| KQ8P |
Rating:     |
2011-03-08 | |
| Good First Impression |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
After being away from the hobby for awhile decided to get back in and started looking for a radio. I saw the FTM-350 and like the looks of the radio and started reading the reviews. Knowing that a single radio will not please everyone, so with that in mind I bought one with the internal GPS. I upgraded the firmware as soon as I opened the box, my first QSO was on simplex @ 5watts goa good audio report from the station 20 miles away. The APRS was a bit to set up the manual could be better but figured it out
if you have never used APRS then I would get the mini users manual. Overall I am happy with the radio and would buy another one.
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Earlier 4-star review posted by KQ8P on 2011-03-08
After being away from the hobby for awhile decided to get back in and started looking for a radio. I saw the FTM-350 and like the looks of the radio and started reading the reviews. Knowing that a single radio will not please everyone so with that in mind I bought one with the internal GPS. I upgraded the firmware as soon as I opened the box, my first QSO was on simplex @ 5watts goa good audio report from the station 20 miles away. The APRS was a bit to set up the manual could be better but figured it out
if you have never used APRS then I would get the mini users manual. Overall I am happy with the radio and would buy another one. |
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| NT2C |
Rating:     |
2011-02-20 | |
| Not quite perfect |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I'd been considering replacing the FT-2900 monobander in my truck with a dual bander for some time now, and when my state tax refund turned out to be larger than expected I realized the time was now.
After a bit of research I narrowed my choices down to either the FTM-350AR or the Icom IC-2820H and headed off to FrostFest in Richmond, VA. Icom was a no-show for the hamfest, but Yaesu had an FTM-350AR setup in their booth, and after 15 minutes playing with it I went to the nearest vendor who had one and paid cash for the rig and the FGPS-1 module.
One concern I had about replacing the FT-2900 with this was that I'd be giving up 25 watts of power at the high end, so I minimized that loss by going with a high gain dual band antenna, which puts my ERP on par with the old FT-2900 and the 1/4 wave I'd previously had.
After using the radio for about two weeks now here's my Pros and Cons:
Pros:
1. The display is outstanding, very easy to read at a distance (even with my bifocals) and from wide angles.
2. The menu settings and functions are easy to access and changes are simple to make.
3. Signal and audio reports put it right on par with the FT-2900 it replaced, and very close to the IC-706MKIIG I also have in the truck.
Cons:
1. The owners manuals are confusing and incomplete, require you to jump around to different sections for basic settings, and seem to follow no logical order in their contents ("Installation Instructions" are on page 50, but don't actually explain anything). Yaesu manuals always left me feeling that they could be better written, but these are particularly bad, with some menu selections not really described (such as "Time Signals" which the manual says can be on or off, but does not describe) or missing entirely.
2. AF quality is dismal, compared to the FT-2900. Yes, there are multiple settings that allow you a lot of latitude in tailoring the audio to your liking, but the head mounted speakers and the case speaker simply don't have the "punch" the FT-2900 did. Now, this may not be a problem in a normal car, but I have two strikes against me here. I'm hearing impaired and I drive a diesel truck. While I never had a problem hearing the FT-2900, the FTM-350AR often leaves me wondering about what I just heard. I'll be adding external speakers very soon to correct that problem, and I'm thankful Yaesu included that feature on this unit.
3. The suction cup mount is simply horrible. Now, I have the "improved" mount with my unit, and if this is the improved model then the old one must have been really worthless. The problems with this mount are many, starting with the fact that the enclosed mounting disk has a hole in the center, so if you stick it to your dash, and the dash has a rough finish, you're guaranteed to get air leakage. Even with a different disk (tried one from my GPS) I've never been able to get the suction cup to stick for more than 15 minutes, and watching the head unit of a $600 radio dance across the dashboard when you make a turn is not a fun sight! And, of course, there are almost no alternative mounts available for this radio, so if you want something different you'll have to cobble it together yourself.
