| KC0LPX |
Rating:  |
2001-12-18 | |
| Buy another radio ! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Bought one the third week of November to use as a base station. Took it back the second week of December because the unit would "freeze" during memory scan mode and would not respond to keypad input or channel selector input. It just kept on scanning. After several minutes of trying to input, it would finally halt on a channel but the freq. and channel would be out of sync. I would have to index it around before the channel number and freq would be properly synched. The first one was a "Yellow/Red Dot" unit.
The second unit (also a 7100M) was a "Blue Dot". It displayed the same problems and intermod was as bad on it as the first. I switched it with the Kenwood TM-G707A in the vehicle and found that the Kenwood, although rated the same output, had much better range than the Yaesu on the same ground plane. I deem the Yaesu was underpowered. Took it back to the dealer and received a full refund. No more Yaesu for me. I am appalled at the lack of Q.C. in these radios. For the price you would think you could get a decent product. The name should stand on it's own but it is far from a quality product that Yaesu is famous for.
Today I ordered the Alinc DR-605TQ. It too is a true dual-band unit and has the added bonus of X-band repeater. After a few weeks of testing it I will post a review on it's performance in the proper category. Not as many frillies with the Alinco but it's reputation has remained steadfast. |
|
| N4QD |
Rating: |
2001-12-07 | |
| If it only had a receiver |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Just purchased the FT-7100M, mainly for the price and the features, but the receiver is as bad as everyone says, totally useless as a base, acceptable I guess for a mobile, as long as repeaters are spaced out pretty well and no paging transmitters close. The only other thing I can complain about is the speaker, I purchased an external speaker immediately. The radio otherwise is excellent, great features, easy to use, good transmit audio, if only the receiver were the same. |
|
| KC5TLP |
Rating: |
2001-11-07 | |
| Unsatisfactory Audio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
My 7100 has the poorest audio output of any radio I have ever had, it sounds as though it is extremely overdriven, and overmodulated.
A friend of mine bought the same radio at about the same time I got mine and his has the same audio problem.
I have read reviews on this radio on other internet sites, and they all complain of poor audio problems. Does Yaesu have a fix for this? I am waiting to see. If not I will not purchase another Yaesu product. Jim Bauer KC5TLP |
|
| KD6OIZ |
Rating: |
2001-10-21 | |
| Great radio, esp for the price. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I'm yet another one of thoughs folks who bought the radio due to the price. I really wanted a 8500, but HRO showed them as discontinued, and then told me the 7100 had dropped in price to $280, plus I got a $20 off due to an HRO sale at the time. Needless to say I bought the radio before researching it based on price to features.
After using it for about 2 months now I'd have to say I'm very pleased with it. Its pretty small, and the remote head is nice... though I think the head is alittle deeper than I would prefer. Also, the remote mounting kit for the head is a complete rip off, its just RJ wire and a plastic bracket the head fits nicely into and some tape for $80 (EIGHTY!!!).
The intermod problems are true and false. Yes intermod is a problem but PL Decode helps with that. The intermod isn't obsenly bad, but its not crystal clear. A filter would probly help alot. However, putting the radio in UHF-UHF or VHF-VHF mode ( a major selling point! ) is USELESS! The intermod problem that normally isn't an issue suddenly becomes unbearable. I ONLY use this mode if, a) I have too, b) I'm using PL decode on BOTH frequencies, and c) no one is in the car.
The RJ connected mic has issues too. Any amount of pulling on the mic will pull out the connector just enough to keep it from working properly, and talking to a disconnected mic really stinks. I've made it a habit to push in the connector from time to time.
The dual squench and volume controls are PRICELESS! I love this feature. And the Alphanumberics on memories is nice too, though being limited to 5 characters on the primary band is really lame.
The PL seach is nice too, but only seems to work half the time, even on repeaters with PL on the output. Even then its often slow to find.
One interesting feature that took me awhile to find is that power settings are saved into each memory setting... this can be really handy if you know its there.
All and all, this is a good radio. For the features and functionality at the $260-$280 range you just can't beat it. Even with all its problems. Untill a dual bander that really has some features (ie: Kenwood D700) comes down below the $400 range your not going to beat this guy.
At $490 I wouldn't dream of touching this radio, but at $280 its just right. I recommend the radio. |
|
| KG6FGM |
Rating: |
2001-10-16 | |
| no band limit memories |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I want to tell all who own a 7100m that the 'programmable band limit' feature listed on page 37 is non existant.
It will only one band not 5. It scans the lowest freq.
(L1 through L5) all the way through the highest freq. programed in any (U1 through U5) you get 1 band not 5.
There is no current fix for this feature as of Oct.16-2001 which is too bad since this is a major feature for my needs.
My other Yaesu radios feature work fine but not the 7100m.
When scanning the "helicopter" noise heard can be fixed when you send it in. from what I've been told.
My 7100m radio has the colored dots on the box but still has a excessive intermod problem.
Just thought you'd like to know there is no "band scan" feature as advertised. |
|
| former_W9FE |
Rating: |
2001-10-07 | |
| Terrilble Terrible |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I installed this radio in my truck in the dealers parking lot.
