FT-60 kissed a tile floor.

[BonziBuddy]

Thanks to my dog, my FT-60 met the floor personally.
The sound isn't coming in clear and the squelch seems always open. It's really disappointing because I always have been very careful not to drop it or even handle it recklessly.

I'm thinking of selling it on eBay or directly as damaged for parts. What would it be worth? 50 dollars? trade it for dirt?

I called Yaesu and they estimated 70 dollars an hour with a 35 dollar bench fee. Nooo way...

Anybody else have a similar experience? I really liked that radio... the only thing I hated about it was that it didn't stand upright. Awful top-heavy design with no support on the bottom.

Maybe I'll get a VX-3... it won't be the same though. I really liked how the FT-60 was built exactly like the Minitor pagers... strong feel to it. The VX-3 feels like a cheap bubble pack radio.

OR
might make a video shooting it with my 45


Is it a brick now? It's almost impossible to hear anything.

 

[bezking]

Thanks to my dog, my FT-60 met the floor personally.
The sound isn't coming in clear and the squelch seems always open. It's really disappointing because I always have been very careful not to drop it or even handle it recklessly.

I'm thinking of selling it on eBay or directly as damaged for parts. What would it be worth? 50 dollars? trade it for dirt?

I called Yaesu and they estimated 70 dollars an hour with a 35 dollar bench fee. Nooo way...

Anybody else have a similar experience? I really liked that radio... the only thing I hated about it was that it didn't stand upright. Awful top-heavy design with no support on the bottom.

Maybe I'll get a VX-3... it won't be the same though. I really liked how the FT-60 was built exactly like the Minitor pagers... strong feel to it. The VX-3 feels like a cheap bubble pack radio.

OR
might make a video shooting it with my 45


Is it a brick now? It's almost impossible to hear anything.

A personal meeting between the radio and your 45 would be what I would have you do... Make sure you share it here... Of course, that's what I would have you do regardless of what was wrong with it.

You should use Motorola radios. You could shoot an XTS5000R with your 45 and still have it work...

 

[RadioDaze]

Any damage to the outside?

People have done worse than that to that model without fatal results. If it happened to mine, I'd open it up and poke around for visible, repairable damage before I shot it. YMMV.

One of the golden rules of electronics is that sometimes just opening something up and then reassembling it can seem to "fix" it. You'd want to check small ribbon connectors, cracked solder joints or traces. Again, only you know what you're capable of undertaking.

 

[IowaBrian]

I have a .308 hand canon that would turn it into fine dust But the more I think about it a 12 gauge slug at over 1 oz running about 1300 fps would really be fun to see!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry about the radio I dropped a GRE500 this weekend but it lived to see another day.

 

[BonziBuddy]

Movement greatly effects it. It's almost as if something is loose on the motherboard. I actually I thought I fixed it when I hit it with my palm a few times. It went back to normal 100% and I was soo happy. Then I put it down on my desk and that little tiny thud was enough to knock it into making random noises again.

How much is it worth?

 

[bezking]

That looks and smells like a loose ribbon cable. If you think you are up to it, I would disassemble it and carefully check and secure all ribbons.

 

[RadioDaze]

I agree with bezking; the sensitivity to movement might be a good sign.

Fix it, and THEN sell it to one of us for $50. Or trade for some dirt.

 

[BonziBuddy]

YouTube - Broken Yaesu FT-60

Just so you can get an idea. The antenna has never been kinked or bent. Will sell it eventually.

 

[ke4wkp]

I agree with the others. You should open it up. Turn it off. Remove the battery. Make sure you ground yourself. Don't touch any static sensitive parts. dig around it maybe an easily fixable problem. Its already broke it can't hurt.

 

[RadioDaze]

Did the knobs come off when it fell, or is that just part of the troubleshooting process?

 

[BonziBuddy]

No it's all put together. The knobs were off because I had taken it apart. It will only TX... nothing else.

I guess its a dedicated APRS radio now.

 

[kb0nly]

I'll buy it if you wanna sell it... Sent you a PM also.

 

[BonziBuddy]

Won a VX-8R on ebay $325 shipped.

YAESU VX-8R TRIPLE BAND HT SUBMERSIBLE MINT - eBay (item 330426333573 end time Apr-28-10 16:46:03 PDT)

Pretty good deal right?

 

[N1BHH]

My FT-60R stands upright okay. What you have to do is make sure the battery latch is fully engaged, if it's not fully locked in, it will lean forward. If you put an aftermarket antenna on it, like I do sometimes, it will lean forward. I use a coffee mug to hold mine when I'm lying in bed or sitting around the house, so I can have it nearby.

That VX-8R is a nice package. I highly recommend that you get a drop in charger and an extra battery or two, so you will be able to enjoy your radio more and not have to shut your radio off to charge the battery. The VX-8R sells new for $380 roughly, and they now have an APRS enhanced version, plus a dual band only version.
Yaesu VX-8R, Yaesu VX-8DR Amateur HT VX8R

 

[BonziBuddy]

My FT-60R stands upright okay. What you have to do is make sure the battery latch is fully engaged, if it's not fully locked in, it will lean forward. If you put an aftermarket antenna on it, like I do sometimes, it will lean forward. I use a coffee mug to hold mine when I'm lying in bed or sitting around the house, so I can have it nearby.

That VX-8R is a nice package. I highly recommend that you get a drop in charger and an extra battery or two, so you will be able to enjoy your radio more and not have to shut your radio off to charge the battery. The VX-8R sells new for $380 roughly, and they now have an APRS enhanced version, plus a dual band only version.
Yaesu VX-8R, Yaesu VX-8DR Amateur HT VX8R

If I bought new would it of came with a drop in charger?

 

[Tweekerbob]

No. The drop in charger is an optional accessory.