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appendix ft 991 a menu settings

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Rodrigo Freire edited this page Mar 19, 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. Also, don't use amplifiers with the attenuator turned on, because... Well, defeats the purpose.

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. More useful in phone modes.

DNR

  • WHAT: This is one of the finest functions of this equipment: The Digital Noise Reducer. The task is performed by the radio's DSP (Digital Signal Processor) and the aim is to remove as much as possible the shhhhhhhhhhhhhh noise from a signal.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: Off, 1-15
  • RX or TX? RX
  • WHICH MODE? AM, SSB, CW
  • WHEN TO USE: Nice to make your receiving less tiring, getting rid of the regular band noise. The settings 1-15 are actually different DSP programs. Start with 1, stick to the one that yields the most comfortable receiving. Do not use in digital modes!
  • CAVEAT: This is not an signal maker or an miraculous godsend: If the target signal is pretty marginal and close to the noise level, you will definitely hear the "bubblish" or "waterish" audio. Because, the DSP just doesn't have enough signal to filter out, it confounds the signal and noise level. The solution? Better antenna.

DNF

  • WHAT: Digital Noise Filter, AKA Autonotch, is one of my favourite settings of this radio. When enabled, it "listens" to what you are receiving, and if is there any beats / carrier / beep / tune, the DNF will intercept and kill that signal off. Automagically. Yea.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: On, Off
  • RX or TX? RX
  • WHICH MODE? AM, SSB, CW
  • WHEN TO USE: Do you know those operators that tune over the active frequency? Yes, those uneducated and pesky ones. Just hit DNF and get rid of them. Like magic. Unfortunately, it can't zero out whistles. Dang.
  • CAVEAT:

SHIFT

  • WHAT: The shift function "shift" your receiving bandpass to above or below (or left or right), narrowing your signal.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: -1200 Hz, 0 (no shift, disabled), +1200 Hz
  • RX or TX? TX
  • WHICH MODE? AM, SSB, CW
  • WHEN TO USE: The primary use is to defend from an adjacent signal over the lower or higher edge of your receiving signal. Use shift to dodge this interfering signal.
  • CAVEAT: This is also useful to make the receiving less tiring, irrespective of having or not an interfering signal - Using the shift and making the signal a bit more 'bassy' might make your reception a bit more comfortable. This option is quicker than reducing the audio bandwidth

WIDTH

  • WHAT: Reduces the receiving Audio/signal Bandpass. The larger, more detailed (or full, or rich, or heavy) the audio (and more interference too), the narrow, less detail (and less interference) too.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: Varies with each mode. For example sake, in SSB in Narrow mode goes from 200-1800 Hz, while in Wide the bandpass goes from 1800-3200 Hz.
  • RX or TX? RX
  • WHICH MODE? SSB, CW, RRY/PSK
  • WHEN TO USE: If you are receiving strong phone signals, you will want it as wide as possible. When working that challenging signal, move it to narrow and set a according bandwidth to the minimum copyable signal.
  • CAVEAT: In CW mode you will want it as narrow as possible.

MOX

  • WHAT: "Manual Operation Transmit" puts the radio in a locked transmission mode. It can be the poor's man remote PTT, hold the radio in transmit mode while you sweep the band checking the VSWR, etc.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: Off, On
  • RX or TX? TX
  • WHICH MODE? All modes
  • WHEN TO USE: Testing, activating in long transmission ragchew
  • CAVEAT: If you put the radio in Mox mode in SSB without modulating anything, it will transmit 0W power, because differently from CW, AM or FM, there's no carrier in SSB mode! So no talk, no power. You talk, you emit power.

VOX

  • WHAT: "Voice Operator Transmit" is a very convenient mode - it will kick in the transmission automatically if it detects you talking. Conversely, it ends transmission if it detects mute time.
  • AVAILABLE OPTIONS: Off, On
  • RX or TX? TX
  • WHICH MODE? All modes
  • WHEN TO USE: That's for the lazy, and lazy is good. If you have an microphone close to you, and you don't want to bother on PTT, just enable Vox, start talking and the equipment does the magic. Be sure to configure it properly the trigger level in Menu 143 - Vox Gain and the trailing grace period in Menu 144 - Vox Delay.
  • CAVEAT: It is super useful for digital modes that doesn't have PTT control. You feed the audio, poof, the radio transmits. If you are feeding audio via the USB port, ensure to set the Menu 142 - Vox Select to Data. More details here, check the "Radio Config" section (there's a number of other settings to be done too). Also ensure you don't have any nearby TV, stereo, other radios, your significant one (especially when picking up a fight or intimate moments) with Vox activated. Otherwise, you will certainly have assured audience.

APF

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

MONI

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

MIC-EQ

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

PROC

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

ZIN

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

SPOT

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

PITCH

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

KEYER

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

BK-IN

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

SPEED

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

METER

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

RF PWR

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

MIC GAIN

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

SWEEP

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

DT GAIN

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

CH DIAL

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

HOME

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

SQL

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

MCH

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

GRP

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

DEC/DEL

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

SCAN

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

RPT

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

REV

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

SQL OFF

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

T.CALL

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

TONE/DCS

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

MUTE

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

GM

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

AMS

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

X

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

DIGITAL

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

TONE

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

DCS

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

CH1-4

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

MEM

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

SWAP F1-F4

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

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