|
New to Ham Radio?
My Profile
Community
Articles
Forums
News
Reviews
Friends Remembered
Speak Out
Strays
Survey Question
Operating
Contesting
DX Cluster Spots
Propagation
Resources
Calendar
Classifieds
Ham Exams
Ham Links
List Archives
News Articles
Product Reviews
QSL Managers
Site Info
eHam Help (FAQ)
Support the site
The eHam Team
Advertising Info
Vision Statement
About eHam.net
|
|
You can
write your own review of the Yaesu FT-8500.
|
AB6PG
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Sep 3, 2009 11:38
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
good radio
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
Bought radio back in 1998. I had it for 8 years. I also had the potato mic version. radio worked well. the mic eventually broke down, otherwise very happy with it. I eventually upgraded to 8800.
|
|
N9RLR
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jul 11, 2006 09:54
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Nice radio, used mobile
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
I have waited several years to write a synopsis of the radio. I bought it used in 1999. The radio went into the shop once in 2005. I didnt want to replace the grain of rice lights on the faceplate and the power on/off on the mic was not working anymore, also replaced the internal battery since it the radio being serviced. Sent off to Burghardt and good as new.
The 5 memory banks of 10 freqs is nice can scan each back or all banks of programmed freqs. The feature that had me going from the start was the spectrum scanner. It can be set up for many different ranges to find activity in an area.
I have the radio mounted in the truck via the seperation kit and faceplate on the dash. With the mic controlling everything its easy to monitor activity.
Audio quality has not been an issue. With an external speaker, recieve audio is very good.
Basically I am very pleased with this radio. I would like to get another one.
|
|
K5HDM
|
Rating: 5/5
|
May 14, 2006 15:13
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
A++++
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
This is a great radio, I have 2 of them.. 1 as my base (which is used alot and hasn't been powered off in years) and another as a field radio (which has been in lots of extreme weather, dropped, kicked, etc) and both are still going strong. Never had even 1 problem or complaint on these.. I had 1 with the mh-39 mic and a "potato head" mic on the other, but now i have 2 potato mics and I love those (most people who don't like them are obviously just confused by it, but it's simple to use once you give it a try) I actually use many more of the features than I thought.. such as pager, cross-band repeater, msging etc. I'd love to pick up another one if i come across it. I'm picky and have been through many MANY radios, and the 8500 is probably my #1 or #2 favorite dual band rig.
|
|
KC9EJN
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Feb 13, 2006 20:59
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Good little radio!
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
I bought mine used from a dealer mail order. Mine didn't have the infamous "Mr. potatohead" mic nevertheless, it took a bit of getting used to. I had to study a bit in order to get the functions down pat. After owning the FT-8500 for about a month and getting myself well accustomed to it's features and operation I began to feel that this radio was the best thing since sliced bread. The fact that it functioned as two individual radios in one I found to be a delight.
Another perk to this radio was the banking of channels. This was my 1st time at owning a rig with this ability… talk about a handy little feature!!!
But the thing that I loved most about this radio was the crossband repeat! In my opinion this has been the single most useful feature on any radio with the exception of maybe WX alert. I very much enjoyed being able to hit distant repeaters using my HT while hiking, fishing in valleys and such.
As with all good things, this too came to an abrupt end. After using the FT-8500 as a mobile unit for quite some time, the dome light was left on in my vehicle thus completely draining the battery. My girlfriend (needing my car that day) got a jumpstart from a neighbor. SOMEHOW both fuses on the power cord allowed a surge resulting in my FT-8500 meeting an early demise.
I must say, it wasn’t all “roses and sunshine” with this rig. Due to the volume and squelch being on the same potentiometer, it was quite tricky to adjust them on the fly.
All in all, I would recommend this radio to anyone who has time to get to know this rig. You will definitely need to get accustomed to it’s workings before you mount it mobile.
Since losing the FT-8500, I tried to replace the rig with the Icom IC-2720 with disastrous results (see my review for this radio). After that melee, I moved on to the Yaesu FT-8800. This is the radio I have been waiting for!! I liked it so well I bought two and will probably buy a 3rd!
