Yaesu FTM-350R Update
David Coursey, N5FDL Fri, January 15, 2010 at 1:12PM As of today, I have not had any additional crash incidents. I have heard from a reader who has experienced crashes and hope to get an update.
However, my lack of crashes could be a lack of “on time” for the radio, which has not seen lots of use. With the help of Dan, N6VLG, I now have a longer Ethernet cable to connect the radio head to the base unit. This will allow me to move the base unit closer to my Powerpole block and reduce by a number of feet the length of the power cord.
If the lock-ups are really a function of occasional voltage drops, then my problems should be over.
Yaesu has asked that I send the machine in for a look-see, which I will wait to do only if the problem recurs after I get the power lead shortened.
Otherwise, this is a very nice radio that has some changes that I hope can be fixed. I need to find out if Yaesu plans to provide firmware upgrades for this radio, or whether than is even possible. I was shocked to find out that adding additional APRS capabilities to the VX-8 requires changing physical componentry.
I will be talking about the radio and what it is like from a happy user perspective soon.
Reader Comments (2)
David,
After the initial few problems with lock ups mine have stopped also. I have made no changes to my set up. One thing I did notice initially is that right after installing the radio the display would blank out then reboot when starting the car. I didn't think much about it at the time since my old radio did as well. After a few days of installation, I no longer have the blanking/reboot issue. Time will tell. I wonder if some type of internal battery or caps needed charging?
Good to hear your radio is now problem-free. I have not had any more lock-ups and a reader testing the radio on voltages down to 11.5 so I think it may be more spikes/glitches/sudden changes that cause the problem more than mere voltage drop.