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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-65R

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-65R
Reviews: 44MSRP: $169
Description:
The FT-65R is a very compact, ruggedly constructed
Handheld VHF/UHF with three selectable power settings 5W
/ 2.5W / .5W allowing each user to select the power they
need. The big front speaker provides a full 1 watt of
crisp, clear audio quality. The unit comes supplied with
a 1950mAh Li-ion battery pack capable of over 9 hours of
operation, with an optional higher capacity 2500mAh Li-
ion battery for over 11.5 hours of operating time. A 2.5
hour rapid charger comes standard, making the transceiver
ready to operate at any time. Our newly designed large
white LED displays are vibrant and highly visible. Four
Quick Recall Keys (QRK) are user programmable to
instantly recall favorite channels with just the push of
a button. VOX operation is available with the optional
Earpiece Microphone SSM-512B. Other useful features
included: versatile scanning capabilities such as
Programmable VFO Scan, Memory Scan, Priority Channel
Scan, and Weather Alert Scan, WX Channels with "Severe
Weather" Alert, PC Programming, Transceiver-to-
Transceiver Cloning, FM Broadcast Receiver, Automatic
Range Transponder System (ARTS), CTCSS/ DCS Operation,
Busy Channel Lockout (BLCO), Automatic Power Off feature,
and Transmitter Time Out Timer (TOT).
Product is in production
More Info: http://yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=111&encProdID=79E6683CC766565D2CB197C293AB6219&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
25444
K5INI Rating: 2023-01-22
Basic but it does everything well Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I didn't need the touch screens, etc so I went with
this model. Basically old school but it does everything
I wanted to do on 2/440 and best of all, it was on sale.
W4SJC Rating: 2023-01-06
My first non-BaoFeng HT Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I'm really glad I took the step up and got this HT. The audio is crisp, it's compact and I can still use it for ARES and not worry about a big loss in the event of damage. It is a nice little radio.
N5OFF Rating: 2022-06-02
Great basic HT Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Skip the Baofeng and get a FT-65R due to build quality. I've been a ham for 35 yrs and had lots of HTs. Recently I used Baofengs due to price but I got a FT-65R due to curiosity about how the big3 radios were built lately. I'm impressed with this radio and think it is a great fit for a basic analog repeater user like me and esp for the price of $89. I really only use 1 repeater in my town and one simplex frequency. This radio was a snap to program; no need for a computer and a lot easier than Baofeng. For ex. the repeater offset is automatic based on frequency and the CTCSS setup is logical. Also the build quality is much better than Baofeng e.g. the volume control and body are much tougher. If you are so inclined the TX freq range can be unlocked using a simple code but I've never used that. The only beef I had was with the manual regarding the battery removal. The manual says to slide the battery down (which does not work). You have to lift the lower part of the battery up which works FB once you figure it out. In summary I really like it and will buy a second one for my ham-son.
N7WR Rating: 2022-03-17
Jury is still out Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The first FT 65R I bought was when they first came on the market and I bought it for my son N6GQB who lives in southern Colorado. He spends a lot of time riding horseback in the San Juan mountains and is also a SAR volunteer. On SAR missions he has a Sheriff's Department radio and a SPOT but also wanted to have ham radio capability using area repeaters. We programmed in a number of repeaters in the region including some in Northern New Mexico. It worked great.

Fast forward to recently when I decided to replace two old and tired HT's--one for my wife KU7SA and I. I bought two new FT 65Rs. Compared to my old and tired HTs the 65Rs definitely do not hear as well nor do they appear to transmit as well. Repeaters that I can solidly access on the old HTs are marginal with the 65Rs. My suspicion is that the problem is not so much the transceiver but the "rubber duck" antennas. I am looking to replace them with after market antennas and until I do the jury is still out on the 65Rs. They are a great size and solidly built BUT coverage is the issue
W4ZMJ Rating: 2022-01-24
Good but one issue. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought the ft-65 few days ago. At first I was a little skeptical. I thought it might be another baofeng. To my surprise it's actually better than what I thought. It's not a high-end radio, but it'll get the job done. On the receive it works quite well for a direct conversion. For entry-level radio I would recommend it for a new ham. I have one issue with the radio that I've noticed so far. When I am scanning the memory channels. The DCS will not decode. The ctcss will. This is only when in memory scan. We have a few repeaters in my area that use DCS so I'm not sure if anybody has ever experienced this anywhere else. I am lucky that I can cut the DCS off on the receive side. This is about the only gripe I have about the radio. I may update further if I experience any other problems. This is for some of the people out there that are skeptical about this radio. I would rate this radio a few steps above a baofeng. I compared the receiver to my Yaesu ft 70. The results that I found was that the ft70 receiver was slightly better. But I wouldn't give the ft-65 a thumbs-down. I have a new update . The connect systems CS 750 speaker mic work with this radio. The speaker Is the CSI-214 microphone.
M7DUN Rating: 2022-01-06
Skip the Baofeng, spend your money on the Yaesu Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I had a UV-5R that treated me well. After a few years, it gave up the ghost. Initially, I wanted to replace it with the same, but I decided to spend a bit more. I'm glad I did.

