Yaesu FTX-1 OPTIMA 100W – my ideal radio, which I won’t be buying just yet

The Yaesu FTX-1 OPTIMA looks like a radio designed to solve exactly my problem: one unit at the station, a detachable front panel, 100W of power, HF and VHF/UHF operation, and the option to take the radio section into the field. The longer I consider this purchase, however, the clearer it becomes that the FTX-1 can replace each of my radios individually, but not necessarily the way I use them together.

This won’t be a review or a test, because I don’t own this radio yet. It is more a record of a very specific purchasing dilemma. I would like to buy a Yaesu FTX-1 OPTIMA, tidy up my station and reduce the number of devices. For now, though, I won’t be doing that. And it isn’t even about the price.

Why am I considering the Yaesu FTX-1 OPTIMA at all?

My station currently has a Yaesu FT-991A and a Yaesu FTM-300D. A second FTM-300D is in the car, while I take the FT-5D on hikes, bike rides and to events where I operate as part of the Krosno Amateur Radio Emergency Network. Each of these devices has its own purpose, but together they take up a sizeable part of the operating position and multiply the number of cables.

I don’t mind owning several radios in itself. The problem is that I need two larger units for everyday station operation, while the Xiegu G90 waits for the next POTA activation. Then there are the cables, microphones, power supplies and the need to switch my attention between panels. Everything works, but it looks a little as though every band has its own office and its own manager.

So the idea is simple: sell the FT-991A, the station-based FTM-300D and the G90, and give their place to a single FTX-1. The FTM-300D would remain in the car, the FT-5D would continue to fulfil its field and emergency role, and the longed-for optimum would prevail at the station.

What exactly would this transceiver replace?

I use the FT-991A primarily for FT8, FT4 and RTTY. In contests, I operate with N1MM+ and MMTTY, and most often use FSK. I sometimes switch to AFSK when using Ham Radio Deluxe and Digital Master. On top of that, there is QO-100 via a transverter mounted by an 80-centimetre dish.

The station-based FTM-300D handles local 2 m and 70 cm operation. I use both FM and C4FM. APRS runs in the background all the time: mainly an automatic position beacon, and occasionally messages as well. It isn’t an elaborate iGate or a packet radio network command centre. The function simply needs to be switched on, work and stay out of the way of everything else.

I take the G90 on POTA activations. I most often operate SSB on 40 m at 20 W, sometimes adding FT8 or FT4. In that case, I use an iPad running the iFTx app and a USB-C connection to the radio’s audio path. This matters because the G90 isn’t a forgotten box sitting on a shelf. It has a specific job and does it regularly.

Is the FTX-1 OPTIMA really one radio for both station and field use?

That is this design’s greatest strength. The FTX-1 OPTIMA is an all-band, all-mode SDR transceiver package for field and station use. At the heart of the package is the Field Head, the compact radio section with its control panel. At the station, it can be connected to the SPA-1; in the field, it can be taken along with a battery and without the entire amplifier.

The standard FTX-1 OPTIMA package includes the dedicated SPA-1 100W power amplifier module and an SBR-52LI battery. In the station configuration, it provides 100W on the HF bands and 50W on the 144 and 430 MHz bands. That makes it possible to think of it as a fully fledged base-station radio rather than a QRP rig that merely pretends to be a large transceiver once it comes home from the woods.

What I find particularly appealing is the prospect of leaving primarily the front panel on the desk, while the amplifier and the rest of the installation can go below it. The extension, ventilation and cabling would, of course, need to be handled sensibly. Even so, it still sounds better than two complete radios occupying the main part of the operating position.

What is the Yaesu FTX like when operating at 100W?

The SPA-1 isn’t merely an external booster attached to the radio just in case. It is the component that turns the Field Head into a package for normal station operation. It provides 100W on HF and 50 MHz, and 50W on 144 and 430 MHz. The enclosure also houses the automatic antenna tuner used in the OPTIMA configuration.

At the station, I use an antenna switch connected to an EndFed, a 20 m dipole, a 30 m dipole and the transverter path for QO-100. Such a setup doesn’t require any satellite magic from the FTX-1.

