Yaesu FT-990 User manual

FT-990
OPERATING
MANUAL
YAESU MUSEN CO ., LTD .
c.P.O eox 1soo
TOKYO, JAPAN

General Information
The Ff-990 is a high performance transceiver
providing
up to 100 watts transmitter power out-
put onall HFamateur radiobandsinON, SSB, FM,
RTTY and Packet (F1 and F2) modes, and up to 25
watts carrier in AM mode. The receiver tunes all
frequencies between100kHzand
30 MHz in 10-Hz
steps. An automaticantenna tunerandiambicelec-
tronic speed keyer
/bug simulator are built in as
standard accessories, along with five
IF filters for
the 2nd and 3rd receiver IFs, and a universally
tunable, digital switched capacitance filter
(SCF)
for receiver audio. The Fr -990 maybeordered with
or without an efficient, heavy-duty switching
regulator
AC powersupply.
Inside the Ff-990, modular construction with
plug-in composite epoxy boards provides excel-
lent
RF circuit isolation, high reliability and serv-
iceability. Two 10-bit direct digital synthesizers
(DDS) and a magnetic rotary encoder provide si-
lent, silky-smooth tuning, pure local signals and
very fast
t/r changeover important in QSK CW
and digital modes. Frequency accuracy and stabil-
ity are assured
by driving all DDSs from a single
master oscillator,
and the optional TCX0-2 tem-
perature-compensated oscillator is available for
exceptional 0.5-ppm stability from -10
to +50 °C.
The extremely low-noise, high-performance re-
ceiver front end uses PIN-diode-controlled push-
pull FEfs in a constant-gain
RF amplifier, feeding
an active double balanced quad FET ring mixer.
Six microprocessors in the Ff-990 are program-
med
to provide the simplest possible control inter-
face for the operator, even for previously complex
applications like HF packet. Interference rejection
is facilitated
by both IF shift and an IF notch filter,
with pushbutton selection of IF bandwidths, and
the astounding dual digital
SCF audio filter with
independentlyadjustable selectivityskirts (unique
to the
Ff -990). An automatically mode-dependent
AGC selection is provided along with manual
AGC decay selection/disable.
The front panel keypad provides 1-touch band
selection, with two independent (A/B) vfos for
each band holding their
own frequencies, modes
and
IF bandwidth settings, and even clarifier off-
sets and repeater shifts, if used. Switching bands
instantly recalls all of these settings last used on
each band. Ninety freely tunable
and scannable
memories are selectable with single
(MEM) knob,
each storing all of the operating data held in a vfo.
Otherimportantfeatures includegeneral coverage
reception from 100kHz
to 30 MHz, a jack an,d front
panel button for a separate receive-only antenna,
an effective noise blanker, all-mode squelch, inde-
pendentreceive
and transmit clarifiers, 6-function
multimeter
and a unique adjustable passband-
shifting
RF speech processor which lets you tailor
transmitter audio to your
own voice for SSB.
Special features for CW include a built-in iam-
bic memory keyer, presettable bfo offset and spot-
tingbuttonfor precise tuningbyzero-beat,
and key
jacks
on both front and rear panels. In addition to
the facilityoftheSCF audiofilterfor CW reception,
a 250-Hz 3rd IF filter is available as an option to
complement the 2nd IF 500-Hz bandwidth
IF filter
(also optional in the DC version).
Special digital mode provisions include sepa-
rate interface jacks for
an RTTY terminal unit and
packet tnc, and
RTTY and PKT mode selection but-
tons which disable the microphone jack automat-
ically while providingeither sideband for
RTTY or
LSB/FM modes for packet: switch between voice
and digital modes with only the push ofa button.
For voice contesting, the
DVS-2 digital voice re-
corder option introduced with the Ff-1000 works
with the Ff-990, providing continuous-loop recei-
ver recording
and pushbutton transmission of
multiple voice messages to help keep you at your
peak QSO-rate throughout the contest.
With its efficient internal AC switching supply,
the Ff-990 weighs only
13 kg andalways runscool.
Aninternalheatsinkand quiet, thermallyswitched
blower allow full power
output withoutrear panel
protrusions, giving easy access
to connectors. The
Fr-990 incorporates the same high-speed antenna
tuner as the
Ff -1000, with its own microprocessor
and
39 memories which automatically store most
recentantenna matching settings for nearly instant
recall while changing operating frequency.
Accessories include the SP-6 Loudspeaker with
audio filters and optional
LL-5 Phone Patch; the
YH-77ST Headset; the FP-25 AC PSU (for DC ver-
sions) or DC Cable (for AC versions) and the MD-
1c8 Desktop- and MH-1
88
Hand Microphones.
Before connecting power, please read the
Instal-
lation section carefully, heeding the warnings in
thatsection
to avoid damage to theset. After instal-
lation, please take time to work through the
Opera-
tion chapter, referring to the Controls & Connectors
chapter as necessaryfor details. These chapters are
intended to be read while sitting in front of the
Fr-990, so you can try out each control and func-
tion as they are described.
page 1

