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appendix ft 991 a menu settings

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Rodrigo Freire edited this page Mar 18, 2020 · 38 revisions

FT-991/A Main Menu Settings

I have found that the transceiver manual is um... Less than friendly, let's say.

In order to help our fellow FT-991/A owners, I wanted to document each of the menus as much as possible.

NAR/WIDE

  • WHAT: This toggles your transceiver receiving front-end width, from narrow or wide.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: W (wide) or N (narrow)
  • RX or TX? RX
  • WHICH MODE? All modes except C4FM
  • WHEN TO USE While the "Wide" (W) will be more comfortable for listening for signals, there may be times where you have a strong neighbouring throwing some signal in your passband. Move it to Narrow (N), so you can (try to) escape the interfering signal.
  • CAVEAT: Use this setting in tandem with the WIDTH function, so if you are using phone modes the narrow audio won't be too... Narrow. Also, if you are doing SSB and the audio reception might sound too tight, you might have unintentionally entered the "N" mode. Switch back to "W" mode.

NB

  • WHAT: This is the noise blanker. What is a noise blanker? It is a filter that filters out quick spikes/impulse noise, like electric fence clicking, car ignition, brushed motors
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: On or Off.
  • RX or TX? RX
  • WHICH MODE? All except FM & C4FM
  • WHEN TO USE: If you hear some repetitive clicking, give NB a go!
  • CAVEAT: This is also useful in digital modes.

AGC

  • WHAT: This is the Automatic Gain Control. Seriously, what's that? The AGC controls the gain (doh) of the receiving stage of your equipment. Let an example, you are having an contact with that hard to copy station and then all of sudden, you get some S9+ static crash - the signal goes away and takes some time so you can hear the station again. That's the AGC slowly recovering from the spike, gradually increasing the gain until it get to the signal. That's the slow behaviour.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: Auto, Fast, Mid, Slow.
  • RX or TX? RX
  • WHICH MODE? CW, SSB, AM
  • WHEN TO USE: If doing phone, leave it in Auto or Slow - Unless you are doing DX or hard to copy station, then the Fast is an must.
  • CAVEAT: The default Auto setting will define Fast for Digital / CW and Slow for SSB.

5/10 Hz

  • WHAT: This is the Clarifier minimum adjustment step.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: 10 Hz, 5 Hz
  • RX or TX? RX
  • WHICH MODE? SSB and CW.
  • WHEN TO USE: If you have really picky ears, use 5 Hz steps. Otherwise 10 Hz is ought be good nuff for ya.
  • CAVEAT: --

ATT

  • WHAT: This function enables the Attenuator. Reduces the receiving signal by 4 S-units in the meter (-12 dB).
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: On, Off
  • RX or TX? RX
  • WHICH MODE? All modes, but HF only. Not available in VHF or UHF.
  • WHEN TO USE: It is useful to defend from a very strong signal, potentially overloading your front-end. In the manual, there's a caveat stating that the Attenuator is also useful if you have more than 3 S-units of fluctuation in your noise floor (QRN, etc.)
  • CAVEAT: If you need to attenuate a signal, ensure that you don't have any preamplifier active - Ensure that the IPO function is in the IPO setting. Doesn't make much sense to attenuate what you are amplifying beforehand...

IPO

  • WHAT: That's an horrid name for an very common feature: Signal Amplifier.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: IPO (Amplifier off), AMP1 (Almost quadruplicates the signal, +10 dB gain), AMP2 (Almost 7-fold amplification of a signal, +20 dB gain)
  • RX or TX? RX
  • WHICH MODE? All modes, but HF only. Not available in VHF or UHF.
  • WHEN TO USE: Do you have a noise floor less than S0? Hit AMP1. Is it still under S1? Hit AMP2!!!! Otherwise, your noise floor already greater than S1? Use it in IPO.
  • CAVEAT: Remember that when you are amplifying a signal, you are also amplifying the noise - It will hardly make your target signal more audible! Counter-act with filters, RF Gain, something else - the preamp won't make the miracle happen.

NOTCH

  • WHAT: This is a special kind of filter that blanks out a narrow part of a signal.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: Off, 10 to 3200 Hz
  • RX or TX? RX
  • WHICH MODE? CW, SSB, AM
  • WHEN TO USE: Very but VERY useful in digital modes. In phone mode, it is supplanted by the DNF function (see below). Enable it to knock-out the interfering signal. Works better if you have a visualization of the interfering signal, otherwise you will have to seek turning the multi encoder until you get rid of the offending beat/signal.
  • CAVEAT: This is GREAT to defend from a strong signal in FT-8! Check this article. Ensure to have your menu setting 114 - IF Notch Width set to NARROW.

CONT

  • WHAT: Contour is an Yaesu Special filter that, on the flipside of a Notch filter that kills an target system, the contour only slightly attenuate around the target receiving audio frequency.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: Off, 10 to 3200 Hz
  • RX or TX? RX
  • WHICH MODE? CW, SSB, AM
  • WHEN TO USE: Do you know that strident audio from some operator? You can turn on the Contour and make that signal sound a bit better and least harsh.
  • CAVEAT: Not of super duper use in Digital modes.

  • WHAT:
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS:
  • RX or TX?
  • WHICH MODE?
  • WHEN TO USE:
  • CAVEAT:

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