73,
KC9EJN
|
|
KD5BFF
|
Rating: 3/5
|
Dec 14, 2004 14:02
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Ok, could be better
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
|
I got my radio from a friend in a trade. After using it for a couple months the radio started spazing out. The radio is complicated to get throught the menues while mobile. The VHF side will flash and won't transmit. I got in touch with Yaesu and that didn't offer much help. Basically I would need to buy a $250 part that may or may not still be available. I could use this for a paper weight and buy a new one for a few dollars more. The UHF side has no complaints. I have come to grips that Yaesu likes to discontinue models and get amnesia about ever making it to begin with. I think it is safe to say that with this being the third Yaesu I have owned, and never been impressed, I will not put faith or money in another Yaesu product again. I have always felt that their radios were over priced and now I know that Customer Service is all but a service. If anyone has any ideas on a fix for this VHF problem, please get in touch with me. Other wise I am going to get rid of it and get a simple radio that works like a Kenwood, Icom or Alinco.
|
|
N8VI
|
Rating: 5/5
|
May 18, 2004 19:01
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Great first rig
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
The FT-8500 was my first rig, and I love it! The scanning features are great (although for some reason freqs programmed into banks other than bank 1 on THE VHF SIDE ONLY are automatically skipped on scanning unless you manually unskip them ... weird), it can scan two frequency ranges per band, one bank or all banks and both at the same time. I use this for scanning channelized simplex on two meters in two of the banks, and also the experimental/misc portion of the band as a range. My first bank is local repeaters, my last bank is local police freqs.
The cross-banding feature is great and very easy to use, IT CAN DO SINGLE-DIRECTION CROSS BANDING, you just need to program in your input frequency with an offset that puts its TX out of band -- the rig will not TX out of band. I tested this with an HT to be absolutely sure. Just gotta get ahold of that FTS-22 board. And I wish it was remote controllable via DTMF.
The only problem I've had with my rig after treating it quite rough -- TXing while in V/V mode, having the rig on while starting the car, blowing part of the circuit board by inserting the power plug backwards, etc is this: ever since I got it (mind you, used, from an unknown vendor at a swap, probably modded), it picks up audio from a local TV station on, of all frequencies, the 2m FM calling frequency, 146.52. This problem goes away if I drive about 30 miles from home, but not if I remove the antenna, move to my basement, and switch to a computer power supply.
Oh, and with an 8-conductor connector for the mic that has all of the radio's controls, it makes it kinda hard to hook up a computer to the rig for anything other than packet (which there is a specific connector for). I'm a bit suspicious that the packet connector is just audio prior to going through the rig's filters and such, and if that is the case, that problem is already solved. I'll be hacking with that when time magically becomes available.
|
|
G4IRX
|
Rating: 3/5
|
Oct 28, 2003 10:26
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Difficult to use /M!
|
Time owned: 6 to 12 months
|
I got mine to replace a Kenwood TM-733E. Big mistake.
Although the RF performance and features on a par with the TM-733 I found the microphone controller a nightmare to use /M if I was driving the car.
On the plus side it did perform well when used in the shack.
No longer have the rig but I found the circuits the other day whilst having a clear-out!
|
|
N1EE
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Apr 20, 2003 02:47
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Best Dual Band ever made!
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
This is a follow up review. I own three of these outstanding radios. I've owned one of these radios since 1996, and the other two were acquired a few years later. I use three of these radios constantly and I'm shopping for a 4th, 5th, or even a 6th. I use one at home for a base going into a dual band triple 5/8 wave vertical antenna for general use or crossbanding. I use one mobile, and one in my boat. I'd like to give one to my brother and use two more for dedicated packet links.
PLUSES:
1. HUGE DISPLAY--90% of the faceplate. Display shows Frequency and Alphanumeric on both sides simultaneously.
2. Battery Voltage display--option for right side.
3. Memory Bank scanning the best I've ever seen in a dual band. Up/down, and up-arrow/down-arrow controls give 3-D movement through memory channels.
4. SCANNING: Best scanning capabilty I've seen in a dual band, and it is without peer. Scan by bank, by band, on either or both sides, with skip functions. I often scan simplex VHF bank on one side and one or more repeaters, on the other side in VHF mode. The number of combinations of scanning routines is the most flexible of any dual band. Punch in commonly used frequencies in VFO and it is easy to see how one or two key punches by feel will put you on the frequency you want.
5. Computer programming software ADMS-2D is great and a handy tool
6. Nothing but outstanding Audio reports.
7. 9600 pbs packet capable
8. Outstanding weather recieve.
9. Mods?? Simple cut of one green wire to open up.
10. Crossband is easy to set up and works great. I often use my HT as a cordless mic to extend it's range while boating for working around the house. I don't see any appreciable degradation of signal in this process.
11. Quick release bracket is the best design I've seen. Get one for each radio and spares for shifting radios from car to car.
