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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-90r

Category: Transceivers: VHF/UHF+ Amateur Base/Mobile (non hand-held)

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-90r
Reviews: 138MSRP: 399.96
Description:
Micro 2m/440 transciever
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com/ft90r.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001383.5
DL1DBY Rating: 2001-07-12
very good rig, few shortcomings Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
The FR-90R is incredibly small. Therefore it's easy to find a convenient place in the car for it. You can mount the faceplate separately when buying a (quite expensive) cable set. Both rig and faceplate are mounted with screws, so it is not possible to remove them quickly for operating the unit in the shack, for example.

The rejection of interference from commercial VHF paging stations ouside the ham band seems to be sufficient, but not stellar. I noticed noise from paging systems only a couple of time, so it is no nuissance. The sensitivity is good. The cooling system (an essential part for a rig so small) is efficient, the unit does not get too warm while transmitting. There are three menu settings for fan speed.

Despite the size the FT-90R is very easy to operate, as you can assign the functions you need to the buttons on the front panel and on the microphone.

Note that you cannot listen on VHF and UHF simultaniously. If you need that, buy another rig.

The build-in speaker is too small and sounds tinny. You'll definitely need an external speaker. I have one from Yaesu and with that speaker there is plenty of audio.

What I don't like is the fact that there is no tone scan possible. So don't forget your ARRL repeater directory. DCS code scan is possible, but nobody needs that.

I would buy the FT-90R again for my car. It is a small and very useful rig.
K3DLB Rating: 2001-05-10
Disappointing Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
(1) Radio was off frequency from the factory. The problem got worse when it got hot transmitting at high power (and this radio gets "hot"). After adjustment the radio worked correctly.

(2) RF Squelch feature did not work on VHF. Had to be returned to factory for repair. Two weeks after repair the squelch feature failed again.

(3) Display is very hard to read in mobile, especially on bright sunny day (and we have a lot of them here in Florida).

I traded it for a Kenwood TM-G707A.


G3UEQ Rating: 2001-04-04
FT90R Sensitivity Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have just purchased one of thes rigs and find it GREAT!. I was anticipating problems with programming its range of features, but, found within minutes of reading the manual (unusual !) I had it up and running just as I wanted. I also have an FT847 and FT726 for shack use and found this baby more sensitive than even the 726 on 70 cms. I live about 100m from a high power pager on 156m and did not experience any breakthrough unlike my old FT8100. Yes the internal speaker isnt much use but with a small CB ext spkr it was FB.
I keep power down to MID1 setting and have had no problems with overheating etc..all in all a great radio.

Andy G3UEQ
KB9OKB Rating: 2001-02-23
Great Radio! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have only owned the radio for a short time but I must say I am impressed. It is small enough to fit about anywhere, which was a major factor in my decision to purcahse it. I have a 98 4-Runner and it fits great in the little compartment below the ashtray. I originally planned to buy the Yaesu FT-1500M but I was wooded by the FT-90s small size when I went in to look at the 1500 and noticed the 90. I have had no problems with the audio from the unit, granted that I usually have the windows up and there is little road noise in a 4-Runner. Still, I found my Bearcat scanner's audio inadequate and mounted an external speaker for it but have not needed to do so for the 90. Programming the 90 is straightforward, albeit time-consuming for adding alpha labels. Still, this is one of it's nicest features. You can let the radio scan and at a glance see what station you are listening to. As usual it comes with all the cool Yaesu features such as extremely tough design, ARTS, good mic, etc. I also have a Yaesu FT-50R and FT-5100. I can safely say I have been very impressed with Yaesu products as compared to Icom, Standard, Kenwood, etc. So, yes, I would highly recommend this rig!
KA1WOJ Rating: 2001-01-20
WOW! It's GREAT! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I won't go on and on about this radio, but I do love it. It is small enough that I was able to place it under my instrument cluster, behind the shift without danger of hitting the shift. I had read all the reviews before I made it WELL known that this is what I had wanted for christmas. I have to agree with the positives. The ONLY negative I will agree to though is that I too wish it had cross band rx. But I just love it and those who have heard it over the local repeater and simplex love it too.
Pete
KA1WOJ
KC0IWV Rating: 2001-01-18
Good performer for tight spaces Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I bought this rig primarily for it's size - I have a Honda Passport SUV that has very few places to mount a radio - I ended up mounting it under the seat with the remote head attached with velcro to a plastic panel with the extension kit. The unit is very small and gives you a wide range of options on mounting.

