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Reviews For: Yaesu FTM-400DR

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Base/Mobile (non hand-held)

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FTM-400DR
Reviews: 92MSRP: $699
Description:
The FTM-400DR uses C4FM FDMA (C4FM – 4-level FSK Modulation, FDMA –
Frequency Division Multiple Access), which has been developed for the
professional LMR communications. It uses this enhanced technology for a
lower BER (bit error rate), resulting in stable communications without
interruptions during mobile operations, even in a rapidly moving vehicle.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=106&encProdID=227201D29C822AEFF8482F3367495319&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00923.8
WD1V Rating: 2022-09-04
Solid Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was using a DMR radio and an openSPOT to listen to some of the Fusion reflectors. Great QSOs and really fine audio quality. So got the FTM-400XDR and I'm 5 star impressed in a number of areas:
1) Hot receiver - great audio TX & RX
2) Great display - color, large, clear, touch
3) Ease of programming - I use RT systems
4) High quality case, knobs, overall design
5) GPS/APRS included
6) Fusion network is remarkable. Kudos to the designers.

I've had Icom 5100s D-Star, Anytone 578s DMR, and many dual band analog rigs. The Yaesu is the most evolved - feels really good to own it.
K1DWZ Rating: 2022-07-14
Good radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I had the rig 2 weeks when the touch screen and buttons failed to work. The radio was sent to Yaesu for repair under warranty. A month and a half later I received it all repaired.
It has been working great since then. I like the radio and just hope it doesn't fail on me again. I am using it as a base station.


AC7AZ Rating: 2022-07-08
Great radios, until they aren’t anymore. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I’ve enjoyed this radio for 2 years, but I know of at least 4 of them that have failed in one way or another with local hams in that time frame.
Mine is now the fifth one, it lost output power on 70cm this morning, down to 4 watts on the “HI” setting now.
Seems like a high failure radio to me, especially for the price.
I’m hoping my FTM300 does better over time, but I’m highly doubtful it will.
VE6BGM Rating: 2022-04-26
Have to comment Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I gave this radio a 4 awhile back and still consider this. Boy is it easy to change and update frequencies with the SD card. As for heat, I have mine in a vehicle in a rather cramped area and have had no problems. As for the speaker, I don't care if it has one output. Using this along side a Kenwood 710, the volume from the 400DR is much louder than the Kenwood. AS well, I love the microphone. I don't need a mic that ways 20 lbs. the Yaesu mic is the same as I have used on other Yaesu radios and I have never had a problem with the mic unlike problems I have had with Icom. The microphone can do all the functions I use most such as scan, stop scan, change bands, power levels, etc.. The Kenwood leaves a few of these out. Squelch. Never had a problem. Now the 710 gets noise on the air band and VHF that I have to constantly change the squelch level. Never had that with the 400. I do agree having Digital on one band may be a problem but with the simple use of a SD card, has not been a problem to me. One part I do love is both bands receive the 118-136 AM Air band, unlike the 710.
2022 April 25 UPDATE: It has been 4 years since last comment. Have been running the DR mobile and XDR in the shack. NO problems. Still love them. Scan is fast enough don't have to use priority scan. Love the simple SD to change or update. Not one single problem with mic and basically the same mic I used on the 8900. Prefer it over the chunky 710 mic. APRS provides all that I want to use, easier to message than 710. Love the volume display on the remote head. As with the 710, receiving packets depends on squelch setting. If I could afford it, would buy 4 more to keep in reserve in case one ever does breakdown [and everything today has a certain life span] and to give to family members when licensed.
KD5GR Rating: 2022-04-26
Great radios Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have two FTM-400XDR radios and both have been flawless. One is used as a base station and the other in my car. When Christmas shopping discounts are offered, I'll buy another one.

I have heard horror stories concerning earlier versions, but the XDR versions seem to be performing very well.

Chas.
KD5GR

UPDATE 3/31/2021: I bought a third 400XDR and it too has been flawless. I do wish a firmware update would add memory banks that could be scanned.

I'm ordering a 4th FTM-400XDR tonight for my wife's car.

UPDATE 4/25/2022: I've been running four FTM-400XDRs, 2 in cars, 2 in our home. All are have been great. The 400 seems to be one of the most popular radios in the Houston area and other parts of Texas. That's likely because there a good number of Yaesu DR-2X repeaters here.
N4MJG Rating: 2022-03-01
UPDATED best radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
i had this moble rig in my 2002 chevy tracker atfer moonth thr moble got stuck on 2 meter so i got i got it unstuck by unpug the radio i fix the problem of this radio i told John about he thought wrird lol i thought the same kindly odd thuo i naver seen radio do that beofe atfer i fix the it the problem went away ! without issuse ! i sold my ftm 350R to my friend of of mine ! he like it ! but i love 400 way better then i do 350R ! the ftm 400 is abit pricey ! but i save each week to get ! and i love this rig ! i still i gave a 5 star ! most guys gave it a poor not for me ! still running strong !






