Yaesu: FT-70DR Question

[N1SQB]

I ordered an FT 70DR this weekend. I downloaded the free software from Yaesu. Looks pretty basic. So, I was going over some of the features of the software. I was typing in a few frequencies and stumbled onto something. In the 225mhz band, on the software, it lets you choose your mode, FM or AM when you uncheck the AUTO mode box.. So I wonder, does this mean that the radio can do mil-air in AM mode? Will the radio actually take it or reject it as an error? Has anybody tried this? It does cover the entire mil-air range and it obviously has the AM mode for civil-air. I was putting in some 220 mhz stuff and ended up thinking about this. The radio will be mainly for ham radio use and some c4fm, but I am curious if it will work. My radio wont get here til Tuesday. :roll:

Manny

 

[nd5y]

It probably does. Many of their older products like the VX-6R and FT-7800R will receive AM on any frequency and cover 220-400 MHz. Did you download the manual and look at the specs?

 

[N1SQB]

I downloaded the pdf manual. All it shows is the fact that the mil-air range is covered as part of the wide band receive capabilities. It makes no mention of the modes in that part of the band.

Manny

 

[mrweather]

I have a FT-70DR and you can manually select modulation mode. When it auto mode it automatically switches from FM to AM from 300-335 MHz.

Another interesting quirk: in the 1.25M band it invokes auto repeater shift (if that is turned on in the menu) but you can't actually transmit due to a lack of the RF guts.

 

[N1SQB]

Awesome!😋

That’s great news! This means that as long as I keep the auto-mode off or unchecked, I CAN monitor mil-air. This will come in handy at some of the air shows I go to. I can’t wait to test it out. All the reviews I’ve seen make mention of the clear audio on this radio overall. Seems like a great ham portable with some nice wideband extras.

Manny

 

[mrweather]

There is certainly lots of receive audio from the FT-70DR, both analog and C4FM.

Yes, it doesn't have the bells and whistles of say the FT-2DR but for an entry-level dual-band Fusion radio you can't beat the price.

 

[N1SQB]

C4FM is another reason I bought it. I’m just learning more about this in detail. Always dealt with p25 and DMR. I hear that this portable decodes c4fm very well. My new toy should be here today!

Manny

 

[N1SQB]

Could be better but not bad.....

I finally got the radio and have spent a few hours with it. Here are my first impressions.

Likes:

Wideband RX
The RX audio is outstanding on all bands.
The build is great and it feels good in my large hands.
Sensitivity is very good even in the AM aircraft band.
Radio is nice and light weight.
Heavy duty solid belt clip.
Nicely lit screen and keys.
Easy access to the menu items without having to use a PC
Large memory capacity.

Dislikes:

ADMS free software is a crappy.
No 7.5 kHz tuning steps for VHF narrowband.( Yes for UHF but no for VHF?)
RF squelch almost useless until after about S-6
No light on/off switch option. Either off or you have to choose seconds
The procedure to upload/download your codeplug is a pain in the rear.

Overall this radio is a keeper. Just have to be willing to deal with a few shortcomings. ( It's not a scanner )
Im happy with the purchase.


Manny

 

[kjfswkr]

Well said N1SQB. I just picked one up also. As you said it is not a scanner but I certainly like the wide band coverage. What freqs are Mil air?

Kevin KB2CYK

 

[kjfswkr]

a question for Manny or anyone

I ordered an FT 70DR this weekend. I downloaded the free software from Yaesu. Looks pretty basic.
Manny

I downloaded the software also. When I went to try it my computer said they would not recognize the supplied USB cables as it has problems. Any idea?


Thanks


Kevin

 

[N1SQB]

What operating system are you running? I use Windows 10-64 bit and had no issues.

Did you upgrade the firmware? Go to the bottom of the FILES tab page on the link below and the latest firmware is there. It comes with a driver file.
Look for this download:

"FT-70DR/DE Firmware Update MAIN (USA: Ver. 1.11) 11/08/17"

https://www.yaesu.com/indexVS.cfm?c...FB036530FBD7D37F1A&DivisionID=65&isArchived=0

Manny

 

[N1SQB]

What freqs are Mil air?

Here ya go....

https://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/VHF/UHF_Military_Monitoring

Manny

 

[cmdrwill]

Mill Air was 223 to 400 MHz back when I worked on Military aircraft.

 

[prcguy]

225 to 400MHz.
prcguy

Mill Air was 223 to 400 MHz back when I worked on Military aircraft.

 

[hill]

Military Air 225-380 Mhz.

The top end of the band was removed for Government/military LMR.

 

[nd5y]

Military Air 225-380 Mhz.

The top end of the band was removed for Government/military LMR.

There is still military aircraft in the 380-400 range. It's not all LMR everywhere.

 

[AK9R]

Folks, this is a Yaesu FT-70DR thread. If you want to debate mil air spectrum, there's a whole 'nuther forum for it at https://forums.radioreference.com/military-monitoring-forum/

 

[N1SQB]

Update:

Picked up the RT Systems FT-70D programmer software. All I can say is night and day difference from the Yaesu software. Cable is well built, CD installed flawlessly on my windows 10 machine. Second, I had been led to believe that the radio needed to be in the drop in charger with the battery because it could not be charged alone otherwise. Not so. I charged two batteries one after the other by just placing them in the rapid charger by themselves. The light turned red when charging, then green when done. Empty batteries took about 3 hours to fully charge. Last but not least, the Milair coverage thing is 100% true. Hooked it to my outside antenna and received just as good as my base scanners. Just wanted to put this out there in case someone is thinking about getting one.

Manny

 

[SCPD]

I didnt have any problem with the ADMS software,it works.
Band for receive from radio and Mode to send data to the radio.
Cable supplied is good enough.Its Free, what do you want?
CHIRP now works with the FT70D if you have older firmware on your radio.
This radio scans fast and if you use Bank 1 for Amateur and Bank 2 for Scanner you have two radios in 1.
The 70D sounds alot better than the 2DR which is way more money.

 

[KM6NQX]

Difference between AUTO MODE and AMS

There doesn't seem to be a user manual for the software, which is unfortunate because there are a lot of options that aren't explained. My current question: You can turn Auto Mode on and you can turn Auto Mode Selection (AMS) on. Why are there two auto modes? What's the difference?