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Reviews For: Yaesu VX-150

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Hand-held

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Review Summary For : Yaesu VX-150
Reviews: 245MSRP: 170
Description:
2m Vertex / Yaesu 5W handheld.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
002454.7
NN7B Rating: 2003-09-25
Exceeds my Expectations Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have owned my VX-150 for two weeks. It has been in use several times a day and has gotten a full workout. It took five days to run the battery down the first time.

The rugged die-cast case is an excellent example of first-class engineering. After the first weekend, I had to buy a second one for my wife to replace her aging HTX-202 she's owned for seven years! The size is perfect, the receive audio is clear and strong. My ham friends cannot tell when I am using my VX-150 or my commercial GE mobile rig as the audio is excellent.

Programming is straight-forward and very simple. All features perform perfectly and I am proud to own this radio. It is only slightly better than my first new HT, a FT411E that I still wish I had.

This one gets my strongest recommendation! Professional quality and performance at a very affordable price! I hope they come out with a UHF version as well.
WB1BPV Rating: 2003-09-20
Still a Great Deal Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Okay, I have had the VX-150 for over a year now and couldn't be happier with it.I use it when traveling to the west coast I ususally listen to 2 meters(and check into any nets I can find) while trying to make contacts with my FT-817(which can be pretty frustrating in itself hihi).Might eventually trade it for a dual band, but for now, it is still the best bang for the buck.

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Earlier 4-star review posted by WB1BPV on 2002-04-18

I was looking for a radio to replace my FT-411E which I was giving to my Dad as his 411E has some problems with the battery connection.I received this little gem a few weeks ago and am really enjoying it.Instruction manual is fairly easy to understand after the 2nd read through.Nice display, Sturdy hard plastic case with heavy duty metal battery and efficient antenna.Clear audio.Running 1/2 watt with stock battery to hit a repeater 18 miles away.Nice filtering as I'm not hearing the pager services I heard with the 411E.I bought the VX-150 because almost every review I saw here was at least a 4/5.Only downfall is batteries are crappy nicads that die as you watch.I solved that by buying 2 1650mah batteries at http://www.mrnicd-ehyostco.com/hamradio.htm, only $39.95 each.Will be using this for Community Ham activities,Walkathons etc.Bought for $139.90 at Universal Radio.So, for about $225 I now have a new 2meter radio and 2 xtra batteries.Not a bad deal!!IF you want something cheap, but strong and are on a budget, pick up the VX-150.
KC0PVB Rating: 2003-09-19
Wonderful HT! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought my VX-150 only a couple of days ago, and yet I know more of it's features than advertised! For example, it WILL do tone scan, somthing that was (obviously) not advertised, unlike the IC-V8's case. It is made of die-cast aluminum, and the belt clip is SO much stonger than the V8's clip. The alpha-numeric display is nice to, as you can label your favorite freqencies. As for strength, it is guarenteed to fall 1 meter and live to tell the tale, however, one VX-150 fell of a water tower and survived! In conclusion, I think this is a very excellent radio. 73's KC0PVB
W1JIM Rating: 2003-09-07
Excellent - How can you go wrong? Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've only had my Vertex VX-150 for a short time but find the (especially for the price / $120 shipped from HRO) this is the perfect radio for me! I don't need the other bands, the belt clip is very stout and it is a well built / rugged radio. The only things I wish it had are a slightly larger display and that the front panel buttons where a little less sensitive. I guess I'll just make a habit of locking them when I don't need to switch them around.
While not as small as the VX5R and VX7R it is a fraction of the price. Also I like that I can build a simple cig lighter adapter to charge the battery on the go!
Another winner...
Jim B
W1JIM
KB9YUR Rating: 2003-08-28
Great Radio !!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The radio was purchased almost 2 years ago and has worked flawlessly on a daily
basis since. Whenever I visit Bridgman, MI, I can talk with most Chicago area
repeaters across the lake with no problems (usually a distance of at least 70-90 miles).
Since then I've purchased two more for my wife and the car as backup units.
For those that have had recent defective units, I would have them exchanged or
fixed. This is a rugged and highly capable radio and highly recommended.
George ...



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Earlier 5-star review posted by KB9YUR on 2003-01-25

More then a year ago, I had purchased my first
unit and use it on an almost daily basis. Since
then, I've purchased two additional units for
the car and backup. Two units were purchased
new at AES in Milwaukee and the other one
almost new at a local hamfest. Without adding
to the other positive comments so far, I'd
buy another one again. For those that got a
bad unit/lemon out of the box, I say return it
and get another one of the same kind. Maybe
quality control at Yaesu/Vertex is somewhat
lacking these days, but overall it's still a
great radio for the price.
KG6QPS Rating: 2003-08-27
Lemon or Garbage? Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I purchased my VX-150 in May of 2003. I have only used it to listen, I have never transmitted on it. The radio is not modified, In fact it has seldom been used at all because I live in a very small town and there just is not much going on here on 2 meters. This hardly used radio now has a serious problem. The following is part of the response I received from Yaesu:

"The problem is that the PLL circuit is going out on you. There is not a field fix for this. It is in need of service .If you wish to send it in for service see info below."

