| W5KVV |
Rating:   |
2018-03-20 | |
| Not impressed |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Purchased new from DXE 1-2018, sold within a month. Mine was the latest revision, the 400XDR and was used exclusively in my shack. The radio is packed with features. C4FM sounds like robots having an underwater conversation. Regardless of all the propeller head gizmos this rig offers, it falls short on its primary function as a two way radio.
PROS:
Nice display. Very crisp & clear, at least in a shack environment. Mine made full rated power on both VHF & UHF. Rare for a Yaesu FM radio. Audio reports were good. Rig is easy to navigate with basic familiarization.
CONS:
#1 issue: Poor heat dissipation. Even with the fan, extended low power QSO's make this radio run ridiculously hot. After a 1 hour QSO at 5 watts, my chassis clocked in at 142 degrees on my infrared thermo. This was with the fan blowing its brains out, in my shack at 70 degrees room temperature and TXing into a 1.2:1 antenna system. There is no excuse for this, other than a poorly R&D'd chassis design. IE The chassis is not capable of dissipating the heat produced by the PA. Be it poor thermo bonding, a poorly designed cooling system, or in the case of the 400/400xdr a undersized chassis/heat sink. Considering the DR1X is comprised of two 400's, it's no wonder the TX radio melts down in short order even with the additional heat sink and push/pull fans. If the chassis is incapable of moving the heat from the PA to the sink, no amount of fans will help. I would be scared to death to work this radio hard on 50 watts.
CON #2: POOR squelch circuit. The squelch on this radio was border line Baofeng quality. Regardless of how tight the squelch, weak signals still break thru. God help you if you live in intermod alley.
CON #3: RX sensitivity is great, but is also wide open. Poor selectivity in real world testing regardless of what Yaesu specs indicate. RX does not respond to repeater CTCSS reverse burst or any other RX turn off codes. Even if you are using a encode/decode commercial repeater with PL phase shift, you still get a nasty static pop because there is no RX muting. Kenwood & Icom radios have had this feature for well over a decade. DCS/DPL work as intended (no static crash).
CON#4 Digital on one side of the radio. This forces the user to jumble all of his desired digital frequencies on one bank. It would have been ideal to have the capability of setting one side up for VHF, one side up for UHF and use digital as desired on both banks. If that doesn't suit your needs that's fine, but the radio should still have the capability should the consumer wish to do so.
CON#5 A modern, top of the line, $600 DUAL BAND radio capable of twin RX with a single external audio jack. WTH Yaesu!?
Last but not least, the microphone. Yaesu should be ashamed to put this garbo on a flagship radio. What a toy! This thing reeks of cheap. Yaesu..... please pull something from the Vertex Standard division and make it work on this radio. The consumer deserves better.
In closing, the radio needed more R&D. Same as the DR1X repeaters. Yaesu dropped the ball in multiple arenas with this one.
At the extent of being called a Yaesu hater.. I suggest the FTM-3000dr series mono banders. They are much better built radios thanks to Yaesu taking many design characteristics from their commercial cousins, the Vertex VX-4200 series. |
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| M0KZX |
Rating:      |
2018-03-04 | |
| Nice sensitive radio that works well on analogue and digital |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Owned this radio for about 18 months now. Initially I used it as my fusion node radio along with the HRI200 but now use a FTM 100D for that task.
Compared to the FTM 100D and FT991 the receive sensitivity is very good on this radio.
The menu structure is easy to navigate and makes setting up the radio a piece of cake.
The big screen and bandscope come in really handy for spotting activity on the band.
My only concern with the radio is that if you are doing a lot of talking, even at medium power, it gets very hot. At full power it gets worryingly hot. So, I invested in a SMB-201 cooler which keeps the radio very cool. |
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| N5CSU |
Rating:      |
2017-11-22 | |
| Great Radio |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| I've had this in the mobile for a year now, replacing a Kenwood D-700. APRS works great, as does the C4FM digital radio. Scanning of public service bands is great; I use band B for either APRS or analog scanning. I scan Band A for digital and FM ham repeaters. Have been very happy with this radio. No problems at all! |
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| SA3X |
Rating:      |
2016-12-17 | |
| Nice rig |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| I do not know what you mean with at getting it right on a radio during the warranty period, Its just leave it in and get it fixed for free. I am very happy with my that is a XDE model, and nice with touch screen in this hooby. Regarding APRS so are my Kenvood TM-D710 bit better, I think, but on the whole I consider this to be a nice rig at a sensible price. |
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| VE2DIY |
Rating:  |
2016-10-04 | |
| Rating revision |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I went from a 3/5 review after the first weeks of ownership to a horrible 0/5 couple month later. Now my radio started to transmit a low power for no reason. I get a 20-30 watts in vhf and a 4-5 watts in uhf. Two other ham operator locally had the same thing happen.
Ergonomically speaking, this was designed by people's knowing nothing about user interface but it turn out it is unreliable too.
I'm not surprised Yaesu revised the radio but I think they should had thrown the model to the garbages and start fresh.
I've never had a radio I hated like this one.
