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You can
write your own review of the Yaesu FT-290R.
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GM1SXX
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Rating: 4/5
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Feb 14, 2005 08:27
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Great little rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Hi,
I bought an FT-290R MK1 brand new when I got my ticket in 1986. I still use it today.
Known as the 'electric handbag' by some, it was a revolution in its time.
The receiver is a little bit deaf by comparison with modern radios (no bad thing really) so I fitted the excellent MUTEK replacement front end. With that I've copied low earth orbit satellites satellites easily on the whip inside a moving car.
As a transverter driver, the 290 is ideal.. 800mw low power/2.5W high power.
Would I buy another one? Well since 1986 I've owned three of these radios. I gave one to a friend and still have the other two. One is my main 2M shack multimode and the one without the MUTEK is in use as a transverter driver.
I still use the 290's often. They do a good job of work and are robust and dependable.
In the UK, a usual second-hand price for one in good condition might be £80-110.
Modern Nickel-Metal-Hydride batteries seem to work better than Ni-Cd's so my FT290's (and FT-790) all have DIY replacement battery packs.
I can't imagine ever parting with my 290's.
Although not perfect, these little radios are immensely versatile and useful so I have to give them a high score.
73 Al.
GM1SXX
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IW2CZG
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Rating: 5/5
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Feb 7, 2005 06:29
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Mine have 20 years !!!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I'm very glad because shortly (in april) mine FT-290R will celebrate 20 years of service.
After so long time the performance are still more than acceptable, the Pb batteries I installed at the place of the "A" are giving enough power to my QRP-fun ... and I'm still collecting long-range QSO from the hills around Milano area.
Ok, now it's surely obsolete but I will never sell this wonder-radio !
Luca
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M5TAW
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Rating: 5/5
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Oct 17, 2003 13:54
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Good reliable radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have just bought another one of these (3rd one I have owned)and am enjoying it very much. In terms of build quality they are very robust, perfect for portable operation where they are likely to be subjected to knocks. The performance from 2.5 watts is surprisingly good even on the built in telescopic whip. I can reach repeaters 25km away from my house. SSB audio is very good and punchy (probably even better with a processor or amplified mic). I regularly work in excess of 100 miles with a simple halo loop. Receiver sensitivity is fine too. The 's' meter on this one is quite lively with strong signals, but moves less than my other radios with low signal strengths. Maybe this is why some people regard them to be a bit deaf? I would not tend to agree.
290s can be picked up on ebay in the UK for about £90 depending what accessories they come with. Great value for money and suitable for a starter 2m radio, or for more experienced users..
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IZ2EAS
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 15, 2003 05:25
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Nice radio
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I bought this radio at a Ham flea-market in May. I never regret it! The radio was in excellent conditions, both cosmetic and electric. I realigned the local oscillator, and from that moment on the radio has been working flawlessly. New set of batteries, and I did some QRP contesting during the summer, with a HB9CV... great fun. I will definitely keep it.
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HA5X
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 2, 2003 08:42
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My most active radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned my FT-290R since 1982. It was a wonder radio at the time, and I still believe every VHF licensee should try the world of SSB and CW. My home VHF setup was the FT-290R, a 25W linear, 9 element yagi (horizontal) another 9 ele yagi (vertical) and an 5/8 vertical. I took part in VHF contests, actually won a few (!), made a number of DX contacts on 2m, including an UL7 station in Kazakhstan, some 2500 kilometres away 59+ both directions...
Then I used the radio for regular FM chatting, packet radio (it required some modification: a line-in conector and a speaker off switch had to be built-in.) As far as I remember, a VOX circuit had also been built in for CW, but it was at the very beginning, so my memory has fainted on that point.
I used the radio for field-day and portable operations, some hilltop VHF contesting for instance. Used the internal whip antenna a few times, but afraid of breaking it, it was minimal.
I also used the 290 for satellite activities (especially A mode with old RS satellites, but also Oscar 10 and 13.) I had a converter for 70 cm, also run by the FT290R.
I think my FT290R has been the most heavily used radio in my shack, for over 15 years. Not the best radio, but not bad either. At its today's price it is a bargain for those who would like to explore the world beyond FM.
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M0BTZ
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Rating: 4/5
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Mar 9, 2003 09:54
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Good 2m protable rig
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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The FT290 performs well as an Portable rig on 2m. I found the radio was very lively using an mutek front end board. I was able to hear a beacon at 5/4 on the internal whip 100km away! I have had good reports using this rig on SSB but I feel the output power at 2.5W is quite non-linear. If driving an external linear, I would recommend using the rig on the low power setting (0.5W) as the output signal is much cleaner at this level.
