AR5700D AOR 5700D Update .

[sub101uk]

Ok guy for those who have been following the problems that I have had with my AOR 5700D . As you may remember the radio had gone deaf and was returned back to the dealer , AOR UK importer and AOR in Japan . Today the radio returned and all seems to be ok but since this is a intermittent problem its hard to say since the radio seem to run for about 42 days before going deaf . The repair sheet just states , Radio returned to AOR japan for test and repair . Unit has been checked , Inter-board connections checked for intermittent connections which could have caused the type of problems experienced and erratic sensitivity readings . Any suspect connections repaired . Unit has been tested by AOR Japan and is stable and is stable and performing to specification . Its my own view that its not the Inter-board connections if it was you would only have to move or bang the radio but this was not the case . I did however notice that they had updated the firmware from :- Main _101A D0N7B P008B to Main_101A DAN4C P106A . So all we can do is wait and see . I might also like to add that the radio was out of warranty by about 11 months and all this was not charged for . Should anything change I will let you know after speaking to other 5700D owners none have had the problems that I have had since I think this is the 7th time its been returned to the workshops . So I hope now to be able to sit down and play radio again .

 

[palmerjrusa]

Ok guy for those who have been following the problems that I have had with my AOR 5700D . As you may remember the radio had gone deaf and was returned back to the dealer , AOR UK importer and AOR in Japan . Today the radio returned and all seems to be ok but since this is a intermittent problem its hard to say since the radio seem to run for about 42 days before going deaf . The repair sheet just states , Radio returned to AOR japan for test and repair . Unit has been checked , Inter-board connections checked for intermittent connections which could have caused the type of problems experienced and erratic sensitivity readings . Any suspect connections repaired . Unit has been tested by AOR Japan and is stable and is stable and performing to specification . Its my own view that its not the Inter-board connections if it was you would only have to move or bang the radio but this was not the case . I did however notice that they had updated the firmware from :- Main _101A D0N7B P008B to Main_101A DAN4C P106A . So all we can do is wait and see . I might also like to add that the radio was out of warranty by about 11 months and all this was not charged for . Should anything change I will let you know after speaking to other 5700D owners none have had the problems that I have had since I think this is the 7th time its been returned to the workshops . So I hope now to be able to sit down and play radio again .

Thanks for the update on your AR-5700D.
Fingers crossed everything remains AOK on your AOR 5700D.

 

[sub101uk]

I also hope so as its the 7th or 8th time its been returned , But the repairs was all free even if it was 11 months out of warranty .

 

[sub101uk]

Well I have had my AOR 5700D back from AOR Japan and so far its worked fine as you may remember I bought the radio back in January 2020 . When the radio is working it works well . To the other owners of 5700D you maybe one of the lucky ones however is the 5700D value for money when you think how many other radios you could buy for £4.5k only you can answer that one .

Its not the most expensive radio in the shack but up to now its been the most unreliable on and what makes it worse is all AOR Radios are returned to japan . As you may know for firmware upgrades all radios have to be returned to the main importer it cannot be done by the owner.

I must say before I end the dealer and the importer and AOR in Japan did not charge me anything even when the radio was out of warranty by 18 months . But like I said this was trip number 7 ,It would have been far better to have changed the radio out since many of the problems were intermittent and from past experience the radio would work for about 42 days or there abouts then go deaf . By the time the radio got back to the workshops the fault had gone .

To improve things it maybe best to increase the warranty to 24 months " France has 24 months "There also needs to be repair hubs in countries there selling the radios from . From speaking to many of the importers from Europe , USA and Asia all radios are returned to AOR Japan .

I think in hindsight I should have waiting a year before I bought a 5700D that way all the problems may have been sorted out .

 

[MStep]

Well I have had my AOR 5700D back from AOR Japan and so far its worked fine as you may remember I bought the radio back in January 2020 . When the radio is working it works well . To the other owners of 5700D you maybe one of the lucky ones however is the 5700D value for money when you think how many other radios you could buy for £4.5k only you can answer that one .

Its not the most expensive radio in the shack but up to now its been the most unreliable on and what makes it worse is all AOR Radios are returned to japan . As you may know for firmware upgrades all radios have to be returned to the main importer it cannot be done by the owner.

I must say before I end the dealer and the importer and AOR in Japan did not charge me anything even when the radio was out of warranty by 18 months . But like I said this was trip number 7 ,It would have been far better to have changed the radio out since many of the problems were intermittent and from past experience the radio would work for about 42 days or there abouts then go deaf . By the time the radio got back to the workshops the fault had gone .

To improve things it maybe best to increase the warranty to 24 months " France has 24 months "There also needs to be repair hubs in countries there selling the radios from . From speaking to many of the importers from Europe , USA and Asia all radios are returned to AOR Japan .

I think in hindsight I should have waiting a year before I bought a 5700D that way all the problems may have been sorted out .

There was a time several years ago when AOR had a technician at their California facility that could handle most repairs. I believe that was true in parts of Europe as well. When Covid became rampant, they seemed to use that as one of the reasons to congregate all repairs at the Japan facility. My impression, which is shared by others, is that they are not really interested in hobbyist sales--- they would prefer to work more with military contracts.

