Manager


Manager - NA4M
Manager Notes

Reviews For: Yaesu FT-90r

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

eMail Subscription

Registered users are allowed to subscribe to specific review topics and receive eMail notifications when new reviews are posted.
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
VK5ZUC Rating: 2003-10-13
Faultless performance for years Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I got one of the first FT-90R's to arrive in VK, the FT-8100R the alternative at the time. Ran it in the shack for a while to get to know it. Then installed it under the seat with the remote kit.

No heat problems on high power (but I am not long winded and I have set the time out to 4 mins).
No squelch problems,
High sensitivity on both bands,
Aircraft AM is fine,
Pager intermods only in the worst parts of the CBD.

What more could I ask for?

Andrew
KD2E Rating: 2003-10-08
Cute!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
All I can say is Yaesu must have made some changes on this rig. The early reports here on eham were not very good.
I purchased my FT90r two days ago on closeout for $229. Easy to program, plenty of receive audio, no problems with heat.
On receive, it stays ice cold. On long winded transmissions, it gets warm...no more than my old Icom IC2000H two meter mobile.
It'd be nice if there were such thing as programming software that allows you to just select a state, click on the repeaters of interest, and hit 'program' vs. the current method of filling out a list with offsets and pl tones.
But..it beats the knob twisting method!
KG8YT Rating: 2003-09-24
Works as advertised Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought an FT-90R shortly after they were introduced about four years ago. It was the only rig small enough to fit conveniently in my Subaru Forester. I also installed the separation kit, and the face place conveniently sits in a cubby-hole intended for the optional CD player. Since then I have used the rig on an everyday basis, and I have had no problems whatsoever. In fact, when I recently purchased a new second vehicle, I bought another FT-90R to use with it, based upon my good experience with the first unit. I just installed the new unit yesterday and, like the first unit, it works without a hitch. I am very happy with this rig!
KA4AJA Rating: 2003-09-14
Poor quality radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I own two of these radios, both with the same problem. They are off 4 KHZ on TX. Both must have the squelch open to receive! Both are going back to Yaesu and then on to e-bay. I was also burned by poor pots on the 8100 series radio.
W9JFL Rating: 2003-09-01
No major complaints! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have owned this radio for about 4 months now. I needed something small and dual band for the vehicle. Considered an Icom, but because the Icom didn't have alpha tagging, I took a gamble and went with the Yaesu (own other Yaesus and never had a problem). Must say, this little radio does what I expect. It programs well, get decent reports and haven't had all the problems others report. In fact, I wonder sometimes if those who complain don't have a different radio than mine. There are a few improvements I'd suggest (like reworking some buttons and menu choices) but honestly, this radio performs exceptionally well for me. I am not one of those who spend the day in the car and transmit 6 hours a day. It is on whenever I drive the vehicle and stays on. I would consider my transmit use as average. The internal speaker is weak, but what do you expect from a 1.5" speaker in such a small enclosure?! Have spoken with other Hams in my area with this radio - all report very satisfied results. If asked, I'd say this is one radio that doesn't get the respect it deserves. I'd recommend it.
N8MIN Rating: 2003-08-03
Problem Child Time Owned: more than 12 months.
What a piece of junk. Back to the factory for RX audio problems, now it is about unusable. Antenna is good and it gets so hot it smells. DC display reads 13.8 and my Fluke says 12.9. Sqealing noise on UHF RX through the band. Scan won't lock on a busy memory for about 5 seconds. Does the same on the bench as mobile. If you feel you need to buy one of these radios, please buy mine! Another fine piece of junk from Yaesu/Vertex.
K4AJR Rating: 2003-08-02
Good Performance, No Problems Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I was surprised to read of the problems some others have had with the FT-90r. It was my first (and only) Yaesu and was chosen because it fit in my new Toyota Camry by velchro-ing under the dash. I plug it into the cigarette lighter and run it on medium power, which is quite enough, with a trunk-lip mount 2-band antenna. It has been a solid performer for nine months, in winter and (hot!) summer weather. Good reports, no overheating problems. Easy to program. I would recommend it, especially for its compact size.
DG2IAQ Rating: 2003-07-26
Really good, but after some electronical mods Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I did some mods on mine FT-90 to improve the audio quality. Now I've got a real good and clear sound on TX and RX. You can see my mods on www.mods.dk (Yaesu -> FT-90 -> look for mods from DG2IAQ). Today I sent my so called "FT-90 fast squelch mod". A *MUST* for mobile usage. This mod removes the squelch delay, so it re-opens much faster than before. Now I don't have any problems, even not on real weak signal levels. The mod will be published by Erik, OZ2AEP, these days on his homepage.

With my mods I'll give the tiny FT-90 a full "5++", but only a "3" on its original state.

So I really love my modified small rig. It's mounted under my car seat, only with some belt on the car floor. I'm using a short Diamond SG-805N antenna (2/70/23, radial-less !!) on a window glass holder. And I bought the MH-36 DTMF mike for mobile Echolink usage.

73,
Jochen, DG2IAQ
N1KFC Rating: 2003-07-23
solid performer Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had this radio for over a year. The radio has performed well in a mobile environment. It has a wide range of features and the controls make sense. The alphanumeric display is easily readable. If the radio has 100+ memories, it should have an alphanumeric display. More expensive radios do not. Well done implementation, especially for its size.
VK3ZUX Rating: 2003-07-15
A good radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
For a little set one would expect compromises and Yaesu surely gave plenty. But I have had only one defect and that was a small chip capacitor across the output of the 2m PA expired and shorted the RF to ground. A simple repair.

The heating issues have not shown themselves to me here in Australia. We have a generally hotter ambient and we do not get the cold that the US gets but I have not experienced the problems of others. Maybe I do not talk as long as others? Most of our repeaters have 2 minute timers save us from long overs?

It is possible that there was a different batch sent here from Japan? It is a great set and I just love the small size and being able to get the set into a tight corner out of the way.

The remote kit is overpriced for what you get, but Yaesu tends to charge a lot for what you get.

For example Yaesu played a stunt here by not including the DTMF microphone with the set like it is depicted in the manual and then charging extra for the correct microphone.

If you need a 50W output on a duty cycle of 100%, a dual band set with dual band operation, or a set with packet facility at 9600 then this is not the set for you.

In summary a great set for small cars.