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Reviews For: Yaesu VX-6R

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Hand-held

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Review Summary For : Yaesu VX-6R
Reviews: 137MSRP: $275 USD
Description:
144/220/440 Triband Handheld Transceiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001374.4
KQ4ABU Rating: 2022-10-02
The one to own IMHO Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have been shopping for 6 months, Bought the FT5R first to complete my Wiresx setup. I have studied on the opportunities 'and know how i want the 6r setup. I am getting a band amplifier for the HT 3 watts in 35 out on 222. That's my band So I am going to buy two so if things get bad after the election. I will have a band that can keep up with enough power to catch and we can keep up with the heartbreaking problems occuring out in the community and surrounding areas as well. With 2 - 6r with all the fixins and two ftm200 installed in water proof suitcases making them submersible and two ft818nd encased in armolog pack frames with all the extras installed, including lith battery. plenty of antennas. the equipment is tough and service to the community will get done no matter. we are in a time when old radios cost more than new ones, radios say junk buy also say it works. that is a symptom of the huge problem we have, charge your batteries boys and girls. marginal honesty going to bring us down. 6r newsrooms
W6SWO Rating: 2022-08-13
Great HT Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Great radio that replaces an old but very reliable monobander. The VX6R is very sturdy and has a great feel in your hand. Menus are easy to navigate. Excellent audio. Good battery life. Amazing number of features packed into a small package. Essential accessories: Quick charger stand and programming software. Loading 900 memories by hand is a chore.

Update: This radio continues to work well for me after 18+ years. I finally bought a second battery this year (2022) only because I was concerned about availability in the future. I definitely recommend the R/T Systems software though. It makes the programming of this radio SOOOO much easier. You can also save several configuration files and upload them to the radio when you're traveling. Without the software, it will be more difficult, but not impossible. The VX-6R is a top notch performer. Put a base station antenna on it with a base or mobile discone and open up its full capability.
KM6KID Rating: 2022-04-13
Awesome Audio After Adjustment Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
One of the best compact and tough HT radios. Found that by shifting lower the broadcast WFM VFO frequency by about 50kHz the reception and audio quality improve dramatically!!!!

For example if tuning to 94.1MHz, instead I tune to 94.050MHz. But first reduce the frequency step size to 5kHz to give you enough frequency tuning resolution for best results. I have found that other bands do not need the VFO centering, so probably the WFM VCO is tuning a little high in frequency. XO could still be centered and that’s why other bands are not affected. Unless WFM uses its own XO.

Comparing both VHF/UHF audio quality to my FT-818 and TH-D74A, VX-6R is equal or better, even though this HT is much smaller.

Repeater programming is super easy and can be done without going through the menu system. It can be done with a few button presses.

With a Smiley Tri-Band antenna this thing has incredible range. Can hit VHF repeaters 40 miles away. For some reason I could not do that with the TH-D74A with the same antenna. With a Diamond super small antenna can hit UHF repeaters about 20miles away. With this antenna the radio fits in the jeans pockets without weighing you down, actually I cannot notice it anymore.

Couple of negatives….the battery does not last long since it is very small, which is understandable since this HT is so small, but by turning the LED off, and turning off the display and keypad lights, it improves a little. I can go more than a week with one or two contacts a day and some some monitoring.

The wake up and monitor feature is also great. It saves battery life.

Second negative, is that it has no SSB, and HF reception is limited to AM.

Third negative, since it is very wideband it would be susceptible to interference. However, this has not been an issue yet.
VA3WEX Rating: 2021-06-28
"All dressed up with nowhere to go" Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The VX-6R seems like a decent enough radio. It's quite sturdy: I've dropped it a few times to no ill effect. It's a bit complicated to use, and *quite* complicated to get it set up. Programming infinitely easier via the RT Systems software than through its own keyboard.

The radio gets reception on 11 bands, with additional transmission capabilities on three Ham bands (2m, 1.25m, and 70cm). This sounds like it's quite flexible, but it only does AM and FM modes. Even in a city of over 1 million people, there is not much action in those modes.

- It receives commercial AM and FM radio bands with adequate (not good) sound quality.

- There is not very much to hear on the shortwave band (1.8 - 30 MHz), and what is there does not come in very well.

- I'm right by an airport, yet I can't hear very much on the Air Band. Perhaps Airport operations have all gone digital or something.

- It only receives AM signals on the 50 MHz Ham band and there are few people transmitting in AM. I've heard nothing at all on that band.

- In my area, there is not much going on on the 2m band, but it does receive quite well there. Transmission on the other hand, is not so great. You can hear a lot of people, but they can't hear you (or can't hear you very well). Suspect the radio would need a significant antenna upgrade to go from "good" to "great".

- The 1.25m Ham band is not very popular around here, so although this radio is capable of it, there is absolutely no one else around to talk to. I have no idea how well the radio works on that band.

