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Reviews For: Yaesu FTM-7250DR

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Base/Mobile (non hand-held)

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FTM-7250DR
Reviews: 42MSRP: 269.95
Description:
C4FM/FM 144/430MHz Dual-Band Digital Mobile
50W C4FM/FM Dual-Band Digital
Product is in production
More Info: http://https://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=106&encProdID=A2FF443FFA7DE7C16072D3EBEC69D19A&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
24423.9
KD8DVR Rating: 2020-12-17
Very good mobile rig. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Yaesu FTM-7250D Review



I purchased the FTM-7250D for a new mobile rig for my recently acquired car. I wanted something with the required features and yet was simple to operate. This radio fit those standards perfectly.

Initially, I entered my callsign, then began programming. Programming this radio from the front panel was a snap. I've got about 15 memories now.

Operation is easy, this radio is not a "busy" radio like some others.

Transmitted audio is great. Received audio on analog is loud enough for mobile operation. I've found, however, on digital operation, the volume is, in some cases very difficult to hear in a moving vehicle.

The radio has a 5, 25, and 50 watt power level. This is sufficient in all cases to make repeaters and simplex contacts. The radio has never overheated. A cooling fan is on the radio and it is very quiet.

What I did not like: Yaesu does not supply a programming cable or programming software. You must pay for RT Systems, if you want computer programming. Fortunately, I don't have a lot of stuff to program; but I'm sure, others do. Also, you cannot delete a memory channel from the front panel. You must overwrite it or leave it be.

All in all, a very good radio. I do recommend it.
K6ELV Rating: 2020-12-15
Decent radio for the price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
For the money, this is great radio. 50 watt dual bander with digital is hard to beat for under $250, cost is on par with Chinese 50 watt dual-band radios (such as the TH-7800 and UV-50X2) but you are getting a name brand Japanese radio plus the addition of C4FM digital. This is a great starter mobile radio especially if you want to delve into digital.

The good:
- Front-firing speaker. Speaker won't be blocked based on mounting orientation and will always be facing you. Speaker is loud enough to do the job and digital is relatively natural sounding and is not overly robotic or hard to understand like on some other radios. Make sure to go into the menu and turn "VW" mode ON as it will give the best fidelity on digital mode (it is off by default).
- Wide receiver coverage from 108 - 500+mhz with no gaps. Can receive AM aircraft band as well as the 220mhz ham band. A nice touch.
- Automatic mode select is nice so you don't have to manually switch the radio between analog FM and C4FM digital mode.

The not so good:
- You can tell Yaesu cut some corners on the build quality, the top cover of the radio is plastic and the microphone feels cheap and has a thin cord compared to other radios, although the radio itself is heavy and is actually made in Japan NOT China.
- Radio is all one-piece and the front face cannot be detached. I am using this as a base radio in my shack so it isn't a big deal to me, but if you plan on using this radio mobile that might be an issue.
- The radio uses a cooling fan, I much prefer the design of older radios that used larger heat-sinks and were passively cooled (such as the FT-2900). The fan adds more noise in your shack (not a big deal if using the radio mobile) and it is another possible failure point (fan bearings wear out overtime, etc). The radio is smaller in size and more compact however compared to older fanless radios.
- No physical squelch knob, however many modern radios are going this way. This radio is mostly set and forget so it isn't that big of a deal.
- Small display compared to other radios, smaller than the display on my 15-year old Icom.
- NOT USB programmable and requires paid software to program with a PC. The USB port on the back of the radio does NOT work for programming and a special cable must be purchased separately and the only programming software that works with this radio isn't free. This is UNACCEPTABLE for a radio in 2020. Even my 15-year-old Icom is programmable with free CHIRP software. I guess with the low price tag of this radio Yaesu has to make money somehow. At least the radio is relatively easy to program by hand except for the fact that you cannot "delete" memories. There are also two different manuals for this radio instead of one.
N9EZF Rating: 2020-12-10
Simple Fusion/FM radio that works great! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Excellent C4FM/Fusion radio! Very simple to program the memories. I watched a You Tube video and I didn't have any problem programming this radio. I did have to adjust the mic. gain in the menu but I get complements on the C4FM audio. I also found the Advanced Owners Manual that I downloaded from Yaesu answered alot of my questions about the radio. I found the audio from the front firing speaker is clear and plenty loud for my shack. I have had no problem connecting to Wires-X rooms once I read the Advanced Manual. Overall it is a great radio!
W9WLW Rating: 2020-12-09
Terrific No-Thrills Radio that Supports C4FM Fusion Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I unpacked the radio and installed in my car, and in a matter of five minutes I was able to work local FM repeaters as well as C4FM Fusion repeaters. The menu system is very simple to use if you are familiar with Yaesu radios.

The front firing speaker provides excellent audio in a mobile setting. I also receive excellent transmit audio reports with the stock microphone. The radio has a very good front-end design to the receiver which lessens interference from paging systems the bleed over on the 70 CM band.

