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Reviews For: Yaesu FTM-300DR

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FTM-300DR
Reviews: 18MSRP: 469.00
Description:
50W C4FM/FM 144/430MHz Dual Band Digital Mobile Transceiver – FTM-300DR. The new FTM-300DR provides stable and reliable 50W RF power output. As in recent YAESU mobile transceivers, the FTM-300DR is also equipped with a heavy-duty heat sink that includes our exclusive FACC (Funnel Air-Convection Conductor – Wind Tunnel). Real Dual Band Operation (V+V, U+U, V+U, U+V) is available with two independent receivers, and the FTM-300DR supports simultaneous C4FM digital monitoring for both the A and B bands. 2-inch High-Resolution QVGA Full-Color TFT Display clearly highlights the frequency and operation bands. With the Band Scope Function, users can monitor up to 63 channels centered around the current VFO frequency in real time. (21 channels in memory channel mode) Memory Channel Band Auto Grouping (MBAG) is one of the advanced features of the FTM-300DR. Memory channels are automatically categorized in each band, and memory channels can be easily and quickly recalled by 4 Band Groups - Airband(M-AIR), VHF(M-VHF), UHF(M-UHF) and 174-400MHz/ 480-999.99MHz (M-GEN). 3W audio power speaker ensures a clear and crisp audio – that has been specifically tuned for quality audio. Two individual external speaker jacks are provided. Users can output the VFO A and B band Receiver to separate speakers or mix A and B signals when a single external speaker is used. Built-in Bluetooth unit is installed in the FTM-300DR. This enables the hands-free operation with the YAESU SSMBT10 or a commercially available product. The SSM-BT10 is equipped with a PTT button and also supports VOX operation. Using the new USB charger cable – SCU-41 with the controller of the FTM-300DR, the SSM-BT10 can be easily charged. The SSM-BT10 works for approximately 20 hours on single charge. The FTM-300DR supports both the WiRES-X Portable Digital Node function and Fixed Node function with the HRI-200. Since simultaneous C4FM monitoring on both VFO A and VFO B is possible, users can enjoy both WiRES-X communications on one channel while monitoring another local channel at the same time. Other advanced features of the new FTM-300DR include; DG-ID (Digital ID); Group Monitor; positional awareness from the built-in 66ch High Sensitivity GPS receiver enabling Real Time Navigation; Backtrack feature; a GPS Terminal for an external GPS receiver; 1200/ 9600 APRS data modem for APRS mode; Voice Recording of both Received and Transmitted audio; save and load data including configuration and memory channel information to a micro SD card; Snapshot function using the optional MH-85A11U camera microphone.
Product is in production
More Info: https://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=249&encProdID=309B798AD35CA03C88C102835725005C&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
22.5183.7
W6CJ Rating: 2023-01-25
Mehh - RX audio and UI not great. Wires-X fussy to configure. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I purchased mine to act as a Wires-X (con)Fusion access point and as a C4FM/FM base station in my shack, and Wires-X was a hassle to get working. I gave it a just OK rating for the reasons you will read below:

Likes:
MARS/CAP mod capable, unlike the pricey IC-9700.
Uses button and knob controls, not touch screen.
Small size (HF rigs and CW keys take precedence on my desk).
Cross-band repeat.
Control head/mike are extendable or one-piece.
Good RX/TX sensitivity, tone decode, selectivity.
Seems OK (cooling) in 5-watt Wires-X PDN AP service on a busy Room - don't feel it will burn the QTH down.
Backlit mike with function keys is helpful.
RT Systems has programming software for this radio.

Dislikes:
Wanted to set up my FTM300 as a Wires-X PDN Access Point, because I needed more range than a 10-milliwatt Pi-star hotspot... What a hassle. I get it that you have to download drivers, download Yaesu manuals, install Wires-X and buy the Windows-11 compatible SCU-58 cable, watch videos, join user groups, etc, etc, yadda, yadda...did get Wires-X working as a PDN Access Point at the low-power setting, with an outdoor antenna, have all the neighborhood coverage I need - thanks to a helpful user group.

No cross-tone RX/TX using separate CTCSS tones - some modern repeater systems use "split" CTCSS, so the lack of an RX CTCSS tone leaves the FTM300 receiver vulnerable to co-channel junk.

"Stops" at the ends of the memory channels and setup menu, so if you wanted to go from memory channel 999 to memory channel 001, you'd have to twist the dial all the way back down to 001.

