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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
W7RUE Rating: 2010-02-26
Great X 3!!! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I replaced my FT-1802 with a new FT-2900R when they first came out for both station and mobile use. I liked it so much that I bought two more!

Pro:
-Large easy to see screen.
-Rugged construction.
-Hi power.
-Great for long distance simplex (50+ miles with right antenna).
-Runs cool.
-Easier to program than my my Icom IC-2100H

Con:
-Won't put out but 70 of advertised 75 watts.
-Heavy for a 2 Meter radio. (Maybe not a con.)

W7RUE
KD0JJP Rating: 2010-02-08
Great Radio for Price Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
First I would like to say I would rate this radio a 5 for value! I rated it a 4 because I use this radio as a base radio and everytime I change the channel it goes to the highest power setting! Other then that I am very pleased with this radio! It performs very well!!! It does get really warm on the Low 3 setting and fairly hot on high but can be expected since it does not have a cooling fan! Has all the features of and radio near its price range, great value!
KI6NQT Rating: 2010-01-30
Very nice Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Installed as a mobile. One of the simplest to program. Large display, good audio and the price is right.
WW3K Rating: 2010-01-16
Excellent Value - Powerful Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Replaces a Radio Shack HTX-212, so it is light years ahead with respect to power, ruggedness, and technology.

I do however, have a question: My manual and a sticker on the Rig show FCC Part 15 "Must not cause harmful interference, must accept any interference... yada yada". I thought it had to be FCC Part 97 Type accepted for Amateur Radio use. Why the FCC Part 15 blurb in the manual & sticker on the rig & why NOT FCC Part 97 Type acceptance???

As previously stated below, this rig was NOT made for long-winded ragchewing on 75 watt setting.
KC0FTC Rating: 2010-01-15
Quality radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is just my initial review. I haven't had a 2 meter mobile for 6 years. That was a Radio Shack HTX-242 that I had bought new for $239 wich was stolen 6 years ago. I picked this 2900R used from someone on eham.

Haven't had much of a chance to use it yet but this radio is solid. The knobs are not flimsy like on the HTX. I like the fact that it doesn't need a cooling fan. The programming is almost too simple, didn't even read the instructions. And the weather mode is nice to have. The speaker sounds good and I dought I'll need the MLS-100 external speaker like I thought I was going to need.

I hooked up the swr meter and Larsen NMO-150 antenna. Its at around 1.5 + - swr right now and showing 70-75 watts on full power. I could probably cut a little more off the antenna.

I have a feeling I'm going to love this radio. Quite a difference from the old HTX-242.

I originally wanted the Icom IC-V8000 but read the reviews on here and found that the IC-V8000 had problems. The FT-2900R had great reviews. I'm glad I went with Yaesu.
K6NJ Rating: 2010-01-11
This is a great radio! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I picked one up for $149.99. Love it! Great signal reports and wow, 75 watts out of my 5/8 wave antenna I can really get a signal out. This radio is very solid, easy to operate and has a huge display which is great for mobile work!
AA8KY Rating: 2010-01-05
Great for APRS Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I use mine when I travel for APRS. Works good, and leave mic in glove box in case I want to use voice. Reasonably prices and heavy duty
K9STU Rating: 2009-12-27
Base Station Operation Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I just purchased this radio from Ham Radio Outlet for $139.00. Just to add to the other comments I will say that this radio is very heavy and well made. When used as a base station they supply two well made plastic "feet" that you screw in. These feet raise up the front of the radio so you can view the screen and hear the speaker much better. No longer do you have to use the mobile mounting bracket for this purpose when using as a base station. Good thinking Yaesu! Bye the way, I highly recomend using the Vertex MLS-100 speaker matched to this radio. The match between the two is great and the audio is outstanding.
W4PHS Rating: 2009-12-05
Good radio, but don't count on 75 watts Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
The FT-2900R is a solid radio that works well. The receiver pulls in a clean signal, and the transmitter puts out the same. I think Yaesu has over rated its power capabilities.

Pros:

1. The controls are easy to use, they feel solid, and they have the proper amount of friction.

2. The display is very easy to read.

3. The menu system is simple and easy to master.

4. The microphone is comfortable, the PTT button has a good feeling, and the keys are easy to see with the backlight turned on.

Cons:

1. I don't think it is capable of extended operation at 75 watts. At 75 W transmission power, the 2900R draws close to 200 watts of input power, so it's dissipating about 120 watts of heat. Since there is no cooling fan, just heat fins on the top, it gets hot enough to burn you. Every time I've tried to carry on an extended conversation using 75 watts, the unit starts beeping after about 10 minutes (temperature alarm I assume), and then stops transmitting. It is solid when using 30 watts. It's a shame Yaesu didn't put in a 50 watt setting.

2. The UHF antenna connector on the back is enclosed by the heat sink. So it is it awkward to turn the connector.
KF7BRW Rating: 2009-11-15
Good Solid Radio Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Let me preface this by saying that I have only been a Ham (Tech) since April of this year (2009) and this is only my second radio, so I don't have the depth of experience of some operators. That being said...
I bought the FT -2900 to supplement my Yaesu FT-60R which had been serving double duty as a quasi-base station and portable. The first thing I noticed about the radio in the store display was it's rugged hefty appearance. It looks and feels solidly built. The second thing I noticed was the over sized frequency display which made it extremely easy to tell what was going on with the radio. Setup was easy and I had it out of the box and connected to my new power supply and old 2m Yaegi in less than half an hour. I love this radio. The controls are tight and precise and the programming is a breeze so far. The receiving audio is crisp and clear and I have had several positive comments on signal strength and Tx audio (compared to my HT) and I am only putting out 10 watts. The only downside in my opinion is the size, number and sensitivity of controls on the microphone. I have large hands and it seems like it is easy for me to press something I don't intend to while holding the mic. Other than this minor complaint this is a great radio and a lot of bang for the buck at 159.00 out the door at HRO. I would highly recommend this radio for any new Ham looking for a good solid mobile/base unit. While it may not have all the bells and whistles of some units it does everything I want and then some, at a reasonable price.