For the price and simplicity it is a very good "set and forget" radio to use in a mobile environment where you do not want to look down and attempt to work your way through various menus like you might do in a more sophisticated radio. To me... that means the FTM-7250DR is a safe radio to use by lessening your distraction while driving.
VE3TMT Rating: 2020-12-09
Plain & simple, no issues here. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
After dabbling in DMR radio a few years ago and losing interest (I see quite a few of my Nextion screen designs out there in one form or another!), I decided to try C4FM after seeing one of our local repeaters had gone 100% digital. I picked up a Yaesu FT-70DR and had no issue setting it up on the repeater. You put your call sign in the settings and dial the offset just like any other repeater. The repeater has no tone, so that part was not required. I also liked the handheld due to it's wide range RX coverage including the air band.

I liked the FT-70DR so much in fact, I bought the FT-7250 to use as a base radio. Most of the same features and specs as the HT. Again, accessing the local C4FM repeater was as simple as putting my call sign in the settings and away I went. There is also a C4FM node in town and I have used that quite a bit with the 7250 as well.

The RX audio is perfect from the front firing speaker. I hooked up a JVC external speaker but quickly removed it because the internal speaker sounded better. I get great audio reports on both regular FM and C4FM. I would go as far as to buy a second one for the car.

No regrets here.

Max
VE3TMT
DH4SC Rating: 2020-12-09
Worst piece ever !!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have never given a bad review to whatever.....everything has its pros and cons.
But this radio.......
I was so excited to get a new dual band transceiver to replace my old one and have the benefit of a new communication mode C4FM.
At first, simple FM mode works as expected so far, but audio ist bad: RX with the build in speaker sounds awful and the TX audio seems to be very narrowbanded and ..... Whatever.... Got complaints on the local repeaters right after joining a group.
Then I tried to get on air in digital C4FM mode. I took the manual and started to read about how to do settings.....and I read it again and again and again.....but I did not understand a single word. So I asked some friends to help me - with the same result.....no one of them had an idea of what Yaesu wants to to tell us with this manual.
The day ended with packing the radio into it's box to send it back to the seller's shop.
This radio is a total waste of money and lifetime.
Sorry, but is this really a Yaesu product???? I have never been so disappointed with a radio.
N4ZTA Rating: 2020-10-25
Great no-frills dual band with YSF Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
For under $230, you get a full power, JAPAN made dual bander with basic System Fusion digital capability, a 3 year warranty, and easy to use simple controls. Front firing speaker gives solid audio.

What really impresses me in the RX sensitivity on analog FM. I have the 7250 in my bedroom shack, aside my Icom 9700, running thru an Alpha Delta switch, to a Diamond X-300 via 50feet of LMR400. The 7250DR will hear distant repeaters on both 2m and 440 that the 9700 struggles to (yes the pre-amp is ON). Keep in mind the 9700 only costs around $1300 more..

Radio is easy to program with Chirp and a $15 cable. I highly recommend this versus some garbage pail one chip wonder CCR with muffled, low audio and a wideband front end that get desensed by wireless routers. For not a lot of money, one can have a FOR REAL radio with plenty of power for getting into repeaters, and good sensitivity for simplex ops.

Yaesu really hit a home run with this radio.
VE7REN Rating: 2020-10-24
nice simple dualbander Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
this is a update to my earlier jan 10 2020 review. overall I like the radio.looks a bit cheap,and does not have a scan function on the front of the radio,have to use the mic. been using yaesu for many years and find yaesu seems to be taking the cheaper path. looks,and overall build has gone down . the radio is simple to use,great speaker. I do wish it had the orange display as in the ftm3200,but I knew this going in. overall one of the better dualbanders I have ever owned. the mic is the SAME mic yaesu has been using for years! overall I give it a 4 1/2. I wish the lcd was a little larger.
N4QAD Rating: 2020-10-24
Winlink Repeater Radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Bought this radio to be a local winlink repeater and to check in to local nets. Never could get it to work. Locks up after trying to change anything. Hard lock. Can't change any settings. Usually happens in less than 60 seconds. Factory reset and nothing. Hoping it would be as long-lasting as my ftm-400xdr or ft-2dr. Dead out of box.
B1LCO Rating: 2020-06-10
No Way!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Upon opening the box I knew I had made the wrong choice. It looked to me that the $209 price was about $120 more than it is worth. Truly it looks like a POS just sitting on my table. Wow. Add another 100 bucks and I should have purchased a D-Star true dual Band. This radio must be a joke from Yaesu, wait for a hamfest and get one for 50 bucks. please do not waste your hard earned cash on this toy.
Powered up the cracker jack, started programming the local repeaters according to operators manual. So, the closest Fushion repeater is about 8 miles away, did not open it. user error i figured, watched umteen videos on programming the joke. Did a factory reset and tried again. add laugh here. Mic does not key up numerical digits (1,2,3...) when identifying frequencies in the memory, so use the vfo knob. If a Fushion repeater is operating both Analog and Digital i am finding that memory has to be programmed as analog just to open the repeater. Yeasu this is the last time I purchase a radio with your name on it. Back to Kenwood they make a great radio. by the way i have (4) 2m moblie radios, 3 of which are Yaesu and a Kenwood tmV71a, all three Yaesu 's are not worth the v71.