Specifications
General
Receiving frequency ran11e: 100 kH z- 30 MHz
Transmitting frequency
r~nges:
160-m band, 1.8 to 2.0 MHz (or 1.81/1.83 to 1.85)
SO·m band, 3.5 to 4.0 MHz
40-m band, 7.0 to 7.5 MHz
30-mband, 10 .0 to 10.5 MHz
20-m band, 14.0 to 14.5 MHz
17-mband,
18.0 to18.5MHz
15-m band, 21.0 to 2J .5 Mllz
12·m band, 2. 4.5 to 25.0 MHz
10 ·mband, 28.0 to 29.7 MHz
Frequencystabilit y:< 10 ppm from -10 to +50 •C
(except FM, < 200 IIz),
< 0.5 ppm from - 10 to +50 OC w/TCX0·2 option
(FM <150Hz)
EmiSsion modes: ISB/USB()3E), CW (AlA),
FSJ< ()1 D, J2D), AM (A3E), FM (F3E)
Baskfrequencysteps:
10 Hz for JSE, AlAand Jl D;
100 IIz fo r A3E , F3Eand )20
Ante1u1a Impedance: 16.5lo t SOn (SOn nominal)
Supply vol tage:
100-117 or200-234 VAC±10%,50/60 Hz
Powerconsumption(approx.}:
60 VA receive, 470 VA for 100 wattstransmit
Dimensions (WHD): 368 x 129 x 370 mm
Weight (approx.): 13 k g. (28.6 lbs)
Traus mitter
Power output
adjustable up to 100 watts (25watts AM carrier)
Duty cyde: 100%@100watts,
50%@100 watts (FM & RTfY,3-minute tx)
Modulation types
SSB : Bala nced, filtered carrier
AM: Low-level (early s tn ge)
FM: variablereactance
FSK : Audio frequency shift keying
Maximum FM deviation: ±2.5 klIz
FSI< shiftfrequencies: 170, •1 25 and 850Hz
Packet shUt frequencies: 200, 1000 Hz
Harmonicradiation: at least 50 dB below peak out·
put
SSB carriersu pp ressi on:
atleas t4 0 dB below peak ou tput
Und('Slred sideband suppresion:
at least
50 dB below peak output
page2
Audio response (SSB):
no t morethan -6 dB from 400 to 2600Hz
3rd·ordet
!MD. -36 dB typical@ 100 watts PEP on
14.2 MHz
Microphone impedance: 500 to600n
R ece iver
Circuittype:
triple-conversionsuperheterodyne
Intermediatefrequencies:
47.21 and 10 .9 4 Mllz
1
nnd 455k Hz
Sensitivity;
(lo r lO dBS/N ,Od ll~ · lfiV)
Frtquency => 100-250
250-soo I os-1s 18-30
Mode I BWl ll
kHz
kHz IMz !Nit
sse.cw
<4)N <I)N <2)N
<025 JN
(2. 4 khz)
AM
<10~V <2!1V <4!1V < 111V
{6kHZ)
29 MHlFM
---<
P-5 J.11
(for 12 d~ SI NA \))
Selectivity (-6/-SJ dB):
Min imum Maximum
Bun on Modes
-6 CIB BW -60 CIB BW
2.4 kHl
att except FM 22kHz
2.0 kl-lz an exc. AM , FM I.B kHz
500 Hz cw. A. m. Packe t
500Hz
250Hz cw.Rm 24 0Hz
-
A~l(wklo)
6kHz
Squelchsensitivity:
1.8- 30 MHz (CW, SST3, AM): < 2.0 ~V
28 - 30 MH z (FM): < 0.32 ~v
LF rejection (l.S- 30 MH zl:
80 dB or better
lmngl' rejection (1.8 -30 MHz):
80 dB or bel!er
lFshift range: ±
1.2 kHz
Maximum audiopoweroutput:
2 wattsInto4n with <
10% THO
Audio output impedance: 4 to 80
40~z
3.6~Hz
1.8 IlHz
700 IIi
IS kH z
Speciftca tiar (s rue ~Jibj~~CIIo cllangc , iu/Jr~ in t eres t
of technical i mpr iJ!ICmenl, wi tho11lnot ice or obli·
galion.

Accessories & Options
Supplied Ac cessor ies
• Sp ar e H:i'Ses
eA ((JQ[ G0039 I c 4A (QOO:JQ006J
e •,-inch. 3-contact Pl ug
H • M~J9C""OO"""-!! · -- --i
e '.- In ch . 2-co nta ct Pl ug
(, llJ'/ _.:' I...::Jf:C~9~0""J:'-";4 __ ___
1
Options
TCX0-2 High StnbilitiJ Master Refereuce
Oscillator
For special applications and environments
whereextra frequency stability isessential,such as
for long-term HF packet monitoring
under wide
temperature variations, theTCX0-2 provides 0.
5-
ppm stability from -10 to ""50"C for the master
referenceosdllator.
MD - lcs Desk-TopMicrophone
Designed especially to match the electrical and
oosmelic features of the
FT-990, the Ml ).lcs has
600.!2 impedance, and includes up/down scan-
ning buttons and a large P1T switch wilh latch.
e RCA Plu g
1-1?4? ~St.<)
e 4-P in DIN P lug
E4- 7C l l:3- 00 1PC0907Z 4
\
page3

Accessories & Optio11s
SP-6 Loudspeakerw i th Audio Filters
andLL-5 Phone Patch Option
Selectable audiohigh- and low pass filters with
a large lOudspe'*er oomplementthe superb audio
characteristics of the IT-990 wi th yourchoiceof12
different a.udio filtering combinations. Two inpu t
terminals are provided for multiple transceivers,
witha front panel sw itch to selectbetween them. A
phone jack is provided on the front panel to ta)<e
advantage of the audio filte rs wit·b headphones.
With theoptional LlrS Phone Patch Unitinstal-
led·in the SP -6, the FT-990 can be. patched to the
public telephonenetwork.
The LL-5 includesa hy-
brid ttansformer circuit to assure proper imped-
ance matches, andga in controls and level meter to
setproper au.dio levels on the 'telephoneline.
YH-77ST Lightweight Headpl1011es
Dual samarium-cobalt transducers with sensi-
tivity of 103dB/mW (2dB, @1 kliz, 35!1) provide.
theperfectmatChfor the FT-990, taking full advan-
tage of the spectacularaudio performance.
page4
DVS-2 Digital Voi(:e System
Serving as eithera continuous receiverrecorder
ior instant pushbutto·n playback, or 1nicropbone
audio
recori:.fer for multiple on air playback, the
DVS-2 appli.es the advantages of random-access
solid-state digital memory fo serious oornmunica-
tions.
All data is Sto redelectronical ly, with nomov-
ing parts except your finger and tne pushbutton.
More infonnation is on page 36 .
FIF-232C CAT System Interface
To control the FI' -990 from an RS-232C serial
pc:Jrt of an external pet$()nal computer, use thE rFIF·
232C to con vert the TT" levels r¢quiied .Qy the
transceiver
to the RS-232C levels required by the
serial port. Acable is included fo r connection be·
tween the transceiv:er and the Fli"-232C (the cable
\0 t,heeqtnpu ter must be provided separately), The
Fl~·232C includes itsown ACpowersupply.
IF Crystal FilterOptio11s
For extra CW receiver selectivity, the XF-455I<-
251 - 01 8-pole250-Hzcrystalfilter.may be installed
in the455-kHz3rd 1Fof ihe FT -990, to cascade with
U1e 500-Hz2nd lF filter ((actory,lnstall ed in theAC
ver.sion, or optional in the DC version).
Als<J, for $SB reception under difficult condi-
iions, theXF-10.9M-202- 0, &-pole 2-kHzcrystal fil.
~r may be inst(llled in the 10 . 9-kHz 2nd IF, and
switched in from the frontpanel when needed.

