The bet
Next week I'm getting a Yaesu FTM-310DE ASP. Talking about it with another radio amateur, it turned out he's getting an FTM-510DE ASP the same week, and we ended up betting a bottle of Cruzcampo, the local beer here in Seville.
He says the 510 has more to it. I say the main units are the same, that what changes is the control head and that, at most, the 510 will bring a few extra features that depend on its screen.
Until we have both radios on the bench, all we can compare is what the paperwork says: Yaesu's manuals and the spec sheets. That's this article. Once they arrive we'll do the real comparison, and I'll publish it here.
The figures come from the manuals of the DR versions, which share their electronics with the European DE versions. The difference is on transmit: the DE versions only transmit on 144–146 and 430–440 MHz. The 510's sensitivity figures come from RigPix, because the table can't be extracted from the copy of the manual published on ManualsLib. All sources are listed at the end.
The main unit
The box that goes in the boot or under the seat: the transmitter, both receivers and the heatsink.
| Specification | FTM-310DE ASP | FTM-510DE ASP |
|---|---|---|
| Transmit (DE) | 144–146 and 430–440 MHz | 144–146 and 430–440 MHz |
| Receive | 108–550 MHz | 108–550 MHz |
| Power | 55 W on VHF, 50 W on UHF, 25 W and 5 W | 55 W on VHF, 50 W on UHF, 25 W and 5 W |
| Emissions | F1D, F2D, F3E and F7W (C4FM) | F1D, F2D, F3E and F7W (C4FM) |
| Channel steps | 5 to 100 kHz; 8.33 kHz on the air band | 5 to 100 kHz; 8.33 kHz on the air band |
| Receiver | Double conversion | Double conversion |
| First IF | 56.75 MHz (MAIN) and 55.85 MHz (SUB) | 56.75 MHz (MAIN) and 55.85 MHz (SUB) |
| Second IF | 450 kHz | 450 kHz |
| Selectivity (−6/−60 dB) | 12 kHz / 30 kHz | 12 kHz / 30 kHz |
| Stability | ±2.5 ppm (−20 to +60 °C) | ±2.5 ppm (−20 to +60 °C) |
| Current drain | 0.5 A on receive; 11 A at 55 W and 10 A at 50 W | 0.5 A on receive; 11 A at 55 W and 10 A at 50 W |
| Size (without fan) | 139 × 42 × 133 mm | 139 × 42 × 132 mm |
Both columns match on everything, including the intermediate frequencies, which are an internal design detail rather than a selling point. The only figure that differs is one millimetre of depth.
Sensitivity by band
| Range | Condition | FTM-310DE ASP | FTM-510DE ASP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 108–137 MHz (air band) | AM, 10 dB S/N | 0.8 µV | 0.8 µV |
| 137–150 MHz (2 m) | FM, 12 dB SINAD | 0.2 µV | 0.2 µV |
| 150–174 MHz | FM, 12 dB SINAD | 0.25 µV | 0.25 µV |
| 174–222 MHz | FM, 12 dB SINAD | 0.3 µV | 0.3 µV |
| 222–300 MHz | FM, 12 dB SINAD | 0.25 µV | 0.25 µV |
| 300–336 MHz | AM, 10 dB S/N | 0.8 µV | 0.8 µV |
| 336–420 MHz | FM, 12 dB SINAD | 0.25 µV | 0.25 µV |
| 420–550 MHz (70 cm) | FM, 12 dB SINAD | 0.2 µV | 0.2 µV |
| 2 m and 70 cm | C4FM, BER 1 % | 0.19 µV | 0.19 µV |
Identical, band by band. On paper, both radios hear the same.
The control head
This is where things do change.
| Specification | FTM-310DE ASP | FTM-510DE ASP |
|---|---|---|
| Display | Dot matrix, monochrome | 2.4-inch colour TFT, touch |
| Band scope | 47 channels | 61 channels |
| Control head speaker | 3 W | 6 W |
| Main unit speaker | 3 W | 3 W |
| Control head size (without knob) | 148 × 56 × 56 mm | 156 × 64 × 58.6 mm |
| Total weight | 1.2 kg | 1.4 kg |
The 510's control head is bigger, because it carries the colour screen and a speaker with twice the power. That's where the 200 grams of difference in total weight come from: the main units are the same size.
The features
What both have
- C4FM and FM, with automatic mode select (AMS), DG-ID, DP-ID and GM.
- Dual receive in V/V, U/U, V/U and U/V.
- Super DX, the RF amplifier sensitivity boost for weak signals.
- ASP, digital processing of the received audio in analogue FM, in AUTO or manual mode. It lives on an SPU-1 board that the ASP versions ship with. The non-ASP versions take it as an option.
- PMG, to watch up to five frequencies, and MAG, which groups memories by band.
- 999 memories, 4 Home channels and 50 PMS pairs.
- 66-channel GPS, APRS at 1200 and 9600 bps, and WIRES-X.
- microSD slot, voice recorder and a custom function list (CFL).
- Bluetooth with the optional BU-5 module. Neither has it built in, although the FTM-500, the 510's predecessor, did.
What only the 510 has
- Touch control: the mode icon, the on-screen keypad and the band scope bars, which you touch to tune to the signal (Touch & Go).
- Images: it reads JPGs from the microSD card, scales them to QVGA and can show or send them. With a monochrome screen, the 310 has nowhere to show them.
- A wider band scope, 61 channels against 47.
I haven't found anything in the manuals that the 510 does and that doesn't depend on its screen or its speaker.
The score, for now
My friend is right that the 510 has more to it: the colour touch screen, the images, a wider band scope and a 6 W speaker in the control head.
But all of that lives in the control head. In the main unit there isn't a single figure that differs: the same power, the same coverage, the same current drain, the same sensitivity band by band and the same intermediate frequencies in the receiver. On paper, they're the same radio with two different control heads.
Two matching spec sheets don't prove the boards are the same, though. That's why the beer is still up for grabs until we have the radios.
What we'll check
- The labels and part numbers of both main units.
- The control head cable and microphone connectors.
- Side-by-side reception with the same antenna and a splitter, in analogue FM and C4FM, with and without ASP.
- The firmware versions of each part.
Once we have the results I'll publish them here, whoever wins, and the loser buys the Cruzcampo.
Sources
- Yaesu FTM-310DR operating manual: specifications (pages 83 and 84) and features.
- Yaesu FTM-510DR operating manual: specifications (pages 83 and 84) and features.
- RigPix, FTM-510DE ASP: the 510's sensitivity by band, display and band scope.
- GPS Central, FTM-310DR: AESS, the 310's band scope and ASP.
- GPS Central, FTM-510DR ASP: the 510's speakers and Bluetooth.