I was no more than 2 miles from the store when I heard the scanning noise, thought it was some local intermod (had already noticed intermod problem)
Thought all this was something local as I was in an industrial area. Almost took it back and should have.
Has a lot of bells and whistles for the price but it has some real problems.
Will take this back tomorrow and ask for my money
to be returned.
Wish I had read the articles posted here before I bought a radio.
If these are radios that have been sent back and redone, then the first ones must have been really bad.
My third Yaesu, the other two qualified for frequent flyer mileage. Time for a Kenwood or Icom.
|
|
| KC2GKL |
Rating: |
2001-09-27 | |
| An excellent value at the current sale price... |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
FT-7100M Review by KC2GKL
I'll admit, after reading many of the negative reviews here on Eham,
I was very reluctant about purchasing Yaesu's FT-7100M. The deciding
factor for me to finally go ahead & purchase the radio was that
Yaesu recently increased their discount coupon on this model.
Previously, this radio sold for around $439, but with Yaesu's
$150 discount coupon, the radio is now being offered for around $290,
depending of course which supplier you look at. At this attractive
price and considering the impressive list of features this radio
offers, I personally feel the radio is an excellent value.
The FT-7100M offers some very nice features, some of which are;
PL/DPL, Alpha Tags, 262 memory channels, DTMF mic, direct frequency
entry via the microphone, detachable face, 50w out on 2m, 35w out on
440, and also has wide receive frequency coverage. The FT-7100M also
allows the user to set options independently for each band.
In several of the reviews I've read here on Eham, there was mention
of colored dots placed on the serial number sticker on the outside
of the box. Apparently these dots signify if the radio has been
reworked by Yaesu. From what I understand a yellow dot indicates
the radio has been corrected for an excessive intermod problem
that was reported on some of the earlier models. My particular unit
had both a yellow and a red dot.
I have been using the radio daily for the past 3 weeks now.
Most of my time operating the radio is during my daily commute to
and from my job. When not chatting on the local repeaters, I use
the radio to monitor many of my local police, fire and public service
frequencies. I can honestly say that I have NOT experienced many of
the problems others have commented on during this period. While I do
notice some very minor intermod, it's only noticeable while the squelch
is left open. I found the best way to alleviate this problem is to use
the RF squelch feature which is accomplished in the setup MENU. I
have mine set for an S-3 level, which means that a signal must be at
least an S-3 or higher to break open the squelch. Since many of the
local repeaters are near, or at full scale, this does not pose a
problem for me. Similar results may be obtained by manually rotating
the squelch for the same level.
To be quite honest, I've noticed intermod on just about every other
dual bander that I have ever owned. I would rate the FT-7100M as
average in its ability to reject intermod. It's certainly no worse
then any of my previous experiences with other radios that I've owned
in the past. It's also important to note that I live in northern NJ,
a location that contains a considerable amount of interference.
Intermod may not be an issue at all for those who live well outside
city limits.
While the radio itself is fairly small, it does contain a large, easy
to read orange backlit "omi-glow", LCD display. The display brightness
is fully adjustable. I found however, that it is just about perfect
when left on the brightest, or default setting. The default display
indicates "Main" frequency, "Sub" frequency, but this can be changed
to display Input DC voltage, or a CW ID message along with the "Main"
frequency. The display options are performed in the radio's setup
MENU.
There are 8 control buttons on the face of the radio, 4 of which are
located to the left of the display, the other 4 are located just to
the right of the main dial selector. It is very important to remember
that the front panel buttons perform dual tasks. A "press" of a
button will perform one task, yet while "pressing and holding" the
same button will perform another task. For more customized settings
the user must go into the setup MENU.
The four buttons to the left on the display are labeled as follows:
BAND-(band selection), V/M-(VFO/Memory toggle), HOME-(home channel
recall), & MHZ-(enables 1 Mhz or 10 Mhz tuning). The buttons to the
right of the main dial selector control POWER-(on/off), LOW- (output
power selection, Low, Mid2, Mid1 or Hi), REV-(swap input/output, PRI)
& TONE-(Encode/Decode/DCS selection).
I can see where the radio may appear to be somewhat difficult to
operate initially, but with a minimum amount of time spent reading
the user manual, anyone can master this radio with little effort. I
believe many of the problems others have reported is in fact due to
the operator NOT reviewing the manual before operating this radio. I
highly recommend that any new user should spend time studying the
dual function features of each front panel button, as well as,
familiarize oneself with the selections in the setup MENU.
When inside the setup MENU, which is accomplished by pressing and
holding the BAND button, many settings can be selected via rotating
the main tuning dial. As you scroll through each setting, its
associated name will appear on the display. To modify any selection,
stop on the selection you wish to change, press the BAND button and
then rotate the main dial knob to select various options for that
setting. When your finished, press and hold the BAND button to save
your change(s) and to exit.
The FT-7100M can monitor VHF/UHF simultaneously, VHF/VHF, or
UHF/UHF. The "Sub" band has its own independent set of volume
and squelch controls, as does the Main, or if you wish, you can
MUTE the "Sub" band completely. Alpha tags can also be applied to
each memory channel, but only during the storing of a frequency.
