Sheldon is the name I gave my FTDX10. Like Sheldon Cooper from the comedy series “Big Bang Theory”, the radio is smart but at times awkward. I bought the radio back in October 2022 to compare it with the the IC-7300 as a field radio. I used the radio at home and in the field for the past 6 months. It gave me a pretty good opportunity to put it through its paces and here are some conclusions about my overall feelings for the radio.
I wish to start by saying, I do kind of like the radio. Even though there are a lot of things I don’t like about the radio, at the end of the day, well, I kind of like it. When evaluating the radio, at times I felt like I was trying to pound a square peg in a round hole. Once I realized that, I felt I was being unfair to the radio so, in the next couple of paragraphs, I will try to right a wrong.
What the radio is not. The radio is not a field radio. It draws too much power, it is awkward to use, it is too heavy and a little too big. The ergonomics leave a little bit to be desired. My QRO field radio remains the IC-7300 and it is still the radio I recommend to people just getting started in amateur radio. After 6 months, the FTDX10 will go to the field no more.
What the radio is. I recently redid my radio desk and decided to fit the FTDX10 in the mix. At home, it is a different radio. I have it set to the left side of my desk and that improved the ergonomics. I guess I am saying that the FTDX10 is a left handed radio. I am using it as a backup radio for my IC-7610. However, I find myself drawn to it when operating CW. I have the 300 Hz roofing filter installed and on CW, it is a joy to use. One of the things I didn’t like was the Mat-30 tuner I bought for it. At home, I have a 270′ OCF dipole that tunes rather easily, so I use the radio’s internal tuner. I’ve never had much luck using external tuners with Yaesu radios, in this instance, Icoms are so much better.
Conclusion. I had originally thought I was going to sell the FTDX10. But since putting it in its proper place, in the home shack, on the left side, I believe I am going to keep it. I really enjoy using it for CW and It does make a great backup radio. I do not have it hooked up to the amplifier, so it is a 100 watt radio. The Sheldon experiment was a success. It showed some of the radio’s shortcomings, but it also showed its strong points. 73’s Scott
KK4Z 
Scott, saw your post on qrper, and then watched some of your vids on the FTdx10. Great job on both, btw – very well done! I do have a suggestion on Mat-30 tuner, if you haven’t tried it yet. What I think you described as a problem with the tuner, to me, is one of its features – i.e., when you tune to new a new freq, you hear a click and the band drops out. I have the same combo and what I’ve done is every 5-10khz, I’ve gone through and run a tune cycle on every band, on all frequencies I use. Yes, it takes some time. However, now when I go back or am tuning on the bands, I hear the click but the band won’t drop out like you’ve experienced. I agree, it probably wouldn’t be as convenient for field use, where you are using different antennas on different days. But if you have the patience and the time, you can do the same for any antenna you are using. The tuner has thousands of memories and once you have it set up for your radio and antenna, it is the quickest thing I’ve ever used. A tip if you do this, is to use the step/mch button, it will make the process much quicker. I have no affiliation with tuner but am a frequent user. Apologies if this has been covered in another post.
I can’t say enough good things about this radio and tuner. I have found them both to be a real joy to operate. I look forward to more videos and posts.
73,
Stuart
AJ4RM
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Thanks Stuart. I’ll keep that in mind. Right now with my current antenna, I can use the internal tuner just fine. I like the radio and after 6 months I have decided to keep it. I am glad you are enjoying yours. 73 – Scott
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