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Reviews For: Yaesu FTM-350R with APRS

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

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FTM-350R with APRS
Reviews: 64MSRP: 780
Description:
The Yaesu FTM-350R dual band mobile transceiver operates on 2 meters and 70 centimeters. And that is with a full 50 watts of reliable power on both bands. And even QRP 220 MHz (1 watt) is supported (USA version only). It has two separate receivers with dual speakers on the rear of the control head. The controls are easy to use. On the left receiver enjoy the AM, FM and stereo FM broadcast bands with extended receive: 0.5-1.7, 76-108, 108-250, 300-1000 MHz (less former cellular frequencies). The right receiver covers 108-250, 300-1000 MHz (less former cellular frequencies). Enjoy 500 memories with alpha tagging for the left band and 500 for the right band (total 1000) plus 9 DTMF memories. And the FTM-350R menu system is easy to use. There is also stereo line inputs available. This radio has a built-in TNC for APRS® applications. Cross-band repeat is supported. The FTM-350R is ready to accept the optional FGPS-1 internal GPS receiver-antenna. The front panel is easily remoteable with the 10 foot included cable. A 20 foot remote cable is available optionally. There is a front panel built-in microphone activates PTT transmission. Please note that the control head does not directly mount to the radio body. Supplied with: MH-48A6JA DTMF hand mic, Front panel suction type mounting bracket, DC power cable, 10 foot control panel cable, speaker cable, spare fuse and Owner's Manual.
Product is not in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?cmd=DisplayProducts&ProdCatID=106&encProdID=33C814E3D04C92310507ECDE68CC3C01&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00643.8
N5FDL Rating: 2010-01-25
NAVI Function Problems Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have just posted a video documenting that my FTM-350R points me in the wrong direction while in NAVIgation model. I did the video for Yaesu support.

Also, the radio has, on three occasions, locked up and the only was to make the radio do anything was to remove power momentarily (at the PowerPole box).

And the documentation sucks. And the suction cup mount.

Lots more at n5fdl.com.
VE3LNU Rating: 2010-01-25
Needs more juice on 220 MHz Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
This could have been one terrific radio - but the QRP 1 watt output on 222 MHz is a joke. Why Yaesu transceivers cover 222 with consistently low output (check out the VX-6R, VX-7R and the VX-8R) is one of life's great mysteries. Kenwood could produce a radio that transmits with 5 watts on all 3 bands (THF6-a) - why can't Yaesu? The FTM-350 could have been Yaesu's answer to the THF6-a in a more powerful mobile package - the dream radio for all 222 MHz operators.

Yaesu Vertex missed the boat on what could have been an even bigger seller if they had provided some real TX output on 222 MHz for the significant North American market. Believe it or not, there are still some busy pockets of 222 MHz activity throughout Canada and the U.S., with Toronto being one.

As it is, I can only hope that my whole 1 watt output through my SB-224 mobile antenna can actually make a couple of the local 222 MHz repeaters without causing QRM. :)

Joe, VE3LNU
N6JCB Rating: 2010-01-24
First Impressions Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Well, Yaesu finally came out with the radio I’ve been waiting for – for years. I’ve been wanting to upgrade the old (reliable) FT-8100 I’ve been using on my Goldwing motorcyle for a long time. I kept thinking about getting a D-710 but, nothing against Kenwood, I’m just a Yaesu guy. I kept thinking Yaesu would have to come out with a similar radio eventually. They finally did in the FTM-350, just released at the beginning of the year.

I had heard and read about the 350, but couldn’t get any info on when it would be certified by the FCC and released in the US. I actually found it by accident. I was in Hamcity (Jun’s) here in Culver City, Ca returning something and, as I was leaving, I happened to ask if they’d heard when they would be getting any 350’s in. He told me he had one already. Well, as soon as I looked at the box I knew I was done for. And, with one “minor” exception, I haven’t been sorry yet.

The FTM-350 definitely starts with what the D-710 looks like and then takes it a few steps further, as you would expect in a brand new model.

The first couple things you notice are the large, bright face and the fact that the face is not meant to attach to the body. They are meant to be separated. The face is so bright and clear you can literally read it from across the room. And there’s lots of “stuff” on the display.

Of course it’s a dual band (triple actually), dual receive radio, so you can do UU/VV/UV simultaneously as well as crossband repeat. But, for “bands” it will actually do much more. In addition to 2m and 440 it will Tx on 220 at 1 watt. It will also receive various other bands from 500 khz – 1ghz including the US AM and FM bands. On top of that it will (one of my favorites) receive an external stereo line input – like an iPod/MP3 player through a stereo jack on the back of the body.

Speaking of the external input, as well as AM and FM Stereo – this radio, like the VX-8 and FTM-10 radios, has “AF Dual” capability. What this means is – you can setup two frequencies on the left and right sides of the radio, then set the left side to “AF Dual” with AM or FM Stereo or your external input. This allows you to listen to AM, FM or your iPod and when a transmission comes in on the left frequency, it immediately mutes whatever you’re listening to. This is very cool, and works very well – you won’t miss a word, at least in my limited testing so far. (Again, a similar capability is also available in both the VX-8 and FTM-10 radios.) The radio also has “Dual Watch” capability – listening to one frequency, while checking another about every 5 seconds. In either case, effectively giving you the ability to monitor 3 sources simultaneously.