They also say to have it fixed under warranty I have to supply the original receipt. I did not save it. I saved the box and the warranty card, sent in the portion of the warranty card that I was supposed to send to them. But I guess that does not matter. So now I have wasted what is to me as a disabled veteran, a lot of money. It will cost more to fix at my cost than it is worth.

I don't know if I just got a rare lemon or if this is an example of the garbage they are producing now. It no longer matters to me as that was my last purchase of a Yaesu/Vertex product. I can't afford to waste my money on garbage like this.

Save your receipts!

Bob

KM6LN Rating: 2003-08-23
Great Handheld Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Picked up this handie at HRO for $119.99..Good price and well worth looking into. Nice sturdy feel and layout. Great sensitivity...worked simplex on low power over 5 miles in the city..very good signals on repeaters as well. Nice loud speaker.Used the radio off and on all week with only one charge.Great 1st or back-up radio..plus a beltclip that is truely useful!
KG4ZUD Rating: 2003-07-18
Great unit! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have had this unit for 3 months. It is my first radio after getting my ticket.

Overall, for a single-band 2m HT, this is a great unit. It is built like a tank and has almost every "gee whiz" that you could think of. I would give it a 4-1/2 stars, but I will round up to 5. The good points are very good, and the bad points are relatively minor. If you see them on sale again for less than $130, then run to the store and buy one!

***Good (best traits at top)***

1) 5 watts of output power with the stock batteries. Some bargain 2m HTs require either a power cable or an optional extra battery to get 5W. This one gives you 5W out of the box.

2) Wide-band receive (140 to 174MHz). Allows you to monitor weather and marine bands. Sorry - no aircraft band receive.

3) Lots of channels (200). What good is the extra receive is you have no place to hold the frequencies? I have mine loaded with ALL repeaters within 100 miles, all marine frequences, all weather frequencies, and still have room left over!

4) 7-character alpha tagging of the channels. This makes it easier to keep those 200 channels organized.

5) Digital and tone squelch transmit AND decode. Being able to decode tone and digital squelch is just what the doctor ordered for those simplex conversations.

6) Sturdy aluminum construction. Although not waterproof, this radio looks like it could survive being run over by a truck (not that I want to try it).

7) It features a REAL volume knob, and a REAL squelch knob. No button-poking to change either the volume or squelch.

8) Backlit buttons. Makes dark operation easier. Note that only the buttons glow. The text printed above the buttons will still be illegible in the dark.

9) Beefy manly belt clip. It works, and it would take a LOT of abuse to get it to break. It can be a slight pain at times to get the radio off, though. So a separate speaker/mic night not be a bad idea.

10) Large speaker with nice audio output. Transmitted audio is nice too.

11) Stock antenna works well. It even receives weather and marine channels nicely.

***Bad*** (most annoying at the top)**

1) The supplied battery is a 700mAh NiCad! I think that a package of capacitors would give more run time. To supply 1800mAh NiMH batteries would have increased manufacturing costs by approximately $10.00. Note that an aftermarket 1750mAH NiMH is available for *well* under $50.

2) No actual battery meter on the display. The only way to monitor the battery is throgh a menu selection, and this gives you the raw battery voltage! If the battery reads 7.3V, is this battery strong, or close to death? You will have to know this type of information. Also, if you do not actively check the voltage occasionaly, then your battery will die without warning. You also cannot easily tell when the battery is finished charging.

3) The menus could have been organized better. A heirarchial menu system would have required one extra button press, but would have been much easier to learn. But AFAIK, every HT has the same problem.

4) No freeware programming software is available. Even if you already have or can make your own cable, you will have to pay money for the software.

5) Size and weight. Because the battery pack uses 6 AA-size cells, this HT is large and heavy. At least half of the weight is the batteries.

6) Difficult battery clip. It is almost impossible to remove the batteries with your bare hands. And if you use a metal object to open the clip, you may scratch it. I use the blunt end of a plastic ballpoint pen to remove the battery.
KG4WLP Rating: 2003-07-09
Will buy another Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I agree with all of the positive comments previosly stated. I can talk on a mountain top repeater 50 miles away on 2 watts no problem with
the stock antenna. Battery life is good. Built like a brick. Got mine for $150. Good value at that price. If you see it for $100 or less don't even think...just buy it. Programming is not too bad especially if your familiar with Yeasu products.
N1RSS Rating: 2003-04-16
Great audio, very rugged. Good rubber duck. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought mine new on eBay, and it included a NiMh battery and the desktop charger, which is very handy. The NiMh has a lot more power reserve than the NiCad, understandably. The rubber duck seems especially good (as far as RD's go) and is almost as good as the 17" aftermarket Comet I bought for it - just finished a nice QSO on a repeater 33 miles away, using only 2 watts, sitting on a chair in my front yard, using the 7" rubber duck. Not too shabby! Had a long QSO earlier this morning to a repeater about 4 miles away, while out walking my dogs, again using only the rubber duck and running at only 0.5 watts. No complaints there either!

The controls are easy to use and the audio is great (for an HT) with plenty of volume. VERY mechanically rugged unit, as many others have mentioned. Doesn't appear to have much intermod problems either.

Highly recommended.