| W7COM |
Rating:      |
2002-11-29 | |
| Great audio for such a small radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I just picked up a VX-5RS (silver case) at Ham Radio Outlet in Seattle for $219 new. The feature that suprised me the most was the great sounding audio that Yaesu packed in to such a small unit. It even sounds better than my IC-T2H, which I consider more of a full-sized HT. The other great feature is the 8 char alpha labels with both upper and lower case letters (and I think the whole kanji set too). This unit is so much better than my IC-Q7A that I consider it just a FRS radio now. I downloaded the EVE software from the net (http://www.geol.com/vx5/EVEv170.zip) after buying the Yaesu cable. It makes the radio much more managable with it's 200+ memories. This is my first 6m rig and I've been able to bring up several local repeaters with the factory duck. The AM and FM works well enough with the great audio sound that I enjoy listening to broadcast on it. All in all, I'm very happy with the radio as I am with the other Yaesu I have (FT-2800 mobile). I was a die-hard Icom fan (and I still like most of their stuff) but Yaesu is winning me over quickly.
-73, Joe (W7COM) |
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| KC0ODY |
Rating:     |
2002-11-15 | |
| nice little radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Like many people here, I bought this as my first radio. It's a very nice little rig; sturdy and feature-rich. I agree with the opinions of others that it's a bit too feature-rich to make it easily programmable without the computer software, but so far I've managed without the latter.
What I like: light and sturdy; it puts out a good signal and seems to have good pull as well (but I did upgrade to a different, telescoping-type antenna). Has wide range on receive. I was able to hear a number of shortwave stations last night as well as AM stations from 2,000 miles away. People I talk to on local repeaters are often surprised when I tell them I'm not on a mobile, but an HT.
What I don't like: buttons are quite small, there are so many features that it's hard to know what the capabilities of the radio are by reading the manual- buy the programming software! Six meter capabilities are just about absent in my area with the stock antenna. |
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| OH5GFZ |
Rating:      |
2002-11-12 | |
| Limited mode for VX-5R |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Fine radio. My family have two: one from 1999 and one from 2002. I tried VX-7R for three days and returned it to the dialer (see my report on VX-7R page).
One not-documented feature for Yaesu VX-5R
- IDIOT MODE.
Turn Your VX-5R while holding down MR/skp/sc key. You can hear the special sound. Now your rig is in IDIOT -mode. Only large digits on the display, may be used only MR mode, user can change only squelch and TX power. No more! VFO, the preferencies and other features are blocked.
Now you can give it to police officer, your old grandmother or to your wife for simple use.
To cancel: turn off, turn on while holding MR. You have your VX-5R back for normal use.
73 de OH5GFZ
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Earlier 5-star review posted by OH5GFZ on 2002-03-13
I have purchased my VX-5R (9H….. ) 2 weeks ago as second hand for 300 euro (list price for new in Finland is about 450 euro now). Fine radio, I love this thing, even more than my other handheld hardware – incredible scanner Alinco DJ –X2000E !
The only thing was to be unacceptable – extremely low sensitivity on WFM broadcast band 88 – 107,9 MHz. Even local stations seemed to be a problem. I must to set WFM squelch to 0 to hear something!
The problem was that (S1 LEVEL W) adjust in Internal Alignment Mode was set to 154, when S9 was only 158. I adjusted (S1 LEVEL W) without any RF generator, only by holding antenna in my hand during INPUT mode. New set was 10. Then stored this change.
AND THE PROBLEM IS GONE FOREWER!
Read more about INTERNAL ALIGNMENT MODE FOR VX-5R
http://www.icongrp.com/~sllewd/vx5rmain.htm
http://mmi-comm.tripod.com/vx5r.html
73
OH5GFZ
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| KB0UHA |
Rating:      |
2002-11-04 | |
| GREAT Radio! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| What a deal! This is my first real HT, I got my license 7 yrs ago and had gotten by with an HTX-202 since I wasn't too active. I decided that I wanted to get involved a little more in Ham radio and began shopping around. Hear lots of great things about this radio, and they are all true. If you read the instruction manual, you will be fine. I had most of the functions figured out during the three hours the battery took to charge initially. And I tell you what, the receiving capability is amazing! I think it may even perform better on some bands (VHF-Air, VHF-Low) than my BC780XLT scanner! Alpha-tagging is nice, however a few more characters would have been nice. If you are thinking about getting one, get it now while Yaesu has the instant $80 off. You will not be disapointed! |
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| N2JBP |
Rating:     |
2002-11-01 | |
| Everything I Need. |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| 440, 2 and 6 meters on one radio with extended recieve. It's kind of like repacing my 109, 209 and 409's with a small cellphone size radio and getting a scanner and portable shortwave radio as a bonus. Had it for 18 months and have literally used the heck out of it. Only complaint is the non-standard antenna mount and the difficulty finding an adapter so I can use my myriad of antanne with BNC mounts. |
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| 2E1UKA |
Rating:    |
2002-10-04 | |
| Good radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| ok I think the radio is well made good rx /tx for the size!!. the only thing I found you need a master`s digree to work it at first until you get use to the funtions. There are far too may things on the radio for a begginer. You need to spend some time getting use to it. once mastered the radio is great. leave it for a few mounths and you will have to start all over again as it will have gone through the window how to use it. Never had a problem with the radio any time |
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| KF4UCE |
Rating:     |
2002-09-26 | |
| It's Alright |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Let me start off by saying that i have a bias towards Yaesu products and what i say is slightly against some of their features on this rig.