When transmitting on 70cm, a clicking relay can be heard with each PTT. This is "normal", we are told. No problem under the seat of a vehicle, but could be annoying in a quiet shack if your radio is serving as a UHF Wires-X PDN or a crossband repeater.

Tinny audio on receive and cannot listen for any length of time...even with a good external speaker. Not enough lows and mids in the audio and no EQ adjustments are available. Remember the tinny audio issues in the FT3D?... The last time I checked, radios are mainly for voice communication - so good audio should be a priority.

NO BANKS. That's right, just the M-GRP. (I don't count the ALL, GEN, AIR, VHF or UHF as useful banks) Many hams like to set up separate banks of memory channels for travel to different areas or for specific purposes: (ARES, Interstate 40, Dallas, Simplex, etc). My FT70, TH-D74, screechy FT3DR, Motorolas and PRC-whatevers all have banks, so what's the deal Yaesu?....good thing I did not buy this radio to be a mobile...and make driving unsafe because of the frequent need to add/delete/skip repeaters from the ONE BANK.

Documentation is mediocre. One "Operating Manual" is included with the FTM-300, but if you want to do anything with the radio (such as set it up as a Wires-X node) the burden is on you to download other manuals from a Yaesu website; ask questions on user groups; watch videos. Why not put it all in one easy-to-locate manual, in understandable English?

No 220 MHz! In North America, and in a few other regions, there are 220-MHz repeater and simplex channels. Please acknowledge one of your largest customer groups and include this band.

Overall, this radio is adequate for some desktop or mobile purposes, but I have a feeling that Yaesu took design shortcuts with this radio. I can't help wondering if it has some surplus FT3DR audio chips in it (HI). I would give it a better review for its C4FM and FM functions, but disappointment with Wires-X, user interface and receive audio quality influenced my review.

73,
W6CJ
G4RNW Rating: 2022-10-12
Nice But Flawed Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I purchased this rig as an upgrade to a much older Yaesu mobile rig. I felt it was time to do a bit of digital and indulge in Fusion Etc. It seemed well made and I particularly liked the bright multi-coloured display. However, and I agree that I am no techie, I found it not very intuitive to use and fairly hard to fully understand and set up easily for all it could do. Audio reception was good through my extension speaker and I received good reports in return. It is certainly very comprehensive but can be awkward to use at times i.e going from a particular mode to memory etc.(Poor ergonomics) No doubt after time familiarity would make things easier. My main complaint however, was that on many channels in simplex, my transmissions on 2 metres would break through onto the 70cms channel, which of course caused feedback unless one used headphones. I contacted the dealer who eventually obtained a kit from Yaesu to cure this problem. The kit arrived after approx. two months but failed to do the trick. i.e exactly the same fault manifested itself. Accordingly, the dealer then agreed to send me a replacement FT300DR. However, on testing the new stock item before dispatch, it was found to show the same fault. The dealer kindly offered me a credit against the FTM-400XD at no extra charge. I have had this new rig for a few months and so far it is brilliant. I will report in due course.
KI5BMK Rating: 2022-08-04
Awesome Radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I find the bad reviews to be very interesting.

I'm very picky and I own 4 of these radios and find them fantastic.

Great features, audio, display and ease of use.

Early models had some firmware issues but all that is corrected.
K4PDM Rating: 2021-10-06
Super if you like C4FM Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Super display, small control head, great receiver. I liked it very much and had no problems with mine. However, Yaesu does not like the use of MMDVM hotspots with its C4FM network and since that's my only option for getting into the network I sold it.
W0DT Rating: 2021-10-05
ftm300 is typical vhf uhf yaesu way down on advertised power Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This ftm-300 yaesu, one of many yaesu rigs that I have is down on advertised power output. My ftm300 puts out 34 watts.
KT8R Rating: 2021-10-04
Meh Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Way overpriced. Fusion mode is good with fusion repeaters. Other than that, wayyyyyy overpriced.
VE2TBC Rating: 2021-06-26
Good radio but a pain to use Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have purchased 2 of these radios. One as a base and one as a mobile. The performance of the radio is good. Good audio both ways, does not heat up too much, dual display, the display is nice and works well under the sun. Nice microphone and dual C4FM receive. Seems reliable too.

At first the radio is a hit, but using it for awhile shows how unpleasant it is to use and potentially dangerous mobile. This is due to the extensive menu and sub-menu operations to access very nice features offerred only by digital radios. For example multiple displays.

Using a menu to configure a radio for TOT, APO etc. is ok but not to operate it.