Station Installation
Prelimi11ary Iuspection
Inspect I he transceiver thoroug hJ y immediate! y
upan opening the packing ta rton.Check to see that
all controls and switches work freely, and inspect
the cabinet for any signs of damage. Make sure Lhe
;1ccessory fus~.s and plug s pictnrud on page -3 are
included. If any damage isfound document it com-
pletely, - and co ntact t he shipping company (or
dealer, if you putchascd it over the coun ter) right
away. Save the pa c king materials in case you need
to
return the se t for service,
lf you pu.rchased optional internal accessories
separately, install them as described
in lnslaJiing
Jntt'l'nnl AccesMrii!S (page 45 ).
Power Connection
The Fr~990 is available in an AC/D C version,
whi
chJn dud<'S t he EP-25 switch ing power supply,
and a DC-only version. Page 4.7 describes DC in-
stallation tor both versionS, wh i le the fo ll owing
p~ragrapl~ describes on ly ACpower conn\i(:tions
for the AC/OCversion.
Before connecting power, check the label on the
rear panel which indicates the AC m~inl) voltage
range for which your transceiver is curren tly set. If
your ACmains voltage is outside of thi;s tange; the
voltage
switch ott the pawer supply in the trans-
ceiver must be reset, and three fuses must be
CAU'T'IO)Il!
Pet lllammt d« II1Clg 'C will t' i? Sl llt if im-
pr oper supply v olta ge is appli-ell to · th e
- tnms ce ive r. Yotrr wa r. rmrf1J iio ts 11 Qt;
cov er tlama gC> ca used by appli ca.t ion of
iwprop._ er srq1ply v o1 t (l ge, or IISil (I f im -
prop i! r fuses.
changed. This requir es only a screwdriver and is
not difficult(seebelo w) , out you should make sure
the power supply is set correcHybeforeconnecting
power. If you have any doubts about the proce-
dure, ask your dea l er for help.
You should ~lso make sure the fuse in the rear
panel fuse
holder is (;orrect for your mains voltage:
AC Mai ns Voltage Fus e Capa city
100 - 117 SA
200-234 4A
Af t er making certain the AC voltage for which
the t:rnnsceiver is set matches your llUlins voltage,
and that the correct fuse is installed in the fuse
holder, co n nec t the AC power cotd to the: 3-pln AC
jack on t he rear panel. Don'tpl u!.{ the cord into the
wa ll until all other transceiver interconnections
have been made .
Cl1angin .g th e Power S uppl y Se ttin g for a Di ff er e nt AC Volta ge R an ge
0 Make c~rtain that all cables a~e disconnected
from the transceiver. Remove the lop cover qS
shown at l:he top of page 10, <)nd tnc bo t tom
cov . er as shown at the bottom of pag e 12.
0 Move the switch next to the speaker (see be-
low) to the required 115 or 230 V side .
I
•
J nov-- ~~v
0 On the bottom of the chassis (see below)1 re-
place fuses PH6901 and FH6902 with two of
the supplied fuses: either the 10-A fus.es (for
'100- 1'17 VAG) or 5-A (for200- 234 VAC).
0 Repl ace the f· use in the rear panel holder, and
then rep lace t]1e cover an d the c.~ rtyinghi!nd.le.
lmpo:ttant!
lf yo u · ~hl! nge t il t' AC
Vo /f ,1!1t r tmge S#, l tlug_ y O!i
mliSt cJ w11 ge> 1/t e"fwo ill -
le ma! f u s~.a nd th~ fw ;e
in th e r fflf tn nel ll olsler.
Jl/§q l!j: ~ 'ltr e to cfitmg~
tlte. vo/tlrgr ma rking 0 11
t ll ulhll~lli t l tlu tr~ ll f pt uwl
to m atc h th~ 11 ew w ll age
setlil!$, Do / 11'-~ J islrs!or ~,_
ut Mu, JR<eS-
page$

