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Reviews For: Yaesu VX-3R

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu VX-3R
Reviews: 139MSRP: 199
Description:
A micro-sized dual band entry from vertex/standard...With 1.5 watts output on 2 meters, and 1 watt on 440... With 13.8 vdc power jumps to 3 watts on 144, and 2 on 440...Has wide band rx, and NEW ferrite bar antenna for AM broadcasts... 1000 ma/1 amp lithium -ion battery
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001394.3
K6LCS Rating: 2008-03-30
Amazing Performance Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Yaesu has done a great job on this, their third generation of these "tiny" radios.

Programming is simple - once you get the hang of it. Both Bob's Shareware and RT Systems' commercial software work well, too.

I shouldn't say this, because I don't know if I'll be able to reproduce it: I heard a few of the pre-programmed foreign shortwave stations last night, using the stock antenna. Yet the stock antenna is relatively weak when it comes to the 160mHZ band and the WX stations. But this is expected from an amateur HT's stock antenna.

A little more "beefy" feel cosmetically than the VX-2. The useable, optional AA tray is a welcome accessory.

Due to its inherent limited output power, this is not a recommended "first and only" HT for most hams. But I live in Southern California...we're all in valleys, looking at the repeaters on the surrounding mountaintops. Line of sight and the VX-2R's output power do well for ME in THIS situation.

Just worked AO-51 with the VX-3R, too - you can program "split freqs" in its memories.

Clint Bradford, K6LCS
Work AO-51 With Your HT: http://www.clintbradford.com
KB8YGC Rating: 2008-03-10
Nice little HT Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Yaesu VX-3R HT Review

Purchased from: R&L Electronics on March 5, 2008
Price: $169

After a brief break from the radio hobby, I decided that is was time to update some of my equipment. Looking for a dual band HT in the $175 range, I found that the VX-3R seemed to fill the bill as far as features I was looking for. Not only did I want to be able to operate on the 2M and 70cm bands, but also wanted to have general coverage receive. This would help with testing and troubleshooting of radio equipment, and to listen to the local yokels on the 220 MHz and CB band.

The size of this HT was just about the size of a credit card (actually just under). I believe that this makes the unit desirable in some cases where portability is important. Due to the small size, this HT does not have a DTMF keypad. It also does not have some of the useful features such as a belt clip or dual band monitoring/watch. However, I managed to squeeze the HT into my cell phone belt clip holder, this made up for the missing belt clip. Nevertheless the radio makes up for these missing features by adding useful features such as AM/FM radio, WIRES, Paging, Channel Counter, Character Messaging, ARTS, and CW learning and training.

The audio is robust for such a small package, and the TX performance seems comparable to most other larger HT’s (on low power). This particular unit has 1.5W of power on 2M, and 1W on the 70CM band, which is enough power to reach all the local repeaters in my area. The reception was good on the 2M and 70cm side, but frequencies such as WX were not able to be heard (typical of some HT’s). The AM/FM reception was good when using the ANT/Earphone setting. I was able to tune all local stations without a problem, in stereo. I only wish the unit had an audio equalizer, but I guess you can’t have it all.

This unit boasts 1000 memories, which is more than enough in most cases. With the absent keypad I figured it would be a challenge to program, but that wasn’t the case at all, using the F/W button I was able to vary the VFO via MHz or KHz settings. Programming was fairly simple, and adding memory channels was a matter of pushing and holding one button (F/W). Tuning is dependant upon the band the steps are 5, 8.33(on the Air Band), 9(BC Band), 10, 12.5, 15, 20, 25, 50, 100 KHz (see page 21 of manual for limitations). The most difficult task seemed to be pulling the VFO knob upwards to tune the frequencies. To make programming quick and easy, towards the end of the manual is a set menu (quick chart) that lets you look for functions that you need. All features are listed in alphabetical order on the HT and the list.

The battery is a 1000mAH Lithium Ion battery. The battery life seems average to most other HT’s that I have owned in the past. I didn’t have any issues with the back cover or battery being loose. On a side note, make sure to fully insert the DC barrel jack when charging. I noticed that on my initial charge, I did not have the barrel fully inserted and the battery did not charge (seemed intermittent). I liked the battery charging meter that displayed full-charge status in text and a green light.

I would give this radio 4 out of 5 stars for the rating. If the radio had an audio equalizer, and the WX bands had better reception, I would have given 5 stars. I do not believe you could go wrong on purchasing one of these HT’s. If it were lost or broken, I would replace it with the same model.
W9KRT Rating: 2008-02-25
Great Radio! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is a great little radio. The AM/FM sensitivity is quite adequate(this is a HAM radio not a walkman)and I like listening to the radio and monitoring a repeater at the same time. The controls are well laid out and the menus easy after a few tries. The radio is solid and built very well. I have no issues with the battery cover, it works just fine. Receive has been good and what I expected from a $170 radio that does it all in a micro size too. The battery life has been very good. The audio on receive and transmit is pretty amazing for a small radio. I never leave home without it, and that is the exact use of this radio.

