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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-1500M

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-1500M
Reviews: 185MSRP: 229
Description:
This is the new Yaesu FT-1500M Mono-band 2 Meter mobile radio. 50 watts out, MH-48 mic, CTCSS encode + decode, DTMF encode + decode, 130 memories, 1200-9300 Packet ready (connector on back), Backlit display, and most other bells and whistles you would come to expect from Yaesu (including SmartSearch, Clock Shift, ect.).
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com/ft1500m.html
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
001854.6
W2PSK Rating: 2002-12-18
This is THE 2m FM rig! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
I owned one of these and used it in the house until I bought an FT-100D and no longer needed it. I just ordered a brand new one for the car because I loved this radio so much. It will be replacing the FT-8900 that I bought because I found that I really didn't use the other bands in that radio. I would never try to program this with the microphone. Just buy the software and program it that way - much easier. I never had a problem with temp on the one I had, but I ran it low power most of the time because there usually isn't a need to run more than a few watts to get into the local repeaters and I only run the minimum power on simplex. I never noticed a bad intermod problem, but like I said, mine was used indoors.

If you need a 2m mobile radio, this is the one to get. I'm a Yaesu ham (Own an FT-100D, VX-5R, FT-8900, FT-1500), not because I like the name, but because their products are constantly getting good reviews.
WV4I Rating: 2002-12-17
Great Value Time Owned: more than 12 months.
If you want a simple, 50W capable, NOAA Wx capable 2M only radio this is it, with prices as low as $120. This radio's body is mostly heat sink, so it needs to be mounted so as to allow free air flow around it. I do NOT recommend in dash mounting. At 50W, the case is soon too hot to touch, for example. If the heat cannot be dissipated by air flow in a small radio such as this, problems are likely.

The display brightness is adjustable, easy to read blue, and freqs/memories can be directly entered/selected from the included hand mike. Numerous other std and programmable functions are available from the hand mike as well. This results in more time looking where you're going.

It is basically impossible to get great audio from a speaker housed in a small sized enclosure such as the FT-1500, especially audio good enough to overcome the low freq noise of the typical mobile environment. I have mobile external speakers that cost me $5 at a hamfest that I can obviously move around whatever vehicle I'm in to find the best acoustic spot. Then again, a lot of transmit audio on 2M is so bad that the fix is at the other end. It's not always your radio!

I have owned this radio upwards of 2 years without a glitch. Good job Yaesu, at keeping it simple.
KB1FIG Rating: 2002-12-16
Wrong Radio!!!!!!!! Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
When I first pulled this rig out of the box 3 months ago, I had this overwhelming feeling that AES had sent me the wrong radio. This thing was designed to bolt inside a tank, Heck, for that matter it could be bolted on the track of a tank and it would probably survive the experience. as it would, I had no problems bolting it on a piece of sheet steel (extra heat sink!) and placing it into the cuddyhole in my oldsmobile. In fact when my father who was helping run wires saw it, he went out the next day and bought one. I have used this radio extensively as my primary radio for ARES events and Ragchewing. At 25 watts and my extra heatsink I have had no problems with heat.
N8WG Rating: 2002-12-12
ok little unit Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Owned 1 yr. Speaker audio is not the best, ex speaker in mobile the way to go. Does not like the heat! Mine is located in bad location in car due to space limitations, if it is not covered up on sunny day it will malfunction until cooled, this would probably occur in most units today though.
My mic connection on the radio will sometimes cause erroneous entries and has to be wiggled to fix it but not often. Those are my only gripes overall it is a good radio and a great deal
G4ZRZ Rating: 2002-12-02
good but not perfect Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Firstly let me say that I'm very pleased with my FT1500. It's a good basic radio and it does the job it's meant to. Its plus points are:

small size
50 Watt output
low cost
simple operation (for basic memory only mode)
lots of memories (one for every simplex and repeater channel in the UK and some spare)
transmit time out (great for wafflers like me)
lots of audio output power

However that small size has its drawbacks. Multiple functions are assigned to small buttons either on the mic or on the top of the rig and the thing does get very hot during transmit on full power. For me the minus points are:

small fiddly buttons
small speaker (add an external one and the sound is supurb)
memory set up is a real pain. You have to dive in and out of menus to set frequency, CTCSS and Alpha tag. I hear that the Yaesu programming software for the PC isn't much good either.

The heat generated on a 3 minute over on full power is enough to cause actual burns on your hands if you touch it (I did and it hurt). I'd be worried about the fire risk in some situations.

The display is designed to be read from above. This and the need for ventilation can make placing it in a modern car quite difficult.

I've experienced none of the intermod problems that some hams report despite living only a few hundred metres from two towers carrying high power commercial systems a few MHz above 2M.

In short, it's a good rig. It does exactly what it says on the box and there's little around that can challenge it on price. There probably are better rigs but they cost quite a lot more.
KB8MYC Rating: 2002-12-02
Great compact rig Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Nice little rig that works well. I bounce it in and out of my patrol car on a daily basis and it holds up well. Easy to use and quick to set up. I highly recommend it as a basic rig or a great back up.
KC0OGG Rating: 2002-11-28
We like it Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
My wife and I bought two of these units upon reccomendation from a friend. We really like these radios, as this is our first experience with any radio we can not compare it to other models. Thats the nice thing about being new hams, we don't have enough experience to know whether the menu option is too hard or too easy or whether there are enough doo hickies to play with. Although I will say the display is hard to see in my truck due to its location. Mine takes a beating on gravel roads in a 3/4 ton 4x4 daily. Rx and Tx are great as far as we are concerned and they work ( which is the most important thing of all )
K0ANI Rating: 2002-10-21
Great 24/7 radio Time Owned: more than 12 months.
The FT-1500M has been running for nearly 2 years as my APRS Relay station and weather net station. A great packet radio with a 6 pin DIN connector to the TCN. Turn down the volumn and you forget it's there. Has menu option for packet mode and option for narrow deviation (2.5 KHz) for packet. The radio is always on and running 25 watts. Not one problem for two years!
KG4USK Rating: 2002-10-17
Great Radio!! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This is my first radio, and it's the best I have ever used. Very solid and rugged. It's also the smallest mobile unit I have ever seen! I got it from R&L Elecronics for only $119.95 BRAND NEW!!
K4CDK Rating: 2002-10-16
Excellent Radio Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
Now own two 1500's. Have had excellent results with both of them, easy to program and hold up very well as a mobile rig. Only problem has been with the mike plug in at the radio, the clip could be a little more stable. Ends are easy to change,just go to Radio Shack and get a 6 pin clip and crimper and follow the instructions. Great radio, rugged and has been very dependable.