Station-Installation
Trattsceiver Location
To assurelong.life of thec:omponents,a primary
consideration insetting up the Fr-990 is providing
for adequate ventilation arolll1d the cabinet.
The
cooling system of theFr-990 must be free to draw
cool airin at thebottomrear of the transceiver, and
to expel warm air out of the upper rear panel. Do
not place the transceiver
on top of another heat·
generating
devi~e suth as a linear amp l ifi-er, and
do not placeequipment, books or papers on top of
the ttansceiver. Place the transceiver on a h~rd, flat
surface. Also1 provide a few centimeters
of space
on either s id e of the transceiver, ifpossible.Avoid
heating vents
and wi11dow locaUons that could
expose the transceiver toexcessivedirectsunlight,
especially inhcit climates.
Grounding
For protection from shock and properperform·
anee, connect the
GNO terminal on therear panel to
a good earth ground, using a heavy braiM .d cable
of the shortest length possible. All other station
equip ment should be . co nnected to the same
grounding cable, as close together as practical. 1f
you use a co mputer with or near the t-r- 990, you
may need to experiment with grounding of both
the lranscei"ver and thecomputerto suppress com-
puter noise in thereceiver.
Adjustittgthe FrontFeet
The two front feet of the flr:990 can be set in
eiU 1 erof twopositions. By turning the-knurledring
around a
( retr ~c ted ) .footclockwise, the middle of
thefootwill extend about one centimettY. 'TUrn the
ring as far 115 it will gd (abOut1 1.1 -turn) to lock the
extended foot in place.
To retract an extende.d foot,
tum the knurled ring courtterclockw~e ~-tum
while pressing on thecenter of the.foot.
Adjusting the Front Feet
Anten11a Considerations
Any antennas.connected to the Ff-99.0 should
have coaxial feedlines
with 50-0 impedance, rurd
includewell,grounded lightning arrestors.
for the
antenna
at the-main ANT ja ·ck, the antenna tun er in
the fT-990 is capable
of matchingaJltennas with an
SWR of up ro 3: 1 or more on the amateur bands to
the transmill'er. Nevertheless,
optimum perform-
.ance for both reception and transmission will gen -
erally result
with an antenna designed to provide
a 50 - 12 unbal;1nced resistive load at U1e operating
frequency. An anteM.a that is not rE!Sonant at the
oper.aling frequency maypresent too high an SWR
for proper matching with the built-in a ntenn a
tuner, in
wh i ch ca~e · the antem1a itself shou ld be
readjusted, or an outboard antenna tuner used. If
the tuner is unable to bring the SWR down to an
acc;eptable leVel, attempting to tra· nsmitwill result
in
a.n automatic reduction in power ou"tput and
increased losses in the feedJine. Opera.tion lll1der
such conditions is notrecommended: it is better to
install another
an t enna designed for· that band.
Also,
ifyour ;lritenna hasa balanced feedpoint and
vou ltse a balanced feedline; install a balun be-
tween the feedline and the.transce iver's . ANT jack.
The same precautions.
apply to any additional
(receive-only) antenna connected
to U.1e. RX AN T IN
jack, except that this ru1t ·enna will not have the
bei)_e fi t of the built-in antenna tu~. Therefore,
lm\ess.such areceive-onJy ·antenna has
an imped-
·ance near
50 n at the operating frequency, you
may
need \11\ .extt>mal tu.ner forgood performance.
Interco.nttecfion of Acces~>ories
The diag.rams on the·following pages show in·
tercrimiediqllS of external accessor!es. li you have
any questions on tbe$e accessories or connecting
devices nol shown, contact your dealer for advice:
MemoryBackup
The lithium memory BAC KUP swi tch inside the
t
op access panel Js turiled on at thefactory, allow-
ing vfo and memory data to be retained while
power is off. Backup current
Js miniscule,_so it is
n ot necessary to tum the BACKUP switch off unless
U1e transcei ver is to be st ored for·a long.time.
Af ter about five years the transceivermayfail to
retain
memo ries(althoughoperationwill be other-
wiSe un affect e<l), and thelithiumbattery should be
replaced. Ask your deal. er for replacement of the
battery, or for instructions on how to do so your-
self.
page6 ---------------------------

Station Installation Co1111ector Pinouts
DOT
KEY
G"'D
EXTSP -------------------------- ------~- RC ~ A ~P~ L=UG~ ------------------------ ------~
SIGNAL SIGNAL
or (+j
GND
G"'O or{-)
prlge 7

Station Installation Connecting External Accessories
Connecting External Accessories
0 0
EXT SPKR
SUPPLIED
CABLE (T9101275A)
AC
SUPPLIED CABLE A (T9100980)
pageB ------------------------------

Station lustallation Connecting Extetnal Accessories
DATA
10 . 0k!il
13.SV
Linear Amp T/R Switchjng Options on the REMO TE Jack
=
FT-990
non-OSK Linear Amp.
0
~- -,.--.-,.o;l
._1 L J-
0 ~
~ $
00
~
EXT AL.C
1
ANT
Cmmecting aLinear Antplifier
If usfng an ft.-7000 wiU' Lh e Fr .9.9 0, use optional cable Di\00019 topro\(idec,1utomatic band selection
for th,~Jlin$, ~s . W~,?Il ~ QSK L/r switching Ql:.Introl .
For aJl)! ether lil)l)ar ampliTier, t/ r switc\;Un~ is provided by thE! REMoTE j~ck (page ~3}. t'o clelermine
whicn pills ro use t f(rst petermine Ute ur.en circuit vOltage and: do~ed circuitcurrent requirements or
lhe t/ r switching line fOr thdinear. If the voltagEriS . AC oi abov.e50. V:OC , or if theocurrent required is
more thl)n 50P mA, switch S6~01 rnt~sl be set [o the RY posl;lion to el\abJil.theintl)mal teli!y (S9801 1:9
· set to the TR position to .disable the relay at the factory, see page 1·1). Otherwise, if the linear's
ryl(juirement~ arii! Bet~wth~~e j connEfc::lthe (>l:lsftiye ~~ r «it\trollirtc tiom th~ lirrear to pin~ of the REMOTE
jaek<,lmd the nep1Live side of thi.S line to pin3 (~und) . Also, if ytllrr linear-'s requirements are tvi thin
th e1\have rang-e, and if it iS d~ignec! for ru n \)rea'k-in (QS:'K5 <:>peration, you ~·ill need to connect lts
exciter•enableo\1 ~ul to pin 8 of I he ~D DATA jat.k. With a plug installed in _thl;~ jaCk, the l;rartsmitteris
normally diSilbled, and ph\' 8 float!> at about 5 vo l!s. By grounding pit\ 8- (to )'in 3), the QSK linear
enab l es t he trtmsmitt llt (U. tis circuHpre ents u,e Ff-990 fTom ~xc(ting th e linear b~>'fore kjs I'eady to
send). Noh~ that the Fr-99'0 will not transmit !fa plug is installed in the BAND DA TAjack and pin 8 is1lol
,graundeij,
WiU, lhe relay enabled ?tfie Fr-9!i0 can suppOrt non- QSKllneilr t/r vo lta ge up t;p .125 VAC @200 mA
1
e, r DC v(lltage up tt> 220 V@ 300 n\A, . or ct~~-tircu.Jh:;hrr(lnt up to 2 A With QC volta:ge~p to ~m:v.
Use pin 5 of the · REMOTE jack (:reiay comJROn).,. and pin 4 (closed-on -transm i~l, after se tling· S6801 to the
IW p,Oilllion . C9Q flol aUitfflpi QSK Oftell!t jpn tuith al htetJr if its ~wit.c11iltg,requires tile relay £!!iilP/IiJI.
page.9

