Yaesu vx-170 transmit ERROR

[suddenincline]

I am a firefighter where i live and thought the vx-170 would be perfect to replace my vx-150 and I finally got it the other day. Problem though, I can transmit on anything over like 148.xxx we operate around the mid 154.xxx frequency and when I push the PTT it says ERROR...any help please......thank you

 

[wconn]

If im not mistaken, the VX-170 is a 2- meter (144-148 MHz) radio. Without the proper mod, it wont work out of the box to work in the 154.??. As we all know it is illegal to modify amateur to work out of band.

 

[suddenincline]

did not even know that and I don't even know what 2- meter means what do i need I guess if I can't get it modified I am out of luck with a brand new radio I can't use. Can anyone help me out here.

 

[wconn]

2-meters is a Amateur Radio VHF band plan. If you dont know what Amateur radio is you need to be a little more careful when your spending money for a vhf radio. If you research around some amateur websites they may have a modification for it.

 

[Josh]

What it means is that it's an Amateur transceiver, not a commercial/public safety radio.

What you have is a "ham radio" and it will only transmit on the amateur/ham band... which in your case, the 2-meter band which is from 144-148Mhz.

Indeed your radio can be "opened up" to cover the frequencies you're referring to, but the radio should be able to tune into it on receive already. BUT, to open up the transmit side of the radio would be ILLEGAL, as the radio is not FCC type accepted for the commercial/public safety band, but amateur only.

You WILL have to buy a different radio, not a ham radio, to suit your need properly. You have a 'VX' series radio, which probably has 'YEASU' stamped on it. You should be able to find a radio similar to the one you have marked "Vertex Standard" on it, if you like the form-factor of the amateur transceiver you currently posses.


-Josh

 

[Grog]

As we all know it is illegal to modify amateur to work out of band.

It's legal to mod it, just not use it at that freq.

 

[mts200]

here is a nmbere for you to call 702-644-1200 tell me you need a ht 1000 vhf 136-174 give him your tx/rx and you shude be good you are lookung at 350$ but i can help you i will buy your vx 170 at the same price you paid call me at 916-308-9333 my name is vince

 

[koss_2004]

search on google.

 

[freeonthree]

Go to mods.dk and you can get the modification. It is real easy to do. Lots of puublic service folks use ham rigs because they can program them themselves instead of taking them to the shop.
The mod is just removing the battery and warning lable, and removing a couple of resistors and doing a reset. The instructions are easy to follow, and only takes a few minutes. Dennis
OOPS ! I just noticed how old these posts are... lol

 

[DaveH]

Go to mods.dk and you can get the modification. It is real easy to do. Lots of puublic service folks use ham rigs because they can program them themselves instead of taking them to the shop.

This is really bad advice. Just because something is easy to do, and lots of people
do it, is not sufficient justificaction, especially if it's going to eventually put the person
and agency in hot water. I vote for getting the proper radio for the job. It may well
cost more, that's just the price of doing the right thing.

Dave

 

[KC0QNB]

OP... you could just get your ham ticket and use it on the two meter band.

 

[n2mdk]

OP... you could just get your ham ticket and use it on the two meter band.

Good advice too bad the OP has made 2 posts on the forum and they were 2 years ago.

 

[freeonthree]

I merely gave him an option. He's been using his VX150, so apparently they don't care, why do you ?

 

[N8IAA]

I am a firefighter where i live and thought the vx-170 would be perfect to replace my vx-150 and I finally got it the other day. Problem though, I can transmit on anything over like 148.xxx we operate around the mid 154.xxx frequency and when I push the PTT it says ERROR...any help please......thank you

Obviously, you bought a modified VX150 that transmits out of band on a 144-148mhz ham radio. Understandably, it is much cheaper than getting a commercial ht for work. However, it is illegal to use it above the 148mhz range. That is all the FCC has certified it for(144-148mhz). My suggestion is to explore getting a ht that is legal to use in the frequency range needed. There are, with out a doubt, hamfests where you live. Go and find someone selling commercial gear and see if you can make a trade. Or, just get the radio modified, and do what you've been doing for years. I'm glad it won't be my license that will be in question.
Larry

 

[freeonthree]

Gee, should I stop using my Kenwood TS 140s and FL2100B for talkin on CB occassionally too ?
I sure wouldn't break any laws or FCC rules, that would be terrible ! lol

 

[freeonthree]

Your license in question ? Are you a ham ? Are you aware how hard it is to lose your ham license. There is no FCC anymore, not like it used to be. Im so sick of ham radio right now ! There are more jammers and drunk nutjobs on ham radio now, than I ever remember being on CB in the old days. Bill, W6WBJ has been annoying us for years, and finally now, after umteen years and about a half million complaints, he finally has a hearing to attend. He's a lawyer though, so they dont stand a chance. Then we have Steve (W6TXH), drunk on his ass every night, driving us all nuts ! The fact is, you have to be a real freak to lose your ham license, and it take years of complaints before they will even consider any action against anyone.
Lots of public service people who are hams, use their 2 meter, 440 handhelds. If your department allows it, who cares ? I applaud any public service person who has the brains to have 2 rigs at his disposal. In an emergency situation, it could even save your life someday. Dennis

 

[rescuecomm]

With the narrowband switchover in 2013, I would get something that will work for a while, rather than buying again in a few years. The HT1000 normally doesn't do narrowband although someone indicated the latest models could. Icom F3061T is a good radio, although the batteries are expensive. I bought an Icom F30GS for $80.00 on ebay last year and it is a good squad radio. It has 256 channels and the software is cheap.

Bob

 

[freeonthree]

Just got my VX 170 5 minutes ago. Battery seems to be charged pretty good out of the box, shows 7.6 volts on the display, and it's a 7.2 v battery, so thats cool. I already made my first contact on the Red Bluff repeater, and the gal said it sounded very clean and nice. Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee !
Now to load the memories with all the local repeaters, I got some serious reading to do. lol
So far im very impressed with the little rig. :>)