Of course – what makes the radio a competitor to the D-710, aside from the large display is the built-in TNC as well as APRS functions. With the addition of a GPS, you can identify your position, broadcast your position and locate others who are broadcasting their positions. You can even tell the radio to go to a stored position (16 available) and it will give you directions. Of course, there’s no map so it will be straight line, but it’s something. And, of course, you can send APRS messages as well, though don’t plan on any missives….:-))

What makes this radio special for APRS is that you can buy the optional GPS receiver and mount it directly to the head unit. It’s very small, a little over an inch long and about ½ inch high and deep. So you don’t have to mess with any other external GPS receivers. Very nice! In addition, with an optional cable, you can also use the GPS unit that attaches to the VX-8 as an alternative. Once the GPS is installed, you will get access to several other APRS/Navi menus.

Something I really like is the ability to mute the sub-band (the side you’re not using) whenever you TX and/or RX on the main band. This can eliminate confusion when both sides are busy and active.

The 350 has speakers in both the base and the head unit which can be handy. And you can select which ones you want on or off.

It also has mic jacks in both base and remote head. This gives you a lot of freedom when it comes to configuring or adapting mic’s and/or headsets.

Though I haven’t used the radio on the motorcycle extensively yet, I found that it works well with moderately heavy winter gloves (“winter” at least by SoCal standards….;-)) The buttons are easy to push, without hitting the wrong ones.

One very nice little accessory that I suspect will work well on events is the FPR-1 Monitor. This is a little (yes “little” – about 1.5x1x1) unit that can be attached to the head unit, charge the unit while it’s attached. Remove the FPR-1 and you have a monitor that you can carry up to “1000” feet away. It turns on automatically when you remove it from the head unit. Very nice as well. Unfortunately it’s limited to the 440 band, but that’s what we use most anyway for our repeater ops. Cool!!

Add to that the fact that the head unit has speakers built in and a PTT right on the head unit. This gives you the ability to monitor and make calls without having to put your helmet back on.

The radio also supports Bluetooth operation with the addition of the optional BT module that installs in the head unit. This is the same module that works in the VX-8 and FTM-10. And the Yaesu BT headsets work with all three radios as well. Of course, some folks have had luck with using other BT headsets, so you may have some options here as well. BTW – the Yaesu headsets can also be charged in the head units of both the FTM-350 and the FTM-10.

I found the menus to be pretty intuitive. After a brief look at the manual, I found that I could move around pretty comfortably and generally find what I was looking for. (Unlike the FTM-10 which, due to it’s compact design, is much more difficult to navigate.) Of course, the 350 has many buttons and many soft menus, so that helps a lot in the navigation.

Another great feature is the labels. Like most radios you can label your memories. But unlike most radios, once you create a label, you will see both the label and the memory channel number all the time. You can choose which one you want to be large, but the other will be in small characters just above the large one. Again, very cool.

As you may have noticed – there’s a lot of compatibility between Yaesu’s latest radios – the VX-8, FTM-10 and FTM-350. It seems like this is their next generation of radios. And so far they’re all great. In addition to the things I’ve mentioned, the mic’s on the earlier Yaesu radios (using the 6 pin RJ-12 connector) work on this radio.

Also – while there are a lot of new things, they didn’t change the pinouts on the headset, and the control cable between the head unit and the main body is still a standard RJ-45 network cable. However, the data jack has changed to a different kind of jack.

So, there are a lot of pluses for this radio. What about the downsides? So far, the only downside to operating this radio that I’ve found is that the left and right sides use entirely separate memory banks. This means that if you want flexibility, you’ll need to put your memories in both sides – manually, since there’s no software yet for programming this radio. That means, all the channel settings, including labels. Interestingly, you can copy a memory from one location to another, but only on the same side of the radio. At least so far. I’ve not been able to copy to the other side, though it’s hard to believe that isn’t an option. So if you have a lot of stations you want to store ahead of time, plan to spend some time. (Grab your power supply, sit down with a good movie or sporting event, and peck away….:-))

That’s it – in my limited use so far that’s my only complaint.

I mentioned earlier one “minor” exception. That would be that the GPS didn’t work when we plugged it in. We even tried a second GPS unit, to no avail. Ultimately the dealer sent it back to Yaesu here in California and they have since sent it back to Japan. Really a bummer. And since Hamcity doesn’t have another one (they’re on backorder) they couldn’t replace mine. So I’m still waiting for the radio to come back, hopefully this week.

And, of course, in the process of dealing with the GPS I found that the Yaesu techs here in California knew little more than I do since the radio is so new.

So that’s the summary of what I know so far. Unfortunately it doesn’t include a lot of operational info, in particular GPS or APRS functionality. That will have to wait until I get the radio back and use it more on the road.

For now, the radio definitely looks like a winner. If you’ve been waiting to buy a D-710, take a good look at the FTM-350 before making a decision. In the meantime - Stay tuned for more reports after I get more experience with the radio.

73’s
John Beckwith, N6JCB
KC7NYI Rating: 2010-01-21
yaesu tech service Time Owned: N.A.
HAD PROBLEMS WITH THE FTM350 APRS SYSTEM. CALLED YAESU AND TALKED TO THE TECH PEOPLE ON THE APRS SYSTEM WITH TIM. NEVER HAVE I HAD SUCH GREAT HELP. FOE 45 MUNUTES WE WENT OVER THE SET MODE,TO SET MY RADIO . THIS GUY IS THE REASON I HAVE HAD 25 YAESU RADIO. HE WAS GREAT. A GOOD REASON TO PURCHASE YAESU. I AM 75 AND SLIPPING JUST A LITTLE BIT,.AND NEEDED HELP