I purchased my FTM-6000R yesterday from Ham Radio Outlet (HRO) in Salem, NH yesterday.
After a seeminly long ride home after a sunny day of shopping, I got to open the box up and check out the new radio. Before I had even fired it up, I took a screwdriver to the control head, and installed the BU-4 BlueTooth unit. The installation was very straightforward, the small circuit board plugs into a small 4mm connector, then the back of the control head is screwed back on.
I was quite surprised by the older t-style spade connector, and the 2-meter long power cable was another surprise. But connecting the radio up in the shack only required me to put a 12V Anderson style connector on a cable and plugging everything in. In a reversal to many of my other Yaesu radios, the control head is connected by an 8-pin modular cable, and the mic is a 6-pin. A longer control head cable is included, but I needed to purchase the MEK-5 mic extension kit. It turns out I diddn't need to purchase the mic extension, as I found an older no-longer-used 6-pin cable in a box filled with older unused Yaesu radio parts & cables. I plan on installing this radio in my Toyots 4Runner, to replace an older Yaesu FT-857D HF/VHF/UHF radio that needs an alignment, and I will need the longer extension cables.
Once I had the radio connected in the shack, I connected the SC-20 USB cable (another extra purchase...) and fired up the free ADMS programming software on my laptop. I prefer the FREE Yaesu software over the RT Systems app and cable, I am hoping that CHIRP will support this radio soon, and if so, the RT systems cable will probably not work, and in that case the Yaesu SC-20 probably will. It has been my past experience that CHIRP does not work with RT Systems stuff, and although I have several RT Systems software offerings, I choose to no longer support their proprietary offerrings.
My Win10 Pro system detected the proper drivers for the cable, and it was fairly easy to communicate with the radio once I selected the proper COM port in the software settings. You have to follow the proper sequence of selecting options and clicking buttons to get the program in and out of the radio, but the software functions are rather straightforward and easy to follow. The programming software is free on the Yaesu.com website, and if files are allowed here on the 开云体育 group I could include then here as well. The 2 main documents you need from that site are the Operating Manual (which is included with the radio for your country) and the ADMS software manual.?
I entered my list of frequencies into the software and programmed them into the radio. It will hold 999 memory frequencies, which it turns out, is far more than I need at the moment. I was easily able to split them up according to band and service, leaving room to add more as needed. I will still need to review the procedure to add memory channels and set the appropriate access tones by hand, as I may not have access to the radio to easily program by computer once the radio is installed out in the truck.
All that is left now is to review the programming, and find a suitable mounting spot for the control head in the 4Runner. This control head is considerably smaller then the one for the 857D, (about half the size) but the alpha channel lettering is twice the size, so it may be suitable to mount it farther away. I will detail the mobile installation in another post, as to not clump everything into one long post.
I am sorry for the long rambling paragraphs, I hope it was easy to follow, and I can answer any questions anyone might want to ask. Again I thank everyone for accepting me into tis group, and I hope I can continue to contribute in the future.
Micky K1XH
