| WB4LCN |
Rating:      |
2011-10-17 | |
| Going Motorcycle Mobile! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Yaesu FTM-350AR, the Scala Rider Q2 Pro Bluetooth headset and the Diamond NR770HBNMO Dualband Mobile Antenna - an excellent combo for motorcycle mobile!
I've researched this extensively and this is the best answer around.
dave :) |
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| KK5EDD |
Rating:   |
2011-08-31 | |
| Not What I Hoped For |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Much of this is a rehash of what others have posted but here goes. My primary reason for purchasing this radio was to avoid having two radios and two antennas. It does that but at a big sacrifice in other areas.
My biggest complaint is that it has no memory banks. This is such a basic need that I didn't even think to check it. All your memory channels are dumped into one big "pot" and its up to you to find them. If you are memory scanning and stop the scan, you have to find your frequency out of ALL the memory channels you have loaded, not just the ones you are scanning.
There are actually two owner's manuals. The one dealing with APRS is fairly good; the one dealing with the rest of the radio is atrocious! Its like the engineers at Yaesu wanted to explain APRS to themselves and they already knew the rest of the stuff. Hey, I don't know that other stuff!
Other negatives include the suction cup mount (I didn't use it, used velcro instead); the audio quality from the remote head (not enough volume); and the "free" remote monitor (which I don't use at all).
Pros include the big, easy to read display, the APRS which seems to work well, a GPS receiver which acquires satellites quickly, and a menu system which is fairly easy to use. I do have one screen which I don't understand and probably never will since the manual doesn't tell me about it!
Would I buy another one? No, I think an FT-8800 and a separate Tiny Trak would be a much better way to go. Plus, it makes your ride look cool with all the antennas! |
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| K5CPF |
Rating:      |
2011-08-04 | |
| 1 year Review |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I still LOVE this radio: it's perfect for my needs. I use it as a base radio fed using 100' of LMR-400 into a dual-band Ventenna at approximately 30' and it performs very well not only for repeater work, but surprisingly for simplex as well!
Most of the time, I use dual external speakers with the provided splitter since the built-in jack is a stereo jack (DON'T use a mono plug in it!!). Audio is great out of both speakers regardless of audio front/back settings. It even sounds half-way decent on the FM broadcast band.
For short transmissions, I just push the convenient PTT button on the front of the radio and the built in microphone works well. For protracted QSO's or running as net control, I use the bluetooth headset and it works fine as well.
Applying the v1.3 upgrade was simple and flawless since I already had the RTS systems cable for the programming software. I was able to use the original suction cup mount by bending it to the desired angle. The new mount looks way better, but not worth $20+.
The display is the best part, of course. Large, clear and uncluttered; with a choice of colors.
I would (and have) recommend this radio to my friends. |
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| W8MPX |
Rating:      |
2011-07-15 | |
| easy to program |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
| I HAVE THE YAESU FTM-350/AR ABOUT 6 MONTHS AND I AM VERY HAPPY WITH IT,EASY TO PROGRAM BIG LCD EASY FOR READING YOU CAN CHOOSE DIFFERENTS COLORS VERY GOOD AUDIO AND RECEIVING AS WELL. KEEP IN MINE I DIDN'T GET THIS RIG FOR APRS I WILL GO WITH THE KENWOOD 710 IS CHEAPER AND PERFORM BETTER IN APRS. ONE OF THE REASON I PURCHASE IS BECAUSE THE BIG SCREEN , I HAD BAD VISION AND IT IS BLUETHOOTH SO THIS IS A KEEPER SO 73' |
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| WB3JGP |
Rating:     |
2011-07-13 | |
| Nice but hard to hear |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I am not a VHF person whatsoever, so if you're looking for an informed opinion about all the technical aspects of what this thing does, skip reading my review and look at someone who knows more about VHF (most everyone probably!).
If you're looking for a cool multi-band radio for your home or quiet car, I think this is a good choice, especially if you've had difficulty reading the tiny, oddly colored displays with other radios. You'll be able to see this one for sure.
It's audio output is pretty low so I guess you'd need an external speaker with an audio booster or something if you were in a noisy environment, like a car going 65 with the windows down.
I used $3 worth of Velcro to attach the head unit to the dashboard, as the suction cup thing didn't stay put for me. Eventually I brought it inside when I realized I couldn't hear it driving down the freeway.
