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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-8500

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-8500
Reviews: 36MSRP: 699.99
Description:
DUAL BAND VHF/UHF radio that has achieved cult status
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.qsl.net/sm7vhs/radio/yaesu/ft8500/ft8500.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00364
N7HVH Rating: 2000-12-28
One of Yaesu's Best! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I just purchased my second FT-8500. I have found this radio to be the best mobile I have ever operated. I am 100% Yaesu because of the value for the money. Unlike some I have found the multifunction "Potato" mike to be the best method for controlling the radio. I can honestly say that it was intimidating at first. A little time and patience learning the controls and functions has paid huge returns. I can now control the radio by feel and when I need to I can move the controller to eye level when traveling down the road rather than looking at a small panel front or display which is typically under the dash.
Remember, SAFETY FIRST!
The display has both the frequency and the alpha display so if you chose to display the repeter call sign or its location you have that refrence rather than memorizing all the repeter frequencies. This is especially helpfull for the XYL who likes the alpha descriptor. They have good audio and are compact enough to fit most installations. The duel audio outputs are nice if you want to separate the speakers so you can tell which side your being called on. I also like the spectrum display that operates in real time. If your looking for activity, you can quickly find it. When Yaesu released the 8100 and I found it did not have the duel freq and alpha display I started my search for another 8500. I like this feature so much that I won't buy another radio without it. This is by far, the best mobile radio that I have ever owned and operated!
W7NEW Rating: 2000-10-25
Good Radio Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I owned two of these radios and once you get used to the potato head mic control your in business. The radio is differant to use you either like it or you don't. If you are some one that does'nt do well with programing a vcr then this radio is not for you. I'm not saying that it is hard to use it is just a little differant than other radios. Now how does the radio work? Well it does fairly well against intermod, no more then any other good dual bander, but the receiver fidelity is a little flat. The radio has no highs in the receive at all making the receiver sound a little muddy. I have had other Yaesu duel banders and this is a trate of Yaesu. All the other Yaesu radios I have had are the same way. The transmit audio is loud and sounds good. The radio stays cool and I should know I live in AZ and in the summer this radio made it without a hitch. The software for programing this radio is a big help and works real well. My only real gripe is the fact you can only cross band full duplex and cant one way repeat. I would recomend this radio as long as you dont mind the controls. I happen to like the controls so this radio is a good one for me.
VE7CRA Rating: 2000-09-19
NOT USABLE MOBILE! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
It is difficult to maintain objectivity while reviewing this radio. I have wondered to myself why I purchased the 8500 in the first place. The orange colored display (which I naively belived would render it more readable in sunlight) I think was the attraction. I own both microphones (potato head & mc-39 I think it is, & both operators manuals!! I installed this radio in a a Ford 4x4 pick-up & almost immediately realised that operation mobile would be problematical. The "potato head mic is designed to be used left-handed it seems, & I was constantly moving a control or inadvertently pressing a button, or otherwise generating "finger trouble" problems.
The receiver was unusable in inner city areas, as the intermod rejection on mine was essentially non-existant. Everything you want to change has to be done fron a menu, & there is a confusing sequence of keystrokes or button pushes that have to be carried out to accomplish
virtually ANY operation. The mc-39 mic has a single pot for the vol & sq. cntrls, & a status button has to be pressed & a light illuminated to change settings from band to band. The radio ran hot, received any paging transmitter in the area, & required diverting attention from driving to undertake nearly any operation. I ran it about a month, removed it from the truck & stuck it in a cabinet where it has reposed the last four years. I own other Yaesu equipment & it functions just fine, & I will continue to buy Yaesu equipment......I think that this radio came to market a little prematurely, without the ergonomics being properly thought out. The 8500 was less than successful I understand. I expect the 8500 would serve well in a suburban environment as a fixed station, but in my humble opinion is a bust for mobile use.
KE4OAR Rating: 2000-07-29
Good dual band radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have two of these puppies and it is too bad Yaesu cancelled the concept of controlling the radio on the mic. But I guess the public does drive sales and unfortunately, the FT-8500 was not a rousing sales success.

I bought my second one before they becam unavailable as new equipment.

I like the control of the radio on the mic because I can change the radio around better while driving. The radio controls are confortable in my hand and I can do many operation without having to look at the radio.

I have one of each mic, the radio I have had the longest has the more convential mic and the other has "Mr. Potato Head". Both have there advantages, and disadvantages, but neither should cause any concern for operating. "Mr Potato Head" has the advantage of being able to directly control the other side of the radio. The conventional mic has shared keys and knobs and you have to use a "shift" key to access other functions.

I have one radio installed with the face plate remoted. Makes for a nice intallation in an already crowded vehicle. I got another separation kit for the newer radio for when I upgrade wheels.

The ADMS software is a must for programming, particularly for me with two. It is easy to keep both radios with the same repeaters programmed at the same location. Great for trying to talk the XYL ham through an operating problem on the radio.

Many of the radio's features are difficult to program from the mic. It's just a mouse click away with the ADMS software. (note, that goes for all of Yaesu's radios that have the ADMS software. It takes the drudgery out of programming the radio and is more than worth the cost).

The cat's meow would be to have the ADMS installed on a lap top and upgrade the programming in the car. But it only takes me a couple minutes to pull the radio and take it to the computer.

The first one of mine locked up while it was still under warranty. No amount of resetting would unlock it. Yaesu turned the radio around in a timely fashion but could not duplicate the problem. Appearently, the postal service fixed the problem on the way out to California. (to bad they did not document where they "hit" the radio, I might need the fix again in the future!!)I have not had a problem since. But I do make sure the radio is off before I start the car, something I did not do reliably before. The radio is installed in a diesel van and with the high cranking amps required for the starter motor and voltage dips due to the glow plugs, there are probably more voltage spikes floating around the system.

If you find a good use one around, snatch it up. I don't think you will be disappointed.
FORMER_K8IG Rating: 2000-04-12
Excellent Radio Time Owned: unknown months.
I have had one for 3 years and find that it performs better than the 8100R that this radio replaced. The selectivity and sensitivity are superb and having all the controls in the palm of your hand is rather nice. The Spectra-Scope is a useful feature and although the coverage isn't as wide as the 8100R, it is a good dual-band radio.
N3UCN Rating: 2000-02-16
a great radio !! Time Owned: unknown months.
This is the radio that had the weird funky mic design that everyone hated. Not me. I loved it and thought it was the greatest thing. You could control everything on the radio from must the mic (so don't break it!). The radio had good power, and crystal clear audio, and I especially loved the spectrum analyzer feature. If you have a fast learning curve then this is a great radio, but if not then you might want to avoid it, though, because it is sort of confusing to use at first...