Rejection ............................................... 40 Receiver Operation (Front End Block Diagram) ... 40 ATT ........................................................................ 41 -Tune Filter .......................................................... 42 IPO (Intercept Point Optimization) ........................ 44 R.FLT (Roofing Filters) ......................................... 45 IF Noise Blanker (NB) Operation .......................... 46 CONTOUR Control Operation .............................. 47 IF SHIFT Operation ............................................... 48 WIDTH (IF DSP Bandwidth) Tuning .................... 49 Using IF Shift and Width Together................... 49 NARROW (NAR) One-Touch IF Filter Selection ... 50 IF Notch Filter Operation ....................................... 51 Digital Notch Filter (DNF) Operation ................... 52 Digital Noise Reduction (DNR) Operation ............ 52 RF Gain (SSB/CW/AM Modes) ............................ 53 Tools for Comfortable and Effective Reception ...... 54 Audio Pitch Control ............................................... 54 Mute Feature .......................................................... 54 AGC (Automatic Gain Control) ............................. 55 SSB/AM Mode Transmission .................................... 56 Using the Automatic Antenna Tuner ........................ 58 ATU Operation ....................................................... 58 About ATU Operation ............................................ 59 Enhancing Transmit Signal Quality ......................... 60 Parametric Microphone Equalizer ......................... 60 Using the Speech Processor ................................... 62 Adjusting the SSB Transmitted Bandwidth ........... 63 Transmitter Convenience Features .......................... 64 Voice Memory ........................................................ 64 Voice Memory Operation from the optional FH-2 Remote Control Keypad ..... 65 VOX (Automatic TX/RX Switching using Voice Control) ............. 66 MONITOR ............................................................. 67 Split Operation Using the TX Clarifier .................. 68 Split-Frequency Operation ..................................... 69 Quick Split Operation ....................................... 69 Page 2 FT-950 OPERATING MANUAL TABLE OF CONTENTS CW Mode Operation ................................................. 70 Setup for Straight Key (and Straight Key emulation) Operation ................ 70 Using the Built-in Electronic Keyer ....................... 71 Full Break-in (QSK) Operation ........................ 72 Setting the Keyer Weight (Dot/Dash) Ratio ...... 72 Selecting the Keyer Operating Mode ............... 73 CW Convenience Features ........................................ 74 CW Spotting (Zero-Beating) .................................. 74 Using CW Reverse ................................................. 75 CW Delay Time Setting ......................................... 76 CW Pitch Adjustment ............................................. 76 Contest Memory Keyer .......................................... 78 Message Memory ............................................. 78 Transmitting in the Beacon Mode .............. 79 TEXT Memory ................................................. 80 Contest Number Programming ................... 82 Contest Memory Keyer (Using the optional FH-2 Remote Control Keypad) ...... 82 Message Memory ............................................. 82 TEXT Memory ................................................. 84 FM Mode Operation ................................................. 87 Basic Operation ...................................................... 87 Repeater Operation ................................................ 88 Tone Squelch Operation ......................................... 89 Memory Operation .................................................... 90 Convenient Memory functions ............................... 90 QMB (Quick Memory Bank) ................................. 91 Standard Memory Operation .................................. 92 Memory Storage ............................................... 92 Memory Channel Recall ................................... 92 Checking Memory Channel Status ................... 93 Erasing Memory Channel Data ........................ 93 Moving Memory Data to the Main Band (VFO-A) .................................. 94 Memory Tune Operation .................................. 94 Memory Groups ... ...