Station Installation Internal Adj14strnents
Intemal Adjust1nents
Described below are a fi?w intemaIsettingsyou
may wish to make as you become familiar with the
FI-990. Access to, and adjustment of, all user -ad-
justable settings are described together here since
it is mostconvenient tO do all that you need at once
while the covers
are removed. However, descrip-
tions of the purpose and effect of these adjust·
ments are provided elsewhere ir\ this manual,
where.appropriate. We therefore recommend thai
you
do not make any o.f theseadjustments until the
purpose
and effect of eachis dear to you .
All adjustments have been al igned or set at the
factory to standard settings,
but in some cases you
will
want to tailor them for your particularstation
requirements. Be careful, however, to avoid tam-
pering with other intermil co11trols n!Jt mentioned
in this section, so you don't degrade alignmen t.
Forfull alignmentdetails covering all internal set ·
lings,ri!fer to the Fr-990Techrrical Ma11ua/.
CAUTION!
Some ef these t;~djuslmer~ts must be made
zvilh power applied , and with the cover re"
tfiQ.Ved. A.lfli'attglt the 'I,!Oltagtts a,t e;\!{OSI!~
places . in the trrmsceiver are not danger-ous
to you ., siilSitive- cir-c uitn; attn be daiffnged
by t;!) lltacf wilh rnetq1lic tools. Th erefore~ve
rt!commend using . (I rronrmetalli c ndjus.t·
77llmt tap/, if available. In an!! case, troaid
touchin s,., any components not ir1valved in
tire adjustment, arttl-do nq.f allow.. anything
to fil l/ In the set while tire cover is removed.
Button Beeper Volttme
This trimme!' p>otentiomet er sers the volume of
the beep that s.ounds when one of the front panel
buttons is pressed (independently from receiver
signal volume as set by the AF control).
0 Remove the ten screws shown at the upper
right,nnd remove the top cover.
0 Turn the transcehrer 0ll
1
and adjust the AF con·
trol for normal volume on backgrotmd noise on
a ~ comm<in.ly-used band.
0 Referring to the photos <~t the right, locate
VR3011 and use a small screwdriver to adjust lt
for the desired beep volume while repeately
pressil1g a butt(in.
-
..
••
Top Cover Removal
Adjustment Points· Top of Chassis
..
~~10----------------------------------------------------
•

CWSitietone Vohtme
0 flollow the sam e steps and r ef er to the same
photos as abovelor Button Beeper Volume, but
adjust VR3009 · while pressing (only) the SPOT
button · on the front pan e l. ·
CW Keyer Weighting, Bug Sim~tlation
0 With the top cov . er ~:emoved as ·described for
Button Beeper Volume, notice th e small rectan-
gular hole near thefronte dge . of thechassis, ju st
behind
the left side of the panel meter. The CW
keyer setting switches are accessible through
l.his hole(weightingDlPswitch 1;>lockS7Z041s a
little to the left, and tambic/bug sl.ide switch
57203 to the ri&h t). The photo at the fight shows
a view of these switches from the rear.
0 To change the switch settings you will need a
thin, sharp-pointed tool about 15 em (6 ind1es)
long, and prefer ably non -metallic, to reach the
switches through l.he
ho le. You can watcrh what
you're doing through the slot bet\voon the top
edge of the front panel nnd Ute chassis, to the
left
of the meter.
0 Slide switch 57203 to the· lef~ (when view ed
frotn the front) to change the keyer to simulate
a bug (dits on qne padd le, and steady CW on
the other)1 or leave ltsel to U1e right to provide
iambic keying (factorydefault).
0 To set t he keyer weighting (dot:dash ratio), set
the foursectionsofi;llP sw i tc11S7204 according
to the table below (0 =ON= front position).
Linea.r A.mp TIR Switch (56801)
0 The location of lliis switch is indicated in th e
photos
on the· previous pag e. Move it fo·rward
to enable the TI Rrelay at pins 2,4 and 5 of the
REMO TEjack. TI1e factory default(back) position
Keyer Weigl1t Settings
Oot:oash
DIP Swi tch
Oot: Oa sh DIPSWit
ch
Ral lo
1 2 3 4 Ra
ti o I 2 3 4
1:3 .0 .0 0 0 0 1 ;.4 .0 0 -0 -
1:3.1
-0 0 0 1:4.1 - - 0 -
1: 3.2
0 -0 0 f:A .2 0 0 -0
1:3 .3 --0 0 1 :4-~
-0 --
1:3.4 0 0 -0 1: 4.4 0 ---
1:3,5
-0 -0 1:4.5 ----
1:3.6 0 --0
1:3.7 - - - 0
ON(IronlposlliOn )• 0
1:3 .8 0 0 0 -
OF F (rear pos ll!o n ) ~ -
1; 3.9
-0 0 -
Station Installation Internal A.djuslme:nts
CW Keyer Switches
(As viewed fro m the Rear)
has pin 4 bf this jock switched by transiStor
Q91QI, and the ro.lay d~abJed. Sec the jack'de-
scription in the next chaptllr.
R. em· Panel Audi .o Output Levels
<.RTIY • VR3004, PACKET · VR3CJ:06,
AFOUT · VR3010, DVS-2 -vR3015)
Note: these controls cannot be adjusted while the
set is on, so ad j ustment may have to be ma de by
trial-and-error. Make sure to tum the transceiver
off each lime before pulling or reinserting fli e cir-
cuit board .
0
Make sure the tnmsce!veris turned off.
0 R~1ove rhe top cover, ifnecessary, as described
above for Beeper Volum e, and lift out the bla<:k
plastic label sheet for the Top Pan elControls.
0 Remove the screw at each end of the AF Unit
(the board ii\ the middle slo~), and gently pull
up on the brackets at each end of the board to
remove it (rock them alternately).
0 Refer to the AF Unit photo at the Lop of the next
page for locations ofthe PKT OUT, RTIY OUT,AF OUT
and o vs OUT lrbnmers on the board , Make a
slight adjustment • clockwise to increase the
output level, or countercloc)<wise tp de~ase it .
0 Temporarily replace the AF- Unit in its slot, till·
ing care to align the front and back edges of the
card with the guide .tabs in the chassis.
0 Tum power on and do whatever you ne:ed to
check whether the output level is satisfactory. Jf
not, tum lhe pcrw ifr off and repMt the last f!!w
steps until it it;.
0 Rep lace lhe two screws at'fixing the AI' Unit ,
and replace the plastic label sheet so that the
controls are visible through the holes .
---------------------------------------------------------- - ~ge11

