|
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 VX-5R.
|
M3LCA
|
Rating: 3/5
|
Apr 29, 2009 16:15
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
good handy pity about the dead display
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
Had my VX5 for over 5 years and it has served me well~that is until just recently now the display is dead and I've absolutely no idea what frequency I'm on .
I must admit I've had lots of use out of it during the years and it's probably life expired although I did expect it to last longer .
I've been reading the reviews on the VX6 and although I said no more Yaesu products it looks like the VX6 will be my next purchase hope it lasts a bit longer than the VX5 did.
The VX5 can't be bought new now as it's a old model so if you are considering buying second hand make sure there are no issues with the display.
my problems started with the display getting scrambled then the display eventually died completely
|
|
K7FO
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Mar 21, 2009 09:43
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Solid Radio
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
I have owned several Yaesu handhelds. The VX5 is the one that goes in the pocket or back pack. As someone mentioned before, it is built like a small grenade. Mine is over 6 years old and two batteries still hold a decent charge. The buttons do show wear and the backlight is weaker than some of the newer Yaesu radios. The menu is also a little different than the others but programming memories is not a problem from the keypad. I have worked satellites with it. I recently bought the VX6 and enjoy the interchangeable batteries and charging cradle. I do believe the VX5 is more durable however. Great bargain on the used market.
|
|
G7EMD
|
Rating: 3/5
|
Nov 9, 2008 01:12
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
no longer used
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
I NO LONGER USE MY VX-5R BECOUSE I CANNOT READ THE MARKINGS EVEN WITH MY NEW READING SPECS. THE LETTERING IS IS JUST TOO SMALL,THE MAKERS HAVE CRAMMED TOO MUCH INFO. INTO TOO SMALL A SPACE. MY VX-5R IS NOW MOTHBALLED AND REPLACED BY A PAIR OF PUXING 777s (1 vhf&1 uhf) and all available accessories for beteen £120-£150 from hong kong
|
|
G3SEA
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Sep 28, 2008 11:26
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Solid Classic HT
|
Time owned: months
|
Still the smallest triband HT ( with a keypad ).
Long lasting Lion battery.
TX/RX Usage indicator and battery voltage level indicator are a big plus.
A Classic HT with many features.
KH6/G3SEA
|
|
N4MJG
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Sep 26, 2008 23:35
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Still Kicking !
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
i had mine since 2001,only problem is the keypad are wore out and keypad are on the way once it come in than i will replace it ! i order 2 of them. other than that nothing wrong with them ! will keep them !
73
Jackie
KG4ORX
|
|
KB7XU
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Jul 8, 2008 09:01
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Good radio
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
I owned this radio over 4 years. I wasn't especially impressed with six meter operation or the 6M antenna extension piece. It's something that could be lost easily. The speaker provided good sound (for my ears anyway) and I liked the scanning functions. I program my radios manually and this one was not especially straightforward but it was manageable.
|
|
W0IT
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Apr 7, 2008 18:43
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Wow
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
|
My radio is only two years old but I use it lots, every day. My letters wore off too. Finally the power switch got real bad so I ordered new buttons. Cost less than 12$ with shipping. Its an easy repair. No soldering. Front end gets overloaded, but is very small, what do you expect. I like the small size it is easy to carry The rechargables have been great. I still use one of the originals. I charge them every day.
|
|
VE7SAN
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jan 7, 2008 10:02
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
5 years old now
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
My radio is over 5 years old now, it's hard to believe actually. I still swear by this radio !!!
Like I said before, this radio goes everywhere with me, in my pack, attached to the handle bars of my quad, shoved in a pocket somwhere. This radio is very durable, other then the paint anyway. The only complaint I can add after all these years is that the lettering has started wearing off some of the buttons, and some of the paint has come off the high points of the radio, likely due to riding in pockets etc. I can still read everything though, however I'm sure one day I won't be able to.
Definately reccomend buying this radio.
|
|
KD8EYC
|
Rating: 4/5
|
Oct 21, 2007 03:08
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Hot hand held
|
Time owned: 3 to 6 months
|
Solid hand held. Worked very well durring the recent SET test even on simplex.
Pros
Good on recive and transmit
very good signal reports on local repeters with full quieting. small light and handy.
easy to program with the software
Cons
gets hotter than a pistol on transmit
rubberduck litter better than dummyload
6 meter useless without other antenna, with comet triband much improved.
complex to program without software
Would I buy another you bet.
|
|
IZ2EAS
|
Rating: 5/5
|
Jul 5, 2007 05:20
|
Send this review to a friend
|
|
Nice Hand Held
|
Time owned: more than 12 months
|
I bought my VX-5 new at the beginning of year 2006 as a replacement for my FT-530. It has been working flawlessly since. I also purchased the original external microphone; I tried a couple of cheap “compatible” ones, with miserable results… the transmitted audio was not good, it seemed like I was talking into a box. Problem was solved by using the Yaesu original accessory.
I use the VX-5 whenever I am on the go; my preferred use is when I am hiking in the mountains; it is nice to keep in touch with friends downtown when you are in the wild; moreover, cellular coverage in the mountains here is erratic at least, so it can also be a safety device.
I also use it as a mobile set-up in my car, hooked-up to an external, roof-mounted, dual-band antenna (yes, I drilled my car !). The output power is just enough to hit the repeaters when I am in the “urban canyons” of Milan, and sometimes there is the need for more power… yes, I could resort to an brick amplifier, but on the other hand I use my car not too often…
Last but not least, it is nice - when you are on the go – to have also a full-coverage scanner that includes the most important short wave bands and commercial FM. On this respect, there is only one thing that I miss: CB-band coverage; yes, it can be useful to monitor the CB band when you are on a busy highway….
I am still using the original battery. I have not used it on daily basis, so the number of recharge cycles is not too high. However, capacity deterioration in Lithium-ion batteries is often noticeable after one year, whether the battery is in use or not; in my case I still cannot notice any substantial reduction in performance.
There is only a minor quirk that I noticed on my radio: the channel selector on top of the radio sometimes “misses a bit”, and the channel number does not change, or it decreases when it is supposed to increase or vice-versa. I thought it may be related to dirty contacts, so I cleaned the switch, with no luck.. well, I think I can live with it.
Overall, I think it is a keeper… have fun with it !
73, Michele IZ2EAS
|
|
If you have any questions, problems, or suggestions about Reviews,
please email your Reviews Manager.
|
|
|
|
|
