As licensed Amateur Radio operators, we have all heard about Yaesu. We have all seen a Yaesu radio and most of us have used and even own one.
I’ve had and have several Yaesu radios. From extremely old ones full of valves and extremely heavy. One can only assume they were transported to where we live by sea and not air given their weight.
But what do you know about the company Yaesu? We can assume it is or was a Japanese company, but I just felt there might be something interesting about the history of this company. Let me show you what I found after some research.
Let’s go to the beginning
Prior to 1959 Sako Hasegawa had been operating a company called General Television Co Ltd in Ota-ku, Tokyo since 1956. His first SSB Equipment had been manufactured under the General Television Co Ltd name in 1957. Sako Hasegawa’s ambition seems to have been to design and manufacture modern HF single sideband equipment for the amateur radio market.
Yaesu is a Japanese brand of amateur radio equipment, founded as Yaesu Musen Co. Ltd. in 1959 by a Japanese radio amateur Sako Hasegawa call sign JA1MP. He lived in Yaesu, Japan, a district of Tokyo.
Yaesu Musen Co’s first product was a crystal controlled monoband 40 metre transmitter, the FL-10/40. The second radio was released soon after the first which was a 5 band crystal controlled mechanical filter HF transmitter called the FL-20.
Yaesu had initially been formed with the intention to develop and manufacture commercial and amateur radio transceivers just for the Japanese market, but only five years after its formation, the company had signed foreign sales agreements for export to Australia and Germany.
Bail Radio & TV Service sold the FL-100B direct throughout Australia from their premises in the Melbourne, Victoria, suburb of Box Hill.
1963 and the Swiss
In Europe, the equipment was sold under the Yaesu brand and the Sommerkamp brand. In 1963, four years after the company started, the Swiss firm Sommerkamp imported Yaesu equipment and sold it using their own brand.
1965 and the Americans
In 1965, Yaesu’s equipment was first imported into America by Spectronics, Inc. located in Signal Hill, California. Today most companies try to import into America first, but that isn’t Yaesu’s story.
Yaesu became an important presence in the American amateur radio market with the introduction and improvement of its very popular FT-101 in the 1970s.
The FL-100 was a crystal controlled 5 band HF transmitter but with an SSB power input of 100 watts PEP.
Sako Hasegawa death
Sako Hasegawa, who founded the company, died in 1993. Following his death, Jun Hasegawa took over as managing director.
1998 Vertex Standard
Yaesu Musen acquired the STANDARD radio equipment brand from Marantz Japan in 1998 and changed the company name to Vertex Standard Co. Ltd.
2007 Motorola
Vertex Standard didn’t last long by itself. In 2007, Motorola announced its intention to purchase 80% of Vertex Standard and form a joint venture with Tokogiken (a privately held Japanese company controlled by Jun Hasegawa), which would hold the other 20%. This deal was completed in January 2008. The joint venture was dissolved effective January 1, 2012.
The Vertex Standard land mobile division operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. The Amateur Radio, Airband and Marine Radio business was transferred to the new company “Yaesu Musen”.
Taken from Motorola’s website, Motorola Solutions combined the best of Vertex Standard’s portfolio with our industry-leading two-way radio lineup.
2000’s Minimal – Shift – Keying
In the early 2000s, minimum-shift keying (GMSK) technology emerged in amateur radio. It was the dominant digital mode.
2013 – Digital Mode “Fusion”
In 2013, YAESU launched its own digital mode of operation for amateur radio known as: “System Fusion”. Or known as Fusion.
Like most other digital modes, Fusion utilises a narrower radio bandwidth. However, with System Fusion, Yaesu gave it special attention to compatibility with analog FM radio. Their intended goal was to simplify migration of the existing amateur radio repeaters from analog to digital.
Yaesu is the only company with System Fusion-enabled devices.
C4FM
C4FM, or Continuous Four-Level Frequency Modulation, is a digital communication mode used in amateur radio, particularly by Yaesu and System Fusion radios. It is a type of 4FSK (Four-Frequency Shift Keying) that, when combined with FDMA (Frequency Division Multiple Access), allows for digital voice and data transmission.
C4FM offers features like digital voice with clear audio, data transmission, and internet connectivity through WIRES-X nodes, enabling features like real-time navigation and text messaging.
The System Fusion communication protocol enables devices to analyze an incoming signal and automatically determine if it is using C4FM or conventional FM mode. System Fusion also enables data transfer at full rate with speeds reaching up to 9,600 bits per second.
Other Popular Digital Modes
ICOM developed devices using the D-STAR protocol. Other brands use DMR, among other modes. The list goes on and on.
My thoughts on Yaesu
For what it’s worth, I’ve always been happy with Yaesu products. I have several radios with their name on it and have never had a problem with them.
Yaesu Musen, is still a Japanese company. It is a well-known manufacturer of amateur, marine, and commercial radio equipment. Yaesu is well recognised for its amateur radio equipment.
So tell me, what are your thoughts on Yaesu? What products do you have of theirs? Do you like their products? Do you prefer something else? Perhaps you liked their earlier products compared to their current stock? Please share your thoughts in the comments below so others can see.
Yaesu did not play any part in this post. It is just information I found out about the company.
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