Taking my first look at the FT-3185 one of THREE new mobile radios from Yaesu. The standout feature with the new line is the Audio Signal Processing ! It's AMAZING!
Ugghhh , i really want one , howeverrrrr , holding off until that new Kenwood “mobile” releases . But , being that most of the licals in our club camp on VHF , i know which one I will get .
Cable out the bottom.. Lots of people mount the radio on the passenger side of the vehicle to the center console. So the socket on the bottom would be facing the driver. It's how I have my Yaesu FT-2980R 80W 144Mhz FM Mobile Transceiver. So the mounting bracket would be the stand off to provide space for the cable and radio access for the driver.
They can't even put a decent dot matrix screen on this crappo monomode monobander so you can put the name of your repeater up in clear text and show the repeater name and the frequency.
I see a market for a basic function high quality two meter only radio. I just wish it had air band receive. I live near a municipal airport and I like to monitor the tower and ATIS.
This radio is 2x the price of what it should be for a simple single band radio. I paid $199 for a ftm6000 last Christmas. It has the same clean display and its DUAL BAND!
I agree with the mic coming out the bottom of the radio. I guess they figured it would be used mostly for mobile purposes and the mount would keep it up off a flat surface or it would be hanging from the mount so the cable out the bottom wouldn't really matter. Good review and interesting radio. Thanks for the review!!
The fan-less heatsink reminds me of my FT-2800m that's been going strong for a decade or more. The microphone plug should be ok if you install the base station feet that are included (FT-2800 had the same feet). Why have the jack on the bottom--would be good if you mount the radio from the roof of a truck or a shelf on the desk.
Interesting. If I were to install one of these in my F150, it would be situated on the driver's side of the center console, in a vertical position. This would be a handy location, with the face readily visible, and the added benefit of having the bottom-mounted speaker facing toward the driver. I'm going to have to give this some strong consideration. As always, thanks much for sharing. Steve
One more reason to use a mono band radio would be when an operator needs a tighter receiver keeping intermod and harmonics out. Mono band radios have better receivers than multiband radios.
Sometimes Yaesu’s decisions make me scratch my head. I’m wondering what their thought process and long term plans are as it seems they’re spreading themselves too thin on the VHF/UHF mobile front (currently selling 9 different models). I feel like 3-4 models is more than plenty. I think it may be more beneficial for them to bring out new and updated 857, 897, and 891 rigs. Especially with the explosion of POTA and portable operations. Never-the-less it’s nice to see Yaesu innovating, bringing out cool new features, and constantly pumping out new products. It shows they’re invested and care!
DSP, sounds good, not tiring! The RJ on the bottom creates space for bigger buttons, and looks better. Sidenote: these rigs are very usable (quiet, powerful, reliable, sensitive) for APRS/packet.
Because they are not very smart when it comes to marketing. You guys give them way too much credit thinking they know what they are doing. They have hardly any competition and they all work in concert with each other. The cheap Chinese companies will ultimately put them out of business once they decide to make a all mode HF 100 watt radio unlocked with a waterfall scope.
Looks like a nice radio. I don't like the cable either, however I currently have a single band 2m radio on a 11 element Cushctaft up 30 feet with a rotator and the hanging mike and the 85 watt's and great sound would pair wonderfully with my operation.with my shack.
Josh! Always good to see you. Cord on the bottom . . . Shootin' from the hip here . . . maybe to keep user from laying it flat on a surface and blocking bottom ventilation ??? See you out there. 73 de Bill
@@HamRadioCrashCourse , was watching John on another channel, and I believe he said people asked for the "neatness" of the cord coming out that way. 73
Wow amazing audio signal processing... I remember the early days of outboard audio processors that made everything have a tinny sound with a lot of digital artifacts... I used one for EME way back when and it helped but dang it was hard on the ears after awhile!
Arrhhh the NRC chip in Ham gear finally,CB radios have had this a while now! Was wondering when we see it on VHF\UHF stuff ,well thats a buddy bonus time. A nice feature, well done Yaesu for FM mode users. 👍 Rob.P 73s
I'm betting they put the data port there because that's where the uart interface is on the board. If it isn't for aprs and whatnot it kinda makes sense.
@ts440s oh I know it, you know it, but they keep making things weird. I love my 818 but I hate the menu structure. That would be a great one to revamp, maybe add a waterfall and fix the placement of the mic cable. Boom, instant banger. Maybe they'll ask the people what we'd like to see for next year's upcoming models. 🤷🏽♂️
There are a pair of feet that mount to the bottom that are in the same bag as the extra screws fuses and mic clip. This angles the head while sitting on a desk and provides a space for the mic cable on the bottom
I would have no complaints about this transceiver. I have my Yaesu FT-7800 mounted “under counter.” Were I to purchase this 2M transceiver I would mount it in the same way. That 85W would couple up nicely with my 6 element Yagi.
