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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-780R

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-780R
Reviews: 6MSRP:
Description:
70cm Allmode TCVR For Portable/Mobile Operation
Product is not in production
More Info:
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
0064
K5CIS Rating: 2018-01-10
Great for satellite! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Picked up a used one on eBay for $150
Sensitivity is great for an older radio.
If you are looking at getting one, be careful to get the correct version for what you want to use it for. One version covers 430-439 MHz (satellites), and the other version covers 440-449 MHz (Local FM repeaters).
The memory channels don't stick when you remove the 12v. Not an issue for me, but can be for others.
I Love the fine step tuning for tracking FO29 downlink.
Don't expect bells and whistles.:.this is a very simple radio and a great (cheap) way to add full duplex for satellite ops.
ZS1SA Rating: 2010-02-14
Works great for satellite ops, not the best for FM ops Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have been using the FT-780R for the ham satellites for 9 years, without any problems. When I first purchase mine (second hand) I found that the sensitivity was very poor. A quick re-alignment brought it back up to a level of sensitivity comparable with many new SSB receivers. I believe many perfectly good older radios get poor reviews when all they need is a realignment. You wouldn't run your car for 15 years without a bit of mantainence and expect it to run like new, same with a radio, components age and they need to be tuned back to specs.
I gave it a 4 rating due to it only having 4 memory channels and 10 watts of power which is not much by today's standards
M6TYC Rating: 2009-06-16
Love mine! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Having been licenced for 4 months, I'm working my way through the vast array of what amateur radio has to offer.

Bought the 780r for what I consider to be a bargain price for a complete radio, even the spare fuses. It looks as if it's not been used.

The uk repeater non compatability is an issue, got around by also owning a Trio TW4000a. I liie that one also!

I'm a fan of buttons over menus and find the front panel simple to use. It's going to be with me for a long time.
MI3LVZ Rating: 2009-02-02
Good basic rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
If your looking for a cheap UHF all mode radio then this might fit the bill. Nice audio reports on SSB but no tone board which is a problem nowadays but for normal tone burst operation its fine.
G0FVT Rating: 2006-02-17
Very Happy Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have owned my 780 for perhaps 15 years, in the UK we have a 1.6Mhz repeater shift which as standard these radios cannot do, although you can transmit on one VFO and receive on the other.
I built a little logic board which allowed mine to do the UK repeater shift.
The radio got a massive amount of use on FM some years ago, eventually the PA died and I fitted a slightly more robust one and a cooling fan.

This range of radios (I also have the 480 and 680) all seem to attract excellent transmitted audio reports on all modes. On SSB the synthethiser tunes in 10Hz steps which is unusually fine for a radio of this vintage.

I found sensitivity more than adequate, and the radio very easy to use, but the radio does have a few negative points that would probably rule it out now if I was about to buy a UHF radio.

The memory of the radio can store just four frequencies, there is no back up battery so the radio needs the 12v supply on in order to retain the memories. The memory alone draws 80mA which is more than many modern radios draw on receive.

It is a an attractive radio, with a very clear bar graph S-meter, they are reliable but nowadays no CTCSS encode and decode is a major drawback.



DH5DAX Rating: 2001-04-02
Old radio with some problems Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought mine used, in very good condition.
It's a nice 70cm mobile allmode radio, however the usage isn't as comfortable as with a more modern radio. The tuning mechanism isn't very user friendly and the receiver is quite deaf when compared to a modern radio (Kenwood TR851), but with a mast-mounted preamp things are fine.
I wouldn't recommend it as a DX/Sat radio, but it is a good (and cheap!) radio for portable/mobile operations.