There is also a lack of consistency between different models of Yeasu fusion radios. For example on the FTM-100 the DISP button on the display head provides the ability to go through several displays such as GPS reception, your info and the other station info such as the distance and bearing.

On this radio the DISP button alternates between dual frequency display and spectrum. To access all the other nice display features you have to go through several menus and sub-menus using push and wait, push, scrolls.

So this radios, due to its poor operational interface, is a missed opportunity. Very unpleasant to use the great available display functionalities.

What I have noticed also is that the use of the long (detached head) bluetooth cable will cause the pick-up of noise. I mean in a mobile configuration with the car not running, reception only (no RF feedback). Just connected to the battery. This noise is not present with the short cable with the head attached to the unit.
M0IZR Rating: 2021-06-01
Good but could be better Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
In no particular order and trying not to repeat previous comments too much:

Good:
- Display is small but has all the info you need with a wide viewing angle
- Band scope is useful but does block other modes like VFO scanning
- Sensitive receiver picking up stations I haven’t heard before
- Really long fused power cable
- Neat unit with all the mounting hardware you need
- Front panel attaches to base without requiring extra hardware
- Sound quality is good from a decent sized speaker
- When Bluetooth works then it’s great, but had to try several headphones before being able to connect
- Airband is useful to me
- Backlit buttons on mic
- Sturdy build quality

Could be better:
- When you get to the end of the memory stations there is no loop back to 1
- ADMS-12 could read data from radio but error when trying to write, had to use SD card method (but in a very specific sequence)
- Down button on mic awkwardly placed
- Multiple manuals that are not that helpful
- Proprietary 10 pin data socket although you can modify a standard one
- Unbelievable process to update the 3 sets of firmware
- ADMS-12 software unpolished - not fit for purpose
- Every Yaesu has a useless GM button which is ok if there is space, but on this is a waste

I like this radio but it is a typical Yaesu and has a set of frustrations and 'not quite finished' feel about it. And it wouldn't take too much effort to get it perfect.
NB6S Rating: 2021-05-08
Back from repair (over three months) Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I received my FTM-300 back from Yaesu after nearly 4-months (stuck firmware update switch). I had selected the FTM-300DR due to its 9600 baud rate option for my Packet/VARA-FM dual mode station and that seems to be working well. However, I was also listening to a local repeater and noticed the speaker sounds very tinny - seems to be the same sound quality (or lack thereof) across several local repeaters. Not pleasant at all. On a positive note, I found the menu process very user friendly compared to other radios I've owned like the FT-991A.
NH7FL Rating: 2021-04-17
Good Radio... missing some no-brainer features. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The radio, all in all, functions well and is great for APRS use. The audio is acceptable, and is fairly easy to program however since we read these reviews to find out the annoying quirks.. here they are:

1. The fact that this radio has no memory banks is absolutely bonkers! If you travel a lot, and want your frequencies/repeaters stored by geographic region or perhaps linked repeaters in 1 place you can't put them into a bank.. seriously. This is almost a deal breaker. The only way around this is to mark channels into a group, but this has to be done manually every time you want a new scan group. I refer you to the FT3D... which has this feature and it works incredibly well.

2. Firmware upgrade... requires you to possess a doctorate degree. For Yaesu to not include a couple of lines of code to gather all the necessary drivers to do a firmware upgrade is just plain nuts!!

3. It doesn't do anyone any good to have a long separation cable and and a 3 foot microphone cord which connects to the main body of the radio.

4. Put a touch screen on it!!! Text input is an unnecessary chore in 2021, and you can't use the MIC input to do it. Again... somehow the FT3D managed to get this feature right.

5. The snap in bracket is both genius and annoying as you're stuck with whatever configuration the screw holes come with, though it makes removal of the radio from your vehicle a snap... pun totally intended.

6. Scan speed is kinda slow for 2021... I again have to refer you to the FT3D which is... fast.

7. DOCUMENTATION!!! For the love of radio... the manual is essentially useless, incomplete and a waste of paper. Please, please please get someone with manual writing experience to put out a comprehensive manual that explains how to use the device, it's features and don't make us download extra advanced manuals for APRS/ WIRES etc. Just print 1 (ONE, UNO, EIN, SINGLE) manual with all the info in it. Pretty please.

In conclusion.... Yaesu should have just made the FT3D handheld into a mobile rig and call it done. It's a nice unit but it's super annoying to use a handheld that has managed to take care of most of the annoyances... except the manual.. the FT3D one stinks too.