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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
N2ZLC Rating: 2010-12-30
Good except for VFO scanning Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
If you don't care about VFO scanning then this radio is good or possibly even great. But if you're the type of person that likes to scan seldom-used frequencies and not merely your local repeaters, police, fire, etc., then you'll be disappointed.

The first problem is the (carrier) squelch, which even at the highest setting will break for a noisy channel. Yes there's a separate RF (S-meter level) squelch, but that's buried somewhere in the 50+ menu settings. The user should get to decide if the squelch knob controls carrier squelch, RF squelch, or even both at the same time.

The second more serious problem is the inability to skip channels during VFO scanning. Skipping/masking is only available during memory scanning, and even then it's a pain, requiring a trip to the 50+ menu settings. Skipping should be as simple as pressing a single button on the mic.

Taken together, these two issues make for a frustrating VFO scanning experience, where the only way to really avoid birdies and other annoyances is to use the "resume scanning after x seconds" option.
WV4I Rating: 2010-12-06
great x 2 Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have 2 of these radios. One in my VW Jetta and the other in my F-150 truck. In both, the speaker audio sounds great, no need for an external speaker. The antenna and pwr cable routing was simple.

These radios are simple, rugged, and barely get the cooling fins warm in extended QSOs at 75W output.

The mike has a good feel, and I get good audio reports with default settings.

The display is easy to read, and the buttons large enough for even clumsy fingers, and well marked.

The radio can be programmed thru the modular mike connector using a model CT-29F programming cable available from ttl2usb.com and third party software. This said, programming is simple using the integral controls, unless need enter a LOT of memory channels.

I wanted a simple, easy to operate while mobile, higher power, 2M mobile radio and this model is a keeper at a very fair price.
KD8NFT Rating: 2010-06-20
FT-2900 Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
It's a ok radio!
G4XTA Rating: 2010-06-10
Very Good and Very Bad in One Box Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I Love it!!
This little radio sits amongst 12 other Yaesu rigs in my shack. I only bought it because it was SO cheap that I asked the store to 'throw one of those in while you're filling the box' when I bought a couple of other rigs. Man, what a good move! For the first time in a decade, I can't wait to get into the shack! I can now hear and work 8 MORE repeaters than before. I can track my pals as they drive away from our town and talk clearly to them for four hours into the distance. All that on a 2meter vertical! The TX barks louder than a dog, and the RX must have a built-in vacuum cleaner, cos it just sucks-in signals. Best I've used in 25 years, by far.
So, I love it for: Great Receiver. Great Transmitter. Rugged build quality - this is a big, heavy strong radio, I'd drive fence posts in with it. Huge clear display. PL259 antenna socket, not one of those pesky 'N'types that we all hate!. Controls so simple that don't need you to read the book. Feet provided, to stand it in the shack when not used mobile on the bracket. The price - under £100 GB - incredible.
I'm sad about the BAD stuff: Scanning is very slow, the rig moves so slow that guys can come up on a repeater and be gone again before the rig comes around the band again. Programmable buttons (this is the rig's worst fault) do not have the same choice of assignable functions as the other Yaesu's in the same 'family' of rigs. This means that although the FT2900 has the same buttons and controls as all the others, they do different things. The user has to carry a notebook reminder of what it does. WHY the heck did Yaesu do that??? Serious, serious error! There's no cat/data socket for packet/aprs use when mobile. The reciever has almost NO immunity and gets breakthrough from adjacent channels and even handies with a few mw power (sounds like a cheap CB's 'bleed-over, good buddy!). It has one wasted orange key on the from panel, that displays 'MY KEY'and nobody can tell me what it's for - it's not in the manual. And man, this thing gets hot - only slowly, but it eventually overheats. A fan would have been good. I've added one.
OVERALL? A smash hit!! I'll buy another of these. More fun than I've had in ages. At the end of the day, a radio should talk an hear well. The FT2900 sure does that, Yessiree! Could you ask for more? At last, I can spend quality time savouring the bands, rather than fiddling about with menu's and sitting for hours setting-up options. The FT2900 doesn't need fiddling about with, it just works, VERY WELL.
W5GSR Rating: 2010-05-27
Great radio Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I put this radio in my 2002 Toyota Tundra to see if it would be as good as the Icom Ic-F121,well it meets my goal the recieve audio is just as good as the Icom (some mobile radio's just dont have the audio output I like for a mobile install),I am using a Yaesu MLS-100 speaker that was also on the Icom.So This radio will stay in the truck.Great radio it's a keeper
KC9QVD Rating: 2010-05-21
loveing it!!!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Im new to ham and I had been using a old alinco dj-191 HT and this was my first new mobile and I like it really well! I'm told I have great audio and the recive it great to! took me wile to program with out a computer but I got it! The only complaint I have is the mic cord is to short for me in my truck but Im 6'9 so it would probley be ok for regular size people.
VE6DO Rating: 2010-05-15
So Far So Good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have installed my FT-2900R in the car and so far so good. I have had no problems. I programmed it manually and have to say that it really wasn't too bad. The only thing I am not sure of is how to delete memory items.
N1KON Rating: 2010-04-11
ONE issue fo rme Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I have two 2800m rigs and I love the 2900R much better EXCEPT for one thing. The volume on the 2900R does not turn all the way down, I can still hear faint audio when sitting in my shack. I run 2m SSB and I keep it turned low and I used to reach up and turn down the 2800m and then if I heard faint audio I knew it was 2m SSB. No can do with the 2900R, I have never had a rig where I could hear audio when turned all the way down......
KL2TC Rating: 2010-04-06
A real nice rig! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I liked my Kenwood TM-271 so much that I wanted to move it from my shack into my truck. I chose the Yaesu FT-2900R to replace it. Wow, this radio is really easy to program and set up. I love the large display and don't have a single negative word to say.

Of course, once I turned it on we went into a period of total radio inactivity. However, my nightly group of folks came on as usual and the radio funtioned flawlessly. I turned the power down to 30 watts for a pretty wide simplex swath and nobody had any trouble hearing me. Everyone also heard me at ten.

I really like it.

73
Al
N2HUG Rating: 2010-03-06
Great Price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
At a Ham Fest last Weekend ,found a FT-2900R new in the Box ,that a Person said he won it at the last Ham Fest he was at. (door Price) asked if he was a ham and said no, asked if he let it go for $90.00 ( "SOLD"! )Nice Radio Installed it in the Car, So you just don't know what you might fine at a ham fest. There was a FT-2800w for $130.00 new in box but that was on a other table.
Only 5 watts gets me out all over town,no problem!