Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Yaesu FT-2600M

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

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-2600M
Reviews: 102MSRP: 170
Description:
HEAVY-DUTY VHF FM TRANSCEIVER
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com/ft2600m.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001024
WD9CYI Rating: 2002-09-04
Nice rig, lot of features Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Great rig, no problems. Only down side is funky connector on power cable. Also 'VFO' knob tends to move and change channels.
VE6RJZ Rating: 2002-08-27
Excellent IRLP Node Radio Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The FT-2600M makes a great radio for a simplex IRLP node. This rig fully supports CTCSS through the data port and works well with my Plug and Play solution. Visit http://www.irlp.net/16-requests/pnpsolution.html for more info.

73,

Randy
VE3ZAK Rating: 2002-08-27
FT-2600M ** It's a Jem! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is my 1st radio and it was a combination of luck/research/advice that led me to buy this unit. The "memory clearing" problem must have been fixed with this version (bought in spring 2002). It's easy to use, has features I actually use and appreciate, lots of transmitting power, and I get unsolicited good reports on the quality of my audio. I'm using it mobile so can't comment on the radios packet ability... one day.
KC8TZQ Rating: 2002-07-24
Memory Issue Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I experienced a different type of memory problme with my FT-2600 last night on the way home (mobile).
In a QSO with my usual Buds on a local repeater, the rig suddenly went to another programmed channel. At first, I thought I had accidently bumped the up/down button on the mic and changed channels, but the repeater I ended up on was many positions away from the original.
I switched back to the original only to have the rig once again go back to the other channel.
This happened several times in the next few minutes. I thought it was possible there was a short in the mic or mic cord, but even after disconnecting the mic altogether from the rig, it still changed channels.
I wondered if a CPU dump and reprogram (I have the programming software at home with a saved file)would be needed, but opted for a disconnect of the power cable.
After about 15-20 minutes, I reconnected the power and it's been working fine since.
If this happens again, I'll open it up and look for cold solder joints, loose conductors (solder balls, wire strands, etc.), loose connections or whatever else I might be able to pin the cause on.
Comments?
Anyone else have issues with sudden memory position/channel changes?

73
KC8TZQ@ARRL.NET
W1PPJ Rating: 2002-07-19
Not Bad So Far! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.

7/18/02 New Right out of the box. Power out into the Bird wattmeter and Dummy load was 41 watts not 60 per specs, Supply voltage 13.8 vdc from a bench supply. No memory problems as of yet, Still have not tried it mobile until I burn it in. So far no problems. Nice radio except for being down 20 watts. It is running very cool! I'll keep my fingers crossed.
KB9IZB Rating: 2002-06-14
Nice but not perfect Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned my 2600M since the fall of 1999. Functionally it works great. No significant problems. The only issue I have with it is a snall, high pitched noise in the speaker Rx background when the display backlight is on anything other than full brightness or of. In other words, on any dimness setting other than full on or off the speaker has a whine in it. Yaesu was willing to take a look at it, but who wants to be without a radio for weeks to have such a small problem tweaked. I either run the display full brightness or off. I also think the heat sink would dissipate heat more effectiely if it were on the TOP of the radio (like the 2500M) rather than on the BOTTOM. Last I heard, hot air rises. Which probably means this review will start to float away any minute. ;-)
W6CQA Rating: 2002-05-18
Good Waffle Iron Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Bought mine about a year ago and sold it a couple months later. I purchased it strictly as a base radio. The radio has a lot of features and seemed to have a pretty sensitive receiver. Never experianced any intermod but I lived in a rural area, so that was never an issue. The front mount speaker seemed to work pretty well, considering it's size. However, even with a large 8" speaker attached, the radio has pretty limited frequency resonse. It sounds like some of the old Icom radios, good communications punch but no fidelity. I never experianced any of the memory loss problems. My big complaint was the heat build up. The radio really cooks and I don't mean performance wise. Just turn it over and it makes an excellent waffle iron. Run 60 watts (if you can get 6o watts) and your waffle is ready in short time and well done. Try 25 watts for medium/well done. Apparently Yeasu engineers aren't aware that heat rises. They put the heat sink on the bottom where it keeps the circuits nice and toasty. With 60 watts and the small heat sink, it should have had forced air cooling. Don't think I'll try another Yeasu. I've owned many radios in my 46 years of ham radio and this was the worst. I guess it realy is true. You get what you pay for and since I didn't pay much, well maybe I got my just reward.
K5RWS Rating: 2002-04-27
Memory loss somehow associated with early version hand mike Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own only one FT-2600 which I bought almost immediately after their introduction. Seems Yaesu had made a decission to leave the mike hot even when the PTT was not pushed so the radio would hear EVERYTHING in the vehicle. While it would not transmit anything until you pushed the PTT, it would still hear everything. My display would start showing numbers and letters or other stuff randomlly and I finally realized it was hearing DTMF from my other equipment, (I'm a telephone man with dtmf equipment in the truck), and was displaying this on the screen. ANY noise in the truck the radio thought even remotely sounded like DTMF it would display garbage. On two occassions I did loose all memory also, but with the PC software was back up in a few short minutes. Yaesu started by telling me that I was the first one to ever complain about this but that I should send the mike in and they would fix it. Revised mike, which doesn't hear anything unless the PTT is depressed, has stopped all the garbage on the display and I have not suffered another memory loss. I typically leave the radio on when I start the truck and since the mike fix have not had another problem with this great little radio. I should also note I have not lost any functions with the revised mike, I can still enter freq directly from the mike. Not sure why a hot mike would cause memory loss unless it couldn't understand the DTMF as commands and did a restart, but I don't have the problem anymore.
WD8TIM Rating: 2002-04-06
Good Radio1 Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
i use the radio i a tractor trailer and it does very good, it has a better front end than the FT-1500,very easy to use when mobile, good output power, havent had the memory loss yet but i hope the version i have is fixed, just got it 4/1/2002 so ill see in due time. the only problem i have is the audio is very hot in the truck so i need to find out how to turn that down..thats it,i am a big Yaesu fan and i think they did a good job on this rig..
KE4EX Rating: 2002-03-23
One Great Unit Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Hum, I have read several reviews and not had any of the mention problems. I have had four yes four FT 2600's. First two I owned for a year and sold em after my divorce but, recovered and picked up two more. All four I modfied for Mars and Marine service. If I had to pick one bad fault that really sticks out, would be getting a reply from Yaesu. Ok the radio, tiny funky front speaker. I love the ease of programming, almost hyper scan and easy scan skip. I use that on those chatter boxes. I have read about the deprogramming of the unit when loss of power or power surge occures. I couldn't get mine to repeat that problem. Compared to my Kenwood 261A HA, Kenwood needs to stop production of that boat anchor, intermod, she hated gas stations and well you get the picture.
I run my FT-2600 in my Police unit, bolted under my on boared computer, on top of my 800 mhz police radio, which is right next to my eagle radar unit, one great unit, hum no kids for me.. Thanks for reading 73 de ke4ex