I am surprised at some of the reviews. This is a great radio. It is NOT a full featured VX7 ( I have one and a Standard 558a too, both exceptional radios), but Yaesu never said it would be, nor should anyone expect it to be...it is half the cost. It is the perfect radio for a mini, one of the best I have used! Get one and enjoy!
N9SJG Rating: 2008-02-20
I Really Wanted to Like This Radio.... Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
So much about this radio is so good that I really wanted to like it. It's size is perfect, the layout and function of the multi-function buttons is good and prgramming becomes easy with just a little experience. The menus are very logical and pretty thorough - inclusive of a mic gain! It has plentiful scanning modes; enough to keep almost anyone happy. It also has good audio output that has the ability to be heard over average vehicle and outdoor ambient noise - much better than the Icom IC-P7A.

But the build quality and deaf ears across so much of it's receive range makes it hard to like. I will say that within 2M and 440, this radio has plenty of sensitivity and doesn't seem to have the typical Yaesu performance when traveling down intermod alleys. But when you stray too far from the ham bands, things go south in a hurry. Broadcast AM reception is weak and it's almost false advertising to say it receives WFM from 88.1 - 107.9 MHz. I've tried every assortment of Diamond and Comet antennas and none seem to help. Public service band reception averages from fair to poor or very poor.

Build quality is lacking - especially with the battery cover as others have mentioned. Mine moves laterally and creaks. It does it's job by covering the battery, but Yaesu is capable of doing better. The matte plastic finish on the rest of the case help to hide any scratches and looks professional.

This radio has many good points, but also has its bad ones. If what you want is a versatile, dual band miniature HT, then this might very well be your best choice. If you also expect to use the wideband receive advertised capability to monitor other services, you may be disappointed and probably should look at the standard-size handhelds, as they seem to do a better job.
KD8ENX Rating: 2008-01-28
Very portable entertainment Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Let's get right to the point- This is one fun little rig.

The wideband receive and scanning capabilities are great. I've programmed it to hear all the local scanner action at work. (Nothing there is trunked.) I've programmed in all the MW and FM radio for all the places I usually frequent, and organized everything into named banks. Basically, wherever I am, (and this little guy is small enough to take literally -everywhere-,) I can find something of interest to listen to.

HF reception isn't great off the included duck, but I didn't expect it to be. It will pick up the powerhouses in most places here in NE Ohio, if you sit near a window, which is handy during idle moments in the evening. And yes, broadcast FM is strictly local. But it's also quite nice sounding with a decent pair of earbuds. MW AM is actually pretty good, considering the receiver's size. Just make sure to turn of the squelch when listening to either AM or FM broadcast, unless you're just scanning for the strong stations in a new locale.

The rig is very easy to operate and program. Most settings are fairly intuitive, especially when compared with other Yaesu rigs like the VX-7R. I find I only need the manual for the most esoteric settings. I guess my main complaint when it comes to programming is how you have to save a channel before you can tag it. It makes it difficult when programming a number of channels at the same time. I find it easier to program in frequencies, PT tones, etc. all at once, then go back and tag the channels. Allowing more than six characters for a tag would be nice too, but you can't expect such a small rig to do everything.

I get good reports with this rig. There's enough power to hit the local repeaters when I'm at home, and I can step outside for a quick QSO during breaks or lunch at work. Great fun!

So far, battery life has been excellent. I bought the slip-in case as well, but have yet to use it. The rig fits nicely in the cel phone pockets of my favorite pants.

I'd give it a 5, but I do have a couple of issues-

I like the locking feature of the encoder. But on occasion, when I snap the knob down, it is resting between two detents, so it will jump a channel in either direction. I can avoid this by being careful of the knob's position, but more solid detents would be nice.

I am not at all happy with the way the stock battery cover fits. When you hold the rig in one hand, and hold down the power button to turn it on or off, you can feel the top edge of the back cover shift against your fingers. The tabs that hold the top in could be wider, which would prevent this. Overall, that cover has a generally flimsy feel. The cover could be beefed up a little without adding significant bulk to the rig.

All in all, though, I'm very happy and impressed. I call the VX-7R my YES- Yaesu Entertainment System!
EX_AA5JG Rating: 2008-01-17
Yes, it's deaf Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is a good HT with lots of feautes, including the dual receive, but the recent QST review confirms what VX3R owners have suspected-it is pretty deaf on broadcast band FM. The ARRL measured the sensitivity there for a 12DB SINAD at 7 microvolts! Yes, that is right-where most HTs have a sensitivity for FM broadcasts at 0.6 microvolts, the VX3R requires a signal 10 times as strong. Other than that, it is a pretty good HT. I also have to agree with the previous reviewer that Yaesu dropped the ball on not waterproofing it either. Every other of their HTs is waterproof. If it was waterproof and had decent FM sensitivity, it would have been the best HT ever made.

