Yaesu: Yaesu FT 70DR VS 60R

[blackbelter]

As a ham , I am planning on purchasing a Yeasu FT 70DR however I hear lots of good things about FT60R . My prime interest in purchasing these radios are:

1- contacting local VHF /UHF non DMR repeaters. I have a DMR radio.
2- listening to local Airports .
3- listening to Rail Roads.
4- listening to marine band.
Which one of these radios has a better selectively in air bands ?
I am searching for better and more durable radio than a uniden 125AT.

I would appreciate any one with radios input and suggestions .
Thanks

 

[Hit_Factor]

Kenwood TH-D74 is well known as the receive everything HT.

Using a HT in the manner you have listed is more about the antenna than the HT.

The menu systems and everything else in those two HTs are like the old DOS in computers. They are inexpensive, so they have that going for them, but that's pretty much it. I had a 70 and sold it off, it was that hard to use in comparison to Kenwood and Icom HTs.

 

[blackbelter]

Thank you.

 

[jaspence]

The FT60 is one of the most durable radios offered. Covers 108 to 520 and 700-000 MHz, has decent free software (FT60 Commander). It is one of the few radios that still has a battery case for AA cells for emergency power. It has an after market Li battery available and uses NiMh as the factory supplied power source. Out of my collection, it would be my choice if I had to pick a single radio, and I have many more expensive choices, but none as flexible, easy to program from the keyboard and has dual band coverage and broad receive coverage.

 

[blackbelter]

Thank you, would I be able to program " None Transmitting " frequencies such as the air port towers and or Rail road frequencies into a memory bank? Hows the hairband sensivity with the supplied antenna? I also see great reviews on the newer FT 70DR.
73,

 

[AK9R]

As a ham , I am planning on purchasing a Yeasu FT 70DR however I hear lots of good things about FT60R . My prime interest in purchasing these radios are:

1- contacting local VHF /UHF non DMR repeaters. I have a DMR radio.
2- listening to local Airports .
3- listening to Rail Roads.
4- listening to marine band.
Which one of these radios has a better selectively in air bands ?
I am searching for better and more durable radio than a uniden 125AT.

I would appreciate any one with radios input and suggestions .
Thanks

Well, first thing is you need to learn how to spell Yaesu.

1. If you are planning to use your existing DMR radio for accessing DMR repeaters, then either radio would be OK. Neither the FT-60 nor FT-70 do DMR. Yaesu System Fusion, like the FT-70 has, is not DMR.

2, 3, and 4. You can find the sensitivity and selectivity specifications for both radios in their user manuals which you can download from Yaesu's website. For the FT-60, the sensitivity is 0.8 µV for 10 dB signal to noise over 108-137 MHz and the selectivity is 12 kHz for -6 dB. For the FT-70, the sensitivity is 1.5 µV for 10 dB SN over 108-137 MHz and the selectivity is 12 kHz for -6 dB. Looks to me like the FT-60 has a more sensitive receiver (less signal strength for the same SN) in the airband.

For aircraft, make sure the radio you are interested in will receive AM transmissions in the air band.

Stock antennas on most handhelds are so-so. You may do better with an aftermarket antenna and there are many to choose from.

 

[blackbelter]

Thanks,

 

[k6cpo]

As a ham , I am planning on purchasing a Yeasu FT 70DR however I hear lots of good things about FT60R . My prime interest in purchasing these radios are:

1- contacting local VHF /UHF non DMR repeaters. I have a DMR radio.
2- listening to local Airports .
3- listening to Rail Roads.
4- listening to marine band.
Which one of these radios has a better selectively in air bands ?
I am searching for better and more durable radio than a uniden 125AT.

I would appreciate any one with radios input and suggestions .
Thanks

I do all that and more with my FT-60. The only real difference between the FT-60 and FT-70 is the System Fusion capability of the 70. I don't have an FT-70 because I already have an FT-1DR, so I can't speak to the menus or the reports of low battery capacity. I can say that the menus in the Yaesu Fusion radios I do have (3) are much more complicated (but not insurmountable) than the menus in the analog radios (8).

 

[W5GX]

Thank you, would I be able to program " None Transmitting " frequencies such as the air port towers and or Rail road frequencies into a memory bank? Hows the hairband sensivity with the supplied antenna? I also see great reviews on the newer FT 70DR.
73,

Even better... Any of the major radios - Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, Alinco, etc., will automatically lock out transmitting on frequencies outside of that radio's market amateur bands.

I'm unfamiliar with most Chinese brands, but Baofengs do not have such restrictions programmed in - too much work for to make the radio cheap.

To the original topic, I would personally go with the FT60. If for no other reason than a dedicated squelch knob. But - that's a very biased opinion, and treat it as such. I'm very open to adopt the newest whizbang - but I'm admittedly a curmudgeon for having a squelch knob.

 

[Hit_Factor]

Even better... Any of the major radios - Icom, Yaesu, Kenwood, Alinco, etc., will automatically lock out transmitting on frequencies outside of that radio's market amateur bands.

There is usually a very easy to perform mod for these radios, it opens up the transmit range. It's usually called the MARS mod. Even thought MARS has moved on.

 

[W5GX]

Of course - but one needs to tear into the radio, so it's not an official thing.

 

[cmdrwill]

I got a chance to play with the newer FT70R and it has really good receive audio. Very good reports of excellent transmit audio.

 

[blackbelter]

My FT 70DR has given me the option of accessing the nearby analog and digital armature repeaters and further more allows me to monitor the Air, Marine and Rail road bands with its excellent capabilities and strong audio. This radio is built like a tank and easy to program .
73,