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Reviews For: Yaesu VR500

Category: Receivers: General Coverage

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Review Summary For : Yaesu VR500
Reviews: 34MSRP: 339
Description:
Ultra-Compact Wideband Receiver
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com/amateur/vr500.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00344
JL1KRA Rating: 2001-06-23
Tune in HF in a bed Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
There is no other receiver like this. Even I can tune in HF bands in the bed of bussiness trip. You don't have to sit to face to receiver. With your relaxed style, the HF bands are in your hand. HF sensitivity is very good with shortwire of 10 feet. Sensitivity in MF is not so good but you will enjoy to make small ferrite antnna for the VR-500. SSB demoduration is not so good there is an distrotion to receive strong signal. Filter is wide to receive CW. There is some limitation but still the receiver is very fun to carry around anywhere.
NOELC Rating: 2000-12-03
Not bad on HF, but VHF/UHF is pedestrian Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
HF performance is more than adequate, apart from the lack of selectivity, which is only to be expected when compromises have to be made to come up with a receiver this compact.

VHF/UHF performance seems very poor to me. I have gained the impression that this receiver is practically deaf above about 40Mhz.

All I have heard so far are broadcast stations (which I can also hear on a $20 el-cheapo receiver) and some TV audio. The FM broadcast reception on the VR-500seemed to heavily dependent on the position of the antenna where signal on the cheap domestic set came pounding through no matter what position the antenna was in.

I have set the receiver to scan between the calling channels of the VHF amateur bands and heard nothing, despite taking the receiver out on to the top of Hampstead Heath, a hill here in London.

I have scanned across the aviation frequencies and from one end of the 2m, 4m and 6m bands and still the receiver seems to be hard of hearing.

I'm not sure if I have received a defective unit, as I have heard that there have been a number of such units shipped, but I am bitterly disappointed by my purchase and I will be returning it to the shop where it was purchased as soon as possible.

KA5TJA Rating: 2000-11-27
Lots of fun Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This receiver is a lot of fun. Only drawback is sensitivity, so an external antenna is a plus on some bands. Actually, there is one other problem. My wife liked it so much, it's hers now. Oh well... easy come, easy go. Looks like I'll be ordering another one (or something similar like the Alinco DJ-X10T).

73's Tim
K0SRO Rating: 2000-02-14
This one gets a 6!! Time Owned: unknown months.
For many years, I've wanted a micro-size receiver that I could use to monitor the HF ham bands without waking the xyl during those occasional periods of wakefulness at night. The Yaesu VR500 fits the bill, and mine works like a champ. Just make sure you plug in a good antenna, and remember to turn the attenuator on, and you'll be in ham/SW listening heaven. It's great for general monitoring too, of course, with it's super wide freq coverage.