Yaesu: Yaesu FT-60R

[RadioDaze]

Yeah, I have noticed that as well. The radio sits on the two little post on the front side and the clip for the battery on the back side. I believe the radio would be more stable if there were two little post on the back side as well. Just my 2 cents!

That's exactly it. The posts or nubs need to be on the outer ends of bottom of the metal chassis. I've been planning to fashion some kind of fix, but haven't gotten around to it. Maybe build up a little JB Weld and then file it flat.

 

[KE4RWS]

I've owned a 60 for about ten years.

Just FYI, the FT-60 was introduced in 2004. Nonetheless, that's a great record and the overall reviews of this model are exceptional :wink:

 

[N4JKD]

Just FYI, the FT-60 was introduced in 2004. Nonetheless, that's a great record and the overall reviews of this model are exceptional :wink:

May be referring to the FT-50R? I think it came out in around 2000.

 

[KE4RWS]

Yeah, could be. The FT-50 was also a highly rated dual bander and I had one myself for few years. Although it wasn't a favorite of some, it was a great performer. The FT-50 was kind of the beginning of the smaller portables that relied even more heavily on internal menu's, which is why some didn't care for it. However, the '50' was a solid performer regardless.

If I was in the market for a new dual band portable I would buy the FT-60. Very nice radio

 

[N4JKD]

In the local ham community here, there are 3 main radios used...the Wouxun radios, the FT-60R and the Vertex 150 its called I believe. Most have Wouxuns anymore though, including myself.

 

[KE4RWS]

In the local ham community here, there are 3 main radios used...the Wouxun radios, the FT-60R and the Vertex 150 its called I believe. Most have Wouxuns anymore though, including myself.

Certainly can't beat the price on the Wouxon, and it too has a good rep so far

 

[N4JKD]

Certainly can't beat the price on the Wouxon, and it too has a good rep so far

Nope, and with todays economy, they are a great buy. Will they last as long as a big brand name radio? It is possible, but I can buy all the accessories for it, and get another radio affordable if something happens, and still use the same accessories. Mind you, the new KG-UV6D has a 200 channel memory bank, and the standard SMA connector, not like the others with the connector on the bottom of the antenna.

Many hams will dispute the big name radio vs the cheap chinese radio...but that's another topic. They are basic handheld radios. The big name radios.....like the FT-60, has many features like weather alert and things like that, which I look for Wouxun to pick up soon.

Thing is about the FT-60 though....it works great and is built like a tank and is backed up by Yaesu's warranty.

 

[RadioDaze]

Another thing about the "big name" radios versus the Chinese radios is the user interface. I find my Wouxuns to be quirky and unintuitive in their operation. I don't think there is so much of a difference in price to make it worth buying a cheap radio. Look at Universal Radio's prices, for example:

Wouxun KG-UVD1P Amateur Handi-talkie
Yaesu FT-60, Yaesu FT60R 2 Meter HT

$40 more for a radio you can depend on, year after year.

 

[kayn1n32008]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (BlackBerry; U; BlackBerry 9780; en-US) AppleWebKit/534.8+ (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/6.0.0.600 Mobile Safari/534.8+)

Those cheap chinese radios, although people seem to be happy about, are disposable. My self I will never buy or use one. I am more than willing to spend a bit more and buy a vertex/Yaesu. Fit and finish is pretty poor from the ones I have looked at. That and the fact that the power fluctuates widely with voltage change speaks volumes to me. That and the fact that they are the Moto/Kenwood reversed SMA forces me to have more adapters in order to use external antennae.