There are many characters that can be selected, though I didn't see
any lower case characters to choose from. While viewing the Alpha
tags, the displayed frequency is replaced by the tag, but you can
toggle off the Alpha tags to re-display the frequency.
The internal speaker seems to provide adequate sound. To me the
audio quality seemed to sound a bit "hollow". The sound quality did
improve dramatically however when an external speaker was attached.
The radio's receiver section is quite sensitive, and seems to pull
in signals without much difficulty. I also like the fact this radio
has several selectable output power settings which can be set
independently on each band. Some dual band transceivers only have a
low and a high output power setting. All of the many various settings
can be stored in the radio's 262 memory slots.
Scan speed appears to be fairly rapid. Channels can also be
skipped if their busy and there are also different methods of
resuming a scan after it stops on an active channel. I haven't
noticed any peculiar "popping sounds", as had been recently
reported. Scanning appears fast and is quiet until a station is
received.
The radio is equipped with DPL as a standard feature. Many other
radios offer this feature only as an option. For myself, to get
this as a standard feature is an added bonus. Unfortunately
however, the radio cannot due cross-band, but for myself this is
not really that important, for others this may be the deciding
factor.
I haven't had any negative comments about my transmit audio as others
have commented on. Some said their audio was reported to be tinny, or
"rumbly". There is a narrow TX mic setting in the setup MENU. I left
mine on the default setting. The hand mic is lightweight, but does
have a fairly solid feel to it. I believe it is the same mic that is
supplied with Yaesu's other popular transceivers, such as the FT-90
and their FT-100D.
The supplied DTMF hand mic allows the user to access several of the
more commonly used features on the radio via the programmable P1-P4
keys. Each of these mic keys can be configured to the users likings
via the setup MENU. I found that when these keys were programmed to
my personal tastes it made using the radio much more enjoyable, as
it allowed me to make changes without the need to re-enter the setup
MENU or the need for me to play around with any of the front panel
buttons. This is especially handy if you need to keep both hands
on your steering wheel. The supplied mic is also backlit, which
becomes convenient at night. The mic also allows for direct frequency
entry or for direct memory channel recall.
The face or head of the radio can be remotely mounted, but I cannot
comment on this as I do not have a need for this feature at this time.
The head did slide off smoothly and easily when the side lever was
depressed. To complete the remote mounting you'll need to purchase
Yaesu's optional mounting kit.
There are many other features and settings which I won't get into
detail about here. I think that you get the general idea of what
the radio is like and what it has to offer. I tried to comment on
the more important features and operation.
In general. I'm pleased with my FT-7100M purchase. Again, at the
current reduced price this radio has become a very good value.
If you're looking for a durable dual bander that offers DPL, and
many other nice features, this is certainly one to consider. Again,
if you need cross-band, this radio won't be the one for you.
Thanks for taking the time to read my review. I hope its of some use.
73
Gary
KC2GKL
|
|
| KD5PNM |
Rating: |
2001-09-24 | |
| Great Radio for price |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Well let me begin by saying I purchased this radio with some skepticism due to reports of bad intermod and some reports of poor transmit audio. So for the price I decided to use the FT 7100M as a base station. I agree the radio is pretty sensitive but I have not had much problems with intermod. My radio had a yellow and red dot on the box whatever that correlates to I do not know. I have had great reports of clear and full quieting transmissions and this radio is hooked up to a ringo dual bander. When using the radio for scanning I did not get the annoying popping that other folks have reported. I have used with Packet and that seems to work fine as well. So I guess I got a good one. Basically this radio wins out on the price value scale...if other companies had same radio for same price point might have been a different decision. Overall so far very pleased. |
|
| N3ST |
Rating: |
2001-09-21 | |
| Poor |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Although the radio has plenty of nice features, it does have several problems.
1. Poor quality transmit audio.
2. Transmit signal is susceptable to road vibrations. The problem presents itself as "rumbling" on the transmit audio. Also happens on a dummy load.
3. After transmitting on high power during normal conversation, after several minutes the receive audio gets very distorted and the squelch noise is also distorted. I am using an external speaker of the correct impedance. When on lower power there is no problem.
This is the second radio I've had. The first one had the same problems. The transmit "rumbling" is not as bad on the second one though.
I have not had any issues with the intermod as many others have had.
I'm waiting for a response from the dealer and Yaesu to see if these problems can be addressed. If I am not convinced, I am going to request an Icom or Kenwood.
73,
Bryan N3ST |
|
| EI5FK |
Rating: |
2001-09-07 | |
| FT-8100 LINKED |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
My FT-8100R is no better, I am on my 3rd one in 3 years, the most unreliable rig I have had, Yaesy will sell me no more rigs, the on off switch on the FT-847 is terrible, the supposed repair done by Yaesu UK is a disgrace considering the rig was away for repair for over 3 months and all they did was solder a bit of wire across the poles of the switch
Terrible service
Charles EI5FK |
|