4. With the mount in place on the dash, it then becomes very difficult to reach all the controls on the head. You either have to reach over or around the steering wheel (always worried that the mount will pop loose), or mount it in a different location that may obstruct the GPS receiver (or block the view of your car GPS if you have one).
5. Again, with the mount in place on the dash, the brightness of the display becomes a major factor. Set it bright for daylight and you'll have to stop and dim it down at night, and you can't dim the indicator LEDs by the switches at all, making it distracting and difficult to get used to. I'd suggest that Yaesu either needs to take a tip from many modern GPS units and have the display auto-switch to a "nite mode" at sundown, incorporate a photocell to auto-adjust the display for ambient light, or make it possible to adjust the brightness from one of the programmable buttons on the mic.
6. The barometer function and screen... Why? What do we really need it for? If you shut off the radio it resets, so I really can't see why the scale can be set to 24 hours, and as far as it showing altitude, unless you can calibrate it or "zero" it (you can't) it will not be accurate, and the GPS does a far better job of it anyway.
7. Having 500 memories per side to play with is great, but there's no way to move or copy them from one side to the other, so you're likely to find yourself duplicating entries on both sides, thus taking up two slots where one would have sufficed. It would have been a much simpler method if Yaesu had simply given 1,000 slots and a checkbox for which side you wanted the memory displayed on, either left, right or even both. Also, your primary memory slots (#000) on both sides cannot be overwritten by copying from a memory slot. Instead, you have to manually enter everything any time you want to change either of the primary memories, and only those two memory locations can be used as the primary for the dual watch function. This is a serious issue IMHO, for anyone doing EmComm duty who needs to monitor two different assigned frequencies, while also using the APRS. Having to manually program in frequency, offset, tone, DCS, etc., in the middle of an emergency or crisis, is almost guaranteed to lead to entry mistakes, programming errors, and lost communications. What were the folks at Yaesu thinking with this?
The Bottom Line:
The FTM-350AR is a fine rig, with good performance and some good features, but it still needs a bit of tweaking and refining before I'd class it as a 5 star rig. |
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| KB1RXA |
Rating:     |
2011-02-15 | |
| Coments Below |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
A really insightful reviewer wrote:
" 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."
Uh ha. So, I suppose, you expected this rig to automatically ID your station? Would you like eggs with that? How about coffee? hi!
After a year with this rig here are the positives and negatives, beginning with positives first:
POSITIVE
a. 2 year old child programming (it's easy)
b. Excellent audio quality with multiple audio options on TX and RX
c. APRS functionality excellent
d. Display, especially in a mobile environment, excellent
NEGATIVE
a. While "WE" Hams asked for it - (complaint after complaint on eHam about all manufacturers) - individual "speakers" for each VFO - we got it- in the control head. OUR FAULT as HAMS. IT is truly our fault - Yaesu could have done this years ago. So, guess what? They delivered it...Get an outboard speaker for noisy environments and stop complaining!
b. Gets warm too easily. Can get hot w/heavy duty cycle. Not really a big issue - keep it ventilated.
c. NAVI system - I think this feature, per my use, is unnecessary - it is a HUGE leap forward for any Ham Mobile station, but, let's not attempt the same market as the major GPS vendors - it is not on par, and was not designed to be on par with Garmin, etc...It is not a GPS navigation product....so..why add it?
73
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| WZ4K |
Rating:     |
2010-12-11 | |
| Yaesu is listening |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
Much has been said and within each person's perspective, all have good critiques of the radio. To Yaesu's credit they have released two FW upgrades, released a revised mount for sale and have significantly revised and expanded both the Operating and APRS manuals. The FW and Manual updates are all available on the Yaesu web site. I enjoy the radio and the GPS works well in my 2010 Ford F-150. The head is mounted centerline in front of the two center AC vents and acquires SATS quickly - 8 - 10 birds typically at my Mid-atlantic QTH.
