Yaesu: New Yaesu FT-3DR

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wrath

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Dec 18, 2005
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Looks like they crammed a FTM-400DR display on a FT-2DR. Nice.

Yaesu FT-3DR C4FM/FM Dual Band Transceiver

View attachment 71263
If this is the real radio ,then Icom has been left in the dust on displays ,which would be kinda what I expected ,the FT 3 and Kenwood 74 will be my choice for daily load out ,clarity and color of display is primary in my selection of hardware,everything else is secondary , if you can't see it to operate it's a problem ,i am greatefull to Kenwood and Yaesu for not joining the race to the bottom of cheap displays.

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KE0GXN

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Echo Mike Two-Seven
Nice looking radio, but I don’t use an HT enough to justify the $520 MRSP. I’ll stick with my trusty FT-60 for a few more years and wait for the inevitable price drop. I do own an FTM-400XDR and love it so far, I suspect the FT-3DR will not disappoint if it is indeed the HT 400 twin like it seems to be. :cool:
 

pwscott

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Windsor County, VT
Looks pretty cool. I have the FT2DR and the screen is really bad...much like Icom radios I've had such as the ID-51A Plus 2 that I sold to buy the Kenwood TH-D74A. TFT screens are great and low contrast, greyish, washed out white-ish displays are so 2005.
 

wrath

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Looks pretty cool. I have the FT2DR and the screen is really bad...much like Icom radios I've had such as the ID-51A Plus 2 that I sold to buy the Kenwood TH-D74A. TFT screens are great and low contrast, greyish, washed out white-ish displays are so 2005.
And the good news is according to the catalog the batteries fast charger etc are the same as FT2,FT1,VX8 ,so all the accessories can be purchased for a song aftermarket already ,box up your 2 sell it! Within 2-3 months this thing will come down in price ,i have an FT 1 ,i have cataracts so the display on the 2 was a no go for me ,i looked it up down and sideways and the display kept me from pulling the trigger. By the looks of this one ,we will get along famously .I have an Icom that lives in its box because I can't see it(disaster 92AD) ,they burned me on it ,realy good,and they have not put out a radio since then ,that has a decent display so all my money has gone to Kenwood or Yaesu ,so this will be radio #6 (3 mobiles,3 handhelds).

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Golay

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I have to agree with a Facebook post I seen about this radio:
$520 and the mike is only held in place with the phono jack.
Quoting what the person said "You would think for that much money, Yaesu could have a clamp on mike like a commercial handheld.
 

wrath

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Dec 18, 2005
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I have to agree with a Facebook post I seen about this radio:
$520 and the mike is only held in place with the phono jack.
Quoting what the person said "You would think for that much money, Yaesu could have a clamp on mike like a commercial handheld.
That has been an issue with Yaesu for awhile now going all the way back to the VX, they did start including a black plastic clip ,that is supposed to help insure it doesnt prekaturely pull out ,it cost Yaesu maybe 1/30 th of 1 cent having them made / purchased in bulk. Now granted my FT 1 is my back up radio but the clip thing I dont use ,both of my HT are in a double shoulder holster and so the speaker mics wire run in wire channels , the mics clip to the holster near my lapel ,i switch Audio tubes between Kenwood/ Yaesu in my ear using surefire sonic defender. I have detached the mic and passed it to someone else in back seat without it pulling out ,this is a long known " issue" that ultimately Yaesu does not feel is hurting sales ,so a gimic clip is all you will see coming out of Yaesu.unless and until this effects sales in a drastic way ,but let's be real they are using the same chargers, batteries etc since the VX series,except for the new built in Bluetooth with optional earpiece ,so bite the bullet and buy a couple million "breadties" with the money you save on accessories and Rube Goldberg a solution ,that doesn't pull out easily .

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vagrant

ker-muhj-uhn
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I like what I read about it. Still, I would wait for any bugs to get worked out either in hardware or firmware. My guess is it will be quick, as this seems to be an FT2DR with several changes. (It reminds me of my D74A)
- Color screen
- TX/RX recording
- Bluetooth

What I do not understand is the inability to display the alphanumeric data when in dual receive mode on the FT2DR. If Yaesu cannot provide both freq and alpha, at least let the end user decide what they see. Additionally, if the FT3DR does not have that ability, I'm not sure I see a reason to upgrade.
 