The IQ and overall emotional disposition of an individual can be accurately measured by one simple observation . When responding to anything related to a personal interest or interaction. The individual immediately and primarily focuses on negative emotions and perceptions . Typically this is a clear indicator the individual operates at a low vibrational level and cannot see the forrest for the trees . As always great video , I cannot imagine having to read so many of these comments for a living .
These companies have serious issues and I beg you to start asking the hard questions next time they are on. The fact that you put a speaker mic to constantly be pulled at 90 degrees is just the tip of the iceberg. Why is this radio not tri band, if a cheap baofeng can have it why can't this.
John Kruk of Yaesu will be on Coffee and Ham Radios tonight at 7pm CST. The mic direction thing is a great question for John. I can add one thing. John already said that 220MHz is a ham band only in the US, so adding a band for one market is very difficult.
Adding 220 isn’t hard, but it’s an expense other markets won’t pay for and making separate skus is often a non-starter for some companies looking to work in economies of scale.
13:09 There’s always been that market niche in amateur radio of guys who want a simple mobile radio that does maximum wattage in VHF for maximum line-of-sight distance to hit their favorite repeaters for rag chew and ARES/RACES.
The S-DX button first appeared on the FTM-500D and hardly works. It boosts a faint signal, but it boosts the background noise just as much. It’s nice to see that they finally fixed the issue. Hopefully, it’s just a software fix and it will appear in a future firmware update.
I'd love to see some lab testing of the receiever. The spec sheet says better than 0.16 uV sensitivity which is incredible for a mobile rig. The Super-DX feature supposedly also works without the ASP unit installed which would get rid of the noise cancelling underwater sound, but might still do some improvement to the sensitivity? Overall seems really cool as a long range weak signal FM rig for those of us who have a nice low noise floor.
I removed the ASP module temporarily as you suggest & it does bump the S meter up, but of course the noise level increases also. Couldn't see any advantage to my ears. Same thing with my FTM-500DR only it doesn't have the ASP at all. I will say the 3185 has excellent inherent sensitivity.
@geoffreysmith511 Thank you for testing that! Interesting results! I personally don't care for the noise reduction effect on the audio but I love a good sensitive receiver.
The radios are very cool there's no doubt about that but I don't like the fact that they've started to split VHF and UHF up. There are a lot of 50 watt radios out there that are multi-band and a 50-watt radio will go a long way. Most of the time I find a 50-watt radio will reach any repeater that I can then use as a jump off point to go halfway across the country. I like the idea of 85 or 100 watt radios and I would be tempted to buy them if they were VHD and UHF but only one band is very limiting. I'm definitely not trying to sell one brand or the other but there are quad band radios out there that are 50 Watts that will do cb, Murs, VHF, uhf, and even some FM 10 meter on one radio. Not going to give the brand but I'm sure a lot of you know what I'm talking about. I would say he you have the ability to create wonderful radios but please add more than one band. I'd even be willing to pay a little bit more if it was multi-band but 250 bucks or so for one band seems like a lot. Other than that I think it's a fantastic technology Plus in terms of the benefit between 50 and 85 Watts I'm not so sure the extra 35 Watts gives me a whole lot more. I live in an open prairie which is a perfect place to benefit from more watts and of course it will go further and increase the DB but you have to double the Watts in order to have a 3db gain and a 50 to 85 Watts isn't even doubling to get you to the three DB gain. Maybe if I were trying to bounce VHF off satellites which someday I'm interested in but as of yet not really what I'm doing. Anybody else have any thoughts. Again I'm not trying to be negative it's clearly an awesome radio just from a ham radio / prepper guy perspective this is where I'm coming from.
Looking at the design of the radio chassis, it reminds me of the FT-2800,FT-2900,FT-2980 models, and being that the speaker is bottom firing, and you 'should' have 2 'standing foot' (Page 3 in the online manual) that prop up the front of the radio to hear the speaker when on the desk, and I think it would also have the clearance for the mic when its got the feet attached.
I wish the speaker was on the top. We have yet to see what the data cable port is for either. Could be programming but can't find a note on it in the basic and advanced manuals. Bottom mic port works only if you are using the mounting bracket.
Some accessibility questions from a blind ham: First, I did hear that this radio accepts the FVS-2 voice board, so that is potentially useful. I am reluctant to buy another Yaesu product though, considering how many things do NOT talk, and how easy it is to get lost in those menus. When selecting CTCSS for a repeater, is there a beep at any of the tones in the list? My old FT-60 has a beep at 100 Hz, so I can count knob clicks from there. Generally, do the menus wrap around, or do they have fixed limits?
That seems to be Yaesu's MO! Yaesu always seem to make a really good product and then do some weird quirky thing to it like the mic cable on the bottom of the face of the FT-3185. Case in point... The FT 70 DR has a volume button that must be pushed and then you can turn the vfo to change the volume. Not real handy if your out in the field either with the radio in a pouch or attached to a shoulder strap. The FT 70DR's battery life is also not that great. The FT-891 which is a really good radio but has some little quirks that Hams complained about when it first came out and Yaesu never addressed them. You have to go into the deep menus to change your power setting, mic gain and change from upper side band to lower sideband. When your mobile in your vehicle those settings should be available without the need to sift through the menu system. Sometimes it makes me think the Yaesu engineers are not ham operators and have absolutely no practical experience in operating a radio in different environments.
