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write your own review of the Yaesu FT-736R.
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WA2EHL
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Rating: 5/5
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May 23, 2005 08:43
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Excellent satellite rig
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Purchased 736r used from a mid-western ham outlet and was surpised how clean the rig was.Have logged many contacts on sat without the use of a pre-amp on 2 or 70cm.Had a new one back in 1991 and sold it after the demise of AO-40,but am back full force on the "birds".Although the built in supply is a little noisy,I can live with that.By the way you can still purchase the FTS-8 ctcss unit from Burghardt-Amateur.
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KI4GPX
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 25, 2005 13:49
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Excellent all-mode base rig!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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After reading many good eHam reviews on the FT-736R, I decided to purchase one (pre-owned, of course). I wanted 220Mhz capabilities, as well as 2M & 440Mhz. The added kick was to be able to work SSB and SAT -- all on one rig.
The FT-736R has done a great job -- with excellent audio reports. I'm a relatively new ham, so ease-of-use and configuration are important to me. The FT-736R scores high in these areas as well.
The only constructive criticisms I have are:
1) I wish the rig had more power output.
2) The frequency scan feature is a little cumbersome to use.
All in all, a very good choice for anyone looking to purchase a solid base unit that will do 6M, 2M, 220, 440 & 1.2Ghz. You choose -- 4 modules will fit the rig -- with four seperate antenna outputs. Life is good!
CharlieJ, W4TCJ
(Formerly KI4GPX)
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OE3JTB
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 28, 2004 00:08
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nearly excelent
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Very solid TRX, used in 24h VHF/UHF/SHF contest, only one damage, PA of 23cm module has gone, my fault :-(
I have installed all options, only the keyer is missing.
I use it in connection with a DSP MFJ module, so nearly every station is readable.
I bought a second one for my 2nd QTH, the best TRX for 6m/2m/70cm/23cm I ever had, no compare to 910H or equal.
Using PA for all bands, very small sig :-), no TVI.
If you can get one, buy it.
Negative is only the spare part are very rare, but the TRX seems to function the next 10 years without problems.
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WV4R
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 20, 2004 05:43
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I Fondly Remember my FT-736R...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I Fondly remember my FT-736R which I bot NEW back in the early 80's. I was living near Downtown Miami intermod city and recall the "S-meter" going nuts but Never passing any intermod, unlike my other "mobile" style radios. I liked the modular band units. The FM Audio was real Studio Quality using only the Yeasu desk mic. Operation was straight forward although I had to add an Outboard ComSpec PLL box for metro repeater ops. I liked the Dual Power design for 12VDC ops IF the 110/220VAC failed. The unit was big. The unit was heavy. The modules were not high power. Power was continuously adjustable. The unit Looked and Felt like a quality rig. I never experienced any of the Negatives of previous Product Reviewers. I sold my FT-736R only after my job went out of business and I had to sell out and move out, otherwise, I probably would still have it. Because I owned the FT-736R for Nine Years without a hiccup and because it Did What It Did, it has to earn the WV4R "FIVE" Star Rating for a classic rig which is still worth it's money today. 73 es God bless. murf/wv4r.
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VE8NSD
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Rating: 5/5
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Dec 20, 2004 00:15
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I like mine
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought mine on eBay (gasp!) from a guy named Adam Farber who sells lots of '736's and accessories for them. Great guy, great radio. I use mine strictly for 6 meter aurora and e-skip. It works great and there's nothing that I would change. I built up a base mic from a bunch of old Turner parts for it and put an old Mirage 150 watt amp after it. With a 2 element quad I'm having a great time. Less TVI then my Yaesu FT-817 that I used to use on 6. Also less susceptible to RF fields then my '817 which was always howling about something if I hooked any sort of amp to it. The speech processor makes a real difference on aurora conditions. Plus, (and this is a minor point) this radio just looks right. Visitors to the shack are impressed just looking at it. Even though these are old radios they still aren't cheap. There's a reason for that. It's a good set.
