| TIDWELL |
Rating:  |
2022-01-13 | |
| Simply will not last. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've owned the FTM-100D since 2016.
The radio has many great features that I really enjoyed:
-Easy menu navigation.
-micro SD card programming. (LOVED this feature!)
-Free software for programming.
-User-programmable microphone buttons.
-GPS headings & real time speed indicators.
-Nice display that shows frequency AND name.
-AM Air Band receive coverage.
Unfortunately, this is one of the many FTM-100D's sold that decided to quit long before its due. After 5 years of light use on a mobile antenna with a 1:1 SWR, the radio just completely stopped outputting any measurable power. All of the nice, convenient features in the world won't make up for a lack of any long-term reliability. Frankly, for it to fail with absolutely no mistreatment, under optimal operating conditions, without being an old radio is simply unacceptable.
Cannot possibly recommend this radio to anyone. Ask around and I bet you'll find others that know of someone who have had similar issues with their FTM-100. I'm sorely disappointed with the radio and Yaesu's reliability. |
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| G8UBJ |
Rating: |
2021-05-30 | |
| Intermodulation issues |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This is probably the first time I have given Yaesu a poor rating but it suffers terrible intermodulation from 153Mhz paging systems making FM virtually unusable.
Whilst I live about a mile from the source of interference its never been a problem for me on previous rigs (FT7800, FT7900, FT-2800). In fact i never even knew there was a paging site near until I purchased this rig.
I believe this is a design issue and will try building a notch filter. Why Yaesu allowed this to slip through to production I will probably never know.
If they can't find a cure I guess its just another junk rig to be avoided.
Given the problems I'm experiencing I cannot recommend this radio to anyone living in the UK
Update 29/5/21 low receive on VHF so slowly heading towards the trash |
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| KG3I |
Rating: |
2021-02-05 | |
| Output Power Suddenly Just Dropped |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Greetings,
Having a Fusion repeater I purchased this mobile radio to add to the fleet. The first thing one needs to know is that the display is terrible; especially as night. No matter how you adjust the brightness and contrast settings.
Then last week I was chatting with some folks on a local repeater at full power and suddenly nothing. I was indicating that I was transmitting but no longer reaching the repeater some distance away. When I got home I pulled the radio and found that the max output power on VHF and UHF is now at 28 watts. I went through the alignment procedure but no luck; 28 watts is all she will do at full power. Antenna SWR is fine.
Time to start digging deeper when time permits. For now its on the shelf.
I also echo some of the other comments about moving around from FM to C4FM, etc. 73 |
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| K2MPW |
Rating: |
2021-01-17 | |
| VHF Output power just up and died. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This FTM-100dr is owned by a friend. He was operating VHF analog at full giddyap when it just gave up. No smoke, no pop, no nothing. It just refused to make any measurable VHF power. 70CM output works fine. Its four years old and is one of a handful of rigs the owner has so its not abused at full power for hours of yacking on repeaters. He asked me to look at it. Looking at the schematic, both bands pass through the same mosfet for power. That ruled a bad "final". What I found was that a tiny coil, all of four turns and .125" round, was toasted and OFF it's pads. It was just laying near the pads, almost like it got blown off the board! I've emailed mother Yaesu to see if their is any history of this failure. I doubt I will get a response. I have yet to pull the PCB to check the underside for other damage.
Just thought I'd toss that out there, my web search didn't find anything about VHF power issues so I figured Id post something....
*** Update, I've pulled the board and the underside looks fine. I've replaced the coil and the 3 relays. To access one of the relays, the shield has to be unsoldered. When I removed it I found that all eight 10 ohm resistors in the gate bias circuit were also fried.
Back to Yaesu for more cheap parts.
As aways.... ymmv !! |
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| KF4HR |
Rating: |
2021-01-16 | |
| Nice radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I use my FTM-100D exclusively as my Wires-X Node radio. It's just a personal thing but I never push these Yaesu mobile radios to their max power output, but rather just use their low or med power settings. Even on its low power setting the unit will get a bit warm if keyed for long periods so I keep the unit mounted in the Yaesu SMB-201 Fan Cooling Mount. This keeps the radio plenty cool. Whenever I require high power I use its mid-power setting to drive an external amplifier. Two+ years of ownership and it has performed flawlessly. No complaints. |
|
| VE2TBC |
Rating: |
2020-06-21 | |
| Great quality but I hate it |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
This radio is definitely a quality radio. The audio, the construction, the screen, the APRS works great, detachable head etc...
But I hate the radio. There is way to much manipulation and button usage due to a poor decision made by the sofware interface programmers.
I do not know who is the unexperience person who decided that the mode (FM or C4FM) cannot be stored in memory.
When you choose FM, whole radio and therefore all memories are in the FM mode. If you decide to chose DN or VW, the complete memory bank is now in this mode.
So the mode is global, not per repeater or memory slot. Imagine that you are using a mix of analog and digital repeaters in memory. Every time you select a repeater of a different mode, you have to press the mode change button on average 3 times to configure to the correct mode.
Imagine now that you are mobile and you do that ... it is dangerous.
