I_am_Alpha1
Member
- Joined
- May 21, 2014
- Messages
- 267
I've had this in my shack for a month now and really like it. It's similar to the Yaesu FT-8900, but much cheaper. It was smaller than expected. Everyone will tell you not to waste your money on 6m and 10m FM because it's dead--totally wrong. When they open, the bands are packed. Also, a dual band radio is around $300--this radio is around $260. The audio is loud and clear. The speaker is in the main body and not the detachable control head, which may limit some installations, but there is an external speaker jack on the back. It uses a standard T power connector. The left side has all four bands while the right is 2m and 70cm only. It does have extended receive capabilities--check the manual. It will do crossband repeater which is cool. There is only one antenna port--so you will need to change feedlines or use a duplexer. There are no decent mobile or base antennas for quad band radios--I use the Comet GP-15 tri-band for 6m, 2m, and 70cm but don't like it because it has high SWR spots on 50.1-50.3, 425-431, and 445-449. I have a home brew 10m double bazooka in the attic mounted inverted V which reaches across the country easily. I program it using software--much easier than manually, however the software sucks (but it is better than manual). I leave the programming cable plugged into the computer so I can change it quickly. I did have one programming problem that is noteworthy--when programming a channel, there is a small check box labeled "emphasis" that is pre-checked--leave it checked or your radio won't work. I unchecked it and was totally unreadable--people thought that I'd swallowed the mic. I manually programmed a simplex channel and listened on my scanner and it was clear--took me forever to figure it out. It is not listed in the manual and others have asked about it online with no answers given. It only draws 8.9A, so you don't need a monster power supply--something around 15-20A is perfect (you should not go over 50% of the rating for long term use). I recommend this radio and would be another one.