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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-8100R

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-8100R
Reviews: 88MSRP: 699.00
Description:
Dual Band 2 meter/440 Remote capable 1200/9600 data interface
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com/ft8100.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00883.1
OZ0MX Rating: 2002-08-01
wOrks nIcely Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hmmmm,
I can just say that my FT-8100R is working fine and havent had any problems so far!!!

Mine is installed in the car:
Main unit in the trunk
Display is mounted above the rear view mirror right on the windshield, close to the roof. The angle is ofcause in the right angle....

Cross my hardt, never had any problems with the radio.

I specially like the display size, mostly because I like my Radios mounted above the Rear View Mirror.

The thing I have to say is:
In general all radio's should have Matrix display lige the Kenwood TM-D700...Not many Radio Companys use the kind of display..Saaaad!!!!

I'm sorry that some people havent had mutch luck with this radio....

Best Regards
Zak
LX3PR Rating: 2002-07-18
Great radio Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Up to now, I have been using this radio for more than 6 months as my base station. No problems encountered so far.
YC0SWI Rating: 2002-07-18
Cool radio !!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used FT 8100R for more than 3 years now. It is a great radio, especially on the cross band repeat feature and the dual receive mode. One thing that I notice is on the signal receiving capability, which needs an improvement.
KG4BOD Rating: 2002-05-02
Still A Great Dualbander Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I wrote a review about this rig some time ago, and have since noticed a number of folks writing about problems. Too bad they have had issues, but after three years for me, the radio still performs very well. Sensitivity is still outstanding, especially on the 70cm band. 2 meters is also very nice. Very good immunity from intermod and other rf "crud." No problems with anything at all. If I had to do it all over again I would buy another one. I would assume the complaints came from a bad production run during a specific time period?
OZ5ABO Rating: 2002-05-02
Great radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've had this radio for more than 3 years installed in my car with the seperation kit and ext speaker. I am always running full power and enjoy cross repeat etc etc. Easy radio to operate and I have never had any kind of problems - just solid work all the way...

If I had to replace it, I would buy the 8100 again.



----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by OZ5ABO on 2001-08-01

Had mine for 3 years installed in my car. I use it a lot during the day with the seperation kit and an external speaker.

I have never had any problems with it even though I have installed it close to one of the heat fans in the car.

A bit crisp audio, but that's what I like for mobile use.

I would for sure by the same one if it breaks. And Yes, I have tried Icom and Kenwood dualbands as well... ;-)

Vy 73
KF6OWC Rating: 2002-04-27
the most labor intensive Time Owned: more than 12 months.
ok i bought this thing used from a guy who used it mobile. he was selling it because the uhf squelch didnt always work. you probably guessed the solder pads, ur right. over the course of nine months i fixed that problem 5 times. finanlly the vhf side went out in the middle of a contact on an fm bird. yaesu wants 270 for a new vhf board. i told them to go take a flying leap. so i am left to trying to find someone who has another broken 8100 so i might fix mine. cost of college doesnt let me spend 270 on a single board that will probably crap out on me. i own several other yaesu products which i love, ie ft-10r, ft-50r, ft-2500m. they all work great. where did yaesu go wrong. thanks for reading.jim kf6owc
KE4JSX Rating: 2002-04-25
FT-8000R is a dog!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I wish I had known about eHam reviews before I bought my rig (new!) along with a buddy of mine. He's had his back to Yaesu and mine needs to go. I've lost the UHF side and I'm mostly 2m except for police/fire scanning.

I had a bad feeling when my "new" rig wasn't for sale the next year....... I've got a TM-733 also mobile that I love to death. Just wish it scanned as fast as Yaesu.... Don't buy one of these rigs until they step up to the plate and get 'em right. Their motto "Looks like Yaesu did it again" makes me nervous. Good luck. 73
Dan - KE4JSX in Virginia
KC0HBM Rating: 2002-04-23
My perceptions Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Okay, there have been plenty of reviews describing all the problems with this radio. Let me start out by saying I have owned the radio for a year and never have had any problems.

