AR5700D First impressions

[dwell1650]

For those who needs more help to decide.
WRTH have make a great review: AR57000D

 

[sub101uk]

Yes its a very good report however we both know the problems first hand with firmware it took 2 visits to japan and 6 months months to get the radio to work as it should .If you are thinking of buying a 5700D please make sure its not got :- main _912C D9N5D P912A or main_912C D0N1B P912A as there are problems with DALL + DMR decoding . When you check what firmware is install please make sure its :- main_005A D0N4B P005B or main_006A D0N4B P006B .Please note you cannot change the firmware yourself it can only be done by your local importer or AOR in Japan .If your radio is out of warranty your local AOR importer will charge you for 2 hours work plus shipping cost £100 .Ref :- Waters & Stanton Service Department UK .

But one you are running firmware 05 or 06 firmware its not a bad receiver the build is not as good as the IC-R8600 but then again the Icom does not receive that amount of digital modes like DMR the choice is yours .

 

[n2pqq]

Yes its a very good report however we both know the problems first hand with firmware it took 2 visits to japan and 6 months months to get the radio to work as it should .If you are thinking of buying a 5700D please make sure its not got :- main _912C D9N5D P912A or main_912C D0N1B P912A as there are problems with DALL + DMR decoding . When you check what firmware is install please make sure its :- main_005A D0N4B P005B or main_006A D0N4B P006B .Please note you cannot change the firmware yourself it can only be done by your local importer or AOR in Japan .If your radio is out of warranty your local AOR importer will charge you for 2 hours work plus shipping cost £100 .Ref :- Waters & Stanton Service Department UK .

But one you are running firmware 05 or 06 firmware its not a bad receiver the build is not as good as the IC-R8600 but then again the Icom does not receive that amount of digital modes like DMR the choice is yours .

New firmware version Main-007A DON7B P007A per the article in WRTH

 

[sub101uk]

Oh good that is good news I hope sorts out some of the bugs .Over here in the UK I think we are still on 05 + 06 but I will tell the guys on the 5700D facebook group and hope we can get a free upgrade to 07 before they start charging you .I wonder how much do they charge you in the states to upgrade over in UK its £100 .

 

[dwell1650]

I hope sorts out some of the bugs

Which bugs?

 

[sub101uk]

DALL not working and DMR not decoding ! Please read Text above on this Topic

Ok update have just spoken to UK importer and they have stated this :- Main-007A DON7B P007A per the article in WRTH its the same as 06 but they blocked cellular and some of the tetra Modes .

 

[dwell1650]

Oh these. I thought you had found some more new bugs of any kind.
But I think these DALL and DMR bugs you seems to have is weird to understand. I have never encountered any of these bugs and I thought these were already solved.

 

[sub101uk]

Ok just sent my 5700D back to the main importer in the UK for a firmware upgrade so now running :- Main_101A D0N7B P008B this has made the receiver more sensitivity on VHF + UHF plus has cleared up some of the bugs that was in 05 . DALL seems to work better and also receiving DMR is better . As far as receiving other digital modes its the same . Oh yes since my radio is over a year old it was no longer under warranty so the upgrade did cost me £145 including shipping .If your still under warranty your upgrade is free .

 

[wb4sqi]

Ok just sent my 5700D back to the main importer in the UK for a firmware upgrade so now running :- Main_101A D0N7B P008B this has made the receiver more sensitivity on VHF + UHF plus has cleared up some of the bugs that was in 05 . DALL seems to work better and also receiving DMR is better . As far as receiving other digital modes its the same . Oh yes since my radio is over a year old it was no longer under warranty so the upgrade did cost me £145 including shipping .If your still under warranty your upgrade is free .

And you think sending back to the importer and paying for new firmware is acceptable?

 

[sub101uk]

Sorry seems your beef is with AOR dont shoot the messenger , If you read all the previous comments regarding this topic there is no love between me and AOR .But its very clear that when I bought the 5700D in late january 2020 the radio was far from ready to be sold to the general public .But after the radio was returned to Japan twice and had a total of 3 different installs of firmware 05 seem to work ok on DALL it was not perfect but it was ok . All the returns were under warranty however after your warranty ends any repairs or upgrades need to be paid for.

After speaking to other owners of 5700D since they seem to think 07 firmware worked better and I must agree it is better .But if I had known that owners cannot do the own upgrades like the DV1 + DV10 and IC-R8600 I might not have bought the 5700D as its clear that it is work in progress as for the AOR importer even that is not straight forward as they need to get the latest factory “update pack” from AOR for my radio – I will need its serial number. Once AOR have confirmed they are able to ship me the update pack for that radio, I will have the version details and we can take the radio. The last I had was 101A with 008B and 0N7b .
Any upgrades out of warranty need to be paid for at a set price of £125 + shipping cost so you dont have much choice in the matter or dont buy a 5700D .

 

[CanesFan95]

God, as insanely offensively expensive as these radios are, they should be absolutely flawless, PERIOD. For that kind of money, there should not be one thing wrong, whatsoever. Zero, zilch.

