Yaesu HAM radio opinions?

[Greg@RME]

Hi folks, I'm looking for opinions on a quality, entry-level HAM radio for occasional use in my Toyota. I'm new to HAMs and would like to step up for times when the CB doesn't reach out far enough. It won't get used too often, but I do want a quality unit to start out with.

The model I'm looking at is the Yaesu FT-1900R, they can be had for under $200 and seem like a good unit. I found a review with mostly good results-

Here are a few reviews-

http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/8282

Does anyone on here had personal experience with this model?

Any other suggestions for a quality radio in the $200 range?

Thanks!

 

[SunTzuNephew]

Yaesus are feature-rich, and can be a bit intimidating to use at first. They are great radios, with great factory support if needed (as do Icoms - I've not been impressed with Kenwood). I suggest getting a 'Nifty manual' for them, or downloading a cheatsheet. The programming software is nice too (get the cable off of ebay and save 90%).

 

[gary in ohio]

You really have 3 choices for ham gear. Kenwood, Icom and Yaesu. They all about the same from a quality and service. Kenwood tends to be the slow and steady. They have quality products but dont change them very often They tend to have very wide price points. Icom is the middle of the road. They have a wide range of radio's available lots of price ranges and modest in putting our new technologies. If its a hit they keep the radio for a long time. Yaesu is always changing there products, adding and deleting radios. They have a pretty wide range from a cost standpoint and are the companies that will try new things at the drop of a hat.

SO I dont get yelled out there are a couple of other companies, Alinco has a range of handhelds and mobiles. They tend to lag on features but are good products. On the HF side Ten-TEC makes a great radio and is one of the only US made radios available.



With most ham you either pick your price point and get whats available at that price or pick your features and pay the asking price.

The 1900R will be a fine radio.

 

[Greg@RME]

Great information guys, thanks for the help. I think I'll pull the trigger on the Yaesu 1900R and take the advice of hauling around a manual with me so I can learn as I go.

 

[dieselcruiserhead]

Ha Greg in the same boat myself.. Good stuff...

 

[HanzoSteel]

You can find used 2m rigs in good condition for under $150, but I think once you start using it you'll be looking for a dual band in no time, so you might wanna look into dual bands as well before you pull that trigger. You can find some good deals for just over $200 on CL and some ham forums.

 

[tremors834]

I recently obtained my tech license myself and thinking of picking up a Yaesu 7900R or an 8800R. I definitely want a dual bander because there is a lot of UHF chatter around N.Y.C. where I am located. I just can't decide if the cross band repeat is something I'll ever use/need to justify the extra $100 or so for that feature on the 8800R.
Currently I'm running a Icom HT with a diamond antenna mounted on the hood till I decided which mobile to install.

 

[Lutzy48]

Something I don't think everyone considers: The Yaesu 1900 has a fan for cooling. Not a problem in the average vehicle or on the desk at home. But, when you do what we do, there can be a significant amount of dust. The cooling fan will draw this dust into the radio's case. Currently the Yaesu 1900R is available at HRO (Ham Radio Outlet) for $134.95. Take a look at the Yaesu 2900R. It puts out 75 watts and does not use a coolling fan. The case is a huge heat sink that some liken to a George Foreman grill. In my opinion this is a better suited to any type of off-roading. It's currently available from HRO for $149.95

I have a Yaesu 2800M (65 w.) that I bought at HRO for $109.95 which has been replaced by the 2900R. HRO still has a few and are showing $119.95. ...and no I don't work for them. There just happens to be one near my home.

 

[crawler#976]

The other nice feature on the FT-2800/2900 is it's built for the type of environment we use radios in. It's highy resistant to vibration per MILSPEC.

I've owned two 2800's, a 7800 and 7900 Yaesu. All have performed well.

I'd suggest saving a little more $$$ and getting the 7800/7900 series over either of the single band radios.

Why?

First off the dual bander has a removeable face plate and that makes mounting one much easier. The post below shows where I was able to mount my face plate. It would have been difficult to find a location for the complete radio within easy reach.

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/showpost.php?p=433371&postcount=27

Secondly, having the 70CM availabe opens up a lot of opportunities. In my case I have several IRLP nodes locally on 2M that don't allow hookups to a reflector, but there is one on 70CM that does.

 

[PhulesAU]

10x on the nifty manual. It leaves ot a lot of the excess POOP the factory manual sticks in from a bad translation. almost gets it to a 1-2-3 step process. I only have Yeasu HT but it's Never given me a bit of trouble. I run ICOM mobile, the only downer has been the all in one Mic. it doesn't like living in the Jeeps semi airtight. interior year round. though this seems to be a common issue.

 

[Willman]

I have no experience with the Yaesu FT-1900R....

But the Yaesu 7800r is worth the extra money.....Very easy to mount and easy to use for the most part.

.0002

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[dieselcruiserhead]

Out of curiosity for us newbies, why would dual band be required or better, for example what is the advantage of being able to pick up UHF? thanks, Andre

 

[CanuckMariner/Nomad]

Dual band is a good thing. Allows you to monitor two frequencies at the same time. eg. if you and a buddy have joined a group of other travelers on some trails, you can pre-program the frequency the entire group is on and one other one just for the two of you. That way you can talk to each other as well as the entire group at any time. The radio will stop at the frequency with the traffic on it automatically. That way you can hear everyones chatter but discuss it just between the two of you. This is not limited to just two people, you can have a separate group on the other frequency sorta like a subset of the entire group. Hope this makes sense.

Also the 7900 and up have huge memory so you can program frequencies you use quite easily and handy. I have mine programed using the 20 banks as 20 provinces/states and 50 memory/slots per bank, are the repeaters in each province/state that I use the most.

 

[7wt]

Dual band just gives you more options. My tri-bander will only monitor one band at a time but it is still worth it. Many places you go to have decent 2m repeater coverage while other places have better 440. Being able to pick up 440 if nobody is on 2m one day can save your bacon. Plus the geek aspect of it, once you get your tech you will want to learn more and more as your confidence grows. I thought I would only stay in 2m but I have made plenty of QSOs on 220 and 440.

I hear a lot of people wondering if they will ever use cross band repeat. My take on it is I never see myself setting up my truck as a repeater anyway. I would have to have a HT or another rig just to talk through it to someone else.

 

[bj70_guy]

Dual band is a good thing. Allows you to monitor two frequencies at the same time. eg. if you and a buddy have joined a group of other travelers on some trails, you can pre-program the frequency the entire group is on and one other one just for the two of you.

It's worth mentioning that the 7800 doesn't have this capability. You have to step up to the 8800 for true dual band/dual receive. The 7800 does VHF and UHF, but you can only use one at a time.