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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-2900R

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-2900R
Reviews: 88MSRP: $$$??? SHOP - AROUND
Description:
The Yaesu FT-2900R is quiet and powerful. This ruggedly- built 2 meter transceivers boasts 75 watts of output. Yet no fan is required thanks to Yaesu's die cast chassis/heat-sink design. The ergonomics are unsurpassed for safe mobile operation. Four power levels are available: 75, 25, 10 and 5 watts. And weather channels are built in with Severe Weather Alert capability. The FT-2900R is MIL-STD 810 tough. You get extended receive from 136-174 MHz.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.rigpix.com/yaesu/ft2900r.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
13884.4
KK4NWA Rating: 2013-08-29
STRONG! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've been using this for the week. I can get 50-75 miles contact depending on the high of the repeater through my 15' J-Pole. Very clear. It does get hot on 75 w after 10 minutes of conversation though. Attach a small fan to the top of the heatsink and problem solved.
LUKESF Rating: 2013-08-01
Good radio, mic terrible, poor support Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The base unit itself is solid feeling and seems pretty rugged. Initial tests resulted in reasonable reception when connected to a very good mobile antenna. If they had a good microphone, it would be a winner. However, the microphone has issues. For one, the "DWN" button on mine jammed after only two weeks (I was gentle: I wasn't guerrilla fisting it). Also, the microphone is light and feels cheap. Several buttons are hard to press without turning my finger sideways and using the corner of my fingertip. The PTT button is more sensitive than I would like. When I tried to get Yaesu to make it right, they balked. Disappointing: I thought they would stand behind their product.
OE3SGU Rating: 2013-06-21
Good. Rugged. QRO. Yaesu Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
This is what most of us need for 2 meters. A very rugged (Yaesu steel quality, no plastic like on others), and lots of power. More than enough memories. For the price you cannot beat them!
KD6JXM Rating: 2013-06-20
Great radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have a 2900R in a dune buggy... this means it is exposed to sun, sand, heat, excessive vibration and jarring.

I haven't had any issues with it as of yet... I picked this one up because of the lack of a fan thinking that sand wouldn't get in it... well I'm sorta right about that.

Sure there is some sand in the radio face, the hand mic is a bit crunchy (I use a headset in-car, the hand mic is used at camp or when we are stopped for a while and still need to communicate).

The radio has worked when my wheels are 6-8 feet off the ground... (Isn't that what they mean by a ground plane???) The radio has also worked well when I shredded a tire sliding sideways off a trail with everyone a half mile ahead of me (took that one a bit too fast).

This has been an entirely reliable radio for 3 desert seasons, the audio has been superb and I really do entrust some of my safety to it.

I would buy a second one for my other vehicles in a heartbeat... but lack of detachable faceplate and no 70cm keeps it from being used in my "in city" vehicles... of course neither of those features are designed into this radio, so it doesn't factor into the rating.
KF7GTU Rating: 2013-06-08
No trouble here after 16 months. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have had a handful of mobile VHF/Dualband transceivers. None can touch the quality of signal, maximum output and rugged durability of this radio. Well, maybe the MaxTracs can meet the durability standard.

I have never had any trouble with this rig, does not get hot like some other reviewers are reporting, have had no issues of any kind with the radio. My calibrated MFJ meter reports slightly higher than 75 watts out (closer to 80) on some frequencies. The potentiometers & buttons are of excellent quality and will, do doubt, hold up to years of service.

My 2900 is in a mobile installation that commonly sees both on and off pavement use. Plenty of rugged, rocky terrain and bumps/jars galore. I do take it somewhat easy on my equipment otherwise, and have not directly exposed the 2900 to a rain storm, or mud bath, but in a vehicle in an area dominated by forest service access roads, deep canyons and steep hillsides, it gets it's part of the communication process done very well and with no concerns whatsoever.

As an aside, I have occasionally powered up the rig in 20 degree outside temperatures (and essentially just as cold inside the vehicle), full wattage output and have had 5-10 minute conversations. No trouble for it at all, never acted up/strange or bizarre in any way, shape or form.

If I didn't already have a properly programmed MaxTrac in another of my vehicles, that truck would have a 2900 as well.
N8ZEE Rating: 2013-05-16
Great Radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have read the other reviews, and must say, I must be easy to please. This radio works great, and when run at 75w, it does get a little warm. I normally run it at 30w and it hits all the repeaters. I do not find any problem with the mic, it is just like all the other Yaesu radios I have. The radio seems like it is made as solid as a rock. I would recommend this radio to everybody. Feel free to e-mail me with any info you would want.
K7XFM Rating: 2013-02-21
Excellent Radio Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I bought my FT-2900 as a replacement for my vintage Kenwood TM-231, which still works well yet lacks some of the newer features. I purchased the FT-2900 at an incredible price and have found it to be worth every dollar.

The radio performs well as a base station using a simple rooftop mounted j-pole antenna at 22'. I typically run at 5/10 watts within a 25-30 mile radius and received very clean audio reports. I can easily reach repeaters 70-80 miles away with higher power (50/75 watts).

The “Set” Menu for configuring the wide variety of transceiver parameters is navigated by the tuning knob. The extensive menu with 59 parameters requires either some memorization or the user manual nearby. Some of the descriptions aren't intuitive and locating a specific parameter can be difficult. This is not a big deal once a user is familiar with the menu but it can be rough in the beginning.

I wish the FT-2900 included a separate data port. Having to remove the mic from the RJ11 port when operating with a computer interface makes the radio less useful unless a manual work around is implemented. Depending on your needs, this point may be of little significance.

Overall, the FT-2900 is an excellent radio with lots of power and many helpful features. It lives up to Yaesu's reputation.
KT4EP Rating: 2013-01-01
No problems after 2 years Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I must have got a good one. This radio has met and exceeded my expectations. I seldom run it at 75 watts because I let the antenna do the work. It gets hot no matter the setting, but never has failed me. I know of several Memphis hams who have them mobile and at home and are satisfied with them.
NT4I Rating: 2013-01-01
Trouble Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Segments of my display went out after less than 1 year, and this is with minimal use. YES it runs VERY HOT, so hot that it will not transmit after a short time of operation. If I want to engage in any reasonably QSO, I have to turn on an external cooling fan over the cooling fins to keep in running. I purchased it because it was reasonably priced, but in hind site, I should of paid a little more and got another brand. I did take it apart to fix the display and the interior of the radio is cheaply made. I suspect that the boards are Chinese. Next time it breaks, in the garbage it goes. I have no patience for tinkering with junk.
KQ0J Rating: 2012-11-14
Good rig for the $$$ Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I picked this rig up 2 months ago - I use it daily.

The only real problem I have with it is the receiver - it seems to me a bandpass filter would help. At the home QTH I live near some broadcast facilities ( FM, TV, Paging, Cellular) and intermod is very strong on some 2M frequencies - so much that there are some frequencies that I really can not use them. Luckily none of these are my favorites so beware that if you are in a RF rich environment ( or get a bandpass filter too ).

Pros: Price - had a $20 mfr coupon, High Power is great, lots of great audio reports, easy to program ( I see no need to use computer SW - yes! ), I like the instant WX button. Good audio output.

Yeah, its gets dang hot when you talk a lot - I have a small 12V fan mounted behind it when I have it in the shack.

Cons: Out of band rejection. When you set 'low power' it goes back to high power when you change frequency so watch out if you are using a power supply that can not support the high current requirement of 75W. The mic button is sensitive as some have mentioned.