It's pretty evident when dealers have to forewarn customers regarding AOR products to the effect, "ABSOLUTELY NO RETURNS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE". All issues must be resolved between the consumer and AOR Japan.

 

[palmerjrusa]

Well I have had my AOR 5700D back from AOR Japan and so far its worked fine as you may remember I bought the radio back in January 2020 . When the radio is working it works well . To the other owners of 5700D you maybe one of the lucky ones however is the 5700D value for money when you think how many other radios you could buy for £4.5k only you can answer that one .

Its not the most expensive radio in the shack but up to now its been the most unreliable on and what makes it worse is all AOR Radios are returned to japan . As you may know for firmware upgrades all radios have to be returned to the main importer it cannot be done by the owner.

I must say before I end the dealer and the importer and AOR in Japan did not charge me anything even when the radio was out of warranty by 18 months . But like I said this was trip number 7 ,It would have been far better to have changed the radio out since many of the problems were intermittent and from past experience the radio would work for about 42 days or there abouts then go deaf . By the time the radio got back to the workshops the fault had gone .

To improve things it maybe best to increase the warranty to 24 months " France has 24 months "There also needs to be repair hubs in countries there selling the radios from . From speaking to many of the importers from Europe , USA and Asia all radios are returned to AOR Japan .

I think in hindsight I should have waiting a year before I bought a 5700D that way all the problems may have been sorted out .

So help me God, recently I've actually been thinking of buying an AR5700D as a big brother to my ARDV1.

 

[MStep]

So help me God, recently I've actually been thinking of buying an AR5700D as a big brother to my ARDV1.

If you've got the bucks and the patience, go for it. Right now I am holding steady with an Icom 8600, which I feel is adequate on shortwave and for the limited digital modes that it does on VHF and UHF. I think for most, Icom's resistance to DMR was disappointing, to say the least, and it seems that a lot of folks are happy just "strapping" a DV1 onto an 8600.

But boy oh boy do I know that feeling of unboxing and learning a new "toy". The last time I had that "level" of excitement was several years ago, when my WJ1000 showed up at the door. Still have it, although it is out on loan.

 

[palmerjrusa]

If you've got the bucks and the patience, go for it. Right now I am holding steady with an Icom 8600, which I feel is adequate on shortwave and for the limited digital modes that it does on VHF and UHF. I think for most, Icom's resistance to DMR was disappointing, to say the least, and it seems that a lot of folks are happy just "strapping" a DV1 onto an 8600.

But boy oh boy do I know that feeling of unboxing and learning a new "toy". The last time I had that "level" of excitement was several years ago, when my WJ1000 showed up at the door. Still have it, although it is out on loan.

I too would be excited about unboxing and using that magnificent receiver😁.

Speaking of things less exciting, was changing the battery on my SDS100 over the weekend and what has already happened to others happened to me, its battery clip snapped in two. So it's off to Uniden to be repaired in the next few days, along with its malfunctioning rotary control knob, which started misbehaving within the warranty period but I was too lazy to get it sent back in time to be replaced free of charge.

 

[Tom07]

Is the 5700D worth £4500 and what makes it that special? I would love to hear what people's opinions are.

 

[palmerjrusa]

Is the 5700D worth £4500 and what makes it that special? I would love to hear what people's opinions are.

Whether the AR5700 is worth around $4500.00 is subjective.

The attraction for me is the radio's digital functionality and wideband coverage plus the technical reviews it has received, what does give me pause is the problems another member here has experienced with their AR5700.

I own one of the AR5700's previous iterations, the AR5000+3 which is one of the best receivers I've ever owned.

 

[Ubbe]

I read the manual and it looks as if it cannot display TG's or radio ID's in its digital modes, only the basic data like color code and RAN and NAC. It also uses a fixed bandwidth filter for each digital mode that cannot be changed. It can only use one priority channel, and only works while scanning. It has the possibility to monitor a +/-5MHz spectrum from the monitored frequency for frequency offset monitoring, but isn't used for any advanced priority functions or pre-monitoring of digital systems. The manual warns about that the internal relays might be heard in priority mode due to the band switching. So it looks as if has that clackety-clack sound from mechanical relays while scanning.

The PC software are included free but for some reason it needs an included USB memory stick to be used with the PC for copy protection, even thou it uses unique IF frequencies and sampling rates from the receiver and would be impossible to use with another receiver model.

The manual states a scan speed at 100ch/steps (analog mode) which could indicate that digital scanning are not done by first checking that there are a signal at the frequency, squelch check, but instead slow scans and tries to detect a digital signal that can be decoded even on frequencies where there are no carrier. The manual has a strange statement: " ISED COMPLIANCE STATEMENT The scanner receiver is not a digital scanner and is incapable of being converted or modified to a digital scanner receiver by any user."

It's an expensive receiver and the accessories are also expensive, like the external 3-port antenna switch box at $250 which probably only contains a couple of diodes and the antenna connectors.