The radio is easy to operate but best of all is that the second hand price is quite low.
The main improvements I can think of are a front panel headphone socket, a better loudpeaker(The internal one has quite poor audio) and an PTT socket for an external linear.
Overall, a good radio for portable operation.
I intend to use mine to drive a 23cm transverter to leave my main 2m multimode free for 2m.
Hope you enjoy your FT290!
73 de Bill, M0BTZ
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VK3BRZ
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Rating: 4/5
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Oct 17, 2001 23:07
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Can't be beaten at the price.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought by FT290R for $300 (VK) some six years ago from a friend who upgraded to a Mk2. It hasn't missed a beat. I mostly use it in my workshop for casual work on SSB and the local repeater, as well as mobile.
The receiver sensitivity is OK, but a preamp makes it sparkle. 148 MHz pagers do crunch the front end, but compared to HT's there's no contest. Output power is about 2.5W - good enough for back-pack hill-topping or for driving an external amplifier for more serious work.
I ripped out the plastic "C" cell carrier from the battery compartment (it's only held by double-sided adhesive tape) and fitted a 12V 1.8 AH SLA battery. These were cheaper than NiCd cells.
I intend to keep my FT290R for as long as it keeps going. Soon I'll have a 23cm transverter so the FT290R will be used as the tuneable IF.
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KU4QD
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Rating: 4/5
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Jun 15, 2000 14:54
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Much more compact than the later version
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The original (mark I) FT-290R was a great concept. It's all in one piece (unlike the FT-290RII), and is a bit smaller and lighter than the later version for true portable use. The rig has a very decent front end that does not overload in the presence of a very strong nearby signal. My poor FT-480R, which I have always rated highly, packed up during the recent VHF contest. Not this little gem! The receiver has halfway decent sensitivity as it came from the factory, and can be improved via a Mutek kit. I've used mine portable with the optional carry case (a lot!), base driving a Tokyo Hy-Power HL-37V amplifier, and also with Tokyo Hy-Power's unusual HX-240 2m -> HF transverter on the HF bands. It's done very well in all of those situations. Output power at 2.5 watts is enough to make a surprising number of SSB or CW contacts during Es openings, even with the telescopic whip on the rig. Both receive and transmit audio are very good. When I list the negatives on this rig, I almost feel like I'm nitpicking. I agree with the previous reviewer that the 7-pin mic. was a poor choice. The PL board resides inside the battery case, while the later version made the dipswitches more accessible. It's a single channel PL (typical of mid '80s rigs), so if you're in an area where you use lots of repeaters with lots of different PL tones this really won't be a great choice for FM. (Neither will the Mark II, for what it's worth.) The receiver sensitivity is not quite as good as some other Yaesu models, or even the older Icom IC-202S portable. (A preamp or the Mutek internal preamp kit are options to resolve that.) All in all, though, you probably can't make a better choice in a 2m all mode portable.
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VK3YE
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Rating: 5/5
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May 18, 2000 19:44
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The ultimate 2m portable!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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The Yaesu FT-290R is a great rig. It's fairly
compact, but gives all mode coverage of 2 metres.
Its main strength is a good front-end. Unlike other 2m rigs, which are often overloaded by
kilowatt pager transmitters on 148 MHz, the
FT-290R has a strong front-end that minimises
unwanted signals.
The general concept of the rig - a set that can
be used in-car, pedestrian mobile, portable or
at home is good. It is also good for driving
transverters. Many people use FT-290Rs for
driving microwave transverters. I have not done
this, but used the FT-290R with a homebrew
transverter that provided transmit and receive
between 3.5 and 7.5 MHz. Overall CW/SSB performance of this system was excellent.
I have used the 290 key down on FM for 30 min
at a time. It has also been used on packet radio.
Contacts with it have been made through the RS-10
satellite. 250 km contacts with its 2.5w on SSB
have been routine.
Main shortcomings are the non-standard 7-pin mic
plug (this is fixed in the 290R II) and rear
panel power connection - centre is negative!
Also being around 20 years old, the memories do
not save the mode or repeater offset.
For the ham wishing to explore many facets of
amateur radio, and not just FM and repeaters,
the FT-290 is a great choice.
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