I'm looking forward to playing with this thing - I know it can do a lot more than I have understanding of VHF. You do have to read the book a couple of times to figure out how to get into the menus, and what all the different options are. It's not difficult, just requires some reading. If you really want to geek out, for example, you can put an option that adds GPS and/or Barometric pressure and Altimeter to it.
I do like the ability to simultaneously listen to two repeaters or even bands.
So, yes it's got some shortcomings, but it's also pretty cool. |
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| NI2S |
Rating:  |
2011-05-31 | |
| Major ext. speaker audio flaw |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
So here is my update on the FTM350AR. After two phone conversations with the interested and helpful tech support folks at Yaesu, they acknowledged that there is a major flaw in the quality of the audio out of B receiver when using an external speaker and while using the speaker output setting of 'rear only' (which means you are using only the external speaker).
'B' receiver audio is atrocious. In the above configuration, not only will the 'B' audio sound like that of a cheap speaker mic, but the AF gain control is only effective for the last 1/4 turn of the pot, with the radio coming up to full volume just as you hit max volume on B. Yaesu confirmed that the above is a 'design characteristic' of the radio. Terrible.
The work-around here is to use the Front+Rear speaker setting so you get better audio gain on 'B', however, this doesn't mitigate the crummy audio quality of 'B' receiver, which is another 'design characteristic' - just makes the volume better. The front speakers are in the control head, and as others have already noted, the audio quality is not great coming out of those small speakers. So, front+rear speaker setting helps you hear the 'B' receiver, but this work-around impacts the audio quality of 'A' as well. An additional work-around is if you favor one band over another, program the radio for your favorite band on 'A' so you don't have to deal with this problem constantly, because with speaker setting on rear-only, using an external speaker, the audio quality of 'A' is just fine.
I conveyed my dismay to tech support at Yaesu and asked them to pass on to Yaesu management my sentiments that this flaw is absolutely unacceptable for an $800 w/accessories rig. I will follow that up in writing myself.
So, in light of the above, if you are planning to use an external speaker in the above noted configuration - DON'T by this radio, as you will be VERY disappointed, as I am.
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| KE7QOT |
Rating:      |
2011-05-30 | |
| Great radio, flexible install options |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Here’s what I’ve learned with my install…
I made a bracket and hard mounted the head unit underneath the A/C controls on my center console, so no suction cup issues. The bracket was a beast to make, but this is a hobby, right? Anyhow, I’m talking about a 2008 Altima hybrid, for reference. I bought the Bluetooth module with the hopes of pairing to my car – guess what folks – doesn’t work. I also got the little monitor unit(FPR-1) for free – but guess what – you need to buy another part to make it adapt to the head unit for charging – and yes, you better have room ABOVE the head unit to insert it for charging (not to mention the Yaesu Bluetooth headset which also charges that way). So that item is sitting in a box. I bought the GPS unit too. My concern was that the antenna would be too hidden beneath the center console to get any signals. Turns out not to be the case – I get good locks even with my metal mounting bracket nearly surrounding the rear of the GPS receiver.
I would suggest buying the ADMS-350 software/cable kit. It works great, no issues. The documentation in the help file is pretty good.
I mounted the main unit in the trunk, and routed the control cable to the head unit, only to come up 1 ft short (it’s a 10ft cable). Fortunately, it’s a common Ethernet cat5 cable, so buying one the right length was easy. I also did not want to mount the mic into the head unit, as you pull on the coiled cable when using it, which I figured would stress my bracket. I can’t imagine the suction cup actually holding the head unit in place while pulling on the mic cable! This is a not-standard phone cord. It is an RJ-12, not RJ-11. The difference is all 6 conductors are present in a RJ-12, where the RJ-11 only has 4. The plug itself is identical in size between the two. So that was an internet order, and an extra cat5 female/female coupler actually works quite well with the RJ12 plugs (male/male cables are easy to find, male/female not so much). This cable can be plugged into the head unit OR the main unit, which is nice.
The power cable is quite long (10 ft?), and comes with a connectorized disconnect a few inches from the main unit. The rest of the power cable, which has fuses on each leg, has the fuses only a foot or so up from the end. So if you want to shorten the cable, you’ll have to cut off the fuses and figure a way to put new ones in.
