Yaesu: Yaesu FT-60 next step from UV-5R?

[rf_patriot200]

The FT-60 is a real, actual radio with real, actual quality radio components such as: proper front end filtering to keep out intermod and overloading out of band signals. It has quality firmware with an easy to program keypad that allows a user to do things like enter frequencies, TX offsets, tones, etc with little muscle memory. Menu system makes sense.

It can do both memory scan and band scan wicked fast. It does air band RX like a boss. It is made in Japan. Transmit audio is stout. Unless one is mute, no one will EVER complain about weak audio out of an FT-60. It is backed by an actual radio manufacturer with USA based warranty and technical support, and a 3 year parts/labor warranty, not that you'll need it.

Bowelturds are pieces of feces toy radios built around disposable consumer grade "walkie talkie on chip" toy radio chips intended for bubble pack radios. Combined with zero front end filtering, buggy firmware, transmit audio is famous for low, weak anemic muddy and muffled sound. They are great way to get IGNORED on local repeaters because no one wants to listen to a mumbling ham they can't make out. Combined with silly roger beeps, they signify a TURD is transmitting. Bowelturds generally have no warranty, are complete junk, and should be burned in fires.

Your dislike for "bowelturds" is duly noted

 

[KD7RJC]

Talk to me folks. Can performance and quality get me past the things I view as shortcomings with the FT-60? I really think the Ni-MH battery is my biggest hangup.

In addition to the battery chemistry it might also be wise to look at if there have been subsequent developments that matter to you that it doesn't do. As an example, while narrowband FM is not a requirement for amateur radio it was introduced in 2013 or so as a feature and depending on where you are it may be useful if local band plans are calling for narrowband on some spectrum. I don't know if it can do NFM transmit or not admittedly.

I'm getting back into the hobby after being out for two decades, the only radio I'd previously owned for any length of time is my 2m Alinco DJ-195. It doesn't even do software programming as far as I can tell, it was never something I considered back in the day. Part of the reason I'm getting back into it is for camping, hiking, and offroading, and I went Yaesu digital because I can beacon my location on the radios that are GPS-equipped. For the vehicles I did bite the bullet to go with brand new radios, but for the HTs I've been shopping craigslist and offerup, and ended up going with an FT-2DR and an FT-5DR. I was able to buy them for considerably less than they sold for new-retail and in the case of the FT-2D it was from an estate of a silent-key, the person handling the transaction was another ham and friend to the deceased. He was just happy for it to go to someone that was enthusiastic about the hobby.

The real advantage in the FT#-DR series are they all seem to use the same batteries. The FT-2DR uses the same battery as the FT-5DR, the SBR-14Li. I expect to be able to buy both Yaesu and aftermarket batteries for some time to come since this battery is so widely used, and other accessories are compatible between them. I've also seen the light with how Yaesu's factory programming software works, it's not necessarily as good as RT Systems, but it seems to be good enough for my purposes and doesn't cost anything, plus the two models both program by using the Micro-SD card so one doesn't even have to have any cables just to provision.

I felt that for the $125 I spent for one and the $250 I spent for the other that going for the higher end series was worthwhile in going used.

 

[MTS2000des]

In addition to the battery chemistry it might also be wise to look at if there have been subsequent developments that matter to you that it doesn't do. As an example, while narrowband FM is not a requirement for amateur radio it was introduced in 2013 or so as a feature and depending on where you are it may be useful if local band plans are calling for narrowband on some spectrum. I don't know if it can do NFM transmit or not admittedly.

Yes, the FT-60 supports both wide (5KHz deviation) and narrow (2.5KHz deviation) and has both narrow and wide RX filters. This is described on page 78 in the user manual, and menu item 55 toggles between narrow and wide modes. Note that the synthesizer does NOT do "splinter" channels used on commercial parts of the VHF and UHF band though.