First, let me say: “Wow!”
I'm very impressed with my new/used rig, and its exceeded all my expectations. First, I was very pleased to find that it is equipped with the internal antenna tuner, which works well. The rig also has the narrow CW filter installed, I think its the 500 Hz filter, judging from the sound of the passband.
The FT-890 is in the same family as its ancestor, the FT-757GX, but they are two very VERY different rigs. It has slow and fast tuning rates, and remembers the mode from band-to-band. More memories, but not a great deal more.
The receiver — even listening through the internal speaker — sounds better than any of the FT-757GXs I have used. It is much quieter, sounding much more like the Kenwood TS-430S in my shack. This is due either to the better receiver or perhaps the fact this rig doesn't need major alignment.
The numbers in the display is amber rather than blue. In the FT-890, the digit that shows which memory is selected also doubles as the 10 Hz “second zero” when tuning the rig. It was a cheap way to update the display, and it works. The display also has some new indicators for the antenna tuner, etc.
Interestingly, the FT-890 suffers from the same malady that the FT-757GX does — the meter lamps have burned out.
There are a few scratches on the case, but nothing too ugly. The case is black, which is a big difference from the gray color of the 757.
I thought at first the FT-890 didn't have a selectable preamp. It does, but its called “IPO” rather than preamp. The preamp is on until you hit the IPO button, which turns it off, kinda backwards compared to the simple “on” and “off” of the 757.
Another difference is that Yaesu standardized the power plug on the FT-890 — they moved to the standard HF rig power connector found on late model Kenwood and Icom rigs. I never liked the 4-prong power plug on the FT-757GX.
So far this morning, the rig is stable and sounds very good. I've got to run, but will put it on the air later for some on-the-air checks.
73 …. dit dit ……