Since Yaesu stopped production about 6 months after I purchased mine, anyone that reads these reviews is not in the market for a new radio comparison. I think the best way to think about purchasing a 8100R is as a gamble. I've never had any issues with my radio, nor have any of my friends in my old club. But, there are plenty of people that do have valid problems and from the descriptions given here at Eham its obvious that Yaesu had some design flaws.

Here is my list of 8100 pros/cons from a year of usage:

Pros:
---------------------------------
- smaller than expected size
- ease of programming with PC software
- no menu system (everything is set by a button or FW + button action)
- excellent display visibility even in direct sunlight, and display has adjustable brightness
- wide band receive with AM aircraft
- FAST scanning (for a mobile)
- average intermod rejection
- ** software mods available** - no need to open the cover and cut/remove things, and a simple reset restores to factory condition
- clear audio, really great with external speaker
- data jack for TNC connection
- VHF/VHF or UHF/UHF operation
- full Xband repeat functionality

Cons
---------------------------
- no menu system (also a con because sometimes you forget the button combo's to use ie xband repeat)
- no alphanumeric tags
- fan kicks into high speed mode whenever PTT is pressed
- uncertain reliabilty from Eham member's experiences


So as you can see I've been really happy with the radio. It has fit my needs and lasted through everything I've managed to put it through (TX at full power on -10 F and +105 F days in the truck, offroading vibrations, TX with unknown high SWR, etc) My biggest complaint is a lack of Alpha labels, but I knew that when I purchased it.

When I was in the market for my mobile I narrowed my choices of new dual banders down to three : Icom's LCD faced IC2800, the 8100 from Yaesu, and Kenwoods blue display TM-G7A. If I have to replace the 8100 I'll probably go with the TNC equipped Kenwood D700 since I enjoy running APRS.

I hope my observations will hope those of you considering used 8100's. I really think its a great radio that will provide you with reliable service IF you get a good one - so think to yourself why would a good one be on the market for sale??
KD5IVP Rating: 2002-04-23
Great idea, poor execution Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own the FT-8000R, exactly like the 8100 but with no detactable face. This radio was purchaced in 'like new' condition and it was.....except the vhf receive fet was toast. The seller graciously paid Yeasu and after 6 weeks, the radio was returned and it worked fine. For two weeks. Then the UHF/Volume/band change/squelch pot failed. Actually the smt pads on the face plate circuit board all sheered off. I fixed it once, then it happened again when the smt traces lifted off the board from stress....later found out Yeasu knew of this problem. Then, the VHF power control voltage regulator circuit board connection gave up and the radio stopped transmitting. Sent it back to Yeasu. They, after severe prodding, admitted to "major circuit board plate through" problems with this radio and fixed it for free. They also did "up-dates". The radio failed again the same day I got it back, 6 weeks later. I ended up soldering wires through all the plate through points on the vhf circut board. She works fine business now but what a pain. I've now got that 'what's gonna happen next' feeling about this rig. With all the known problems with this radio I feel Yeasu should have at least recalled the thing to save it's customer base. I love their h-t's....never a problem after very hard use. Because of all the known boo-boos in the 8000 series, and their failure to deal with them honorably I think I'll give them a rest for a while. I've got several friends who own Ft-8100's with the same problems...and that's the advanced version of mine. And what's with this MIL-SPEC junk in their ads? Lord help us if we ever went to war with this equipment! A very misleading marketing ploy.
KE6RMC Rating: 2002-04-23
8100R Problems Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned the Yaesu 8100r for about 3 years and have had lots of troubles. The first time Yaesu did about $300 worth of repairs, which luckily were covered by the warantee. most recently, I ran into the squelch problem. this is the one where the knobs become separated from the board they are glued to. After almost 6 months of being at Yaesu's repair facility, I finally got my radio back. They redesigned it, and now the squelch/volume are mounted on their own boards. I could not believe that it took them almost 6 months to do this. After some negotiating with them , I got them to to cut the labor rate in half so I ended up paying $39.

Althought really like(d) Yaesu products I am seriously going to consider other manufacturers in the future. Maybe Yaesu is getting out of the amateur market. If not, with customer service like this and such poorly designed products, they soon will be.

If you have any questions, email me - jmt@stanford.edu.