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| KC5DBH |
Rating:     |
2016-06-15 | |
| Good radio with a few glitches |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
FTM 400DR points:
1. Audio output connections
2. Update the firmware
3. Mic extension, particularly the Yaesu part. How to get around it and how well it works.
4. Crossband repeat function
5. Programming software and process.
I have two of the FTM-400DR radios. I find them to be wonderful radios to work with although I think there are a few items of mention that should be addressed:
1. The radio has a good transmitter and receiver package. I’ve no complaints with either.
2. The touch screen interface is wonderful. It is sensitive but not too sensitive. It is quite responsive with few if any glitches.
3. There are plenty of menus but not menus on top of menus.
4. The radio is intuitive to use and master.
Now for the rest of the scoop…..
—Audio Connections—
It appears that the radio uses a push-pull audio output circuit. Yaesu advertises the radio with a 3 watt output to the internal speaker and 8 watts output to the external speaker. It must be noted that the external audio socket does not utilize a standard configuration! The external audio socket is a 3.5mm tip-ring-sleeve (TRS aka stereo) connector. It is wired such that the tip is connected to one side of the audio final amplifier and the ring is connected to the other. Neither connection to the audio final amplifier is to be connected to ground (chassis). Doing so results in cruddy sound from the sub band and can result in damage to the audio final amplifier. The sleeve connection is connected to the chassis (grounded) and is not used for anything but shielding purposes. It must not be connected to either the tip or the ring connections.
2. The audio adapter supplied by Yaesu is not what you think it is! It is wired as follows: the tip connection of the plug connects to the tip connection of the socket. The ring connection of the plug connects to the sleeve connection of the socket. The sleeve connection of the plug is left disconnected and is not used. If you lose your adapter, you must go back to Yaesu or whomever supplies these audio adapters to obtain another. A trip to the local electronics shop for a standard 3.5mm stereo to 3.5mm mono audio adapter will not work and will likely damage the audio final amplifier of the FTM-400DR. Do not allow the exposed sleeve connection of the socket to contact any grounded surface. Do not allow any of the external speaker wiring to come into contact with a grounded surface or circuitry.
3. You may make an external speaker by using a 3.5mm stereo plug (TRS plug) wherein you connect one speaker terminal to the tip connection and the other to the ring connection.
4. The beep tones disappear if you try to use any method of mixing the tip and ring audio connections, active or passive, and using the sleeve connection (grounded) as a return. The main band and sub band RX audio will still be present.
—Firmware issues—
Update your FTM 400DR to the latest firmware. I have done so and have experienced none of the issues that others have experienced. Firmware updating can be a pain with this radio as it requires removal of a cover plate and throwing of a small switch inside the radio to facilitate the process. There is much room for improvement here.
—Mic Extension—
The microphone connection of the FTM-400DR works well in some installations and not so well in others. Here’s how to deal with it:
Utilize a six pin (RJ 45) telephone extension cable. Ensure that it is a “straight through” cable that does not alter the position of any of the connections (that is, pin 1 on one end goes to pin 1 on the other and, so on). I use a 25 foot extension cable that terminates in RJ-45 male plugs on each end and, I use a RJ-45 female to female socket adapter to facilitate connection of the microphone to the extension cable. My cable is not shielded and has given me no problems as a result.
It has been suggested that the Yaesu MEK-2 microphone extension be used with the FTM-400DR as a means by which to extend the microphone connection. It will work with the RJ-45 connections and the issued microphone(s) for the FTM-400DR. What does not work is the 8 pin round connector! The MEK-2 was designed for radios such as the FT-8800 and 8900 series that multiplex their microphone connections, using digital words to communicate the PTT, channel/VFO up-down and, keypad functions to the radio. The FTM-400DR does not use the multiplexed connection, rather, it uses a standard PTT and up-down connection where the switchgear pulls the PTT line to ground to key the transmitter and, the up-down lines to ground in order to activate those respective functions. It appears that the RJ-45 connections are “straight through” on the MEK-2; thus the issued mic(s) for the FTM-400DR will work and, it appears that the MEK-2 generates digital words to communicate with the radio when the 8 pin microphone connection is used.
The MEK-2 is rather expensive at over $50. The RJ-45 telephone cabling can be obtained at a lesser price although it isn’t really cheap either.
—Crossband Repeater Function—
This function is not documented in the Yaesu owner’s manual. Turn off the radio, then depress and hold the “DISP”, “F” and, “GM” buttons all at once while turning on the radio using its power button. The radio will power on, without the usual welcome tone and, will show X-band repeater in the middle of the display. Both channel displays (main and sub) will be grayed out so you must choose your channels / frequencies prior to engaging the crossband repeater. To exit crossband repeater mode; repeat the process for going into crossband repeater mode.
—Programming software and process—
The easiest way to program the radio is to purchase the RT Systems programming package (www.rtsystems.com) then choose the proper software by means of make and model number of the radio. If your computer is equipped with an SD card reader; you will not need the SD reader offered by RT Systems. If not, you’ll need it.
You’ll also need a micro-SD card and adapter. The radio uses the micro-SD card for programming, voice recording and, GPS logging purposes. It will support anything from a 2GB to 32GB micro-SD card.