73s John AA5JG
KC2RSP Rating: 2008-01-17
Great with a fatal flaw. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I imagine if LG was to make a HT it would be the VX-3R. The size and capability approaches that of a cell phone. I'll list the positives and then tell you why it was short of being practical for me.

First you should know that in my area the repeaters are VERY sensitive and well designed. These are not decrepit OLD Motorola or GE repeaters on top of people's garages. Most are new commercial grade repeaters and tower/sky scrapper installed directional antennas. So having only 1.5 watts was no problem. I can hit repeaters with my HT from inside my house that are 45 miles away! Even at the low 0.1 watt setting! Thats the difference between a new, professionally installed repeater and a old GE repeater the size of a small fridge on someone's house.

Good:
1 - Extremely compact. Cell phone size!
2 - Light, only a few ounces.
3 - Readily available batteries.
4 - Actually made in Japan. Quality and design consistent with Japanese products.
5 - High capacity lithium ion batteries. 1000 to 1400 mah.
6 - Extremely powerful programming.
7 - Sub rx a ham freq while listening to a AM/FM station.
8 - Regular stereo headphone compatible.
9 - Numerous energy saving features.
10 - 3 hour charging period.

Especially GREAT
1 - pull out knob and recessed botton. Great for backpacks and pockets!
2 - Backlight lcd and keypad. Great for outdoor use at night.
3 - Powerful scanning options.
4 - Easy programming!
5 - Long battery life. 2 days for me.

Fatally bad

I use my HT outdoors. During walks, bicycling and backpacking. Sometimes in rain, snow and freezing rain.

I cannt take this outside in bad weather because its not water proof like my VX-7r. For me thats a fatal short coming.

Yeah... I over come it by sticking it in a zip lock bag. But I would prefer if I can use it without much worry of water destroying it.
The score would have been a 5 out of 5 if the unit had been at least water resistant.

Other minor bad points is that its not as sensitive as my VX-7R, the ctcss decode is also not as sensitive as my VX-7R. Of course I didn't use the stock antenna during testing. I replaced the antenna with a Diamond.

The wide band worked just fine with my Diamond antenna. I got all my local FM/AM stations.
K5HDM Rating: 2007-12-27
I take it everywhere Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This radio is great.. The size is perfect! I didn't always carry a HT with me everywhere, because the smallest one I had that was practical was the VX-7, but I still didn't carry it EVERYwhere because of the size.. With this radio I have no more excuses.. The RX works great on it.. It's loud enough.. You are restricted a little with the power, but all the pros outweigh that. When I connect it in the car, I can hit everything I can with a 5 watter.. I want to get another antenna just like the original so I can use it on my other radios (works wonderfully). I wouldn't suggest this as a 1st radio, or for a beginner, but this is a MUST to add to your equipment list. I've even found myself using the Stereo FM Radio function. It's a breeze to use once programmed (I used the software to prog. it) and the size is PERFECT! I have no idea what the guy is talking about with the lock-ups.. I know at least 10 people with this same radio and 1/2 of those have had it since the day it came out, and they've never mentioned anything like that.
N2KVZ Rating: 2007-12-17
Radio Locks-up Hard Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Stay away until they fix hard lock up. Was quite happy with unit until it began to experience hard lock-ups. Worked for a few days then switching bands causes a hard lock-up even a battery pull will not reset, cannot even do a factory reset. Sent back to factory service once already and problem still exists, sending again. YAESU needs at least 3 returns before they will entertain a replacement??? Proceed with caution before purchase.
KK5F Rating: 2007-12-07
Great Except For BCB Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had mine for a month. I've been using ham HTs for 30 years, and the VX-3R is, overall, the finest micro-sized rig I've ever come across.

Here are some of my observations:

1. The FM broadcast band performance is very marginal. If you have some strong stations within 10 miles, it will do quite well. If those stations are 20 or more miles away, coverage will be spotty, especially if you don't turn off the squelch. Selecting FM earphones as the FM antenna helps some. I characterize FM performance as better than expected, having read all the comments on this list, yet still disappointing.

