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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
N5TEN Rating: 2011-10-22
Needed High Power Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I live in a rural area far from any repeaters and surrounded by mountains so I wanted something for my shack with more power. The 75 watts was going to help me out, I hoped. Last week, I read all the reviews on the other two high powered mono-band mobiles. I chose the Yaesu because for the money, it was the best deal. And the reviews were better.

The radio is high quality, there's no doubt about that. The knobs are tight and easy to use. The VFO is rubberized and gives the feel of a quality instrument. The radio was much larger than I expected, but since it's for use in the shack, I didn't mind.

I installed the included "feet" it comes with for base use. That was a cool thing for Yaesu to include.

So far, the rig has performed very well and I'm having much less trouble getting into all the far away repeaters with the 75 watts.

Here are some issues with the rig however:
This radio NEEDS A FAN. Period. After a QSO with a friend on a repeater, the radio got too hot and shut me off without warning. The screen flashed "heat" and that was it. I was gone with my friend wondering what happened.

I installed a 12v fan on its own switch on top of the radio. Using picture frame wall feet, I put sticky double sided, heat resistant tape on the bottoms of the feet and stuck them on the four corners of the fan. Then I used a razor to cut them square on the edges. I placed the fan on top and squished the feet into the heat sink grooves. This is working perfectly. With the fan running, I have had a cool radio at 75 watts continuous, even after 30 minutes of long key down QSOs.

The other thing that bugs me slightly is the mic. If you even touch the TX button with a feather's weight, it will key the radio. I key the radio just putting the mic in the holder. While that's an irritant, it also makes it easier on the thumb when in use. This is a double edged sword.

All in all, I would recommend the rig to anyone but highly recommend the purchase of a fan to run on top of it.
KB1UJS Rating: 2011-08-30
Nice choice for a base radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I ordered this radio to replace a Radio Shack HTX-242 I'd been given when I first got my license. I was really impressed with the solid construction of the radio when I opened the box. Receive audio quality is pleasant with plenty of volume from the built-in speaker. I especially liked the feet included with the rig, as I will only be using this rig as a base unit from my home qth. Programming was quite simple once I'd read the manual and successfully programmed the first couple memories. The only thing I didn't care for were the beep tones when a button was pushed. Option 6 on the menu allows this to be turned off. As others have said, it would be nice to have a power level setting between the two highest settings. I seldom use more than 10 watts from home to hit my local repeaters, so that's not a real issue for me. I am very happy with this purchase.
WX0NWS Rating: 2011-07-27
Excellent Base Station Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is an excellent base station radio for 2m. I use it on 5w and hit all of the repeaters in my area with full quieting. It's works well on TX/RX and my antenna is located in a closet. Overall, it's just as good as the FT-2800M. It's a solid workhorse.


PROS:
*The VFO/Volume/Squelch knobs have nice tension.
*Easy to operate and program.
*RF Squelch function in menu (great for keeping out traffic light noise at intersections)

CONS:
*I'm scared to put out 75w for too long because there is no fan (only a huge heat sink), it gets a little warm just having a 30min conversation on 5w but it's only warm, not hot.
*When putting out 75w keep the antenna away from your power supply (at least 6ft), my antenna was too close and it shut my Astron SS-30M down from RF overload.
*Needs an external speaker because the audio quality sounds worse with increasing volume (like all other radios). Also, I'm afraid fire tone could blow out the speaker (they are extra loud in my county)

73 DE WXØNWS Donnie
KD8HAM Rating: 2011-06-01
Great 2m unit for the price! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Great 2m unit! 75W is a lot more power than most people need. Threw this in my old Mazda and used a comet mag mount 1/4 wave 18" antenna.

Programing and using this radio is a breeze. The memory banks are a quite useful feature! Large display is another plus. Some people say that this radio can get pretty hot at 75w - although I have not used it at that setting!

Transmit quality is excellent! Audio is quite loud and clear.

