Yaesu VR-5000 Shortwave AM FM VHF UHF SSB Radio Receiver 100 KHz - 2600 MHz

Description

This sale is for a very nice Yaesu VR-5000 receiver scanner that has wideband receiving capabilities.  Reception on this receiver is outstanding and there are no shortcomings or issues to report with this unit.  Many of these receivers have an issue with dropouts on the display, but this display is functioning perfectly.
This unit is in nice original condition.  There are only minor signs of prior ownership and  we encourage you to look carefully at our pictures for precise cosmetic condition.
If you want a great working unit, then this VR-5000 will serve you well.  It has been tested and performer marvelously on all the bands up to 400 MHz.  We do not have any signals in our area to test above that frequency nor a signal generator to verify, but there is no reason to believe that you will not have the same performance above 400 MHz as found below 400 MHz on AM, FMn, FMw, VHF, and UHF frequencies.
This ensemble includes a Yaesu VR-5000 receiver, copy of the user manual, copy of the product brochure, a couple of receiver reviews, AC adapter, and a CD containing a variety of documents including both the user manual and service documents.
You really require a discone antenna for optimum reception on the upper bands. The lower bands work best with some sort of dipole or long wire antenna.  If you ever get a chance, visit Dave Zantow's site to see his in-depth reviews for a variety of receivers including this VR-5000 (and shake a little change out of your pocket to donate and help him keep his site up and running).
The VR-5000 was discontinued about 10 years ago and the available supplies of this receiver have evaporated.  Ebay appears to be the main source to obtain this receiver and it is a good receiver to own if you cannot utilize an outside dipole antenna since it was designed to be sensitive utilizing an antenna of short length.  That said, if you live in a high signal area, you may find that this receiver will be TOO sensitive too powerful nearby signals.
If you are looking for a receiver with the potential to pick up virtually anything you would like to tune into, then you will be impressed with the span of frequencies, the modes of operation, and the user features. Here is a summary of the features:
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Receives from 100 KHz in the longwave band, thru AM using 540 - 1700 KHz, thru the marine, amateur, & shortwave bands, up thru FM, VHF, UHF, and microwave ending at 2600 MHz and thus is the proverbial "DC to Daylight" receiver. The cell bands are blocked, but otherwise it picks up virtually all analog audible bands and frequencies across the listening spectrum.
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Modes of operation - AM / FMn /FMw / USB / LSB / CW
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2,000 Memories that can be organized in 100 banks with alpha identifications
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Multiple bandwidths
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Real time bandscope spectrum display
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Dual receive
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Program / Alarm / Sleep timer
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PC Port
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Optional DSP unit (not installed on this unit)
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Tone control
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Squelch
Plus an array of scanning features:
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VFO Scan - sweeps the entire frequency range of 100 KHz to 2.6 GHz
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Smart Scan - automatically loads 100 channels where activity is found
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Memory Scan - scans all memory channels or channels within a specific memory group
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PMS - programmable memory scan where you can scan a band using limits as if using the VFO
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Priority channel, lockout, delay scan, pause scan, hold scan
As you can see, this receiver is not a toy. It has the capabilities of picking up the following analog types of transmissions:
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Longwave transmissions including broadcasts within Europe or Asia as-well-as beacons & utility broadcasts
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AM radio broadcast band stations
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All the amateur radio frequencies of 160 thru 2 meter plus all the high band and satellite communications
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Marine and ship traffic
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Shortwave radio broadcasts
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Military traffic (that is on open channel and not scrambled)
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Railroad
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Emergency services as fire, police, ambulance, hospital, lifeflight
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Family Radio Service and Business Channels
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TV Audio
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CB radio
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Nascar Channels
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Road repair and clearance crews
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Prison security and maintenance traffic
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University maintenance and security traffic
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School bus communication
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Taxi services
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Drive thru restaurant communications
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FM Radio broadcasts
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City Transit Systems (buses, metros, trains, etc)
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Wireless microphones / baby monitors , etc
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Amusement park traffic (Disney has a large network)
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Space communications & satellite communications (if open channel)
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Microwave transmissions
We are sure that there is more, but the above is a summary of what you can potentially receive given your location, proper receiving antenna, and strength of transmitting signal. For instance, you could get the Coast Guard within a reasonable distance from the coast, but not living in Iowa.  You could pick up railroad traffic living within a few miles of the rail, but not considerably distant from a rail depot.  You could get the space communications if you have the proper antenna and are listening on the precise frequency at the right time of day.
It is for this reason that we have used one of these VR-5000's installed in our vehicle.  We formerly used a specific dash receiver that would not only pick up AM & FM, but shortwave as well.  However, we found that reception on shortwave was rough due to the short whip antenna that we were utilizing for reception.  Then when we tested the VR-5000 in our Toyota Highlander, we noticed that the reception was stronger and less prone to engine interference so we installed the receiver in the center armrest console of our vehicle a couple of years ago.  Since the VR-5000 is very sensitive, it is not critical to use a perfectly matching receive antenna.  We use a magnetic roof mount 2 meter amateur antenna in our vehicle for this receiver.  The owner of this VR-5000 could also use a CB antenna (mag mount, window mount, or bumper mount as long as it is not also connected to a transceiver as this would damage this VR-5000 receiver.
One of the things that we really like about our personal VR-5000 is that there is a band scope that lets you view signals being received up and down the band.  Thus, we can tune to a station in the 13 meter band and take note of other stations showing up within that same band by looking at the band scope and seeing vertical lines which represent stations being received and relative signal strength by virtue of the height of the line within the band.  Then, if you want, you can tune to the signal up or down the band and place the vertical line under the mark that shows reception on the screen.  This is a great way to visually spot broadcasts that would otherwise be missed.
The other reason we have the VR-5000 in our vehicle, beyond shortwave listening, is for emergencies.  If we are out of our home away from our scanner and are caught on the road due to a traffic stoppage, we can tune into the CB traffic or emergency frequencies to know what is going on up the road and plan accordingly (turn around, settle in for a long wait, etc).  We are sure that there are a variety of other reasons to have one of these wideband units in a vehicle, but the other reason for us is in the event of serious emergencies like power outages or national emergencies.  Yes, you can even receive NOAA weather forecasts for the region.  For some of you, emergencies could be hurricanes, flooding, etc as you have a do all receiver that can be mobile with you as you travel.
Please use the Ebay shipping calculator to determine your shipping cost.  This cost includes proper packing materials for safe delivery and insurance cost against damage or loss.
Those buyers living outside the USA are also welcome to purchase from us.  We have shipped to 105 countries during the past 22 years on Ebay and we are happy to ship virtually anywhere in the world.  You may use the shipping calculator to determine your shipping cost.
Please keep in mind that this cost does not include any import, customs, or VAT fees.  If you are uncertain of these costs, we ask you to check with your local post office prior to making a purchase from us.  Thank you!
Thank you for taking the time out of your busy day to look at our Ebay items!