The micro-SD card inserts into the front of the radio then you go through the menus (press and hold the “DISP” button) to the “SD Card” then “backup” then “read from SD” if you just programmed the card with the RT Systems programmer or, “write to SD” if you’ve made changes to the radio through the control head and wish to retain them for future use and/or reading with the programming software.
The micro-SD card system seems a bit unwieldy but really works out well once you get used to it.
—Final thoughts—
All-in-all, the FTM-400DR is a great radio with plenty of great features. The digital audio performance of the FTM-400DR is wonderful; comparable at this point to the APCO P25 equipment.
The radio is reasonably priced and works very well. The things I would change are the length of the control cable, provide for a better microphone connection scheme and, rid the radio of the single external (tip-ring-sleeve) audio connection in favor of two monaural (tip - sleeve) external speaker connections!!
73’s to all de KC5DBH!
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| KC5AV |
Rating:  |
2016-05-11 | |
| When life gives you lemons...get a refund |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I ordered the FTM-400XDR on Feb. 8, 2016. Once the radio arrived, I installed it in the mobile. Installation and configuration were simple and straightforward. Life was good for about a month. Once the outdoor temperature reached about 65 degrees (obviously higher in the vehicle), the touch screen and buttons on the control head and the microphone stopped working. This could be remedied by running some cool air to the control head. I contacted the retailer, and was sent a return authorization form.
The radio was sent back during the first week of March, where it sat on the bench for 2 weeks. Once it was determined that the radio would be replaced, I was told that they were out of stock, and continued to be out of stock for a month.
My replacement radio was received April 19, and promptly installed in the vehicle. Configurations were restored from the SD card, and life was good. Until I tried to make contact with anyone. Very poor transmit audio quality was the report on the first attempt. The 2nd attempt told me it sounded like I was 'hill topping'. The 3rd attempt told me I was bringing up the repeater, but had no transmit audio. Additional testing at home confirmed this.
The retailed offered another return authorization, but they are out of stock, so I 'might want to work with the manufacturer'. Instead, I requested a refund. My Kenwood will be here tomorrow night. |
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| KE6GYD |
Rating:      |
2016-05-04 | |
| Great Radio(s)! |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Like to update my experience now that I've had some time with the radio. Actually have a 400DR and an XDR. I've had no issues with reliability on either. The DR is in the shack so the issue with slow GPS acquisition is not a problem in that situation. I just set the coordinates manually and other digital or APRS stations can see direction and distance. The XDR is in the vehicle and gets a lock on within a minute.
Firmware upgrades have gone without a hitch on both radios. The XDR now has a rubber plug and access hole over the firmware update switch so one does not have to remove the cover.
I love the touch screens brightness, ease of use, and the way it allows menus to be accessed. The ability to assign the 4 touch keys as well as 4 mic keys makes it very versatile. IMO, much easier than on the Kenwood 700 or 710 that I was used to once you acclimate yourself to the different menu system.
The digital texting and picture ability is a plus as far as I'm concerned for ECOMM if all other ways of messaging are down, even though it takes up to a minute to transmit a picture and another signal on the frequency can disrupt it. But that's just a matter of clearing the frequency.
It would be nice to be able to program specific memory channels for digital vs. FM operation instead of the global setting for the current channel you are on, but once one gets used to it, it's less of an issue.
We have a Fusion repeater for our ECOMM group and are getting used to the AMS and Digital aspects. While there is some teething with this technology, so far, we are learning and are happy with how it works.
73
Bob
KE6GYD |
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| W8NAP |
Rating:      |
2016-05-04 | |
| Love it |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've only had the radio a short time at the time of this writing but I will be back for a more in depth review at a later time.
Let me start off by saying that prior to owning this radio, I also owned a yaesu ftm100dr and used it frequently.
Let's start from the beginning....... As usual it was packaged very well, everything was secure and came in perfect condition. As I mentioned I had the ftm100dr mounted in my mobile so when I got the ftm400xdr all I had to do was unplug the old and plug in the new. Installation took less than 5 minutes. When the radio powers on you are prompted to enter your call sign and after that the radio restarts and displays it on the power up page, which I think is a nice feature. I was able to wing it and get aprs running the way I like and programmed our local fusion repeater and away I went. In my opinion the menu is very intuitive and with the bright display it is very easy to see. If you can proficiently use a cell phone or tablet I believe you can run this radio. I admit, I was a bit intimidated when I heard the radio was a handful to run but I was glad to find out I was worried for nothing. It's a fine radio and I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to try it out. Perhaps the people who gave the negative reviews never gave the radio a chance? Or maybe they are entirely unfamiliar with small touch screen menu driven devices? I'll be back for another review at a later time!
Thanks,
Harrison Roach W8NAP |
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| KN4NN |
Rating:   |
2016-05-03 | |
| Issues from the start! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| Radio was bought at the end of Jan and started having issues with the buttons and touch screen not responding. Sent to Yaesu for service -LCD replaced. Radio returned and reinstalled in middle of April and after a few days started having the same issues!! Trying to get Yaesu to return emails/calls.. Saga continues |
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