Yaesu FT-60R Dual Band HT Overview
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- Опубліковано 7 сер 2024
- Price: $167.95
Amazon link: amzn.to/2LpU2qA
CT-44 Amazon link: amzn.to/2DSezzY
Manual: www.yaesu.com/downloadFile.cf...
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The Yaesu FT-60R is an oldie, but excellent analog HT. In my opinion, the FT-60R set the gold standard for dual band analog HT’s. I actually have three FT-60R’s, even though I also have HT’s such as the Kenwood TH-D74, Yaesu FT3DR, FT70DR, etc. The only additional thing I would’ve liked seen with the FT-60R is 1.25m/220 TX (it does receive 220 though). High power is closer to 4W than 5W, but that’s still plenty of power. Some folks make too much out of transmit power. You really need an increase of fourfold to see much of a difference and it’s better to have a good receiver (which the FT-60R does) than higher transmit power. That’s one of the things that makes this radio so great, it’s superheterodyne receiver. It’s built tough and can take accidental drops. It’s as tough as a brick. It has ARTS built-in, if that’s something you’d like to use (I’ve used it with my FT-8900R mobile and it works well). If you are a new amateur, this is a great HT to start off with. It receives airband (in AM) and goes up to 999.995 MHz. While it’s not Part95E accepted, it can be used for GMRS in emergencies by removing the R1164 SMC resistor, which opens a large swath of VHF and UHF for transmit. I’m not encouraging or discouraging removing that resistor, but it’s simple to do. If you want to use the FT60R for things such as APRS, WinLink, etc, you can easily use something like a MoblinkD TNC3 with it. I highly recommend getting Li-Ion batteries for the FT-60R snd using them instead of the NiMH battery it comes with. You will also need a new charger that can charge Li-ion, such as the CD-47. A Li-ion battery and charger will run you just ~$50 for both, but highly worth the investment. Smiley 5/8 antennas work GREAT with this HT, but they are monoband so you’ll need to swap. Since this radio receives such a wide range, a Diamond SRH77CA goes very well with it. Great analog HT. Even after all these years, they still make and sells these for good reason!
I heard that production of the FT-60R stopped in 2020?...and we seeing some of last lines of the model?
Thank you for the very helpful review. I just bought my very first radio today. This was it!
Found your channel by doing a search for reviews on this HT. You gave great information which made me decide to order one. Thanks
Thanks for watching! I’m glad you found the information useful with your decision! Please subscribe if you haven’t already...73
I hope my comment makes it out to your audience.
Concerning whether you can operate the radio using an external D.C. supply. The answer is yes, you can. Let me explain. The original charger is rated at 12VDC, 500mA. normally, the battery supplies voltage to the B+ circuitry, but when an external 12VDC source is plugged in, it forward biases D 1009, and is regulated by Q1025, D1012. D1009 is a schottky switching diode rated at 3.0 Amps, so, unless there's a problem elsewhere in the radio, you should be able to use the radio with an external supply.
The radio uses 150-200Ma at idle (receive only) and the Low power transmit uses 750mA, the Mid range xmit power is 1.2A, high xmit power is 1.8A.
So, in order to use the external supply, you'll need a regulated 10VDC/2-3A rated source (the service manual asks for 9.9VDC). I've been using a 12VDC/2.0A supply and so far, no problems. However, I will be changing over to a 10VDC supply soon.
I actually owned one of these and liked it until it fell off my belt and got ran over before i could get to it, may it rest in peace
Oh that sucks
Excellent video. I only found this cause I just bought this model, I did use the link for the CT-44 though.
Awesome! I am glad that you liked the video and thanks for using my affiliate link! Please subscribe if you haven’t already...73
Hey, Curtis. Studying for my Tech & General and waiting for my FT60R to arrive in the mail. Thanks for the video. Nice helpful recap of the features. Liked & subbed. I'll poke around your channel and check it out. There's so much to learn!
Thanks for subbing! You are correct there is a lot to learn about this hobby and that is the beauty of it. I’ve been a ham now for almost 30 years and I am learning stuff about it all this time.
Thank you for your video. I told my son if he passed his General license I would give him my radio after watching your video I am now going to have to buy me another one.
Lol that’s awesome! It’s a neat little radio from the looks of it if you don’t mind the single receive. Also if you don’t mind, please go through the affiliate link in the description to help out the channel...73!
Great video sir
I am new to Ham and bought one of these ....I was disappointed to see that it is not a true dual band. If I had known that ahead of time, I would have gone with a different one. I wish I had seen your video earlier.
Great little radio.the only thing o would change is the sma antenna connector. I prefer the bnc instead of the sma. Also wish the microphone jack was a 2 prong instead of a single and that jack should be on top like the adi at 600
Just use a SMA-BNC adapter, that’s what I do if I use my Smiley antennas with BNC connector. As for the S/M chord, what I do is I loop the S/M chord though and around the belt clip. That way, if the chord gets pulled, it’ll only be pulled to the belt clip and not be pulled out of the radio.
Great review. Helped me make a decision.
Glad it helped! Thanks for watching
Just bought it today 😃. I just passed my tech exam Friday and studying for the general.
Just getting back into ham radio. Picked the yeasu FT60R and got it all programmed. Now when I push the PTT I get a tone on all the programmed memories. Cant figure it out...Can you help??