Not quite a 5 but in my experience, better than a 4. Again, Yaesu gets major kudos for listening and providing updates. |
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| KJ4RHB |
Rating:      |
2010-11-19 | |
| Better than expected! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
After looking for a mobile rig over the last couple of months - I finally settled on the Yaesu FTM-350R. I’m so glad I did!
This rig is absolutely better than expected!
Initially, when I was shopping around – I had looked at the Icom IC-2820H (which I really liked), Icom ID-880H, as well as the Kenwood D710A.
I was thinking about getting on the D-Star wagon, but also have a great interest in APRS. With the Icom IC-2820H I would have had to spend a lot of additional money on the GPS and D-Star module bringing the total cost for this rig closer to $900.
On top of that, the reviews weren’t all that great for the 2820. The 880H from Icom had great reviews, but was not a dual band radio. I was looking for a rig that can monitor two frequencies at the same time.
So, there was my dilemma, go with a single-band radio with D-Star or go with the Kenwood rig that is great with APRS? The reviews on the Kenwood rig were very good and I also see a lot of folks using them when looking at APRS data.
But what about that new rig from Yaesu that came out earlier this year? Honestly, it had not crossed my mind! When I pulled-up the reviews for this rig – the scores were kinda low. Folks complained of funky GPS glitches, software lockups and other problems. Surely not something I wanted to mess with… But wait!
Most of the issues occurred early on and it seemed that Yeasu has fixed these problems and even released a firmware update that can be installed by the user. At that point my interest in the FTM-350R increased.
I looked further online… and watched dozens of user submitted YouTube videos about the rig and convinced myself to get one.
Now, as an owner I see that the FTM-350R is really a very nice rig and goes head to head with the Kenwood 710A.
In my opinion, there are really only two shortcomings in the FTM-350R.
1. The Operating manual is not complete.
The radio has a lot of undocumented features. I was only made aware of those features until I read forums and watched user submitted videos on online.
2. Audio volume could be higher with the built-in speakers at the control panel.
The FTM-350R has a total of three (3) speakers. One in the radio base, as well as two in the control panel (display). I like the idea of three speakers, however, I had to order a couple of external speakers to boost the audio volume, since the rig itself is mounted in the trunk of my car.
If one tries to listen to music from the car stereo, you won’t hear the rig without external speakers. Or, without distorting the audio – since the volume has to be cranked up so high that you are now distorting the audio that is coming out of the control units’ speakers.
Features (Pros / Cons):
Pro:
- Large Display that is easy to read in a choice of colors.
- Great APRS functionality. Can do APRS Voice Alert and even insert your listening frequency into APRS comments.
- Dual band radio with extended receive capability.
- Easy to program (with or without software).
- Easy to use rig.
- Built-in Barometer.
- Cross Band Repeat.
- Basic GPS Navi functionality.
- User updateable firmware.
- PTT button and mic built into the control unit – no need to reach for the Hand Microphone.
- Bluetooth Support.
- Audio Recorder and Voice functionality with optional FVS-2 module ($27).
- Small GPS module that can attach to the control unit – FGPS-1 ($75).
- The FTM-350R can be had as low as $489 online, after discounts.
- Great Yeasu quality!
Neutral:
- FTM-350R cannot be used as an APRS digipeater.
Not an issue for me, but I wanted to mention this, since I often read in forums about folks wanting digipeater functionality (Yaesu never promised that this rig could be used as a digipeater).
Cons:
- Incomplete documentation.
- Low audio volume from speakers at the control head.
In short, I would not hesitate to recommend the Yeasu FTM-350R to anyone. It is feature packed and probably one of the better mobile rigs out there. The mentioned shortcomings can easily be fixed by reading about the radio’s features online and by purchasing additional speakers.
The recommended Yeasu speakers for this rig cost $29.95 each. Only one external speaker is needed, however, the rig supports two speakers to separate the audio for the left and right bands.
