| W7GSV |
Rating:      |
2010-04-27 | |
| I would buy Another one |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I replaced my FT-8800 with the FTM-350R and have been very happy with the new radio. The menus were easy to navigate and setup even for this 65 year old brain. The memories are easy to program and I like seeing both the alpha tags and the frequency being displayed at the same time. The internal GPS antenna works well with the display panel mounted on the center console of full size GMC pickup. The cross band repeater is easy to use.
The radio, serial 9N02xxxx, came from HRO with the latest firmware installed. All previous reported problems appear to have been resolved. The radio is still new to me but so far it's a winner. I will post updated reviews if and when problems are discovered. |
|
| W2LEW |
Rating:      |
2010-04-04 | |
| I like it |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I needed a two piece dual bander for my new F-250 truck, and after considering the Kenwood D-710, and the Icom 2820,I chose the Yaesu FTM-350R. I don't care about the useless suction cup mount, or the one watt 220mhz option I just needed a reliable dual bander that would fit in the truck without major drilling and cutting. I ordered a beanbag type mount and the control head sits atop the dash at eye level. You don't have to take your eyes off the road to operate the rig. performance has been flawless. None of the problems others claim to have experienced. I fully intend to purchase another 350R to replace the aging IC-2800 in my minivan. |
|
| KU7D |
Rating:      |
2010-03-26 | |
| Great radio, could be just a bit better |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I had been looking at getting a mobile rig to put in my car for some time now, comparing pros and cons of several offerings. I settled on the Yaesu FTM-350R, and am extremely happy with it.
First, the things I really like:
*Standalone APRS Functionality: This one was a MAJOR selling point for me, as I didn't really want to have to go through the trouble of having separate pieces of equipment to make APRS an option in my vehicle. Of course, you DO have to get the optional GPS antenna accessories to make the functionality work, but setup was a breeze.
*Transmit/Receive Audio: I've gotten compliments on the quality of my transmit audio, mostly to the effect that it's almost like I'm right there. The receive audio on an external speaker setup is fantastic (though the internal speakers leave something to be desired, however - more on this later). The breakout/splitter cable for dual mono speaker outputs was a nice touch.
*Multiple Display Color Options: This, too, was a major selling point for me, as I commonly have customers in my vehicle; having something that matched (and matched well) was important. Once you choose your primary color group, a few tweaks with the brightness and contrast settings give you pretty much any color to match your vehicle's instrument panel(s).
*User-Friendly: Programming memory channels, setup and day-to-day use has proved to be extremely easy. Menus are very easy to learn and don't require you to have read the owner's manual cover-to-cover before you can play radio.
Compact Unit: The actual radio itself is quite small and could easily be mounted in almost any vehicle. The display is quite large, which makes for easy visibility in all lighting conditions, but also could require some creativity with finding an acceptable mounting location.
*Bluetooth Option: While I didn't get the necessary equipment, it's nice knowing I have the option since so many jurisdictions are going to "hands-free" laws.
*Hand Mic: The included hand mic is backlit and offers several buttons whose functions are user-definable. The selectable features make it easy to switch the radio between VFO and Mem mode, adjust output power, set/cancel scan, change squelch and tone settings, etc. Been really nice for tuning in to a "foreign" repeater or adjusting simple settings on the fly.
*Other Quick Likeable Items: Cross-band Repeat, Bandscope, "Navigation" features.
Now, the things I don't like:
*Suction Cup Mount: I'll agree with previous posts when I say that I was EXTREMELY disappointed with the suction-cup mount included in the box. I never could get the cup to hold the head in place, even temporarily. I finally resorted to drilling a very small hole in my dashboard and attaching the included "L" bracket to the dash with a small bolt. I'm also looking at getting a mount similar to a car GPS mount to hold the control head.
*Data Options: I was really disappointed that Yaesu didn't build this radio with a USB connector for programming, etc., but instead opted to use their standard round interface cable. Could've done this one a LOT better.
*APRS Beacon Transmission: The radio pays no attention to activity on the other active band when it goes to transmit the APRS packet (particularly in SmartBeacon mode). Though the interruption is brief, it has caused a bit of frustration when I've had to ask folks to repeat themselves, and I can't find a setting to change this. I would think a software update could be put in place that would inhibit APRS transmission until the main band's squelch closes.