Hit_Factor

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Saint Joseph, MI
I sold my FT2DR because of lack of usability. There is probably a better word for it.

My 8 year old granddaughter has no problem with a smart phone and whatever she wants to do with it. If I hand her a HT she's going to hand it back to me and shake her head no.

The great display and feature set drew me into the Kenwood TH-D74. 17 buttons and not one is marked scan or scn. I need a manual almost everytime I use the radio.

I have a couple ID51a Plus 2s, their operation makes sense to me. It could be tons better though.

Why can't we turn on a new HT and put it on auto search? It detects amatuer radio activity and programs the repeaters and simplex for the user.

73, K8HIT
Icom: IC-7300, IC-PW1, ID-5100A, ID-51A Plus 2, IC-R30, Hytera PD782G, Kenwood TH-D74, Uniden SDS100, DVMega, SDRplay RSPduo
 

vagrant

ker-muhj-uhn
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As a follow-up to my earlier post, a new Yaesu video on Youtube demonstrates that the FT3DR does display the alphanumeric data along with the frequency on the A or B side selected. I would still like a firmware update that allows me to choose one or the other on my FT2DR if one cannot have both. This jumps right to that point in the video. Kruk goes on to explain the number of characters as well, 16.

Production level of the video is terrible, but at least it is more information. These points should be on their website as well, odd that they are not. Another item John Kruk addressed is the same memory items for both sides instead of them being separate. I am unclear why it is like that on the FTM-400 series radios. It is a pain when I forget and need to re-program.
 

vagrant

ker-muhj-uhn
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Per John Kruk, Yaesu U.S.A. sales manager, the FT3DR should be arriving at dealers today and over the weekend. Looks like most dealers have it priced around $450 U.S. for initial release. No discounts or coupons at this time.

I'm not in a rush to purchase one. I suspect the first coupon/sale will bring it to $399 around the holidays. I use the bluetooth and recording features on my D74A, so it is welcome on this radio too. Definitely glad about the alphanumeric display versus freq only.
 

kf6gpe

Ray, KF6GPE
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Dec 28, 2012
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Boulder Creek, CA
Mine arrived yesterday from HRO. I’m coming from an FT-1DR, so I’m not sure how it compares with the FT-2DR’s touchscreen.

I found it very easy to set up after just skimming the manual; within an hour I had our local repeater frequencies and my hotspot frequency programmed, and was monitoring YSF off of my hotspot. Got a good signal report checking into the local ARES net last night. With the stock rubber duck it’s not quite as sensitive as the Kenwood TH-D74A; there’s a bit more noise on a the same signal. Still perfectly usable, though.

Set up APRS today, again without really looking at the manual (except to see which band the TNC operates on, (and it’s the B band). Messaging input is kind of clunky, but no worse than any of the Kenwoods — just different.

GPS locks quickly outside. I haven’t done a cold-start test with it against the TH-D74, but it’s certainly fast enough that it doesn’t really matter which one is faster — they both work well.

I still need to get some scan edges programmed and try scanning with it.

The display is very easy to read, and the touchscreen works well — it’s resistive, so it takes a bit more press than a smart phone, but that’s fine. I like that there’s direct-frequency input on the touch screen; that works well,

I think this is going to be my every day carry radio, because it’s slightly smaller and feels more durable than the TH-D74. A lot will depend on whether I’m traveling someplace with D-STAR or YSF, though.
 

prcguy

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A friend received his today after ordering it at the Dayton Hamster Fest in May. He fired it up while on the phone with me and I gave him some programming pointers from my FT2 that seemed to work on his FT3. Within a minute or so he had it operating on my fusion repeater and had compass headings and distance to me in the DN mode.

I might have to get one next week if my local HRO has any in stock.
 

TailGator911

Silent Key/KF4ANC
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Feb 12, 2005
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Fairborn, OH
Why can't we turn on a new HT and put it on auto search? It detects amatuer radio activity and programs the repeaters and simplex for the user.

Boy, you said a mouthful right there. Wouldn't that be handy while motoring down the highway...

JD
kf4anc
 
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