Yaesu: Yaesu FTM-500D Announced

[pcunite]

... I will post what some of these comments have generated in responses.

Good to have you in the chat John. Well, that's some pretty rough language. However, the good news is they are not representative of the larger body of hams. One bad apple makes the whole look bad.

For the rest of us, something Yaesu could learn from this is that don't put out a radio graphic without some context unless the plan is to tease. I think they did intend to tease us and its fun. Doing so will cause speculation and that is fun to do. So, looks like Yaesu wanted people to talk, and that is exactly what they are getting.

Just roll with it. Allow people to speculate. A gentle reminder that "official information will be coming soon" is all that is necessary. Yaesu would be wise to pay attention to the passion. Passion can tell you something about the changing market requirements.

 

[mmckenna]

Warning this first message has HUGE racial overtones:

Not surprising, but always troubling to see so much hatred in the world.
Letting them vent on social media might prevent them from kicking their dog or beating their wife.

 

[KevinC]

Not surprising, but always troubling to see so much hatred in the world.
Letting them vent on social media might prevent them from kicking their dog or beating their wife.

You should see some of the messages I get. Makes these look like nursery rhymes.

 

[mmckenna]

You should see some of the messages I get. Makes these look like nursery rhymes.

I bet. I was a moderator for a now defunct GMRS page, and would occasionally catch hell. At one point someone got hold of my phone number and wanted to talk my ear off. Got LOTS of advice about who I should have been moderating and the like.

 

[VA2SWP]

Not gonna' lie... this radio excites me. And yeah, I'm a bit of a Yaesu fanboy, so be it.

The front mounted speaker alone has my attention!

 

[VA2SWP]

A 5 page document on the FTM-500D series: https://wp.hamoperator.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/FTM-500-EnglishEdit.pdf

MSRP of $716 USD.... I'll be curious to see how accurate that is.

 

[GlobalNorth]

'Less functionality at a higher price'...

Happy, happy! Joy, joy!

 

[AK9R]

The FTM-400 had a 3.5" display. My smartphone has a 6.1" display. I'm supposed to get excited about a new mobile radio with a 2.4" display?

 

[VA2SWP]

Depends on your use-case I suppose... the excessive largeness of the FTM-400's display head was the primary reason I didn't buy it.

 

[GlobalNorth]

Depends on your use-case I suppose... the excessive largeness of the FTM-400's display head was the primary reason I didn't buy it.

That's perfectly fine and Yaesu had other smaller display options to cover your wants. Now, they have nothing for those of us who want a larger display and yet, they are charging a higher price.

 

[MTS2000des]

Problem with large displays on mobile radios is they don't fare well. Too easy to damage, expensive parts to fix. Icom 5100 anyone? How many do you see with burn-in and digitizers shot just 2 years old from baking in a hot car/truck. I'd prefer a radio with easy to operate by FEEL buttons to not add to the already monumental problem of driver distraction and a control head that will hold up for the life of the radio.

 

[GlobalNorth]

Problem with large displays on mobile radios is they don't fare well. Too easy to damage, expensive parts to fix. Icom 5100 anyone? How many do you see with burn-in and digitizers shot just 2 years old from baking in a hot car/truck. I'd prefer a radio with easy to operate by FEEL buttons to not add to the already monumental problem of driver distraction and a control head that will hold up for the life of the radio.

For a professional land mobile or marine radio, that makes perfect sense.

For an amateur radio with 'dial-a-frequency' [VFO] knob and hundreds/thousands of frequencies, it simply won't work.

A friend who works in Kydex is trying to build me a sun/glare shield for my 400s.

 

[belvdr]

Problem with large displays on mobile radios is they don't fare well. Too easy to damage, expensive parts to fix. Icom 5100 anyone? How many do you see with burn-in and digitizers shot just 2 years old from baking in a hot car/truck. I'd prefer a radio with easy to operate by FEEL buttons to not add to the already monumental problem of driver distraction and a control head that will hold up for the life of the radio.

I had an ID-5100 for several years in my car and had no real issues. The display locked up within a few days, but I think that was a DOA part (or close to DOA) and after repair, no issues. However, the radio was in the trunk and the car was white, so no scorching heat with that.

 

[vagrant]

I avoid mounting my control heads on the dash. They still work fine with zero issues. I previously had the D710 and now the FTM400. I use one of those RAM flexible mounts connected to the front seat bolt and a sun shade to keep things friendly.

I expect my mobile radio setup will remain the same until something fun comes along. Come on old man Kenwood! Don't let these whippersnappers sass you.

 

[krokus]

I am happy to see this new radio. This might spark some stuff for other reputable companies.

Time will tell, how this unit will fare.

 

[joe_97478]

Interesting that one of the features is described as a "6w speaker rather than as 6-Watt Audio Output.

 

[VA2SWP]

Interesting that one of the features is described as a "6w speaker rather than as 6-Watt Audio Output.

It's the AESS speaker in the faceplate.

 

[pcunite]

Some video footage here.

 

[VA2SWP]

A bit more here:

 

[GlobalNorth]

A non-official 'advert' / 'commercial'.