Like many Yeasu radios – this one is also very easy to program and use. That certainly made my buying decision easier!
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| WA1JQC |
Rating:      |
2010-10-23 | |
| Excellent mobile rig! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| I'm really enjoying this radio in the car! I have the optional GPS unit which works well for APRS. [There is a fair amount of APRS use here in the Washington, DC suburbs.] I recommend purchasing the latest ARRL Travel Plus software and RF Systems programming software as useful additions. The programming software handles much more than just the repeater data. I found the radio's menu system less complicated than the manuals, and there's plenty of web help from other hams on radio/APRS setup. I recommend it! |
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| KQ4KK |
Rating:    |
2010-10-18 | |
| It CANNOT Digi |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
If you buy this radio as a high end VHF/UHF dual band mobile, it is pretty good.
However if you bought it to do the full spectrum of APRS it is less than OK. It cannot currently digi on it's own.
Lots of APRS folks put a APRS mobile in their vehicle and park it on a trail head, ski slope, parking area, outside their building and then take a HT APRS radio and they can digi thru the mobile and hit the wide area digi or IGATE. THIS radio cannot act as a digi currently. |
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| K6XLT |
Rating:    |
2010-10-17 | |
| Key Missing Feature |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've gotten quite used to the overall performance of my FT-8800 and have been happy with it as my original radio to go with my ticket. I was drawn to the FTM-350 for its APRS capabilities and look forward to exploring same. But the big drawback for me is the lack of memory banks, a feature I rely on in the 8800. Had I bothered to explore this prior to my purchase at Pacificon, I might not have bought the radio. My thinking was, why wouldn't Yaesu not include such a useful feature?
Not that I travel that much, but being able to set up memory banks with repeaters for a region saves one a lot of time and a lot of useless scanning. With the 8800, being able to press a configuration key to bring those preset banks in to play was sweet. How could such a useful set of features disappear? Now it appears I have to fumbledick my way through menus and such to get to something that might only be half functional.
I'm going to give the radio a reasonable effort but I'm not encouraged that this radio will remain in the stable for long. I think Yaesu missed an opportunity at the perfect radio. |
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| KD0JHQ |
Rating:      |
2010-10-15 | |
| ez to use radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I am super green when it comes to ham and this is my first mobile radio. So i cant comment on the more in depth features. i purchased the programing SW to load all the local repeaters ect..., what an EZ program to use! once i had the radio programed i was up and running in under 5 mins. i also found that the suction cup left a little to be desired, i had a suction cup base plate from a garmin GPS that i used on the dash then stuck the Yaesu SC to that, its been holding tight now for a over a week! other than that no complaints. grate first time radio! |
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| K6MMG |
Rating:   |
2010-10-11 | |
| Lots of potential, but not really ready for primetime |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I've been running APRS with an HT and Opentracker and TinyTracker units. Those work great for beaconing in well covered areas. However, in preparation for a 2.5 day offshore fishing trip (100+ miles), I thought it best to move up to higher power and messaging capability.
The radio is quite competent, but there are at least three major faults that are inexcusable for a company like Yaesu, especially given that the unit has been out long enough for the problems to be identified and corrected.
1. The manual is thin and incomplete. It does not document all of the display icons and functions of the unit. I had to call Yaesu for one explanation, and the tech had to review his notes and get back to me. Nothing in the manual. The various buttons have multi-functions, some of which are unexplained. My VX-6 manual is far more comprehensive.
2. The unit is not stable. While composing an APRS message, the unit would suddenly and unexpectedly leave the "message edit" screen and return to the dual frequency display. The RT Systems programming software also warns of flaky operation.
3. The user interface for messaging is really poor, at least compared to cell phones of ten years ago. I won't go into the details here, and I don't know if the Kenwood interface is any better.
I would think that all of these matters could be corrected with a little more effort. I need to return my FTM-350R to HRO because of a sticking tuning button. I don't know yet whether I will seek an exchange or refund. |
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