KK4ELO
Member
Who has one and what do you think about it? Likes and dislikes. Also if you have the 277r, how do you like it?
YAESU FT-270R
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I have both an FT-270 and it's older brother, the FT-170. Both are excellent, rugged handhelds. Audio quality is good on both transmit and receive and I like the ability to be able to drop in a standard alkaline battery pack if need be.
About the only thing I don't like on either radio is the "waterproof" speaker/mic connector. Not only is it a non-standard connector, but I've found the connecter can be fussy about making good contact with accessory plugs (they have to be really tight).
Other than light rain, I've never gotten my radios wet, so I can't vouch for their alleged water seal. I do periodically lightly wipe the gasket surfaces with liquid silicone,
About the only thing I don't like on either radio is the "waterproof" speaker/mic connector. Not only is it a non-standard connector, but I've found the connecter can be fussy about making good contact with accessory plugs (they have to be really tight).
Other than light rain, I've never gotten my radios wet, so I can't vouch for their alleged water seal. I do periodically lightly wipe the gasket surfaces with liquid silicone,
kayn1n32008
ØÆSØ
The FT-270/277 are as solid as they come. Paired with the waterproof speaker mic they are solid monobanders.
I own a FT-277 and a VX-170. I recently bought an IC-92ad because Of D-Star, and I am finding that I am starting to carry it more than any of my LMR radios that I use in the ham bandMy VX-170, is now my APRS radio, and am looking to part with my FT-277.
The only issue with this line of radio is the water proofing membrane over the mic. It does muffle the audio... Significantly. There are 2 ways around this, first is to use a speaker mic. The other is to pierce the membrane over the mic. While this will ruin the water rating, for most this would not be an issue.
While I am moving away from monobanders, I will say Yaesu more or less, got it right with these 2 radios.
The only real dislike for me is the belt clip, and the stubby UHF antenna. I do not like the clip, i would prefer one attached to the radio. And a good 1/4Wave whip should also be standard. It is a monobander and would benefit from a tuned UHF antenna. I replaced the stubby with the 3" Maldol dual and flexible stubby and find it works better than the stock Yaesu antenna.
The RT software is great with these radios.
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k6cpo
Member
The FT-270 was my first radio and it served me well, both at home and in the car. My very first home station consisted of the 270, feeding, at first, a Comet dual-band mag mount on a baking sheet in my office, then an Arrow 2m/440 antenna on the outside of the house. In the car, it went directly into the Comet mag mount.
I eventually bought a Henry 2m 30 watt amplifier for it. Since I needed 13.8 VDC to power the amp, I picked up a Pyramid power supply on Amazon. (The amp is the blue item behind the radio in the below picture.)
I eventually bought a Henry 2m 30 watt amplifier for it. Since I needed 13.8 VDC to power the amp, I picked up a Pyramid power supply on Amazon. (The amp is the blue item behind the radio in the below picture.)
KK4ELO
Member
The FT-270 was my first radio and it served me well, both at home and in the car. My very first home station consisted of the 270, feeding, at first, a Comet dual-band mag mount on a baking sheet in my office, then an Arrow 2m/440 antenna on the outside of the house. In the car, it went directly into the Comet mag mount.
I eventually bought a Henry 2m 30 watt amplifier for it. Since I needed 13.8 VDC to power the amp, I picked up a Pyramid power supply on Amazon. (The amp is the blue item behind the radio in the below picture.)
Nice setup. Looks good.
k6cpo
Member
Thanks. It served me well for some time. I now have a Yaesu FT-7900 dual band mobile I use as a base station at home, along with my HF and 6m mobile. They are powered by a different power supply and the Pyramid is now used to power an FT-1900 2m mobile in the steel storage building I use as a shop. The Henry amp is retired for the time being.
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