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Reviews For: Yaesu FT5DR

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT5DR
Reviews: 23MSRP: $479.00
Description:
The Yaesu FT5DR is an 5W C4FM/FM 144/430MHz Dual Band Digital Transceiver. It is a stated FT3DR follow-on product meant to continue production due to global chipset shortages. From the Yaesu web site; The new FT5DR is a full-featured C4FM handheld transceiver with superior operability and new sophisticated functions. Even in a compact body (W2.44” x D1.34” x H3.94”), the FT5DR provides reliable 5W RF power output and achieves loud 1W audio power that has been tuned for quality audio. Real Dual Band Operations (V+V, U+U, V+U, U+V) are available with two independent receivers. Large individual LED indicators for A band and B band present the status and communication modes (C4FM or Analog) of each band instantly. The new FT5DR supports simultaneous C4FM digital (C4FM/C4FM standby). With rubber protection on the corner of the main body, the FT5DR has rugged and shock-resistant construction. The waterproof rating is IPX7. The comfortable size and form of the full-flat back body provides excellent grasp for the radio operator. A high-resolution display highlights the frequency of the operational band. The color of the operating band frequency can be selected from white, blue or red. Three (3) touch panel keys and seven (7) operation keys below the display offer intuitive operability.
Product is in production
More Info: https://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=111&encProdID=8FA58F426C671235EA5791EE6814FF48&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
83.5233.3
WS8B Rating: 2023-03-30
A fantastic HT. Has "everything" Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
outstanding radio. Highly recommended.
G8FXC Rating: 2023-02-19
Enjoying mine! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought the FT5DE to replace an elderly FT1DE which had developed a fault. I had read the critical reviews of it out on the web, but also a decent selection of glowing reviews, so I decided to take a chance on it - I have not been disappointed thus far.

Performance is good - it hits all the repeaters that my other HTs can access and received signal strength is comparable with the best of them. Audio quality is acceptable - it's not a hi-fi boom-box, but I've never had difficulty understanding the station at the other end. Never forget that we are communicators, not broadcasters!

The build quality seems good - it feels like a high-end device in the hand and seems likely to have a decent life expectancy. There are some niggles, of course. The bluetooth is temperamental and the user interface is a bit inconsistent in places - but nothing that would make me want to return it for a refund. I have not tested the claimed water ingress rating, but I spent a couple of hours yesterday standing on a beach with it in moderate rain while my granddaughter hunted for shells and driftwood - it coped perfectly well with being rained on!

So, I would not claim that it is perfect, but it is a very usable radio and my current favourite. In the few weeks that I've owned it, it has come in for more use than all my other HTs have over the last several months...
N7WR Rating: 2022-12-29
OK so far Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I just recently purchased this HT and have not yet used nearly all of the advertised features. I do, however, have some initial impressions. I very much like the size and "feel" of the radio and find the menu set up not as complicated as other HTs on the market. While others may have a different opinion I find the receiver to be remarkably sensitive. I put it side by side with another Yaesu HT that I have used for some time. Listening to a distant (high elevation) repeater over 60 miles away using the supplied rubber duck antennas there was a night and day difference. Reception on the older HT was scratchy and on this one almost 100% full quieting.

I do have one gripe. The specs on this radio indicate receive up to 999.995Khz with cellular blocked. However it will not accept programming of several area public safety channels in the 900 meg range but NOT in the cellular block of frequencies. Disappointed in that though I suspect there may be a mod that will allow for such reception.

Since I have long used RT systems programming software that is what I am using for this HT. Doing it by hand is out of the question and RT lets me import frequencies from other radios that I have programmed using their software. I will update this review when I have more hands on with the radio.
K6BSR Rating: 2022-12-27
Touch screens getting better:) Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I may have ben licensed 30 years, but I still like to see what's new sometimes. Santa got this for me Christmas 2021 and my only real gripe is the speaker microphone jack needs a bungee cord or something to keep the connector seated.
I get a full 12 hours out of it just using it like a public safety scanner as I can go days with zero Ham chatter.
I really like how fast it scans and I think displaying the words on that awesome color screen is a plus over just scrolling numbers.
I would like to get the 3800 mah aftermarket battery, but there are other devices in my herd that need batteries, so priorities...
SQ9MEZ Rating: 2022-11-06
it's not bad but it could be better Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Having ft3, I thought yaesu would gather experience from the previous model and improve the new model. And it actually improved but not everything, there is still a problem with using the bt function and interference from the radio itself. The changes in appearance are not very happy - too flat side buttons, no physical disp button, which becomes troublesome while driving if the recipient wants to know, for example, the distance. Insufficiently protruding vol / sel manipulators and a few minor flaws. There are also a lot of pluses: better speaker and greater audio configurability, gps flawless, menu is ok, accessories fit from older models.
The sound of the c4fm is great no complaints, the batteries are still too small , it gives 4stars because there is no competition which is a pity , it's not a bad trx.
K5DXR Rating: 2022-11-05
Easy to use. Mediocre audio. Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Yaesu has certainly made their version of C4FM easy to use. Unfortunately the poor quality receive audio limits how good digital voice can really sound. Other companies have figured this out. Come on Yaesu, step up your game.
K4SRQ Rating: 2022-10-24
Good rig but TNC Not 'open' Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Much has already been said but the most frustrating thing is that I did not do the research as I assumed that if a TNC is in the radio, you can use it as a TNC. Not so! You have to buy an external TNC even though there is one in the rig. Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood are you listening? Give us open TNC and Crossband full duplex! Like the 72 from Kenwood.
W3PCF Rating: 2022-10-04
Bad SD card reader, WORSE customer service Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought this HT May 2022. SD card reader inoperative. Sent Unit to Yaesu early July 2022. Now Oct 2022 and no radio back to me. Yaesu customer service UNRESPONSIVE to say the least. They bring new meaning to customer dis-service .. no response to emails or phone calls that ALWAYS go to voice mail boxes. All in all they have had my radio longer than I owned it.
NR9V Rating: 2022-09-16
A decent HT but not great Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Having owned many HTs, starting with a Yaesu FT-209 in 1986, followed by an FT-727, FT-470, and more recently the Kenwood TH-D72 and D74, I have to say the FT5D is a toy in comparison to my Kenwood HTs. The audio quality of the built-in speaker is pretty bad, it does sound fine for many sources, but for some others, and particularly for narrow C4FM, it sounds very tinny and often distorted, even at low volume. The volume control is also very touchy, with a big jump from 0 to the 1st click. And the RF shielding/isolation within the radio is very poor, resulting in glitchy noises coming through the receive audio if you are doing anything on the GUI or even just the LCD S-meter reading changing. Based on this evidence alone, the radio is clearly in the category of a cheaply made consumer toy vs. the aforementioned Kenwoods. The only reason I still have an FT5D is that it does Wires-X and C4FM Voice-Wide, which definitely give better audio quality than DSTAR, DMR and other narrow band digital modes, and provide a much simpler UI than other digital radios. Overall it's an OK radio, but you can tell they invested only a small fraction of the time into R&D as compared to what Kenwood or Icom puts into a high-end HT. There are numerous subtle design details that were clearly not well thought-out. I really hope Yaesu will step up their game and give their next HT product the proper time and budget to get all these details right.
KI5BMK Rating: 2022-08-10
Excellent Radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own 2 of these radios and I find them to be incredible. After a little learning curve they function extremely well.

Great audio...big improvement over the 3DR. Great display and built like a brick...Mil spec waterproof up to a meter for 30 minutes.

C4FM works like a champ.

In my opinion out of all 22 handhelds I own this by far is the best...