When you access WIRES-X via a memory stored repeater, when you exit to return to normal operations, the radio reverts to VFO and the mode is changed to DN AMS (DN with a bar on top). To return where you were, press memory and press mode. Again useless, extensive manipulation.
I purchased the FT-2DR and it it the same. I regret both purchases. I will not buy the FTM-400XDR for that reason. If the new FTM-300DR is the same, I will not buy.
The FT-70D and FTM-7250 do record the mode in memory and that excellent. Try to figure why radios from the same company operate differently. Some made by Yeasu some made by Vertex???
73 VE2TBC |
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| AC8FW |
Rating: |
2020-04-28 | |
| Very nice radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've used this radio in my shack for over a year. I'm very pleased with the way it operates. It works great on FM as well as C4FM. Receive seems superior to the ICOM ID-5100 sitting next to it. Far less fan noise compared to the ICOM. Works great as a packet radio. APRS works very well, but this isn't the radio to buy for APRS unless you can dedicate the radio to that function. I'd like to give the radio a 5, but I can't for 3 reasons. 1) No memory banks....really Yaesu, you can't put memory banks in this radio??? My FT-70DR has memory banks. I travel a lot for work and have resisted putting this in the car for that very reason. 2) Clunky programming with the Yaesu software. RT Systems is better, but not perfect. 3) I only have the FT-70 and the FTM-100, but you'd think accessing Wires-X functions on the local repeater would be the same on all Yaesu radios. Not so, it's different on both radios. I don't often change the repeater to a different room, nevertheless buttons labeled the same should have the same function even on different radios.
Even with the limitations, I rate the radio a 4. It performs well, and it's a great value. I'd give it a 5 if it had memory banks. It's in my truck now, so we'll see how it works in that environment. |
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| KC8P |
Rating: |
2020-04-28 | |
| C4FM Hiss/Static Noise - PDN Node |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Buyer beware! If you want to run this radio with the latest firmware as a PDN (Portable Digital Node) you may experience a hiss/static noise while receiving C4FM.
My FTM-100 came today from Yaesu service. They fixed it! They exactly know what the problem is, and they know how to fixed that (three resistors replaced), but if your radio is out of warranty they will charge you $35 + shipping, in my over $60! In my personal opinion this is not fair! It is a well-known problem with this model, it is an engineering and design defect, but Yaesu does NOT care nor admit that.... Looks like this my last piece of equipment I purchased from Yaesu.
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|
| VK2HEY |
Rating: |
2020-01-28 | |
| The microphone is junk |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Bought mine today. The first thing I did was look at the microphone, wary of the reviews saying the PTT switch is very light to operate. The PTT switch on the microphone supplied with my purchase was broken and here's why:
When I pulled the foam packaging out, I noticed that all the accessories are jammed into a very small space. Shaking my head in disgust at the flimsy PTT switch that wouldn't operate like a decent spring loaded type, I realised that when they package these things at the factory, the microphone is jammed in so tight that the PTT switch is forced in and remains there until the buyer takes ownership of it.
The inside of those microphones use a really flimsy microswitch with an actuating blade that does not return out properly and is too light to positively return the PTT actuator. To help it work properly, the chinese factory have inserted two spongy foam blocks - one on the microswitch blade and one at the hinge - in the hope that would supply enough tension to act as a return spring. Unfortunately, they pack the mics so hard into their packaging, that the PTT switch is forced into the TX position. From that moment on, those microphones are doomed and the foam blocks form a permanent crease in them and are compressed flat. As we've seen in previous reviews, it's assumed that's how they are supposed to work. You've got to be kidding me.
That microphone is the worst I've ever come across and no person with any experience with how microphones operate would accept it. I won't and tomorrow I'll be taking my FTM-100DR back to the shop and demanding my money back.
Yaesu, the radio might be fine and your production standards in Japan may be awesome. But like Icom, you let the whole show down by scoffing at the importance of the microphone - the actual transducer and switch that brings the unit to life. |
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| KC9IWE |
Rating: |
2019-09-27 | |
| Some highs and lows |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
One of the great things with the FTM-100D is its menu system is much more intuitive than previous radios. The radio works well, gives out a fine signal and "hears" well too. Keep in mind there is a lot going on with this radio requiring quite a manual (keep that thought in mind!)
Yaesu changed the way its front panel can be mounted so you need an adapter for existing Lido mounts.
I couldn't figure out why mine did not work with the local repeaters. (Long story short) Yaesu doesn't bother telling you that when it is in AMS (Automatic Mode Select) it defaults to digital (C4FM) which, of course, cannot be heard by analog repeaters.
And then there's the firmware upgrade which could be a cautionary tale about the manual and Yaesu's instructions: at a club meeting it took six Hams experienced with Yaesu Fusion radios to upgrade the firmware because THE INSTRUCTIONS WERE WRONG! Elecraft radios require a (single) click and a brief wait to upgrade firmware while Yaesu's 100D requires a room full of Hams, several pages of instructions and some freelancing. Not good.
Now that I've used the radio some I wish I had spent the extra dollars and purchased the FTM400 in order to have two VFOs but that's just because that's how my operating rolls. |
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