Here's what I like: Size - it offers more features per size than any other mobile radio on the market. Lot's of memory locations with text tags - Wide receive coverage - you will want to get the PC RTS programming software for this rig.
Audio reports are typically very good. The Mike lets you control most of the functions on the radio remotely except for volume. I really like the fan options - you can set it to only run when the radio gets hot - nice feature - this is especially nice for a quiet Ham Shack. I have a FT-8000 in my Ham Shack and the fan noise drives me nuts everytime I hit the PTT. (It's not that loud - but my Shack is very quiet and it runs as soon as you hit the PTT button regardless of whether the radio is hot or not) This radio is very compatible with my VX5-R HT. If you have a VX5-R - you will like the similar features - DCS, etc. This thing only draws 8 amps on 50 watts. I have it plugged into my cigarette lighter and have no noise problems.

Things I would like to see improved: UHF Intermod is typically a problem in the city. It does not seem to handle intermod rejection as well other radios I have used. I wish the remote mike had a volume up and down control. I wish it had a dual recieve function - like the 8000 (but heh - it's only $369.00) and I know there were tradeoffs that had to be made for size/price/function. Remote extension kit is quite expensive - about $70.00. I would like to see a kit with just a control head cord option. I didn't use the other extension cables - but I had to pay for them just the same.

Overall - not many complaints with this rig. If you can live without simultaneous dual recieve - I would highly recommend it...it has worked very well - even in extremely cold MN temperatures.


W1ZE Rating: 2001-01-10
a Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have used this little radio in my Toyota P/U for over a year. In general it has done a pretty good job. Receiver is hot and hears very well. transmitter/microphone audio is very good.

PROS: small, very portable, good features, very good receiver.

CONS: Gets so hot in high power that it affects the squelch setting and receiver performance. Yaesu tried to put too much RF-output into a rig housed in a cabinet the size of a pack of French cigaretts
KG7IL Rating: 2000-12-14
Great little rig, one little problem Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Like most hams, I like the small size. I use it as a second rig in the shack and car. It's easy to move it when I want to.

I like the alpha-num memory names, and simplicity of the front panel. Easy to use on the memories.

The keypad entry for frequencies and quick access to the tones make it easy to punch up a repeater. Fastest rig for changing to simplex that I have.

The problem: When I use the rig as net control on simplex, I often have to boost my power to High. The rig gets hot and the receive audio cuts in and out. Reports indicate that it does not affect my transmissions, just the receive audio. After cooling off, things are back to normal. Yaesu did not have a factory fix when I last asked.

As long as High power is avoided for longer QSO's, I have experienced no problems.

Glenn KG7IL in Renton, Washington
K2APF Rating: 2000-11-10
Nice Rig! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Great 2m and 440Mhz sensitivity. Obviously small size make it easy to install as a mobile. Optional ADMS software makes programming easy. It does need an external speaker. I purchased a small speaker from Radio Shack that fits in a cup holder in my car. The airband receive is great, especially compared to my Icom IC-207H which is deaf on the airband. Being a pilot, I spend more than half my time on that band.
(Works pretty good on FRS/GMRS, too, not that I tried it).
I am thinking of buying another one.
KA5TJA Rating: 2000-11-09
Bad Experience Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I've been a Yaesu fan for many years, having owned several including FT-890at, FT-51r, FT-50rd, FT-5100, and now the FT-90. Bought it because of the size and features. First problem is audio. Internal speaker is worthless if you are going to be using it mobile, and only marginal for use in the shack. External speaker is a must. I returned mine after 1 month of use because of "squeal" in the audio on the UHF side whenever a PL was present. When I received the radio back from Yaesu, an "audio mod" had been completed. Great, I thought. I was busy with work, so about 3 months later, I get the radio out and plug it in. Squeal appears to be corrected, however it has no output on the UHF band. It shows to be transmitting, but no power out. Checked it on 2 antennae, even took it to the local ham store for a second opinion. It's on it's way back to Yaesu again.. just before the warranty runs out. I must say, I wouldn't buy this one again.