StationInstallation Internal Adjustments
AF Unit- Audio Out Trimmer Locations
Mode-SpecificTufting Rates
0 R-emove the topcover, if necessa:ry, as described
abovefor ButtonBeeperVolume, and lift out the
black plastic label cover for the Top Access
Panel Controls.
0 Remove U1e screw al eac h end of fue ConlTol
Unit (the boar.d in
U1e tightmostslot}, and gen-
tly pull up on U1e brackets at e.'ch end of lhe
board to r emove it (rock themaltemately).
0 Refer
to the Control Unit photos al fhe right for
locations of the split pads to ~alve tuning ~;ates
for each mode. Carefully bndge the halves of
the pads c:ort<>spon.<;ling to the modc(s) on
which you wan t to reduce U1e tuJ1ing,spel:!d.
0 Replace lhe
Contro lU ni t in its slot, usingcare to
allgn the front and back edges of the car<!. with
the g~tide tabs in the cl1assis.
0 Replace the two screws affixing the Contro l
Uni t, andrep 1a ce the plastic label shee t so that
the controls are visible through the.holes in the
sheet.
Slow AM Auto AGC
0 Remove the topcover,ifnecessary, as described
at the start of ~his section for B'utton Beeper
Volume, Then carefully turn the set upside -
down, and remove the t en screws shown at th e
right, affixing the bottom cover. Remove the
bottom cover.
0 Referring to the
ph o t<:l s on !he next page, loc;ate
the split pad indicated, and ca r efully short the
halves of U\e pad with so lder.
0 Replace the . botlum cover and its t en screws .
and U\en the top cover.and its ten screws.
Control Unit- Split Pad Locations
't'
Bottom CoverRemoval
page12----------------------------

AGCAuto.]umpedor AM
(Bottom of Cha ssis)
StaJionlllstp/lat'ioll In te rn al lld jt. IS tment s
---------------------------------------------------------pa ge13

Controls & Connectors
Front Patrel Controls
I ll
\ 2· ~~t
\_ 4 l·- i
3 --
7
II 12
This c hapt er dt>scribes each control and connec-
tor on the PT-990. You ca n ju st read through
quickly now, but some of the descriptions will be
more meaningful if you first work through the
Getting Stt1rted Tutorial at the beginning of the Ofl·
era lion chapter, and then return to this chapter with
the set powered up, as questions arise during op-
eration. Some controls and switches are disabled
under certain conditions.
(1) POWER
This bullon turl'S the transceiver on and off.
(2) 2-Position Ptlsltbutton Switcltes
IU AN T
When this switch is in the undepressed { a)
position, the antenna connected to the main
ANT socket is used forreceive(it is always used
for transmit). When this switch
is depressed
( -) , the IU AN T IN l OUT jacks on the rear
panel are activated, with either a receive-only
antenna, external receiver or in-line receiver
accessory. See the schematic
on page 27 for an
idea of how this works.
HOX
This button may be used in place of a micro-
phone P'lT switch or CW key to manually
activate the transmitter. It must be in U1e on-
depressed ( .-) position forreception.
vox
Enables automatic voice-actuated tr<msmilter
switching in voice modes; and semi break-in
keying
in CW mode. The con trols aiJ'ecting
VOX operation are in the lop access panel.
An
Press this button when receiving on a noisy
band or when strong signals are present. This
inserts a 20-dB attenuator in the front end to
protect the receiver from overload.
(3) PHONES
Th is Y, -inch,3-contact jnckaccepts either mon-
aura l or ster eo headphones with a2- or <l-eon-
tact p lu g . When a plug is inserted, the
loudspeaker is disabled. Audio Is supplied to
both channels of a stereo headphone.
(4) M ET ER Selector
This selector detemllnes the function of the
mullimeter during transmission. The mean-
ings of the abbreviations are as follows:
PO RF Power Output (watts)
IC Final amplifier collector current (Amps)
SWR S tan ding Wave Rallo (forwa rd :reflected)
COMP IU? ~peech compressor level (in dB,
for SSB modes only)
A LC relative Automatic Level Control voltage
vee Fi
nal amplifiercollectorvoltage.
~ge14---------------------------------------------------------