Pros:
The Battery is awesome(i get about 3 days out of it And that's with it on most of the time)
The case is built like a tank(i dropped it a few times on concrete sidewalks and it comes back for more)
AM Shortwave receive(see cons)
Menu Settings that actually work(they did this in their VX-1R which i own to)
Cons:
Horrible intermod problems on FM Broadcast,AM broadcast when you connect a external attenna.
AM shortwave is deaf as a rock(i do live on the west coast so this explains some of it). AM broadcast is very deaf without some outside connection.
Paint job wears off( i have the silver edition and it really noticeable)
Overall, i would say that if you are looking for a rig that performs like magic on 144/440 this is right up your alley. DON'T Buy it because it has the ultra-wide receive(yeah right). Buy the Kenwood F6A for that. |
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| VR2XCL |
Rating:     |
2002-09-24 | |
| A great radio packed with too much features ! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
This is my 3rd Yaesu HT, I got a FT-23 and 50R before, they are great radios with lot of features, overall I am quite satisfy with it, especially the wide coverage receiver and the die-cast aluminum housing, BTW mine is the silvery gray not the black version, I don't know if they are the same. I read about some complain on the audio, and I agree that the volume is little low and distorted, but no feedback at all. I don't like the antenna as it is too big for the body, how about a telescopic section for 6m ? needless to say I hated the SMA too, TNC would be prefect. The other thing I don't like is the multifunction keypad, I would rather they use bigger keys and smaller letter, so that all the labels can be seen with backlight, and the red backlight is hard to eyes too.
The manual I think is quite nice and useful, some people complain it was poorly written and hard to understand, it is because this radio is packed with too much features that hard to remember, I will put away the manual as soon as I learned some basic functions that I need !
I've a question, anybody out there used it in the rain ? the radio is rated MIL-STD810 so it should be reasonably waterproof, like my waterproof cell phone that can live with an hour of pouring rain, but for this radio water will get into the speaker very soon, causing the audio muted and distorted.
Overall I rated it 4/5, we can't expect too much on a radio of this size, and can't compare with any base/mobile rig with a gained antenna.
73,
Joe |
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| N8VGY |
Rating:      |
2002-09-10 | |
| Great little radio |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I just bought the VX-5RS last week. You may wonder why I put 6-12 months owning it....
This is my second VX-5, as I was missing the one I sold about a year ago. It was a great radio (2nd generation) when I had it and the only reason why I sold it was the fact that I was getting out of the hobby. Low and behold, a year later, the ham radio bug has bitten again:) This model (Silver, 3rd generation) is equally as good. I don't remember all the menu options being the first one I had, maybe cause I forgot them already ;)
I was considering the VX-7. However, as I remember someone saying...Yaesu is the Microsoft in Ham Radio. They tend to get things right after a firmware/hardware revision or two. Anyways, the size is what sold me. The VX-1 has it beat in that department. Too bad 500mW won't cut it for me. My old HT, the HTX-202, has been reliable...but I just can't take it with me cause it's so big and is an attention getter. The VX-5, though, can fit in a pocket and be used with the ear-mic for total portability.
I have never had a bad experience with any Yaesu product, and as you have guess, I only buy from them. I highly recommend this radio, esp. since its days are numbered with the VX-7 out on the market. |
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| K9FTB |
Rating:      |
2002-09-06 | |
| So Much Radio So Little Time |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I've had the VX-5R for about 6 mos. now, having purchased a demo at HRO in Atlanta. I've read the Eham net feedback on the Kenwood TFH6, and the VX-7. Looking a price vs. features, the VX-5 wins hands down. I've also got a VX-150, so I expected the same quality and functionality from Yaseu with the VX-5. Now it's my prime HT. I knew before I purchased that this "old" mind wouldn't remember the various programming key sequences. So I purchased the "yellow book" VX-5R manual done by Hugh in VE land. An excellent resource to carry with the HT.
I use it for SWLing, police, fire, medical, and 2m & 70cm monitoring. I like the battery life, the size, the functionality (I replaced the belt clip with a "Motorola" clip sold aftermarket by a ham on the net. Go to Google and type VX-5R).
I'd buy again. Another Yaseu winner. |
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