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WB4UNA
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 10, 2004 23:15
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Great radio
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I finally got my hands on one and it will stay with me for along time. I wanted 220 and since they do not make any ssb gear for that band it took awhile to locate one like I wanted.. It has great recieve on the bands I have..2/432/220..I have made many contacts with it in the last few months and always get good reports ..Just wish they still made them...
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AC5ZO
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 15, 2004 16:26
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Update
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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It turns out that my radio was suffering from a slow failure on a ground connection in the TCXO area. This allowed the radio to drift around and exhibit poor selectivity. My review of this radio was colored by the fault condition.
Yaesu Factory Service repaired the problem and realigned the radio in January 2004. It works better than I remember, so the fault could have been developing over a period of years. I just used the radio for the 2004 June VHF QSO party and it is working fine. I don't have any plans to replace it, now.
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AC5ZO
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 26, 2003 15:32
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Good but could be better.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought the 736R new quite a few years ago. I have the CW filter and additional modules for 6M and 1200.
I like the full duplex for satellites. When it was new, it also gave me 6M at a time when 6M was not a standard part of many HF radios. It has been used for some remote work from hill tops while on 4WD expeditions and it has held up to the rugged treatment.
What I don't like about the radio is the receiver which is subject to overload and poor selectivity. The sensitivity is also poor, but that can be corrected with any of the preamps on the market.
I am currently looking for MuTek boards for this older radio rather than selling it. I think for the best weak signal work, good transverters are probably superior when used with a good IF radio, but with the 736R, you get everything in one convenient box. I have contacted MuTek in GB and they are still in business and I will write a review on the finished product when I am done with the upgrade.
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DK6NY
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 12, 2003 08:58
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Best on market - but still not superb
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I got mine 4 years ago - added 50M and 1G2 modules and filters. The rig has all modes on all 4 bands, which makes this TRX so amazing. Easy to use. Power output is enough for me (10/25/25/10). It has great cross band functionality.
Operation: I use it TX on 1G2 SSB, RX on 430M. Sound is ok, but the ssb processor is hardly noticeable. The frequency is pretty stable, but the rx part should be improved (needs improvement on all bands, needs dramatic improvement on 430M). Rx is rather noisy, the strong signal capabilities are so-so. If you have the choice between getting an FT736 with or without mutek frontend -
GET THE MUTEK !
It has electronic (pin diodes) rx/tx switching - this makes cw bk operation bearable. Great !
Maintanance: the 736 is easy to adjust, once you have the service manual. All the spec values can be reached exactly which is not the case for all ham boxes. All necessary adjust points are easy to reach. The psu is rather poor for this TRX.
Resumee: the best VHF/UHF box around. Use preamps on 430M and 1G2 to overcome the rx noise. Don't adjust the 2m power to 30 watts as long as you don't have multiple power supplies. Place a small fan on top of the psu.
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PY2ZS
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 11, 2003 16:11
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Very good, with minor design flaws
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I recently got an used FT-736R, and I found it a great bargain for satellite operation. The reported audio is excellent and the basic funcionality is really very good. This is the only multiband/multimode base transceiver with 220 MHz option. (Why FT-847 doesn't have this option???)
But there are some design flaws:
a) The internal power supply is noisy and there are many FT-736Rs with burned power supplies due to overheating. No problem, use an external power supply!
b) The main encoder ("VFO" encoder) "pop" as the radio becomes warmer, like in his brother FT-767GX...
c) Lots of positive feedback and oscilation at the PLL unit in the 70 cm module. As you see, Yaesu tried to solve this problem with lots of grounding wires around the upper side of the FT-736R.
d) Speech processor: The processor at FT-767GX is a real RF processor, and FT-736R has only a shy ALC-type speech processor (I believe is more likely a CB rig...)
e) The internal CW keyer is optional (*@#$%&%&!!! - It is not availabe anymore...)
Nevertheless, I recommend this excellent radio for every VHF/UHF fan! You won't regreat!
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