I have more questions about hours of operation on FT8, FT4 and RTTY. Digital modes can be much harder on the power amplifier than a leisurely SSB conversation. At the station, the SPA-1 is responsible for this, but before selling the FT-991A I would want to check the stability of CAT and FSK, the audio levels and the temperature of the entire package during a real contest, rather than a five-minute test QSO.

Would the Field Head simplify my POTA activations?

In its field configuration, the FTX-1 delivers 6 W of output power from its 6400 mAh lithium-ion battery. Connecting an external power supply raises this to 10 W, while QRP mode limits the output to 5 W. The manufacturer claims approximately 9 hours of operation on the HF bands at 6 W on SSB. The catch is that this figure is based on a 6-6-48 duty cycle, not the sort of load typical of FT8.

I really like the idea itself. When heading into the field, I disconnect the radio from the SPA-1, attach the battery, take an approximately 20 m-long EndFed for the 40 m band and above, and can then attempt an activation without a separate transceiver. The setup would be consistent: the same menu, the same memories and the same interface I use at home.

The problem is how it compares with the G90. At present, I have 20 W and a built-in antenna tuner available during POTA activations. The FTX-1 Field on battery power alone would give me 6 W, or 10 W with an additional power supply. That is still enough for many contacts, but it isn’t a like-for-like replacement. Less kit in the backpack would also mean less power. Propagation doesn’t always read the sales brochure before an activation begins.

Would the antenna tuner be sufficient for my EndFed?

In the station-based OPTIMA configuration, the automatic antenna tuner is housed in the SPA-1 module. The official manual specifies a matching range corresponding roughly to an SWR of up to 3:1 on the amateur HF bands and up to 2:1 on 6 m. This shouldn’t be a problem with well-prepared station antennas, but it isn’t the sort of tuner where you can ‘connect a wet piece of string and away you go’.

Once the Field Head is disconnected from the SPA-1, the situation changes because the built-in tuner stays at the station with the amplifier. For field operation, Yaesu offers the optional FC-80, which can be installed alongside the battery. The accessories list also includes the FC-90, a 10-watt automatic tuner for long-wire antennas and 50 Ω loads.

My approximately 20-metre EndFed should work on 40 m and the higher bands, but its behaviour depends on the transformer, the way it is erected, the counterpoise and the surroundings. The G90 currently gives me considerable flexibility thanks to its own tuner. With the FTX-1, I would either have to trust a well-tuned antenna or add yet another module. And the plan was supposed to involve reducing the amount of kit, not breeding it in smaller enclosures.

How well does the FTX-1 suit FT8, FT4 and RTTY?

At the station, I use a Windows computer, so the FTX-1 fits into a fairly standard setup. Yaesu provides a Virtual COM driver for Windows 10 and 11, while the radio has a built-in USB bridge providing two virtual ports. One can handle CAT, while the other handles transmit control, digital operation and other functions related to computer software.

The radio also has a PRESET function designed with FT8 in mind. A single selection can recall a group of parameters required for digital operation, after which you can return to the previous settings. It is a small detail, but a convenient radio is made up of precisely such details. Particularly when I want to switch from FT8 to SSB or RTTY without wondering which parameter was changed yesterday.

The real test, however, would be RTTY with N1MM+ and MMTTY using FSK. I’m not interested solely in being told that the radio has an RTTY mode. I want stable CAT, correct keying, quick band changes and a setup that won’t start inventing new COM ports five minutes before a contest. I don’t yet have first-hand experience here, and I won’t pretend that the manual alone solves everything.

Would APRS, FM and digital C4FM replace the station-based FTM-300D?

The FTX-1 supports APRS, and the modem can be assigned to the MAIN side, the SUB side or automatic mode. The radio can transmit a position beacon, receive stations and handle messages. That matches what I need at the station. I’m not looking for an elaborate digipeater. I need beaconing, occasional messages and the ability to leave APRS running in the background.