*Internal Speakers: While the built-in speakers (both on the radio itself, as well as the dual speakers on the control head) put out decent audio, I'll echo previous comments that they ARE hard to hear in most situations without cranking on the volume a bit, and doing so has a tendency to distort the audio. If you drive a diesel or other noisy vehicle (or, if you're like me and like to drive with the windows down) you'll want to get a good external speaker setup.
*Stereo Input: Not entirely sure why the radio needs a stereo input... I can't honestly see a practical need (or use) for it, particularly since you can't use it unless you're specifically "tuned" to that input (much like a home theater receiver). Since it's a mobile transceiver and quite specifically designed to be mounted inside a passenger vehicle, I don't see how useful it could really be, especially when the radio body is hidden under a seat or inside a center console or glovebox.
Overall, this is a great radio and I'd strongly recommend it for someone looking for a full-featured mobile rig that doesn't need/want HF. |
|
| KC9ISG |
Rating:      |
2010-03-21 | |
| No problems here.. |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I recieved this radio as a birthday gift from my girfriend and I like it very much. Once you get familiar with how it works and were every thing is in the menues its prety easy to work. I havent had any problems as other have stated they had experienced. I have an Icom 2720h and after I had it repaired I havent had problems with it and I have replaced it with the ftm-350r/e and put the icom in my car. I like the dual recieve while scanning. Plus the other options Im still trying to figure out and use, other wise great radio. |
|
| KY4TS |
Rating:     |
2010-02-02 | |
| Pretty good so far |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I think Yaesu is off to a good start and heading in the right direction with this radio. The menu structure is much easier to navigate, the various features are easy to access and the offering of 222MHz is a good start. It would have been nice to have a dedicated final section for this band but I'll take what I can get. Here is what I like about this rig so far:
1- Alpha tag and frequency display available at the same time and the ability to choose which one to display large for each memory slot.
2- Large display. My eyes really appreciate this.
3- Bluetooth capability. With all the push for states to enact "Hands free" laws, this could come in REAL handy.
4- Built in GPS option. I like this much better than trying to configure an external GPS and TNC for APRS use. The unit offered is also costs much less.
5- APRS capability. Although I haven't acquired the GPS unit yet, I did set my rig up to receive data and transmit a fixed position beacon. It was relatively easy and has worked well so far.
6- 222MHz band. I like this under used band and there are several repeaters i can hit with my 1w if I'm in the right spot.
7- Stereo output jack, and the included mono breakout cable.
8- 50w on UHF
9- Cross-band repeat.
10- Stereo audio in jack.
Now, what I don't like:
1- The suction cup mounting. Are you serious? I could see this as an alternative mounting option, but as the ONLY mounting option? If you're going to use this, you MUST use the included clear mounting pad to ensure a good solid suction grip. Even then, in extremes of hot and cold (it's been in single digits here) the mount is unreliable. You can take the cup off the little "L" bracket and secure it to something else or, like I did, use a larger "L" bracket and secure it to the center console. Another option is the MMB-M10 bracket for the FTM-10. It has the same single point attachment as the 350.
2- No ability to copy memory entries from one bank to the other. You can copy from one slot to another in the same bank only. This function could probably be a software upgrade fix and should be made. Or, have one big bank of memory slots available to either side of the rig.
3- Built in speakers on the control head. Good idea, and if using in a fairly quiet location they work well. But, when in a car with a normal amount of road noise, the volume needs to be cranked up to be barely usable. That leads to...
4- Receive audio out. It seems a bit low compared to my previous rigs, even when using an external speaker. If you turn the volume controls up past 80%, the audio starts to distort. I repositioned the existing speaker I was using and bought another to mount on the corner of the dash and that has helped quite a bit. Also, I experimented connecting the stereo out of the radio to the stereo mini in on my car stereo and that worked great. But, it is a pain if you want to listen to the stereo and monitor the radio. some more experimenting with the receive and audio in capabilities of the 350 is in order.