2. The AM broadcast band performance is profoundly marginal. It is far worse than FM band performance. If you have a local 10 KW station, it will do well. If that station drops to night-time power, you'll have trouble. Night-time AM propagation will allow you to detect, barely, some of those clear-channel 50 KW stations. I live 80 miles from clear-channel 50 KW WSM on 650 kHz in Nashville, yet I can only weakly detect WSM night or day! What makes this so unexpected is the unit's ferrite-bar AM antenna. It seems to add little or nothing to AM performance. Perhaps the lack of sensitivity is a trade-off to counter the lack of selectivity on the AM band. In an area with a strong AM station, the station will be copied over about 40 or 50 kHz, even with the unit's minimal sensitivity.

3. Shortwave AM broadcast reception, using a HT antenna, is better than I expected. It's nothing to rave about, but when little is expected, little is enough. I suspect that using an antenna longer than a few feet would result in severe overload. Still, I give this area positive marks.

4. The short rubber-duck antenna supplied with this unit actually does a better than expected job for the 2m and 70cm ham bands. But outside the ham bands, the receive performance really drops off. The local NOAA weather service on 162.4 MHz comes in like gang-busters on the cheapest receiver I own. But it can not be heard in the noise on the VX-3R with the standard antenna. With an after-market antenna, the station is full scale, and several other NOAA stations in distant areas can be copied on their channels. The difference is night and day, so if you are interested in monitoring stuff outside the ham bands, an after-market antenna is a must. I've tried several, and the one that has given me good results while still in a length that is still appropriate for a micro-sized radio is the 7.5 inch "rat-tail" Diamond SRH519, which is touted as supporting "144/430 MHz & Wide Band Receiving Coverage." As near as I can tell, it comes as close to living up to that as anything a similar size ever could. The "problem" of limited band coverage of stock HT antennas is common to all HTs I've ever come across, so I don't consider it a negative for the VX-3R.

5. The MARS modification is shown at various sites. It looks simple, but the picture is misleading through no fault of the person who kindly provided it. It just turns out that the component to be removed will be, for many of us, very difficult to safely remove, due to being a very small surface mount item in an uncomfortably recessed location. The smallest, narrowest, needle-like soldering tip, best magnifying viewer, and the steadiest hand will be required. If you are buying a VX-3R because the MARS mod looks easy, think again. I do not consider this a VX-3R negative, though I was surprised by it.

7. The display and its lighting are excellent, which really helps us older folks a lot.

8. The sensitivity and selectivity of the VX-3R on the VHF and UHF FM communications bands (ham and public service) are excellent for a rig of this sort, if a proper antenna is installed. It even works on the UHF-AM military aircraft frequencies.

9. The transmitter audio is crisp and clear, as is that of the receiver in earphones or the speaker. I am amazed at the volume and clarity of audio produced by that small speaker! If standard stereo headphones are attached, FM broadcasts may be heard in stereo. Also, all audio from any band will be heard in those phones, so you don't need to come up with one of those pricey phone sets with that special four-conductor plug just to use some earphones.

10. The transmitter power output when set for high power is over one watt, which is extraordinary for a micro-HT on internal battery power.

11. The operating system of this radio is, put mildly, full-featured. It allows a bewildering array of functions and options that are not matched in many larger HTs of any type, though all I really need is full CTCSS and DCS and frequency-offset functions to satisfy me. What you don't use can be safely ignored. This thing will do about any type of band and memory scan that you could imagine. In spite of the complexity, this is one of the easiest HTs I've ever owned to learn. But I'd recommend going to the Yaesu website (http://www.yaesu.com) and downloading the VX-3R owner's manual.

12. The manual does NOT include a schematic. As an old ham, I find that disturbing. I like to at least have some notion of what lurks inside any rig I own, even if there's no practical use I could make of that information. A service manual is not yet available to make up for the lack of a schematic in the owner's manual.

13. Get the FBA-37 three-AA-cell battery pack accessory, if no other. It's inexpensive and very useful if your only Lithium battery needs charging.

15. The Lithium battery pack can only be charged in the radio with Yaesu gear. There are apparently some Kodak chargers and batteries that are inexpensive and allow pack charging outside the radio, but I've not tried those.

16. I doubt that the little rubber dusk covers for the charging and earphone jacks will survive long, or be easy to replace. I'd have preferred something that could be totally removed most of the time, and only installed when deemed necessary.

17. The radio is made in Japan, not China.

I could go on and on. The positives grossly overwhelm the negatives. I'd have liked to rate the unit as a 4.8 because of the poor broadcast band performance, but otherwise the VX-3R is a 5.0. The typical street price of about $180 is amazingly small. That's only about $10 more than
what you'd pay for that ill-thought Alinco abomination known as the DJ-C7 (which I had for two years before it was stolen, for which I should now be thankful). If I lost my VX-3R, I'd immediately order another.

I guess you could say I like the VX-3R.

73,
Mike / KK5F
PS: I don't work for any ham-related enterprise. The above are just my opinions. YMMV, especially if you get one that shouldn't have passed QA.