There are great potentials with this receiver but I'm afraid that AOR will not take advantage of it and improve the firmware, which could need a lot of development. Looking at their older DV-1 it hasn't got any major development, just a very basic Tetra decoder, and a pay feature to make it follow calls. It looks as if AOR produce receivers but then doesn't support them very well with any development and just switch to a new project to make a profit from sales.

/Ubbe

 

[rumcajs_tr]

. It looks as if AOR produce receivers but then doesn't support them very well with any development and just switch to a new project to make a profit from sales.

You are right with that and the same is with ICOM. I have 8600 and there are no signifficant updates.

 

[vince48]

I totally agree but wait for the next "latest and greatest" from either company, costing much $$ and all of us will be in love again. I sold my ARO5000+ to get an 8600.... I will not do that again with the 8600. But what really bothers me is no firmware improvements since the 8600 came out for the exception of the one that came out right after it hit the market.

 

[SigIntel8600]

So help me God, recently I've actually been thinking of buying an AR5700D as a big brother to my ARDV1.

Go for it. I have had my 5700D for over 6 months with no issues. My DV-1 has been relegated to spot monitoring a TETRA system while in the shack, as well as a companion to my IC-R8600 if I need to decode DMR or other modes the IC-8600 is missing while the 5700D is being used on HF. If push came to shove, I could sell the IC-R8600 and the DV-1 and not miss them one bit now that I have the 5700D. Anyone who has owned an AOR radio knows AOR has it's quirks, believe me, but I can live with them. For example, The AR-IQ-III software can demodulate AM, SAM, RTTY, CW, USB, LSB, FM, and WFM ONLY (No digital modes) . Also, in typical AOR fashion, if you are using the AR-IQ-III software, the HF antenna has to be connected to antenna socket #1, even though your HF antenna is connected to antenna socket #2 when not using the software. This is due to the fact (per AOR) that the receiver's internal antenna wiring is different when used stand alone vs controlled by software. LOL. AOR recently released new computer control software for the 5700D only available in Linux. I have a Linux laptop but I haven't tried the software yet.

 

[Tom07]

How does DMR, Tetra, P25 and the other digital voice modes on the AR5700D compare to that on the AR DV1? I know digital voice can sound robotic in terms of voice quality on transceivers. How does the AOR's sound side by side?

 

[palmerjrusa]

Go for it. I have had my 5700D for over 6 months with no issues. My DV-1 has been relegated to spot monitoring a TETRA system while in the shack, as well as a companion to my IC-R8600 if I need to decode DMR or other modes the IC-8600 is missing while the 5700D is being used on HF. If push came to shove, I could sell the IC-R8600 and the DV-1 and not miss them one bit now that I have the 5700D. Anyone who has owned an AOR radio knows AOR has it's quirks, believe me, but I can live with them. For example, The AR-IQ-III software can demodulate AM, SAM, RTTY, CW, USB, LSB, FM, and WFM ONLY (No digital modes) . Also, in typical AOR fashion, if you are using the AR-IQ-III software, the HF antenna has to be connected to antenna socket #1, even though your HF antenna is connected to antenna socket #2 when not using the software. This is due to the fact (per AOR) that the receiver's internal antenna wiring is different when used stand alone vs controlled by software. LOL. AOR recently released new computer control software for the 5700D only available in Linux. I have a Linux laptop but I haven't tried the software yet.

Thanks for that information, seriously thinking about getting one here.

 

[SigIntel8600]

How does DMR, Tetra, P25 and the other digital voice modes on the AR5700D compare to that on the AR DV1? I know digital voice can sound robotic in terms of voice quality on transceivers. How does the AOR's sound side by side?

The DV-1 sounds muffled and a little choppy compared to the 5700D.

 

[dwell1650]

The manual warns about that the internal relays might be heard in priority mode due to the band switching. So it looks as if has that clackety-clack sound from mechanical relays while scanning.

No, there is no relays that clicks inside. Even when the receiver switching between the antenna inputs there isn't any clicks at all.
...and the manual doesn't say anything about relays, just internal circuity. I guess they mean audio clicks from the speaker. But I haven't noticed any audio clicks so far.

 

[Rishayan]

I too would be excited about unboxing and using that magnificent receiver😁.

Speaking of things less exciting, was changing the battery on my SDS100 over the weekend and what has already happened to others happened to me, its battery clip snapped in two. So it's off to Uniden to be repaired in the next few days, along with its malfunctioning rotary control knob, which started misbehaving within the warranty period but I was too lazy to get it sent back in time to be replaced free of charge.

Yep...exact same thing happened to me. You would think that spending almost 700 dollars for a radio, you would get at least some semblance of quality. But no!... I am using multiple rubber bands to keep the battery door shut and so far, that is working just fine. Not very pretty, but it gets the job done!

 

[dwell1650]

It can only use one priority channel, and only works while scanning.

One priority channel - Yes.
Only works while scanning - No, it works all the time.

As it says in the manual:
"The priority feature permits checking for activity on one of the 2000 memory channels, while the
AR5700D continues scanning, searching or monitoring"

Please, stick to the facts.