I picked up mine for around £75, a more than the £25 I spent on the Baofeng, but it meant I could use my collection of antennas with it.

First up, much better build quality. It feels sturdy, like a properly built product. It's got a good weight to it and the PTT button feels really good.

The filtering is so much better. It works with CHIRP and the speaker is strong. I'm hitting the same repeaters I previously did, but my audio quality is so much better.

Plus, it has a 3.5mm jack. Useful if I just want to listen and use my own headphones.

This handheld is worth it if you're just starting out or wanting to switch away from the Baofeng. Plus, it comes with a warranty. Always good to have in your back pocket.
KK4JW Rating: 2021-10-22
BEST HT for under $100! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I'm not going to bash the ol' trusty Baofeng HT's that many hams got thier start with (I still love mine!) but if you want a "real" radio, you will not find a better deal on a VHF/UHF dual bander than this right here. The Yaesu FT65 is a little HT that's comparable in size to the Baofeng UV-82, but is 100 times more solid and quality. I can't belive Yaesu is selling these for under $100 honestly.

No, they're not digital capable or any of that fancy stuff - just basic analog FM VHF/UHF - but for some of us, that's all we care about. The FT65 is happy hanging on your belt if you're hiking, working in the garden, camping, or even just couched out in the living room yapping on your local repeater with some friends. They're also rugged little units. I've dropped mine more than once and it comes back up asking for more.

Super easy to program from the keypad on the front, you guys who like field programmability will appreciate that. The included rubber antenna is "adequate" and seems to work okay for what it is - you might want to look at upgrading to a better one though in the future. Battery also holds charge well, and will last me several days of casual monitoring and chatting.

I really love the belt clip though, honestly. It's heavy duty. It's thicker and well made and just feels like a nice touch of quality.

Overall, I give it 5 stars just because it's an insane value. I'd expect an HT of this quality and function to go for $75-$80 more in today's market. If you're a new ham and looking for a first HT, you will not go wrong with this one. If you're an old ham and looking for a workhorse that will serve you well, you won't go wrong either.
W9JTC Rating: 2021-08-20
Daily Carry HT Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a very solid HT. The receive is so much better than the chinese radios. I compared it to a Baofeng UV-9r Plus and this radio receives better and sounds way better. The stock antenna is ok but replaced with Nagoya NA-701. The difference is notable. This is now my daily carry. Mine was made in Japan. I think the early ones were in China.
KO4CAI Rating: 2021-01-04
Questionable quality control Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
A basic HT that does exactly what I need it to do. It can also get crazy loud if that's your thing. Questionable quality control.

Previous review:
I went through two different FT-65s from Gigaparts, both had a consistent 4kHz tone whenever the speaker was active regardless of my physical location (inside, outside, walking around). I bought this ht because of its lower price point and name brand, but the price keeps going up $10 every return I make due to shipping. Quite a few others are experiencing the same exact issue. I should have probably just gone for a cheapo $25 baofeng as my first radio instead of this.
KN4YNV Rating: 2020-09-12
Excellent Choice for a New Technician Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This was my first new Ham purchase. Great build quality. I have been using in my car for the last year and it works flawlessly. Battery life for me has been great and the standby time is 2-3 weeks. I use the radio about 30 minutes to 1 hour per day. Its is paired with a tiny Vocom 30 watt brick amp that enables me to hit repeaters full quiet. I always receive great audio reports with or without the extra amp. The only thing I would prefer is a knob for squelch instead of a menu setting. If you recently got your ticket this would be an excellent first radio. I think they are $79 now and you can't beat a 3 year warranty