 

[Tom_G]

As I read these postings here, it disappoints me that the China manufactured FT-60's are not as good on sensitivity and audio.
One of he things I always liked about Yaesu gear was its great audio. (Much better then Icom or Kenwood HT's)
Maybe it would be better to find and older used FT-60 from Japan.....
Best of Luck, Tom/G

 

[VE7CFF]

I've had my FT60R for years, with no issues, programmed with RT software. Also have an FT50R and a VX-10 VHF Thinking about picking up a VX-8GR for portable APRS

 

[KD0KQL]

Another satisfied FT-60-R owner here. I have two now and have worn most of the buttons blank on the one that I carry and use daily. If you use the E-DC-5B mobile adapter, expect a problem. If you hear it rattle, stop using it ASAP! The adhesive has failed on the heat sink and it's flopping around. It will break the traces on the PC Board in a short time and the unit will quit working. Just open it up and use appropriate adhesive to secure the heat sink and all is good. If the traces are already broken, simply re-solder them and you're back on the road. The FT-60 is a very good choice.

 

[bikinjohn]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (Linux; U; Android 2.3.3; en-us; DROIDX Build/4.5.1_57_DX5-35) AppleWebKit/533.1 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0 Mobile Safari/533.1)

What radios aren't made in China anymore? Wonder if there was a list of manufacturers who still make their radios in Japan/USA/Non 3rd world country

 

[bigmichaelcool]

Is there an function to adjust the gain for the microphone on this radio? I have looked though the manual and also stepped though the radio functions itself and cannot find any such function.

Thanks for the info!
Mike
KF5LFT

 

[barryfltht]

Just received my FT-60r via UPS a couple of hours ago. Can't pick up a thing in my office, running a laptop, wireless modem, TV. Take it outside and I'm receiving from about 80 miles away. My BC72XLT handheld scanner works fine in the same environment. For sure haven't read the entire manual yet, but any suggestions on what might be the problem?

 

[N8IAA]

Just received my FT-60r via UPS a couple of hours ago. Can't pick up a thing in my office, running a laptop, wireless modem, TV. Take it outside and I'm receiving from about 80 miles away. My BC72XLT handheld scanner works fine in the same environment. For sure haven't read the entire manual yet, but any suggestions on what might be the problem?

Go into the menu. Find RF squelch. The higher the number, the tighter the squelch. Used to keep mine on 4 for repeaters, 5, or higher for out of band receive.
HTH,
Larry

 

[thebrassbasher]

I just purchased on, 07-08-14, a new FT-60R/E from HRO. It is made in Japan. The battery pack is made in China.

Rusty

 

[KE4RWS]

Apparently some are made in China while others are from Japan. That's the thing about these radio's anymore, even the one's you think are made in Japan just *might* actually be made in China now. If you got a Japanese-made FT-60 then be glad because I bought one last year that was made in China and I immediately sent it back, took the restocking hit and moved on. I just didn't want to mess around with a radio that was SUPPOSED to be made in Japan to being with. It also kinda angered me because most of the time we here in the USA are more-or-less forced to buy Chinese made products because they're the only one's making certain things anymore. So when I discovered my FT-60 was in fact from China it kind of pissed me off so I sent it back.

The Japanese have a high reputation for making great electronics and I didn't want to forgo that just because the radio *looked* like one that was made there. It's kinda like all those people who buy iPhone's that for some magical reason seem to cost far less. A lot of times people find out their beloved iProduct was actually just a knock-off made somewhere other than where the real-deal was. It might work just fine but when people discover this they sometimes feel like they were tricked and that usually makes them a little angry about it

 

[pinballwiz86]

I was planning on picking up an FT-60R. Not anymore if it's made in China instead of Japan. There's a certain level of quality for Japanese electronics that is not there in China.

 

[thebrassbasher]

Ft-60 charging stand

One of the first things the guy at HRO pointed out was to never leave the radio for longer than needed in the desk top charging stand. That will ruin the battery pack. He also opened up the radio to show me that the radio was made in Japan and the battery pack is Chinese. He explained all of the other accessories and where each was now made.

I looked at the Bow Funkie. Not interested. The Yaesu is so easy to set up and use. Especially if you are traveling, are in the field, and/or need to change the settings.