Paul. K1YOU
You may have the WIRES turned on. Look for the atomic looking symbol on the zero (0) button and see if it is displaying in the upper right corner of the screen. If it is, hold down the zero (button) and the symbol should disappear. The tone should disappear too. Hope that solves your problem.
Does the transmitter still put out 5W with the alkaline battery pack? or will it be 0.5W like their VX-6R?
thanks.
73 de KN4GEI
Don’t know the exact number but I would guess that it is less than the 5w
How power that radio how Manny watts that radio?
Is this a good beginner radio to use as a technician? I hope to get my technician license later this year. Or, should I spend more on a better model?
Yes it is a good radio to begin with. The only limitations this radio has that I recommend to our new hams locally is the dual receive capabilities. Meaning that it is able to receive on 2m and 70cm at the same time over just one or the other like this one does. Typically if you can see both a 14x. And a 44x frequency on the display, it’s more than likely dual receive.
Here are a few examples:
Kenwood th-d72a
Icom ID-31a
Alinco dj-500t
@@Everythinghamradio that makes sense, I just don’t have the budget right now for a $800 kenwood radio though. The others seem to be discontinued so I’m unsure what they would cost. I hear people talk about yeasu and kenwoods quite a bit but I’m really unsure about most of it. I don’t mind spending between $100-$200 for a good starter radio but I don’t want to purchase something I will soon regret either.
Great video. Curious: What would I gain from the FT-60 that my FT-65 doesn't do? Is the Tx/Rx quality better?
Honestly, you would loose things. The FT-65 is a more advanced radio that the FT-60 is. The FT-65 has better speaker placement, clearer screen, programmable keys on the microphone, better programming, a better transmitter and a few more. Also the accessories of the two radios are not comparable with each other
@@Everythinghamradio Interesting, thanks. Their pricing is now curious to me: I picked up the FT-65 for about eighty bucks at HRO, while the FT-60R is going for nearly double that.
The FT-60R is a superheterodyne radio with an unusually good frontend filter (these are considered superior to direct conversions receiver designs such as the '65 and Chinese radios); these can be used where the frontends of other transceivers are overwhelmed with RF (they make great duplexing radios). Also, the radio is unusually rugged. And it uses about half the power in receive and standby modes. It scans MUCH faster than the '65 (which lets you simulate a "dual-watch" mode). It has lots of accessories available (including a battery pack that accepts AA cells). It has knobs for volume and squelch, and a dedicated button for the display & keypad backlight -- excellent for usability. It is direct-key-programmed, rather than menu-programed (which some people like better). Finally, it has a very high resale value. Check-out the reviews for this rig -- almost no one has anything bad to say about it and many swear by it, even at twice the price.
Blessings!!
Bretta KR3NEE
Thanks Bretta!
How do you erase something that’s already been saved to memory?
Maybe a bit late but go to memory mode, hold the v/m button for 2-3 seconds, scroll to the channel you want to delete and press hm/rv button.
I have this radio will it scan fire, police, first responders? Thx!!
Andy D probably depends on the frequency that they are using. If they use the 150 or 450 area then probably so. If they use the 700 or 800 MHz p.25 then no
It’s a radio that receives up to 999.995, so it’ll receive pretty much any public safety frequency, including 700, 800, 900 bands - BUT, it’s analog only. If they are using P25, you’ll hear the signal, but it’ll be digital. It’s possible, though, if you really want, you can patch the audio into a computer and decode it using DSD+. I used to decode P25 public safety with DSD+, but received the audio using a SDR dongle. I’ve since gotten both a SDS100 and BCD436HP scanner though, which receive analog, P25, NXDN, DMR, and EDCAS. It’s a lot nicer being portable than anchored to a computer. I also have Motorola APX6000, XTS5000, and XTS3000 radios, but I only use them for amateur P25 and analog (70cm). I would NOT recommend programming a P25 radio than can transmit for public safety channels, even if you just plan to only receive with it.
I'm getting one I'll use your link 73
Thank you!
I paid $200 and some change for mine and I'm not happy with it
I was thinking about getting this radio, what don't you like about it?
The FT60R is a fantastic well built 2m/70cm HT. I have 2 of them and have used them on 50+ Summits on the air activations in all kinds of environments/conditions. Not a lot of bells and whistles but for intended function. Outstanding!
I'd be interested in selling it to anybody else interested in it. It's brand new
TRRS phone jack adaptor.
That comes in handy
Everything Ham Radio appreciate your good work man 😁
What is this thing? My stepdad gave me this and don't even know what it's for!
It is an amateur radio handheld transceiver or known as a Wally talky. You have to have a license to use it though so if u don’t have one don’t use it
What kind of review is this? You say you at about 12:00 you don't even have the radio to try it out. Most reviewers (like you) either own the equipment being reviewed or have it on loan. IMHO this decreases the credibility of your review. I own an FT-60 HT and was hoping from some real-world, user insight, not a rehash of manufacturer specs. Other than that a good video.
Robert I’m sorry for any misunderstanding in this video. When I started to do these types of videos I called them reviews but like you said I don’t have the radio and getting a loaner from someone other than a friend to review is not an easy feat. That is why I changed what I call them to an Overview rather than a review. I don’t want to mislead anyone with my video. However, thank you for watching and I hope you subscribe. My apologies for the late response. 73
Help
I am told my FT 60R is generating a tone burst when I key that's not part of the pl...any idea as I can't figure it out
Paul. K1YOU
Push the 0 key, which will also turn off the atom symbol in the top right corner.