The meter indicates the selected parameter
during transmission, and signal strength in
S-units during reception (on the top scale).
Each S-unitis approximately 6
dB.
(5) AGC Selector
Selects receiver AutomaticGainControl decay
time for most comfortable reception, or dis-
ables receiver AGC (off). Normally this switch
is set
to the AUTO position, which automatically
selects the AGC decay according
to youroper-
ating mode. When set
to OFF, the S-meter is
disabled, and strong signals may be distorted.
(6) PROC -@>-KEVER
Bothofthese controls function only when acti-
vated
by the buttonwith the same name at the
bottom right side of the panel.
The inner
PROC control sets the compression
(input) level ofthe transmitter
RF speechproc-
essorinSSBmodes, and the outer
KEVER control
sets the keyer
/bug simulator keying speed.
(7) KEY Jack
This %-inch, 3-contact jack accepts a CW key
or keyer paddles (for the built-in electronic
keyer),
or output from an external electronic
keyer.
You must not use a 2-contact plug in this
jack. Pinoutis shownonpage 7. Key up voltage
is 5
V, and key down current is 0.5 rnA. There
is anotherjack with thesame name, connected
in parallel with this jack,
on the rear panel.
(8) MIC -@- RF PWR
The inner MIC control adjusts the microphone
input level for SSB and AM transmission.
Theouter
RF PWR controladjusts the transmitter
output power in all modes. The adjustment
range is from less than
10 to 100 watts (or 5 to
25 watts in AM mode).
(9) SQL -@- NB
The inner SQL control sets the signal threshold
at whichreceiver audiois muted (and the BUSY
LED turns off), in all modes. This control is
normally kept fully CCW, except when scan-
ning,andduringFMoperation.Scanningstops
when the squelch is open.
The outer
NB control adjusts the blanking level
when the noise blanker is activated during
reception.
If set very far clockwise, receiver
audio can be distorted.
Controls & Connectors -Front Panel Controls
(10) AF-@- RF
The inner AF gain control adjusts the volume
of the receiver in the speaker or headphones.
The outer
RF gain control adjusts incoming
signal level infrontofthe receiver
RF amplifier
(viaPINdiodes),intandemwiththegainofthe
receiver
IF amplifiers. This control is normally
set fully clockwise for maximum sensitivity.
When rotated counterclockwise from maxi-
mum, the S-meter minimum deflection point
will move
up thescale. Thepeak deflection for
a particular signal will remain the same if it is
greaterthanthe levelset
by thiscontrol, but the
main receiver will be insensitive to weaker
signals.This controlalso affects the
SQL setting,
and should be preset fully clockwise
when
setting the squelch threshold.
(11) MIC
This 8-pin jack accepts the MD-1Bs or MD-1cs
Desktop Microphone or the
MH-1BS Handie
Scanning Microphone. Pinout is
shown on
page 7. Propermicrophone input impedanceis
500 to 600 ohms.
(12) Left Side Push Switches
RF FSP
Whenoperatingin an SSB mode, you canpress
this button to toggle the
RF speech processor
on and off (for transmission). Processing level
is set by the
PROC control, and the filter pass-
bandcan beadjusted. Whileactivated, the
LED
above this buttonglows orange. This button is
disabled in other modes.
KEVER & BK-IN
Whenoperatingin CW mode, the KEVER button
toggles the internalkeyer
on and off, and BK-IN
turns full break-in (QSK) CWoperationonand
off. The green LEDs above each button light
when active. These buttons are disabled in
other modes.
NB
This button toggles the receiver noise blanker
on and off. The LED above the button glows
green while activated. Blanking level is set by
the control with the same name.
(13) Mode
Buttons
These seven momentary buttons select the op-
erating mode, indicated
by the LED in each
button. Note that pressing the
RTTY and PKT
--------------------------------------------------------------- page15

Cot1trols & C01me~:tors- Front Panel Co11trols
(packet) buttons multiple times willswitchbe-
tween thepossiblemodes of .emission thatcan
be used by these digital modes (I.SB and USB
for InTY, and LSB and FMforp.aaket).
(14) FAST
Forfasttuning,pressthis butto n whilerotating
the luning knob or pressing the UP or DOWN
button, \O increase the tuning rate len times.
See the table on page 2~ for all availablesteps.
While the fast tuning rat e is active, FAST is
displayed above t he MHz digits. You can set
the function of this button to be either"press-
and -hol d", or toggle on/off; I?Y hbl ding the
button while switching the transceiver on .
(15) Main Ttuling Knob
This knob adjusts the operating frequency of
the vfo or a recalled memory. Tu ning incre-
ments ;u'e normally 10Hz (100Hz in AM and
FM modes). The markings on the knob repre-
sent 50 increments eadl; and one full tum of
theknobprovides1,000increments(10kHz,or
1'00 kHz in AM/FM). Ii you preferslow er tun-
ing rates CY.I-speed} you can install an lnteJnal
jumper as described on page 12.
Di sp lay B righ tne ss Adjustment
IM brightness of the.dt;pl<~5' (but not the me·
terl'ilo~ or LEDsl isadjustable by hOlding·the
rm bi.rtton:whi fe turrung rh e. CLAR oontr oL
(16} LOC K
TI\lsbutton toggles locking of themaintuning
knob to
prevent accidentalfrequencychanges.
LOCK is disp layed above them ode buttons when
locked (the·knOb canstillb¢ turned, but it do~
nothing). Press again to re-enable the tuning
knob.You can
set the function of this button to
lock
most of the controls and buttonS, instead
of justthe tuning knob, by holding the button
whileswitching the transceiveron.Inthiscase
the LOCK dispJay will blink when e)labled.
(17) Horizonttll Pushbutto11s (lower center)
A/8
When receiving on a vfo, this button toggles
operation
and display between vfos A and B.
The current se lection is displayed to the left of
the operatingfrequency.
A•B
Whenteceiving on a vfo, thisbuttoncopies the
contents
of the displayed vfo (A or B) to the
other vfo. Previous contents of the non-dis-
played vfo are overwritten (lo$11) ,
SPLIT
This button activates split transmit/receive
frequency operation. The.
rMin display (either
a vfoora
reC<~lled memorydlanncl} i!; u.sedfor
reception, ;md the
other vfci for transmission.
The
SPLIT indicator at thele.ftsideofthedisplay
is lit while thisfunction is active.
page16--------------------------------------------~-----------