- The 70cm band seems more limited in its transmission and reception capabilities than the 2m band. Just not as much "oomph". But no loss really; there is very little activity on that band in my area--I've only had one contact.

- There is no UHF-TV being broadcast anymore, so nothing at all in there to listen to.

- And the 803-999 "info band" (whatever that is) likewise is completely empty.

To summarize, this radio is "all dressed up with nowhere to go". It seems like a perfectly decent little radio, but there is not much that I can use it for beyond some local 2m nets.

Before buying, I wish I had checked with some local Amateur Radio clubs to see if there was actually enough local AM & FM action around to make it worthwhile. In the right area, it's probably a fine little rig. Just not in mine.
W5CTD Rating: 2021-05-28
A near perfect HT... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I owned two of these radios from 2007 till 2018 and If I had any choice in it I would still have them today.

If there were ever a "Perfect" HT radio this is it. It is extremely durable and works in all kinds of atmospheres. It would even work under water if you are not using an external mic and if you are using the included whip.

The radio is easily programmed via computer using chirp and it is very easily (if not so quickly) programmed on the fly using the keypad out in the field.

This radio can be used for simplex, Repeater, and digital (packet) communications using any TNC or digital soundcard attachment such as a KPC3+ or a Signalink USB soundcard interface.

This radio can be used on battery power or can also be run via any external 12v power source. In all the years I had and used this radio never was I disappointed in the product or the support for the product I received from Yaesu.

The cost is a bit high but if you can afford it the reliability and performance of the product in my opinion is well worth it.









M7DUN Rating: 2021-03-20
It's a strong, solid HT Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The VX-6 was launched about 15 years ago, but the fact it is still being made now is a testament to how good it is. I picked mine up because I wanted a strong HT with a wide receive.

The power it can output is impressive, hitting repeaters quite far from where I am. It feels rugged in the hand and for the price it's a steal.

I use a Signal Stick with mine, and it works perfectly. This is a great HT if you're looking for a solid analogue radio with weather proofing.

The only issue I have had is with a cheap programming cable which broke inside it. Buy the official cable to avoid the issue. It works well with CHIRP.
VA6GC Rating: 2018-12-21
Battery replacement Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought my VX-6R in late 2005, it was my first radio. used is LOTS, I mean LOTS. Now in 2018 I need to replace the battery. The radio works perfect but a few charging glitches. So in 13 years I will change it again..
Programming is easy especially w/software, always was. I also have a Kenwood TH-D72 which cannot hold a candle to the 6R.
Awesome radio
Glen Chapman
VA6GC
W2WHT Rating: 2018-10-29
Solid performer Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have grown somewhat partial to Yaesu equipment. I had a VX7RB when I bought this radio. They use the same battery packs so it made sense to get this radio. I bought it on one of the ham classified sites and I got the radio, power supply and two battery packs for $200 shipped.

I programmed it at first with CHirp and then I downloaded and used VX commander and it was a bit easier to use. The radio does everything it should and with an aftermarket antenna I can hit the local repeater from 7 or 8 miles away with no problem. (Not line of sight.)

This radio has extended receive and while that sounds impressive, you do need the appropriate antenna to listen to anything in the frequencies below 30 MHz.

Water proof or at least strongly water resistant is a great feature if you are outdoors in less than sunny weather. I use this radio to monitor local emergency services and it will go quite a while on a battery with moderate traffic.

I know that the radio is packed with far more features than I would ever use and plenty of memories. As far as I know as of today, the radio is still in production so you can buy new or used. Either way, it is a great hand held.
SAPPHIRE Rating: 2018-08-29
Very good Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I think it's one of the most complete and best built. Very good battery life. Good reception but do not use antennas with too much gain. Very good transmission. To increase the regular battery life: Dimmer level 5 or 4, Rx Save 500MS Bsy Led Off. To increase the modulation Mic Gain level 9. To unlock fast squelch below Ptt next menu 36 M / T - CL to set position Moni
KG7AHL Rating: 2018-03-22
WELL KNOWN CERAMIC FILTER ISSUE, POOR YAESU SUPPORT Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The radio was purchased three years ago as the most rugged model of the type and maintained in pristine condition and seldom used, perhaps 5 hours total. This was to be my go to radio for extreme situations in bad weather which it never saw. To make matters worse, I purchased several batteries and every accessory for this radio. One day, turned unit on and had issues with reception, indicative of one or more (KNOWN) ceramic filter failures, Yaesu USA agreed this to be the likely issue but stated repairs would not be covered. A 3.5 satisfaction rating for Yaesu repair services means I will not be sending the radio back for them to repair. This radio and others affected by the ceramic filter issue should have been recalled by Yaesu.

In the mean time, I will use my Wouxun and Baofeng radios which have proved very reliable despite daily hard use.