 

[palmerjrusa]

God, as insanely offensively expensive as these radios are, they should be absolutely flawless, PERIOD. For that kind of money, there should not be one thing wrong, whatsoever. Zero, zilch.

Exactly, for that kind of $$$ the AR5700 should arrive working perfectly.

As for this need to send it back to Japan for firmware upgrades to get it to perform to spec., words fail me...

 

[wb4sqi]

Sorry seems your beef is with AOR dont shoot the messenger , If you read all the previous comments regarding this topic there is no love between me and AOR .

Not trying to shoot the messenger here but seriously, I can't believe you find this acceptable. You will likely have spent enough to buy an Icom 9500 by the time AOR gets it right. Yes, I do have a beef with AOR, their DV10 is a train wreck. The last good AOR i owned was the 3000A.

 

[palmerjrusa]

Not trying to shoot the messenger here but seriously, I can't believe you find this acceptable. You will likely have spent enough to buy an Icom 9500 by the time AOR gets it right. Yes, I do have a beef with AOR, their DV10 is a train wreck. The last good AOR i owned was the 3000A.

My AR5000+3 and AR7030 (three of them) are two of the best receivers ever made.

It's sad what's become of AOR...

 

[sub101uk]

Ok Guys this is the update on my AOR-5700D as you can see from my previous mail on this topic this radio has spent more time in the workshops here in the UK and in the AOR workshops in Japan . The radio was bought in January 2020 so its no longer under the 12 month warranty .As you can see I had to pay out a total of £175 for a firmware upgrade from 05 - 07 + a sensitivity check .When the radio returned it worked very well with excellent sensitivity .However 2 days ago it went deaf this is the same problem I had back in february but no fault was found .So once again I have contacted the main importer who is waiting to hear back from AOR in Japan how to proceed . So when the radio is working it works well but keeping it working is the problem . To give you some idea how deaf the radio is here is the same signal on the same antenna .

 

[MStep]

Ok Guys this is the update on my AOR-5700D as you can see from my previous mail on this topic this radio has spent more time in the workshops here in the UK and in the AOR workshops in Japan . The radio was bought in January 2020 so its no longer under the 12 month warranty .As you can see I had to pay out a total of £175 for a firmware upgrade from 05 - 07 + a sensitivity check .When the radio returned it worked very well with excellent sensitivity .However 2 days ago it went deaf this is the same problem I had back in february but no fault was found .So once again I have contacted the main importer who is waiting to hear back from AOR in Japan how to proceed . So when the radio is working it works well but keeping it working is the problem . To give you some idea how deaf the radio is here is the same signal on the same antenna .

I can literally feel your pain and frustration over such an expensive investment. And I imagine I speak for many others here who appreciate the fact that you are upfront with sharing this information. I'm sure after your experiences, there are several here who have considered the 5700 and who have held back. The fact that you have chosen to share your experiences with this community is to your credit.

Please continue to keep us posted on the progress.

 

[sub101uk]

Yes 100% pure frustration all I want is a radio that works and keeps working !! Not some thing that needs to go into the workshops every 2 - 3 months . Well you would have thought that they would have changed the radio over when the problems first started but it just goes on and on .
The problem is now its no longer under warranty and if the radio has to make a trip to Japan again I hate to think of the shipping cost as all I have at the moment is a very expensive brick which is ok to pick up local comercial radio stations . The pictures show you now and before . As soon as I know whats going on I will let the group now . When working the 5700D is good but it never keeps working thats the problem .

 

[palmerjrusa]

Yes 100% pure frustration all I want is a radio that works and keeps working !! Not some thing that needs to go into the workshops every 2 - 3 months . Well you would have thought that they would have changed the radio over when the problems first started but it just goes on and on .
The problem is now its no longer under warranty and if the radio has to make a trip to Japan again I hate to think of the shipping cost as all I have at the moment is a very expensive brick which is ok to pick up local comercial radio stations . The pictures show you now and before . As soon as I know whats going on I will let the group now . When working the 5700D is good but it never keeps working thats the problem .

Thanks for keeping us all informed and sorry for all the issues you're having with this AOR receiver.

 

[sub101uk]

Once I hear back from the main importer in the UK I will let you all know but there waiting to hear back from AOR in Japan on the way to proceed but one way or another workshop in the UK or Japan .

 

[MStep]

Once I hear back from the main importer in the UK I will let you all know but there waiting to hear back from AOR in Japan on the way to proceed but one way or another workshop in the UK or Japan .

Do they still have a repair facility in the UK? I know they shut down the one if California USA, and I was under the impression that they only do repairs in Japan. Important Note: To my understanding, they still maintain distribution centers in the UK and USA, but they are no longer used for repair. I understood all techs were recalled to Japan.

(Incidentally, some U.S. retailers have dropped the AOR line. My understanding is that the retailers were also not happy with the Japan-only repair situation.)