M ~ VFO
Pressing this button momentarily displays the
contents of the currently selected memory
channel for three seconds. Holding this button
for for %-second copies the data from the cur-
rently selected memory to the currently se-
lected vfo, as two beeps sound. Previous data
in the vfo is overwritten.
RPT
When operating in the FM mode on the 29-
MHz band, this button activates standard hf
FM repeater operation. Pressing this button
once or twice while receiving causes the trans-
mit frequency to be shifted 100kHz below or
above the receiving frequency, respectively.
An88.5-Hzsubaudibletone is also transmitted
automatically at a low level when using this
feature,
to allow access to repeaters that re-
quire it. Pressing this button a third time can-
cels repeater shiftoperation.
M CK (Memory Check)
This button allows display of the contents of
the memory channels without disturbing op-
eration. When pressed, M CK is displayed just
above the channel number
at the right end of
the display. The contents of each memory
channelcanthenbecheckedonthedisplayand
mode/ filter LEDs by rotating the MEM selector.
Empty memory channels display as decimals
only, with no frequency digits. Press this but-
ton again to cancel memory checking.
DOWN & UP
Pressing either of these buttons momentarily
steps the operating frequency down or up
100
Controls & Connectors -Front Panel Controls
kHz, respectively. Pressing the FAST button
with one of these buttons steps down or up 1
MHz. Continue holding either button for re-
peated stepping.
VFO ~ M
Whenreceiving ona vfo ora retuned memory,
hold this button for %-second to transfer
(write) the current operating data to the cur-
rently selected memory channel. Two beeps
sound, and any previous data in the memory
is overwritten. Also, pressing and holding this
button after recalling a memory (without first
retuning) causes the memory channel
to be
"blanked", and repeating the process restores
the blanked memory.
YFO/M
Thisbuttontoggles receiveroperationbetween
the memory channel and a
vfo. Either VFO-A (or
-B), MEM or M TUNE is displayed to the left of the
frequency display to indicate the current
selec-
tion. If a displayed memory has been retuned,
pressing thisbuttononce returns the display to
the original memory contents, and pressing it
again returns operation to the (last used)
vfo.
(18) CLAR Tuning Knob
This knob tunes the clarifier offset frequency
up to 9.99 kHz, when activated by the CLAR RX
and/ or TX buttons above it (the 3-digit offset
frequency appears in small digits just to the
right of the operating frequency). Operating
details are
on page 33.
page 17

Controls & Connectors -Front Panel Controls
(19) NOTCH -@-SHIFT
The inner NOTCH control adjusts the IF notch
filter frequency
when activated by the button
withthe same nameat thebottomofthe panel.
In modes other than AM and
FM, the outer
SHIFT control offsets the IF passband center
frequency from the displayed frequency
when
turned away from the 12-o'clock position.
(20) MEM
This detented knob selects the memory chan-
nels. When a vfo is active, turning this knob
activates thememorycheckmode,
in whichthe
current contents of memories are displayed
without otherwise affecting operation. The
channel number ofthe selected memory is dis-
played at all times
at the right end of the dis-
play (in front of
"CH").
(21) DIGITAL FIL
These concentric controls adjust the passband
skirts
of the digital audio filter, when activated
by the button with the same name below. The
inner
LOW control adjusts the low-frequency
cutoff,
and the outer HIGH control adjust the
high-frequency cutoff. Maximum
bandwidth
is provided with the LOW control fully counter-
clockwise, and the
HIGH controlfully clockwise.
(22) Lower Right Pushbuttons
SPOT turns the CW receiver spotting hetero-
dyne oscillator on while pressed and held.
NOTCH turns the IF notchfilter on and off(except
in FM mode). The green LED above this button
lights while the filter is active,
and the control
with the same
name sets the notch frequency.
DIGITAL FIL turns the digital audio filter on
and off.Thegreen LED abovethis button lights
while the filter is active,
and the controls with
the same
name set the filter skirt frequencies.
(23) CLAR Pushbuttons
Pressing the RX button activates the CLAR knob
(below this button), to allow offsetting
there-
ceiving frequency temporarily (see (18),
above). The
TX button provides the same func-
tion for the transmitfrequency.
If bothbuttons
are pressed, the receiver
and transmitter are
both offset from the original frequency. Press-
ing the CLEAR button zeros any offset tuned by
the CLAR knob. Each memory andvfo retains all
clarifier settings independently.
(24) M SCAN Pushbutton
Activates scanningofthe memories. Also used
together with the FAST button to set/reset Scan
Skip status
of a recalled memory.
(25)
TUNER Pushbutton
Pressing this button so that its LED is lit puts
the antenna tuner in linebetweenthe transmit-
ter final amplifier
and the main antenna jack.
Reception
is not affected. The START button
(below) also activates the antenna tuner.
(26) START Momentary Pushbutton
Pressing this button whilereceiving in an ama-
teur
band activates the transmitter for a few
seconds while the automatic antenna tuner re-
matches the antenna for minimum SWR. The
resulting settings are automatically stored in
one of the antenna tuner's 39 memories, for
instantautomaticrecall later
when the receiver
is tuned near the same frequency.
(27) Right Side LED Indicators
The HI SWR LED lights when an impedancemis-
match is detected at the main
ANT jack. Avoid
transmitting until the problem has been corrected.
The WAIT LED lights while the antenna tuner is
tuning,
and flashes briefly when changing fre-
quency, as the
main cpu sends new frequency
data to the antenna tuner coprocessor: this
does not affect operation.
(28) BANDWIDTH
These four momentary buttons select the 2nd
and 3rd IF filters for the receiver (except in the
FM mode). In AM mode, either 2.4-kHz
or
6-kHz bandwidths areselected by pressing the
2.4K button (LED off= 6kHz). The selectivity
provided by these selections can be further
enhanced by installing optional filters (page
44). See the diagram on page 28 for the avail-
able filter combinations.
(29) BAND (Keypad)
The keypad provides one-touch band selec-
tion,
or digital frequency entry. Normally,
pressing one of the ten
white numbered keys
selects the
corresponding (MHz) amateur
band for operation. However, if the ENT key is
pressed first, the
yellow labels on the keys are
activated for entering
any frequency one digit
at a time. See the Operation chapter for details.
page18 -------------------------------------------------------------

(30) Digital Display
The dl,splay shows, from left to
rig h t, sp.edaJ
operating status ( CAT SYSTEM , SPLIT , GEN( eral COV·
erage),or LOCK; and vro , MEM or M TUNE modeofthe
receiver;
FAST toning, if activated; and operat-
lng frequency, darifier offsel and memory
number.
Controls & Con11eotors- Front Ptwel Co11trols
(31) L efr Side LED Indicators
The TRAHSMIT LEDglows red when th etransmit-
ter is activated. The BUSY LED glows green
when the squelch is open.
(32) Meter
The 7-function multimeter normally indicates
r
ece iv er signal streng. th on the to.P scale, and
one of si .x para.tneler .s {selected by Lh e NE\ER
selector) duri ng transmiton the lower scales.
page 19