12. Impervious to intermod. Never had a problem with that even in areas that screw up my other radios.
13. CHANGING FREQUENCY SPEED:
Direct Frequency entry from mic. Punch up and change to a new frequency faster than anyone else. I've never seen anyone able to keep up with me changing frequency unless they happen to be changing between two adjancent memories. By careful layout of the commonly used frequencies,using the 3D controls for bank and slot number, I can change to another memorized location faster than any other dual band radio. Furthermore, I have been enjoying direct frequency entry for so long, that I was stunned to find that many VHF/UHF radios don't have this feature. I often run in dual VHF mode and when someone talks about changing to another frequency, I can flip to the other side, direct enter the frequency, or use the up/down and or up arrow/down arrow keys to pull up a memorized freqency, all while everyone else is still on the other frequency. Meanwhile, I'm monitoring the new frequency without missing any of the other conversation. This has given me the opportunity to see how long it takes other people and other radios to change frequency. I've found that no one can beat me in changing frequnecy, at best they can match me. For me this is a major asset on VHF/VHF, VHF/UHF, or UHF/UHF modes.
14. Audio from stock speaker is good and loud.
Negatives {all negatives have work arounds):
1. Programming is awkward with out software. I'm used to it, but plan on putting the radio on a Power Supply and playing with it for a while before going mobile. Using the programming software mitigates this problem. Time to upload or download changes is about 6 seconds. Be sure to make a template file first, and then save all changes.
2. I've blown 2M power modules three times. This seems to happen when transmitting in VHF/VHF mode. So I now switch back to VHF/UHF before transmitting or go to a home channel away from the transmitting frequency. Don't take chances transmitting in VHF/VHF mode. I rarely run UHF/UHF mode, so I never had a probelm in that mode.
3. Optional FTS-22 board. This is an easy install. I bought one and found I didn't use it much except for crossbanding from the base. Nevertheless, I plan to refit the other radios with this option since I've come to love this these radios so much.
4. Switching between the 2M and 440 side using the mic control sometimes doesn't work, or if the button is held down too long, it shuts the radio off, which it is supposed to do. However, I've gotten used to pressing the control knob on the faceplate which duplicates this function and it works great as long as the rig is firmly mounted.
5. Packet Operation: I find I have to plug a dummy jack in the external speaker jack to disable the sound while operating in packet mode. This means you cannot run packet on one side and phone on the other at the same time. Although I think there must be a mod to fix this, I never had the need.
If anyone has one of these radios for sale, please contact me first.
Bart Senior
N1EE
|
|
KB7QDI
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Feb 12, 2003 16:29
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Good radio - not that hard to operate
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
I purchased the FT-8500 from an auction. I already had the Kenwood 'Cool-Blue' and wanted something else.
I am very happy with the radio. I like the fact that everything is controllable through the mic, and the audio is very good.
The only problem I have with it really isn't Yaesu's fault. A personal web site said that it was both one-way and two-way cross-band repeat functions. After buying it did I realize that it is only 2-way. With today's technology and people wanting to use small HT's to hit repeaters, the 1-way cross-banding feature seems like a no-brainer.
Anyway if you see one, get one.
73 Dean KB7QDI
|
|
N7UIC
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Dec 12, 2002 13:52
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Awesome Radio
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
|
This radio is great. It has lots of features but they aren’t overwhelming. The cross band works superbly and it is a cinch to operate with the potato head microphone. Yes you do need to hook it up at home and use it for a week or 2 before putting it in the mobile but once you get the hang of the mic you don’t even have to look at it due to button layout and bumps on the mic. Computer programming is the best way to get it setup the way you want it. I made my own cable from an old PS2 mouse and a level converter design that was for the Icom CI-V(quick search on google). Then just hunt around for the software, found mine on some German site, but enough of that. The microphone is set at a level to reduce the ambient noise of a mobile, so you have to speak loudly, not yell, into it for the best results. Most people talk louder in the car while driving anyways due to the noise. The radio is easily expanded for out of ham band operation. It also has a lot of nice scan features. You can scan for activity by time and carrier and also scan for clear channels/frequencies by time and carrier. In other words it will stop of frequencies not in use which is handy for crowded areas when looking for an open spot. When you lock the keypad you can play music on the number pad, quite fun for the geeky bored type. The only down side I see with this radio is that the encode/decode can't be split. It must decode the same frequency it encodes, but that isn’t that big of a deal. I also have the separation kit which is a nice feature. You get a small display that can go anywhere, including above your mirror, and then you can mount the radio where ever you want. The kit comes with extensions for the speaker and the microphone cables. You would need an external speaker if you want to extend it. I find an external speak is best in a mobile anyways since that little speaker has to compete with a lot of different noises. Don't get me wrong about the speaker though, it can pack quite a punch for its size. I haven't used any of the packet features but it is capable of 9600bps. Oh there is another feature I like too. It has a spectrum display that can be configured to cover a 2MHz range. I like to find interesting frequencies and this gives me a visual on where they are. It can do a single pass or a continuous scan. Over all this radio is a very good buy and will serve you well.
|
|
If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions about Reviews,
please email your Reviews Manager.
|
|
|
|
|