Final item was the routing a 1/8” male/male stereo speaker cable from the main unit to my AUX input in my car’s console. Now I can listen thru the car speakers with good volume. Yes, the head unit speakers are passable, but it’s nice to have the option to switch back and forth. The actual switching can be done in the setup menu of the unit, so it is easy to select front, rear, or both as outputs at any time.
Functionality notes: as can be found elsewhere, you really need to put the APRS station on the LEFT side of the radio or it won’t work properly. There are too many settings to go into here, the ADMS software really helps in setting all that up. Typing in messages with the mic is not too easy, kind of like a cell phone. Finding the @ was a real trick – you have to get to it by rotating the head unit dial once in the correct “font” set. Sending email via APRS can be done using EMAIL as the address in the first line, and then the destination email on the second line followed by your message. Several times I would write a message and then hit transmit – to have nothing happen. I think it may not have had a valid link to send it thru at that moment – but I’m just guessing as there is no real documentation on that error. It gives 5 transmit retries and then errors out. There does not appear to be any adjustment of the time between the retries.
General comments: the head unit is big! The main body is small, but heavy. The screen colors can be changed, but changing the brightness also makes a big difference in display color. The menu system is pretty darn easy to navigate, and unlike the cryptic functions on my Yaesu HT, you can make sense out of most of the abbreviations on this one. Improper setting of the weather channels will lock up the unit – according to the ADMS instructions – but no where listed is a way to access the weather channels from the radio. The display is set up for showing call signs, which is not what I want to see as I have no idea where a particular call sign repeater is located (how many have you memorized???). So I put the repeater location in there instead – unfortunately limited to only 8 characters. With such a huge display, you would think it would be possible to display more than 8 characters! In any case, I am very happy with the radio, and hope future firmware updates fix some of these items.
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| AE5UE |
Rating:    |
2011-05-26 | |
| W5CO |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| There are many things to love about this otherwise GREAT radio but memory management is not one of them. Screw the bi@#$%hing about the suction cup mount, there are inexpensive work-arounds to solve that for the other benefits of this radio. But in terms of memory management, even the ancient FT-897D at least organizes memories into 10 groups of 20 frequencies. Expecting a state-of-the-art APRS mobile with 500 memories per receiver to have at least what my matchbox-sized VX8-DR has in terms of memory management, imagine my horror after buying this thing with all the accessories- to find less memory management capability than an $89, 1970 Radio Shack scanner. :( WTF Yaesu? |
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| KE5KTU |
Rating:   |
2011-04-16 | |
| ok, but doesn't suit my needs |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned the 350 for about a year and I wish that I had gone with the kenwood.
The two things I wanted to do with it were APRS and crossband repeat. You can forget crossband repeat. The radio will not send out your call sign every 10 minutes as the regulations require. 4 emails and a telephone conversation with yaesu and the end result is that it will not, nor will it ever legally ID for a crossband repeat.
As far as APRS, it gets you on the air quick with APRS, it is a challenge and you should contact someone that has set up the APRS, it will make it a lot easier. Once it is set up it works really well. As far as having other bells and whistles, they are nice but it does not have a PL scan, so if you can put all the tones in the radio for your repeaters it will work fine, if you scan the band be prepared to manually find the correct pl tone.
I gave it a 2 because of the navigation of menu problem and it will not ID in crossband repeat, so I bought a expensive radio that will only do half of what I want it to do. The other reason is because of the suction cup mount that it comes with. The dash of my truck is not flat so the suction cup does me no good. They should have included a bracket to where you could suction cup it to the window, but they did not.
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Earlier 3-star review posted by KE5KTU on 2010-10-25
APRS works great ! easy to intergrate the gps to the radio, easy to send APRS messages, works really really good !
Now the crossband, it will not ID itself as required and Yaesu will not release any firmware to make the radio ID as required, so I have a crossband I can not legally operate.
All other stuff works great ! One note, it will not do a tone search, so if you travel you have to manualy look for the PL tone. |
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| KF0CU |
Rating:      |
2011-03-27 | |
| Excellent |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
After fine tuning the smart beacon settings it works great. Internal GPS module works perfect.
The built in speakers in the head are pretty tinny sounding so an external speaker is highly recommended.
Very easy to program, but the operators manual needs to be written better.
Great radio for the price. |
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