Choosing Your First ARES Radio (Part 1)

Yaesu FT-270R — Our recommended talkie

I received an e-mail from a new ham today, asking for advice on what to purchase as a first radio. For several years, I have been recommending Yaesu radios to our new ARES members. And with good reason.

First, this disclaimer: There are lots of good radios available. I developed my recommendations after discussions with dealers, users, and considering the needs of our new hams, both financial and technical. You might recommend a different radio for reasons as valid as my own. (But, if you do, please tell me why).

Here are the criteria I used in selecting a radio to recommend.

Key issues:

• Low cost — The economy is bad and many people are buying a radio primarily to use in their ARES, CERT or other volunteer activities. They don’t want to spend a lot of money and would probably skip the purchase if the price seemed high.
• Ease-of-operation — This is really important as many of these radios won’t get a tremendous amount of use until they are needed for an ARES or CERT response. Fewer buttons and “power user” features are a win.
• Survivability — The radio needs to be tough and submersible is a plus. Bad things often happen on rainy days, it seems.
• Low cost — This is important enough that I mention it twice.
• Easy programmability — Yaesu doesn’t give away software. But, the RT Systems-developed software they sell, especially the new Version 4, is nice work and makes it easy for me to move my programming files between various Yaesu radios.
• Standardization — It is a huge help to have our members mostly using a single type of radio, all programmed the same (above channel 20 as we make the lower channels “user option”). During an incident, time for technical hand-holding is at a premium. Fewer different radios in the hands of inexperienced users is a win.
• Power — The radio must be capable of operating at full-power from a AA-battery pack. This was a deal-killer for many radios I considered. Including all the tiny, cute ones that I’ve tried.

Key concepts:

• Because of the military PAVE PAWS radar located North of Sacramento, 70cm UHF has been largely depopulated in my area.
• This means a single-band, 2-meter VHF radio is an excellent choice for our members.
• Standardization is a big training win. We now have about 60 of the recommended talkies out there, all programmed alike above channel 20. All the hospital base stations are programmed the same way, as are many mobile radios.

Yaesu FT-270R: Our talkie of choice

Selling in the $130 range, the Yaesu FT-270R is a rugged, submersible radio that can be fully-powered from a 6-AA battery pack. We recommend that every new ham purchase at least the radio and the AA-pack (or, better two so one says in the glove compartment). A mag-mount mobile antenna, a speaker/mic, and a longer gain antenna as an alternative to the supplied antenna round out our recommended kit.

Total purchase price is $170 to about $250 at our preferred dealer, Ham Radio Outlet in Oakland (ask for Mark, the store manager). The FT-270R is the replacement for the discontinued VX-170R, which we previously recommended.

We have some users, however, who want a dual-band radio, primarily for scanner listening. That is going to change soon as our county moves all UHF public safety to P25 digital. But, if you live South of us — where 70cm becomes useful again — or travel, a dual-band radio is a valid choice.

Yaesu FT-60R: Our dual-band option

For these users, we recommend the Yaesu FT-60R. It is a dual-band radio that costs about $50 more than the FT-270R. There is only one VFO, so the radio tunes easily. It also uses the same accessories — including the FBA-25A AA-battery case — as the FT-270R. It is not submersible, but I believe there is a “water-resistant” claim.

I don’t own one of these radios, but the people who have purchased them like them very much. I have, however, purchased the programming software as the two radios both use the same programming cable.

Accessories

Besides the AA battery case, we recommend a small “Hershey Kiss” magnetic mount antenna. (It’s named for the size and shape of the small magnet).

These are not especially rugged, but are inexpensive and absolutely necessary for anything like solid repeater coverage here running only 5-watts.

The small mag mount can also be taken inside and used on a metal surface, such as a filing cabinet or cookie sheet, to help get a signal out of the building.

Yaesu sells an expensive, submersible speaker/mic that is too large and seems to muffle the mic audio. We recommend the less-expensive “standard” speaker/mic as an alternative. It features an earphone jack on the mic. The earphone is recommended, but many people don’t buy them or can’t find them when they would like to use one to keep noise (and prying ears) to a minimum.

