| KC7SBQ |
Rating:  |
2016-04-30 | |
| Good radio,bad charger |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I love my FT-60R. The radio is easy to program, the manual almost makes sense and the radio sounds good. I wish Yaesu would do something about the charger. It is an idiotic cradle design. |
|
| IU0CXU |
Rating: |
2015-12-18 | |
| Simply superb |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I always used hand-held brand Chinese (Baofeng UV9R ) and the comparison is virtually impossible.
My own FT60E, even if connected to a base station antenna (Comet GP5 M and Malcott's FX 727) never felt into saturation and it is better than the Polmar DB50M normally used in base station operations.
Not good battery NiMH (poor life).
Plastic case and commands are of good quality. Really easy to program manually. |
|
| W2DAB |
Rating: |
2015-10-04 | |
| Bulletproof performer |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I love my FT-60r, it was my first radio in 2005 when I got my tech ticket. I've used this radio day in day out for these 10 years with only one complaint. The markings on the rubber keys wear off, I've replaced them once... not a hard process but I'm kind of annoyed by that small thing.
Otherwise, this unit hits all repeaters in my area with ease and always gets good signal reports. At around 150. new it's worth the investment as it will give you many years of service. |
|
| K9MGY |
Rating: |
2015-09-20 | |
| Excellent and Simple!!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| This is a very simple and well performing 2m/70cm HT!! Whether you are a new ham or an old Elmer this radio is an excellent choice!!! Rugged!!! Great Battery Life!!! Easy to program without using software!!! Great signal reports!!! |
|
| KG4NEL |
Rating: |
2015-09-04 | |
| Great choice for a no-frills HT |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I hadn't owned an HT in over a decade, but I was familiar with Yaesu from my time with a VX-5R as a newly-licensed Technician-class ham in 2001. Recently, I was looking for an HT I could carry with me on backpacking and hiking trips where I thought it would be useful to have in case an FM repeater was the only way of reaching help if needed - as well as an easy way to get NOAA weather reports in case the weather turned ominous. Looking around at the HT landscape, things had definitely changed since the early ‘00s. Built-in TNCs, D-Star, and the proliferation of discount Chinese HTs; I didn’t mind spending a little more for something built to commercial standards, but which manufacturer offered the best value?
I ended up choosing Yaesu’s FT-60R because it did everything I needed, and nothing I didn’t. Reasonably-wide dual band receive coverage (No 162MHz weather coverage on the FT-817ND, Yaesu? Really?), built-like-a-brick construction, and no extra digital modes or features beyond FM voice. I also appreciated the twin analog/volume controls; I “test-drove” a Kenwood TH-F6A that had a menu-set squelch, and coming from the VX-5R I didn’t realize how much I missed that feature until I used the Kenwood. I live in a somewhat rural area, so intermod has never been a significant problem, but the receiver seems somewhat resilient to out-of-band interference - even on top of local peaks inhabited by transmitters that dwarf ham repeaters. The physical size is just perfect; big enough to provide some heft and balance in your hand, but doesn’t feel like you have a block of lead clipped to your belt after a day’s trek.
Finally, the downsides – it does come with an SMA connector, but I think the days of BNCs on ham HTs are numbered. Fortunately, there’s an excellent adapter available from Stephen Gulyas, KC2BHO, that solves that issue very effectively, and without any stress on the connector. The stock antenna is somewhat deaf, but that’s to be expected; if you can live with the extra length, Diamond’s RH-77CA makes a world of difference. |
|
| W4KPA |
Rating: |
2015-08-11 | |
| Durable, all purpose HT |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've had mine eight years now with never a problem, even though I give it a fair amount of rough treatment. I've never noticed any particular sensitivity to interference, although I doubt there's an HT made for the amateur market that won't get a squawk under some circumstances. I program mine with software most of the time, but manual programming isn't really very difficult.
This radio has been in Yaseu's lineup for almost a decade now. There's a reason for that.
----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by W4KPA on 2010-01-06
I agree with the previous review. The radio has all the features you'd expect from a dual band HT and is simple, sturdy, and reliable. The battery life is excellent. |
|
| N8KIM |
Rating: |
2015-08-11 | |
| Not good for intercity work |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I purchased it from Universal radio, that was my first mistake. I wanted the wideband receive so I could hear my buddies 900 megahertz repeater. But the radio will not allow reception in that area of the band! The worst part was the fact that the radio was constantly buzzing and burping from front end overload intermod. I had to have the squelch on all the way to keep the noise out. Granted I work in the city of Detroit where there is plenty of RF around. I returned the radio to Universal radio in exchange for the Alinco DJ 500t. Still waiting for that to arrive. So seems like a great radio too bad it wouldn't work in the city. |
|
| N7XLR |
Rating: |
2015-08-11 | |
| Great radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I have been using an ancient Kenwood TH-215 as my primary radio for over 25 years, and it finally died. I bought this as a replacement. Even 25 years later, it cost less than half what the Kenwood did, and is about 1/3 the size. Plus it is a dual band, the Kenwood was 2 meter only. I have only had it for a week or so, but have used it as a portable (with the stock antenna),as a mobile with a Diamond mag mount antenna, and at home with a homebrew J pole. It outperforms the Kenwood in every way. It does lack a lot of features newer radios have, but I consider that a good thing. I like simple. If there is one thing that bothers me about it, it is that it can't be used while being charged, but that is not really a big deal. I got mine on sale at HRO for $139. Very hard to beat a deal like that for a quality name brand radio |
|
| W6USC |
Rating: |
2015-07-10 | |
| Built like a radio should be |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Just purchased from HRO.Easy to program with or without programing software. Switched from stock rubber duck to Comet extended whip. Great TX/RX. Recommend this radio radio for both newbies and experienced hams. |
|
| KC9OSX |
Rating: |
2015-07-09 | |
| Great Radio! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've had this radio for 6 years and I have to say, this radio is a beast! Most radios would have went belly up by now, but this thing just keeps going strong. I've dropped it, sat on it, used it in the rain, and even left it on the dash of my car on a blazing 100 degree day, to the point I couldn't touch it with bare hands. The display even turned black, and looked like someone poured used motor oil on it. After letting it cool slowly in the shade, it went back to normal and worked just fine.
I lost my charger 2 years ago, and it was sitting all that time with a dead battery. I picked up a new charger last weekend, and it took a charge just fine. I have been listening to it at work 12 hours/day for 2 days, with the occasional qso and it still isn't showing signs of a low battery. (I've always charged it for 10 hours and only after it was indicating low battery, which must have kept it in good shape)
The only 2 downfalls to this radio I can think of, is the stock antenna, and the external speaker-mic jack. I think they could have done better than that. I have found, however, that the yaesu MH-34 speaker-mic plug fits the best, and doesn't work it's way out as easily as the other aftermarket brands tend to do.
If you're looking for an inexpensive, durable, good sounding HT, don't hesitate to pick up an FT-60r
|
|
