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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-1900R

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-1900R
Reviews: 46MSRP: $$$??? SHOP - AROUND
Description:
Features

* 200 Memories (6 Char.)
* 8 Memory Banks
* 55 Watts Output
* APO - Automatic Power-Off
* ARS - Automatic Repeater Shift
* Busy Channel Lock-Out



* DTMF Memories
* CTCSS Encode/Decode
* DCS Encode/Decode
* CW Trainer
* Sever Weather Alert
* Backlit DTMF Mic
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.rigpix.com/yaesu/ft1900r.htm
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00464
WB9VKM Rating: 2020-06-07
Update Time Owned: more than 12 months.
My 1900r has been in the mobile for 10 years now.It has been in -32 to +118 or better and everything still works. Speaker has a little less output but I think that is from years of dust sitting on the speaker.
W4NNF Rating: 2016-03-18
Does get hot at high power but not much of a problem... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Well, not much of a problem in the shack. I wouldn't want to use the 1900 for extended QSOs mobile at its highest power output unless it was mounted with plenty of space around it. Anyhow, in the shack, I've often used it for long QSOs at 55 watts, and yes, as I mentioned in my review I wrote not long after I got it, it does get hot. Not hot enough to fry eggs or to burn you, but hot enough. Simple solution? Point a fan of some kind at the top of the rig and all is well. Note that when I haven't done that and have kept on trucking at 55 or 25 watts, it has never shut down or misbehaved, just gotten hot to the touch.

----------------------
Earlier 4-star review posted by W4NNF on 2013-03-01

With the 1900 hovering around a hundred bucks now, it's kind of a no brainer...it's one of those great values that come along only once in a while. 55 watts, over 200 memories. Excellent transmit audio. Decent display and controls. Useable mic. Nice hot receiver. What's not to like?

Well, the receiver ain't the only thing that is "hot." Like you may have heard, operate it at 25 or 55 watts and the little feller does get hot. I've never had any problems with it, but I would be kind of worried about that in a constricted mobile installation.

As a matter of fact, even though I use my 1900 in the shack, I have a fan sitting on the desk that I turn on when I'm using it at higher powers. Again, I've never had any problems with it, but it makes me feel better to keep it cooler. Also, I've never had it get hot at all at 5 or 10-watts, which is what I need for the local repeaters, only when operating at higher powers for distant repeaters or simplex.

Again, a great little radio--I love mine. :-)
K6ERQ Rating: 2016-02-19
Not as good as I hoped Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I have previously reviewed this rig, about Nov of 2015. Then I said the rig was solid and OK. It is. But it has one problem that I find quite annoying now having used it for around 6 months. that is overheating. I run the rig on 10 watts as my 2m base station using a 5/8 wave mobile mag mount whip on my house's metal roof. Well and good, everything works fine except that EVEN AT 10 WATTS the rig will get too hot to touch in a long QSO. If I was using 25 watts it would get so hot it would shut down within about 20 minutes of use. And if I was using 55 watts, full power it would overheat within one or two 10 minute transmissions. It is mounted on my operating bench well ventilated. AND the swr everywhere in the 2m band is less than 1.5 so it is not an swr issue. What it is Yaesu did a very bad design job on this rig, the heat sink is minimal and obviously does not do the job. If I had it to do over I would have purchased a Kenwood TM-281, costs more money but works better. Don't get hot. So that's my update. If you want the 1900 for occasional use in your shack at 10 watts or at the most 25 watts it will work well enough. Any more demanding service, you will be sorry. That's my experience and I am sorry hi hi.
My update as of end of Feb 2016.
KG7TBQ Rating: 2015-11-09
Great starter radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Great radio for starters. Programming is easy, user friendly and quick to do. Being from AZ, the unit gets extremely hot during the summer days, but never had any issues with it. I've had it in my truck for over a year now and it is starting to get boring since you are only limited to VHF. If you are new to the hobby or thinking about getting into, go for this unit.
VE6OAK Rating: 2015-06-16
Not for mobile use... Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I gave a 3 rating as receive/transmit is fine.
Keep transmissions short; this radio gets really hot even at low settings.
The mic connector will never last for mobile use, especially with the short cord.
Here's why I removed it for mobile use and use it only in the shack: The Squelch system. It's terrible. The manual adjustment knob has a very small effective range, making it almost useless. As you travel past various noise sources, you have to use the electronic squelch, certainly nothing to mess with when driving. Set it too high and you lose contact.
The whole 2 tier squelch system is just a stupid idea and unless I'm missing something, renders the radio useless for mobile use.
AE5HL Rating: 2015-05-29
Great 2 meter rig! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Plenty of heft, massive heat sink! Programming is easy if you have some experience with other Yaesu mobiles/handhelds, took me 10 minutes to figure most of it out. Well built, typical Yaesu quality, in other words, top notch.

Signal reports are excellent, function keys give easy access to the most commonly needed items. Not sure what to think about the high heat reports. One would expect ANY radio to get a little hot when used on high power. Use mine on 10/25 watts with no complaints. Make sure you are transmitting into a well matched antenna, which is where I suspect the majority of the problems can be found...

Overall, for the price you get a well built vhf radio, thus one is a winner...
KJ4EOZ Rating: 2015-05-26
not great Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
By far not the best from Yaesu . gets hot very fast
Sql sucks . Don't buy this rig ! spend the money and get a 7900 or 8800
WC2F Rating: 2014-12-09
So far so good Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Great radio so far plus you get $30 rebate back, basic great features too, but good reports
N0NNO Rating: 2014-11-26
Scary...! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I've only owned it a week...I'm using it at my QTH to back up my FT-847. It is mounted an inch above another radio that is off, ample clearance. Ten minutes on high power and it was 168 degrees, with over heat alarm...! I couldn't reduce power until it cooled. On low power it ran 140 degrees plus, after a ten minute QSO...!
I returned it to the store and brought home the FT-2900 for an additional $5 because of Christmas sales and rebate...:-) It is in the same location and after an hour QSO it runs 110 degrees on low power...much better.
I will review the FT-2900 in a few weeks.
VE3EPA Rating: 2014-08-08
It's better than I thought Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I was the first person to review this radio. That was almost 5 years ago. I still drive the same pick up and the 1900 has been bouncing around in it, unharmed, since new. I have upped my rating because of the performance and satisfaction with the mic connector. I live in the country, and it's taken a beating.

First off, with any newer radio, programming can be a pain in the butt. With so many features packed into radios like this 1900, using a software program is the way to go. The old fashioned among you will say, but what happens if I am not near a computer? That's easy. Keep the manual handy. I use RT Systems software for this and an IC-T7h. It's so easy.

The mic connector has been tugged on and shaken for 5 years with no sign of wear. That was one thing I was concerned with in my initial review. It's fine.

Having four power levels is nice. I keep it on Low, which is 5 watts. Rarely do I have to bump it up. The radio is attached to a Tram 2 meter antenna which works just fine pulling in signals.

This goes for pretty much any radio, but if you power it through the aux power plug (cigarette lighter), make sure you use a choke. Initially, I got some whine, but it's no longer a problem.

Am I happy? Yes! I'm going to get another for the cottage!