Some people purchase a cigarette lighter power adapter. I’d rather see that money invested in a mobile radio.

Not just for beginners

In recommending the FT-270R, I don’t want you to think I am dumbing-down the choice for our new hams’ benefit. I own a whole bunch of radios — include VX-8, VX-7, VX-5, etc. — but find them all too hard to use. OK, the VX-8 is pretty easy, but it doesn’t fully power from a AA pack.

Indeed, the FT-270R is the talkie you are most likely to find me using, too. It’s a great radio, at a price that won’t break me if the radio disappears.

Coming in Part 2: Mobile radio options — Yes, you need one.

Yaesu Confirms FTM-350R Troubles

This morning, I received an e-mail from Yaesu tech support telling me they had reproduced the NAVIgation problems that I’ve been experiencing and reporting on. Yaesu USA has sought help from Japan in dealing with the problem.

Do you suppose this radio was actually tested before it was released? How difficult is it drive around and see if the navigation function points in the right direction?

It appears the radio cannot be changed with a firmware upgrade, so I am expecting they may all need to go back to the factory. As I remember, there was also a recall of VX-8’s when they were released.

FTM-350R Bad Navigation Video

As a demonstration for Yaesu, I drove around and documented the problems I am having with the NAVI feature of the new FTM-350R receiver. I misspeak a couple of times—reversing left and right—but the video clearly shows what I am describing and I repeat the correct information a number of times. Also, I had another crash tonight, while the radio was running in my parked car.

The FTM-350R: Navigation Doesn't Work

Click for larger imageThis photo illustrates—you have to take my word for it until I can post a video—how my FTM-350R will not properly navigate to a “point” stored in the radio’s memory. In this case, I want to navigate to WY6E-11, which is ahead of me and off to the left.

However, the display clearly shows the destination “D” as being behind me and off to the right.

The error changes depending on the direction of travel.

Going north, the target error is to the right but north and south seem to be ahead and behind, where they should be.

Going west, a target that should be ahead displays as behind and vice versa. But, when when due south, appears properly in the display. Until you drive past, when the destination becomes ahead of you when it’s really behind. Not to worry, when the destination was in front, it displayed as behind.

I am talking to Yaesu about this.

Useless Features? Yaesu's ARTS and WIRES

If there is a single radio feature that gets people in trouble more than Yaesu’s WIRES, I don’t know what it is.

WIRES is a proprietary Echolink-like system for connecting repeaters that relies on a single Touch Tone sent at the beginning of every transmission. While the Touch Tone is being transmitted and for a beat afterwards the mic is muted.

This results in a transmission where the first few words are cut off—and you may or may not actually hear the sure-giveaway Touch Tone. If someone has a Yaesu radio, you tell them to key-up and start counting, and the audio cuts in at two or three, then WIRES has been turned on by mistake.

This is a common enough error that most of the time I can diagnose and help get it fixed over-the-air. So can most long-time Yaesu customers. But, why should we have to?

WIRES seems to be used by precisely no one in the U.S.

Yaesu should remove WIRES from all future units and promise to sin no more.

Likewise with ARTS, a transponder system that theoretically will tell users if they are close enough (or too far away) to communicate simplex.

Fine enough, but it only works with other Yaesu radios and is obnoxious to non-users sharing the frequency.

Again, precisely no one seems to actually use ARTS and it, too, should be relegated to the scrap heap of good, but failed, ideas.

Or am I missing something?

My Favorite Ham Talkie: Yaesu VX-170

Yaesu VX-170Most of the following was written several months ago, at the beginning of the process by which the VX-170 became my “standard” radio for new hams and ARES members. We’ve purchased a few dozen since.

Last fall, I was invited to help show a group of newly-licensed Technicians the in’s and out’s of how to use a repeater. Several of us QCWA-types were asked to show up at the fire station where one of our local clubs meets at 9am on Saturday .

“Bring as many handie-talkies as you can,” we were told, the plan being for each of the new hams to have his very own radio to play with during class.