For local operation, there is FM and digital C4FM. It also offers PMG, or Primary Memory Group, and the monitoring of several stored frequencies. PMG can watch up to five channels, display their activity and receive two signals simultaneously. There is also a wide receiver coverage range from 30 kHz to 174 MHz and from 400 MHz to 470 MHz, including the air band.

It sounds very good. The features are there, the display is large and a single enclosure can take over the jobs currently performed by the FTM-300D. But a list of features and the way a radio is used are two different things. On paper, you can tick off APRS, FM, C4FM and two receivers. The real question is whether a single device can behave like two independent transceivers.

Where does the whole FTX1 OPTIMA plan begin to fall apart?

During RTTY contests, I very often transmit on HF while talking to friends locally on 2 m or 70 cm at the same time. Sometimes we use FM, sometimes C4FM. This isn’t just monitoring. I sometimes transmit on VHF/UHF at exactly the same time as the computer is handling an RTTY transmission on HF.

The FTX-1 supports simultaneous reception on two bands. The manufacturer even gives the example of SSB operation on HF while monitoring local C4FM traffic on VHF or UHF. The PMG function also makes it possible to receive a second active channel. The manual, however, describes transmitting on the selected side or selected channel. I haven’t found an official mode that would allow the radio to be used as two independent transmitters operating simultaneously.

And this is where the whole plan stops at a red light. I want to sell the station-based FTM-300D, but I don’t want to give up simultaneous transmission on HF and VHF/UHF. Nor do I intend to use the FT-5D as a permanent base-station radio. The handheld is meant to come with me on bike rides, go hiking in the mountains and be used during emergency events, not lie on the desk as a stand-in for the FTM-300D I sold.

The result is a contradiction that neither a firmware update nor an additional microphone can resolve. One radio may have two receivers, a nice display and numerous band groups, but that still doesn’t turn it into two independent radios. For me, this is the most important argument against buying it.

Do 3DSS, Spectrum, Bluetooth and DSP change my decision?

The FTX-1 has many features I would simply like to have. Its high-resolution colour touchscreen displays the spectrum and a traditional waterfall. SDR technology and 3DSS, developed as 3-Dimensional Spectrum Stream, can display frequency, signal strength and time in three dimensions. It looks modern and may make it easier to observe changes across the band quickly.

There are also DSP filters, bandwidth adjustment, SHIFT, NOTCH, CONTOUR and DNR. It has PMG for VHF and UHF, memory modes, extensive display options and the ability to add Bluetooth by installing the optional BU-6 module. For digital field operation with an external power supply, the optional SCF-1 cooling fan can also be used.

That is precisely why the Yaesu FTX-1 is still at the back of my mind. I’m not saying that these extras are unnecessary. I’m merely saying that none of them solves my fundamental problem. 3DSS can display band activity beautifully, but it can’t grow a second transmitter. Bluetooth won’t replace the FTM-300D, and even the largest display won’t turn one transmit chain into two.

Is the Yaesu FTX-1 OPTIMA my ideal radio?

I would very much like to say yes. This model would solve the problem of having several devices at the station. The front panel could remain on the desk, the SPA-1 could go underneath it, and I could take the Field Head and battery into the field. I would have a single interface for FT8, FT4, RTTY, SSB, APRS, local VHF/UHF operation and the QO-100 transverter.

I could sell the FT-991A and probably reduce the G90’s role, although that would first require a fair test during a POTA activation. I’m not certain whether 6 W from the battery or 10 W from an additional power supply would replace the convenience of operating at 20 W. I would find it even harder to sell the station-based FTM-300D without regret.

The FTX-1 can replace each of my radios individually. The problem is that it can’t replace the way I use them together. During contests, I need to transmit RTTY on HF while talking locally on VHF/UHF at the same time. I don’t want to give that up, I don’t want to keep a second large radio, and I don’t want to transfer this function to the FT-5D.

That is why I would still like to own an FTX-1 OPTIMA, but I won’t be buying one just yet. It isn’t a bad transceiver. Quite the opposite: it fits my vision of a simpler, more modern station very well. It doesn’t, however, meet the one requirement that, in my case, matters more than the display, tuner, SPA-1 module and the option of Field operation.