looking for a new HT

[blueangel-eric]

So i want to get a new HT. my old Yeasu VX270 is so awesome and has the best receive ever, but the case is cracked and the battery is weak. I thought about fixing it but also want something new. I hadn't had a new HT since that one came out and i think that was 2005 or 2006. is the new low priced Yeasu's any good or how do they compare to the BaoFeng radios? I'm on a budget so i don't want to spend more then i have too. those baofeng radios split VFO does that mean i can monitor split channel RR freqs at the same time? how is the scan speed on the baofeng radios compared to the VX270 or the newer Yeasu radios? I like how the yeasu radios have memory groups so i can have groups for different areas. but they don't have split VFO without spending big money. I was looking at the newer models of BaoFeng radios on amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/BaoFeng-BF-F8HP-Two-Way-136-174Mhz-400-520Mhz/dp/B00MAULSOK?pf_rd_r=1NSP28J6HTXSDZB0BS4M&pf_rd_p=4ef03d4f-fc52-4cba-b905-5ea280a737fe&pd_rd_r=70e151fa-2bc3-4b75-9f03-c1c84b5c080c&pd_rd_w=WljA5&pd_rd_wg=ZzqhH&ref_=pd_gw_ci_mcx_mr_hp_d

or this one

Amazon.com: BTECH UV-5X3 5 Watt Tri-Band Radio VHF, 1.25M, UHF, Amateur (Ham), Includes Dual Band Antenna, 220 Antenna, Earpiece, Charger, and More

Amazon.com: BTECH UV-5X3 5 Watt Tri-Band Radio VHF, 1.25M, UHF, Amateur (Ham), Includes Dual Band Antenna, 220 Antenna, Earpiece, Charger, and More

www.amazon.com

thanks

 

[AI7PM]

JB Weld the case and order a new battery. You'll still have a good radio that makes the Batdung look like what I just called it.

 

[blueangel-eric]

JB Weld the case and order a new battery. You'll still have a good radio that makes the Batdung look like what I just called it.

i did put some epoxy on it. JB Weld brand I think. not sure how long it will last. the crack had spread. it's cracked on both sides of the antenna jack. Does yeasu sell the cases to those so they can be recased?

 

[jaspence]

The Yaesu FT-60R is still one of the best dual band radios available. They are out of production, but still selling and have both AA battery holders and rechargeables. They are well made, have a huge memory, decent free software and long life. Mine is over 10 years old and still reliable.

 

[ko6jw_2]

As an FT-270 owner I would say that whatever cracked the case on that radio would cause a Baofeng to disintegrate. Sending the radio to Yaesu for repair is probably a better bet than the DIY route. If you want a new radio get an FT-60r.

 

[nd5y]

Baofengs can't monitor two frequencies at the same time. The display has two lines but all it does is scan both (if TDR is enabled).
They are no good for scanning more than a handfull of channels. The scan/search speed is about 3 channels per second which is way slow compared to most other amateur HTs and scanners.
There are no banks or zones.
You can't lock out channels or add/delete channels from the scan list from the keypad. You can only do that with programming software.

 

[blueangel-eric]

Baofengs can't monitor two frequencies at the same time. The display has two lines but all it does is scan both (if TDR is enabled).
They are no good for scanning more than a handfull of channels. The scan/search speed is about 3 channels per second which is way slow compared to most other amateur HTs and scanners.
There are no banks or zones.
You can't lock out channels or add/delete channels from the scan list from the keypad. You can only do that with programming software.

I wonder why they don't make them better then that? So if you get stuck on interference and want to temporarily lock out a channel you can't do it at all without programming it with software? Sounds like a worthless radio.

 

[cbehr91]

The Icom V86 is an outstanding yet simple radio for railroad receive although it might not have memory groups like you say. I just program all 97 channels and lock/unlock what I need for where I'm located (which you can do from the keypad). While I don't personally have one I've heard good things about the current Yaesu FT65, but I am very happy with my V86. Can't go wrong with an FT60 either.

 

[SteveSimpkin]

The Yaesu FT-60R is still one of the best dual band radios available. They are out of production, but still selling and have both AA battery holders and rechargeables. They are well made, have a huge memory, decent free software and long life. Mine is over 10 years old and still reliable.

I second this. The FT-60R is a great HT. As far as I know, they have not been discontinued by Yeasu. I don't think the OP would be happy with one of the new low-cost Yeasus or Baofengs after owning a good quality HT like the Yeasu he has now.

"I had the chance to test the Yaesu FT-4XE, Yaesu FT-60E and the Baofeng UV-5R on the same mountain summit, near a VHF broadcast site, all on their stock antennas and with medium squelch settings. The conclusion is the FT-4XE is somewhat better than the UV-5R in terms of front-end performance, but it’s definitely far from the FT-60."

Yaesu FT-4X review (it is after all a Baofeng) | QRPblog

Yaesu FT-4X is part of the new range of low-cost outdoor handhelds from Yaesu. Rugged casings, IP54 water protection and loud speakers are just some of the features.

www.google.com

 

[AK9R]

Repairing the OP's FT-270 may be as simple as getting a replacement case from Yaesu and swapping the guts of the old radio into the new radio. These radios with plastic cases usually have a die-cast aluminum chassis inside that can be pulled out in one piece. I'd look around for a website or YouTube video that talks about repairing the FT-270 for some insight into how the internals are laid out. As for the battery, there are several replacement battery dealers online that can replace an old, dead battery. I would not junk a good radio just because the battery can't hold a charge.

I have a Yaesu, which is how it's spelled, by the way, FT-4XR. I think it's a pretty decent radio. Small, light, inexpensive, fairly loud audio. The FT-4XR is not a Baofeng, in spite of the insistence of some online "reviewers". It is built to Yaesu's specs and uses essentially the same radio-on-a-chip as the Baofengs, but the build quality is a better and it doesn't produce the spurious emissions that the older Baofengs do. I have my FT-4XR parked on a local CSX dispatcher frequency most of the time. I have no complaints about the radio.

That said, having owned a Yaesu FT-60R in the past, I think the FT-60R is easier to program than the FT-4XR and the FT-60R memory bank structure is very versatile.

 

[jaspence]

I recommended the FT-60R above, and I just picked up an Icom IC-V86. It has a limited screen (5 characters, difficult font to read). In a side by side test with the manager of our local repeater which is about 6 miles away, I got reports of noise on my signal and there was noise on my received signal. The radio I was using for comparison was an early 1980's Heath HW6502 with thumb wheels for changing frequencies that was full quieting both ways. It does have a battery system that should be better but I have not used it enough to evaluate that.

 

[nd5y]

I wonder why they don't make them better then that? So if you get stuck on interference and want to temporarily lock out a channel you can't do it at all without programming it with software? Sounds like a worthless radio.

That's right. It's a cheap one-chip transceiver design with poorly written firmware. You get what you pay for.

 

[AI7PM]

I wonder why they don't make them better then that? So if you get stuck on interference and want to temporarily lock out a channel you can't do it at all without programming it with software? Sounds like a worthless radio.

You get what you pay for.

 

[N8FNR]

The FT-60R is still in production; Yaesu FT-60, Yaesu FT60R 2 Meter HT