Great starter rig at a great price!
KB1TRY Rating: 2011-05-30
Another Check In.. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Let me say this. I love this radio. It was my first. And I talk on this radio every day. Simplex, it works great. 75 watts is a nice feature. In I belive late December. I went to go monitor simplex. And the radio was almost locked in memory mode. The buttons on the front of the radio stopped working. I could transmit on that channel, spin the memorys through. Sent to Yaesu. whatever they did i havent had a problem. the mic has fell off th desk and smashed into the side. works great. I love this radio. That one problem did not alter my great look on yaesu products. I own A yaesu FT250 HT, And a Icom T2H, I prefer the Yaesu! Thats what i use in the mobile and it works wonderfully. Thanks. Quinn KB1TRY
KE3W Rating: 2011-05-08
Great Radio! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've had this puppy for a few months. So far - I love it. My only problem (found others with Yaesu rigs including HF) is when you turn on the Power Supply (only use it at home) - the rig turn's on and off for a split second. Then, when you hit "power" on the rig - it loads just fine (and yes, I shut off the rig and then the Power Supply as a normal procedure when putting it to bed). Anyway, I reset the processor - and it stopped UNTIL I shut off the Power Supply for more then a minute. I found a few other's with this problem (include HF rigs) when I solicited help from the user community. Otherwise - it runs super.
LZ1MAK Rating: 2011-03-29
Very good radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
One very good, easy to use, stable rig. The menu is good for me, no fan and moving part - great for me. I am giving rating 5 for this mobile rig, using it like base station now. For this price it is the best.
73 to all hams
Marin, Bulgaria
KD0KRK Rating: 2011-03-05
Awesome little radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
When I bought this, I was skeptical of its simplicity, thinking that I should have a radio with more features. However, when I was in the middle of the forest volunteering for a rally race, the 75 Watt transmit capability really came in handy and made me glad I bought this particular radio.

It doesn't do much compared to other more expensive radios, but for the price, it's a fantastic 2 meter rig. And it's sturdy as heck to boot! I could probably use it as a hammer in a pinch.

It does have some downsides, though. Since it's a Yaesu, the menu system can be confusing at first, but you get used to it. Programming it is also a chore, but probably as easy as you can get with a radio in this price range.
KG6EYM Rating: 2011-02-18
best bang for the buck Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
After a couple of tries to program it manualy it was everything I wanted in a mobile rig. I was able to hit repeaters that I could not do with my old Radio Shack rig at the same power level. when I did crank it up to the full 75watts I was able to hit a repeater over a hundred miles away and talk with another mobile load and clear. only problem like i said was getting it programed.
KG6WLV Rating: 2011-01-09
Darn Good Rig Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This is my first mobile 2M rig, and I am very pleased with my purchase. I am running it with a Hustler MX-2 mag mounted on the roof of my Toyota Corolla, mostly talking to friends on FM simplex. I drive from the Bay Area across the San Joaquin Valley to the Sierra foothills, and regularly work stations 40-50+ miles distant. Most of my friends are running 2-meter horizontal beams for sideband, and we can make reliable contacts with my setup despite the loss with the cross polarization. Any repeaters I'd care to use are a snap, of course.
Some of the Pros (many others have mentioned):
1.)Very rugged design with a large display.
2.)Nice touch on controls.
3.)Robust, pleasing audio on both TX/RX.
4.)Very good receiver, with extended coverage for high VHF Public Service (very useful in my area), and Weather Band. I'm not sure why the one reviewer was experiencing splatter from adjacent channels, but I've heard none of that. My take is that this rig has a bullet-proof front end.
5.)Excellent value for the money. The MX-2 and the rig were about $200 out the door at HRO.
6.)I think the scan functions work adequately well for my purposes. I have about 20 channels -- a mix of simplex channels and favorite repeaters -- programmed in mine. I use the carrier mode and the mic to toggle in or out of the scan mode or step if the rig stops on a channel I'm not interested in.
Cons:
1.)This rig gets VERY hot in the 75W mode -- it will actually burn your hand if you touch the cooling fins -- and it will eventually shut down if you are long-winded, although mine cooled down immediately when I directed my AC vents at it. Retrofitting it with a small fan would be a good idea.
2.)Recessed SO-239 connector is difficult to get at easily.
I have no bias in favor of one member of the "Big Three"; I own rigs by all of them. I may sell this rig in the near future, but only because I want to upgrade to a FT-857D or something similar so I can work 2-meter sideband and HF in my car. But if you are looking for firepower in a tough mobile 2-meter FM rig, I recommend it.