While I was gathering my collection of talkies – mostly Kenwood’s and Yaesu’s – something occurred to me: I haven’t a clue how most of them work. At least not anymore, I don’t. And with the explosion of features, the newer the radio, the less I probably know about its operation.

Of course, the newer the radio, the fewer of its features I probably use. Sure, my VX-7 can listen to shortwave broadcasts, if I go to a lot of trouble to hook up an antenna. Is it worth the bother? Not that I’ve noticed.

Because I do a lot of public service work that requires both ham and public safety frequencies, I long ago started using commercial handie-talkies as my main portables for both ham and search-and-rescue work. They are legal on public safety frequencies (ham rigs aren’t) and look professional.

Mostly, however, I switched to commercial radios because they are easy to use. Turn ‘em on, turn the dial to find the right channel in memory, and start talking.

So, into my bag went two Kenwood TK-280 commercial VHF radios and my land-of-the-giants-sized 500-channel BK Radio GPH-CMD wildland firefighter talkie. I also grabbed my dwarf radios—the Yaesu VX-7 and VX-5. These I would give to my students, provided I remembered how to use them.

I don’t mean to be critical of these radios in particular. They are great radios. Great radios that I find nearly impossible to operate without my wallet-sized Nifty brand “cheat card” close at hand. The buttons on these radios do multiple things, the print below the buttons is hard to read, and I am never quite sure the radio is going to do what I want it to.

Fortunately, the Yaesu’s had the frequencies I needed already programmed into them. And even I can turn these radios on, hit the memory key, and turn the dial. Most of the time.

The class went well, the new hams got over their mic fright, and were none the wiser that the reason I was using the BK was because it’s the radio I most often use in the field.

At the end of the class, talkies safety tucked in the old green Eagle Creek shoulder bag that the XYL likes to call my “purse,” I headed to the car. I almost made a clean getaway, too.

However, just as I was opening the car door, one of the newbies caught my attention, walked over, and asked the question I’d really hoped to avoid: “What radio do you think I should buy?”

I told him that if he doesn’t mind a steep learning curve (and having to keep a cheat card in his wallet) there are a number of excellent high-end radios that do everything but pay for themselves. Which is sad because they don’t come cheap. The new VX-8 keeps calling out to me whenever I visit HRO.

These wonder-radios are also mostly unsuitable for emergency use because their AA battery packs don’t provide enough voltage to support full RF output, something I’d want to have available if I needed it.

“But what about something that’s inexpensive and easy-to-use?” he asked. I had already planned to take a ride over to HRO later that day and promised to get back to the new ham with suggestions.

Having not been in the talkie market for a while, I was shocked with quality of radios selling for just over $100, a group I’ve previously dismissed as “low-tech.” But, once I started playing with them, I realized several are the ham versions of the commercial radios I love—straightforward with no more features that I’m really likely to use.

Long story, made short: I ended up buying a Yaesu VX-170, paid $120 for it. I also purchased the AA-battery holder, something I always like to have in my car.

Over the next week and since, this single-band 2-meter talkie has become one of my all-time favorite radios. Big display, wide-band receive, great audio, easy to program, small-but-not-too-small size, submersible, and looks like it was built to be dropped.

Sure, a fully accessorized VX-170 can easily top $200, but you don’t need the extra goodies when just getting started. I had planned to go back and purchase some of the other low-cost (no longer will I say “low-end”) radios, but never found another I liked.

Except for the Yaesu FT-60, a dual-bander that sells for less than $200 and shares accessories with the 170. I don’t like this radio as much as the 170, but it is simple and inexpensive and a good choice if you need both 2-meters and 70-cm. (There is also a VX-177 if you want a UHF version of the 170.)

Besides newcomers, these radios meet a real need for hams who already have a radio that does everything, but want something that’s easier to use and lighter on the pocketbook should it become lost.

Since that Saturday, I’ve purchased two more 170’s for myself and helped individuals and agencies purchase some dozens more. Everyone has been happy with them and I now always carry my programming cable with my PC so I can program the most current local ARES frequency plan into a 170 whenever I run into one.