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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-8800R

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-8800R
Reviews: 173MSRP: 399.95
Description:
DUAL BAND RADIO
Product is in production
More Info: http://
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001734.4
AB6PG Rating: 2009-09-03
very good mobile rig Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Very good mobile radio, reminds me of the Standard 5900.
KC7YRA Rating: 2009-08-24
Not bad. Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I like this rig to a point. Very sensitive and works great.

I HATE programming it. I have never been a fan of ANY yaesu programming. It is counter intuitive to me.

I also HATE HATE HATE that the volume control is all within the first 1/4 turn. The volume is SO touchy, makes me wanna barf. Needs fixed BADLY.

Other than that, it is perfect.
KD0HOE Rating: 2009-07-13
Speaker Output Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I've had the FT-8800R for a few months now and love it. It's a good radio and has been dependable. I do wish that Yaesu would have made a seperate output jack for the Right / Left speakers, instead of having them in one. The other option would have been to make it controlled by the software and have the jacks available for the audio output control.
WA3UOO Rating: 2009-06-29
Another broken Yaesu mobile Time Owned: more than 12 months.
In July 2005, I bought an 8800R. It's in the base station and rarely gets used. The other day, in preparation for FD 09, I came to the realization the power output on all settings on BOTH bands was very low compared to the factory specs. When new, the radio worked great.

The rig has never been used in mobile service and is rarely used in the base station. Basic troubleshooting indicates the problem is clearly in the radio. So, I guess it's off to Yaesu for yet another repair job.

I've had bad luck with Yaesu mobiles and I take very good care of all my rigs. I think I am done with Yaesu mobiles. My first Yaesu mobile was an FT-8500 and in the 4 years I owned it, it was sent to Yaesu service 4 times. My FT-900 has never failed me in 12 years and it spent nearly all of its life in mobile service. Go figure.

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Earlier 5-star review posted by WA3UOO on 2004-08-20

Before I bought the 8800, I read quite a number of reviews. I find that eham.net is a very good place to come to check out what some hams think about the products they buy.

That said, I just picked up the FT-8800 about a week ago to replace my Alinco DR-600. With a dead memory battery that the shop wants $60 to replace, I felt it was time to upgrade the base station dual bander.

The rig I got came with the MH-48 mic., which fetaures a switchable backlit keypad. In earlier reviews I've read, apparently Yaesu shipped the MH-46 which did not feature a backlit keypad.

The way Yaesu configures the programming architecture is not new to the 8800. Menu items are selected by accessing the system with a couple cryptic key functions. The more I played with the rig, the more intuitive and easier it became to use. As with most radios such as current production rigs like these, it becomes a "use it or lose it" situation. If you program and operate it on a regular basis, it's a no-brainer. Don't, and you'll be hunting for the manual to refresh your memory.

The rig was connected to a Cushcraft AR-270 at 25 feet. I live in an area where there is a fair amount of intermod, Columbus, OH. The 8800 has yet to squawk even when loosely squelched. I am impressed.

As a result of the above, and the fact that this is a base station rig, I purchased the ADMS-2I programming software. This makes re-programming the rig much easier and faster. It installed quickly and easily with a WIn98 OS. I never had to refer to the online help to get started, or to begin basic programming. The software comes with a DB-9 to mini-din connector. Thanfully, it wasn't just a pigtail, rather, it was 3-4 feet long if I recall. I had to use an extender cable to reach from the PC to the rig so I can leave it connected all the time.

The manual is among the few that actually is easy to use and makes sense. Yaesu is to be commended for that.

So far, in the short time I've had the rig, I noticed the bottom of the rig is NOT flat as evidenced by the fact that it "rocks" left and right when you operate the controls. Use of the mobile mounting bracket will fix that.

I'll try to write a follow up after I've had time to really get to know the rig.

K8SV
Columbus, OH
KD8JDP Rating: 2009-06-10
Great for the casual HAM ! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Overall another great radio from YAESU. I've been very impressed with the quality of the units I have received over the past few. This radio is another prime example. It's easy to use and loaded with features.
KE7AAS Rating: 2009-05-18
works fine for me Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used this radio in my truck now for 2 years. Not a single problem. Also have a FT-8900 in the house.Both rugged and work well.
NV8G Rating: 2009-05-18
Excellent Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I've owned mine for about 2 years now, and it has worked flawlessly. My only complaint is that Yaesu didn't back light the buttons. If Kenwood, and Icom can do it...Then why not Yaesu? I purchased a Kenwood TM-V71A to replace my Yaesu FT-8800R in my truck just because of the backlit button issue. But, I still use the Yaesu as a base. BTW, none of the major manufacturers get a very big score from me. Especially, ICOM! Just try getting some help from those guys! I'll never buy another Icom product. Kenwood gets all my business for now, until they prove to be just as bad as the other guys. Anyone with great customer service stories? Lets hear them!
K8JDC Rating: 2009-05-18
Mine Died Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Here's an update to my original 2005 review which was very positive. In 2006 or 2007, I started having a problem with my 8800 where it would sometimes flash BUSY on the main side and would not transmit at all. I also noticed that the scan was not reliable and the radio would frequently not stop on an active frequency. The scan problem was annoying, but the transmit failure was a big problem. I was usually able to restore the radio by performing multiple resets but this fix eventually stopped working. I tried replacing the cable to the control head, but this didn't fix it either.

I sent the radio back to Yaesu and they were unable to fix it. They said they worked at it for several hours. So, my radio (which I bought new and always treated with care) was a total loss. If Yaesu had offered me a $50 coupon towards a new 8800, I would now own a new one but they made no offer to me at all. Their repair offer was to replace the guts of the radio which cost more than a new radio. I was disappointed they didn't make an effort to cut me a small adjustment on a new radio. I think it would have been a small thing on their end to keep a customer happy. So, I just bought a new dual-bander from a different manufacturer. I just couldn't bring myself to plunk down more money on another 8800 (even though I really liked the feature set of the radio) and run the risk of having another expensive paperweight.
KC9HAS Rating: 2009-04-23
Another Home run for yaesu Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is my second 8800r and it works flawlessly just like the first.

And for those that dont like the unlit buttons.....go to a hobby store and get a little bottle of glow in the dark paint. I put a small dab on the volume knobs and the set button which has worked well.
KI6WDZ Rating: 2009-03-14
I'm delighted with my mobile rig. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've mounted mine in my Nissan Truck and absolutely love it. I took advantage of the remote mount capability and put the radio under the driver's seat. The radio has performed flawlessly. I have noted however that the volume controls are a bit twitchy, but it's certainly no show-stopper. I'm not enough of an electronics tech to do a mod to the control circuit that's been described by some. I'm still learning my way through the various functions but I am able to routinely hit repeaters 60-75 miles away while mobile. I'd buy another.