5- 1w on 222. I'm glad that Yaesu recognized the need for this band to be included in our market, but they could have provided at minimum a 10-20w final section rather than stretching the limits of the 2m final.
6- A separate antenna connector for 222MHz would have been nice. There are many great dual band antennas, but only a few tri-band units. Plus, I really don't want to use an antenna switch. That turns the rig into a mono-band unit. An alternative would be a triplexer with an antenna for each band, but I have a small car and don't want more than 2 antennas.
7- If you are going to put a remote mounting head on a rig with a long extension cable, put a microphone extension cable in there too. There is a mic connector on the head, but it's on the wrong side and can pull on the head enough to pull the suction cup mount loose (see complaint #1). I fixed this by using a 6 pin extension cable from another rig, connecting it to the mic jack on the chassis and an RJ-45 extension connector.
8- That reminds me, why a 6 pin mic? why not an RJ-45 like the rest of your rigs? I could have kept the cable I already had in place for my FT-857 instead of removing that one and running a new one through the console.
Overall it's been a good rig. The intermod has been nearly non-existent compared to my 857, TM-733 and FT-60. I haven't had the lockup problems some others have and I have made a few attempts to do so. Once I add the bluetooth and full APRS capability I'll update my review. |
|
| AF4KK |
Rating:      |
2010-01-30 | |
| Amazing package!! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| This radio truly is an electronic marvel! Everything works very well with alot of thought into it! While the "built in" GPS is a bit hard to connect, it works very well once you get it. Furthermore, I just received and hooked up the FVS2 (they were on back order) and they make an amazing radio even more so. That suction-cup mount, okay, there may be an issue with that but we're HAMs and we're innovative. I just used the actual suction cup and fabricated my own bracket! Works very well! |
|
| N7CGI |
Rating:      |
2010-01-30 | |
| Ideal for my needs! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| After explaining what I needed a radio for, I was recommended a Kenwood 710. I bought one. The CD was in chinese, (which I could have changed to English, just didn't know how), the mic cord needed an extension and I read in this forum that the 710 had problems in Duramax diesel trucks which I own. So I took it back and took a chance on the brand new Yaesu 350. I heard that the suction cup mount sucked, so I took it all apart and mounted the bare cup first then assembled it. I just come back from the roughest ride in the Cascades and it didn't budge. The radio worked perfectly and the cross band operation (the reason I needed the radio), was perfect! It is virtually a life saver. The operation is simple and easy to adjust with fat fingers on a bumpy road. I highly reccomened it. |
|
| DK3HV |
Rating:     |
2010-01-29 | |
| DK3HV |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Hello all,
maybe one of the first 350 in Europe... easy to install, connection cable too short with 3,5m for my Audi A6, huge display, good audio with build in speaker, gps reception with build in antenna perfect, one crash... just to recover with remove of dc lead... manual seems to be just a photocopy... no trouble till now with aprs, works fine vy 73 hanno, dk3hv |
|
| W6PSA |
Rating:      |
2010-01-28 | |
| Good Radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I don't know why some people are complaining about having 1 watt on 220Mhz. I rather have the band in the radio, than not have it at all. If you don't own the radio you shouldn't be allowed to review it.
The radio is great! I like all the features and the options. The GPS works well and the APRS is the best on the market (710).
Good Job YAESU!!!!
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|
| K2DWB |
Rating:  |
2010-01-28 | |
| Troubled radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
The radio is sharp looking, feels very solid and is quite feature-rich, but is plagued by glitches. My FTM-350r demonstrated scratchy audio on the right side of the radio and extremely reduced volume when feeding an external speaker from the right side of the radio. No such issues on the left side of the radio.
After only 2 hours of use, the radio powered itself down and would not respond to any key commands for a period of time. Spontaneously, it began to work again - but continued to have the right side audio difficulties.
An internet search has yielded other reports of similar radio failures. I did talk to Yaesu tech support and they were tremendously helpful - but were unable to offer a solution, short of sending the radio back. I've decided to return the radio to the vendor and stick with an alternative product.
Hopefully Yaesu will rectify these issues soon - as the radio has the promise of being a real winner. |
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