Just brought me BU-2 for my Bluetooth paring with plantronic legend headset I had no problem either vox or PTT on headset ever since I brought the BU-2 for my birthday money ! I use on PTT on headset works wonderful !It took awhile get use to it !

There is setting on Bluetooth either high or low gain, I had to switch low gain ! Then you have to get it pairing so it will find the Bluetooth then you all set and done !

The rig is still awesome !!! I still like the display little better then 350R that I had. The FTM 400DR is great rig so far no problem !!

73
Jackie
N4MJG
K9IKE Rating: 2022-03-01
Poor attempt Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Disappointing radio. Local repeater on 145.130 has a "ghost signal" on 146.820. The signal from 5.130 is so strong on the 6.820 machine you can't tell which one is keyed! Also hear the repeater on 146.520. And no, the
repeater is just fine. Out of band signals just overload
the receiver unless tone squelch is used. Yaesu had no
fix for it. VFO B won't do digital, mic is junk, had to
replace it. Radio over heated and died, repaired under
warranty. Had to add additional cooling fan. Too many issues for such an expensive radio. Yaesu, can do better.
KD7WPQ Rating: 2022-02-22
Has potential but is lacking Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I put this unit in a go box.
It made sense to me to have APRS and a dual band transceiver BUT the APRS and features are lacking.

Pros:
-APRS in a small package
-Built in GPS
-Intuitive interface
-Digital and analog

Cons:
-APRS doesn't seem to like good to weak signals (won't decode)
-Sluggish interface
-Message replying is time consuming due to needing to delete the received message to reply

I like and hate this radio and will likely get rid of it.
Reported issues are that it over heats, which makes sense, they put a lot in a small package.
I really wish they would have kept some of the options from the 8800 and 8900 such as being able to choose which side of the radio the PC can get TX and RX on.
This would give the user the option to disable APRS and connect their own APRS device to the radio there by giving you a more capable APRS station.
Sure, it has APRS by default but the APRS is lacking in features, capabilities and is unable to decode weak signals.
Example:
I was out at field day with some friends, long story short I sent the wife a message, she replied, I received nothing. I checked with my buddy who was running APRS on a Raspberry Pi and he confirmed he saw the message, but this radio got nothing multiple times.
The signal was good, there was no reason for it to not decode.

In short this radio is not worth the money.
They packed to much into it without giving the user any options to bypass the built in features.

I would not and will not get another and as far as I can tell the 300DR is the same but with a couple more features but no way to bypass them and use a external device.

Yeasu should have kept the 8800 and 8900 series and just added on to them with a digital mode.

Yeasu seriously messed up on these new models!

Yeasu seems to have forgotten that stability and reliability are more important than more bells and whistles. That giving the users options to use their own devices can be more powerful, reliable and reduces how much work and troubleshooting Yeasu needs to do as connected devices are not a Yeasu problem.

Not to mention if there are any updates to the APRS network protocols that you are at the mercy of Yeasu to update their firmware vs a software based APRS which will get updated regularly.

Yeasu shot themselves in the foot with these radios and I hope they figure it out before someone else does.

Get rid of the built in APRS and give back to your customers the features of connecting a external computing device but keep the other digital mode stuff.
If you really want to do APRS then build a attachable device that communicates directly with the radio that the users can control and modify that has a actual screen with a actual processor that has the full features of a software run APRS and not firmware and WITHOUT the Yeasu proprietary protocols.
Give the control back to the users.

Let's see what the next generation of Yeasu radios have because this generation lacks severely.
KF4WSN Rating: 2022-01-14
Great Radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Great radio, Once you learn the wires X software it is even better. System Fusion is great. The receive is 2nd to none. I went from installing one at home to learn prior to taking it one the road, Now I have one at home and one in each car. I have tried other Digital radios (DSTAR and DMR) This one is simply the Best, Fusion and wires x is not to bad of a learning curve. I use the one at home a PDN just a push of a button and its a repeater (simplex in and out of Wires X) world wide on fusion. Most of the guys on our local repeater have more than one. They first always say they would not pay that for a 2m 70cm rig, a week later they have two. I would buy another if I had to do over. 73
2E0CPU Rating: 2021-09-11
Nice to use, Nice audio. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
For its price its a very pleasant radio to use. Menu access is faster than the 991A but if you thought the bandscope was bad on the 991A then you are in for a shock. The bandscope updates around once a second on this unit.
Audio is pleasant as is the tuning style. I have had good audio reports all round, For the money its a winner. Just look at the competition, old style led or this badboy?. I love the colour screen at this price point.

There is only 1 radio better than this and thats the icom ic-9700, But at 5 times the price the IC-9700 its hard to compare on price scale.