Mic port is on bottom because it's intended as a mobile unit. ... which, if you are cool, would be mounted on roof of car, or buggy, or pickup ,or semi ,or whatever... Males perfect sense for a mobile unit. Afterthought,.. don't boats like to mount overhead?
The audio is nice but just like my FTM500, it doesn't have banks nor temporary memory skip while scanning so it's a non-starter. The IC-2730a can do both but the audio arrangement isn't as good but it's also cheaper.
I'm confused - at the end you say there's no Data Port - but 3:02, you specifically point to and mention the Data Port? Did you find out later that it had no function?
Do any of these new radios allow you to play the audio through the car's sound system with Bluetooth? If most cars now have Bluetooth, seems that would be a "no brainer"?
Nice radio but for now I prefer not to replace my old ft 8800 which has never betrayed my expectations and what's more it's a double band.73 from IZ1JLM ITALY
Yaesu DROPS the ball big time with the 2 single band radios. They dropped the single band 3200 and 3207 radios that were analog AND digital and cost less. Everybody wants to buy a radio that does less for more money. Seriously..... Edited to add: Also, they put the speaker facing my feet. Of course, everyone's ears are on their feet. The 3200 and 3207 had a front firing speaker. Imagine that, a speaker that actually points at your head.
Thank you for the video! If this was a SSB radio, I would go grab one... but there is no benefit for me. I wish someone would release a new, mobile SSB radio.
I noticed you can buy 1500w+ FM transmitters on various Chinese sites. Is there any restrictions to owning such a high power transmitter? or is restriction just in the devices usage?
Josh, thanks for the great video on this new mobile radio. Do you know if the ASP on this radio is the same as the S-DX (says it’s for better DX sensitivity) on the Yaesu FTM-500??? Thank you
I don't have a use case for 85W. I run an Alinco Dr135 AT 5w. Can do 50W but 5W gets me where I need to be) It's all I need, but understand YMMV. $.02 db
Put the VHF and the UHF rig together in a Go Box and this would be perfect for satellite commo🎉 I hope they you can slowly move the channel but keep the same Tone frequency ( for the VHF rig)
How was the heat output? Some people report the 2980R can get toasty. How is the weight? Is it really 4.2 lbs? How does it compare to the Icom IC-V3500? Is 20 watts more going to make a huge difference for SOTA?
It is surprising to see the ports on the bottom. The speaker is down-firing on the bottom as well. They didn't seem to consider using on a desk for this radio. Can you mount "up-side" down in the included bracket? And if so, does the bracket mount allow the bottom to be elevated enough for speaker and cable clearance from the bottom surface? The ASP processing does sound really, good, though! Thanks for sharing a first look.
Interesting radio, although like YOu I wonder whjo it's for. To my ears I felt the s-dx slightly overdid the upper-mid attenuation on the weather channels, making them a little muffled and indistinct as a result. They sounded better with it switched out imho That function really did sound excellent on the 2m frequencies though, and that's the main thing. (On a less serious note, I wonder how Yaesu feel about the impromptu Tidradio promo. ;) )
Imho this are radios designed for markets were ham operator can not pay 500+ (european price) for a yaesu ftm500 or similar. Reduced in feature but with super rx capabilities. 73 from dl
I understand people want a FM only 2 meter but I am not one of them to each his own I own two Yeasu radio’s myself and have had great luck with them but the question still arises why just a 2 meter why not a 70CM to but i understand both ways but gets you wondering if later on a 80 to 85 watts dual band may be in the future now that would be great for sure.
ASP to the rest of their line would be awesome. Now imagine if you will ASP on a 10m/6m dual band AM/FM/SSB @ 85 watts....yes please. Side note comparing a 9700 to this is unfair as the 9700 isnt a mobile.
The 150 is probably what most people will buy. If you're far away from the next simplex person or there are no repeaters nearby, this one fits the bill.
Have you done a radio test on the new Yaesu FTM 150Rasp I have the radio as of November 26 2024 from Ham Radio Outlet out of Georgia. I did find out from RT systems they do now have the software the CD and the programming cable for that radio Yaesu FTM 150 raspe. 73 K4BWN
I would much prefer a 2m + 70cm (Or Tri-band w/ 1.25m) combo radio as opposed to just 2m on its own. But if you're not doing too much communicating outside of 2m, then I can see the appeal. - KF0QNM
Taking my first look at the FT-3185 one of THREE new mobile radios from Yaesu. The standout feature with the new line is the Audio Signal Processing ! It's AMAZING!
Ugghhh , i really want one , howeverrrrr , holding off until that new Kenwood “mobile” releases . But , being that most of the licals in our club camp on VHF , i know which one I will get .
I like a tight box too. Merry Christmas!
Cable out the bottom.. Lots of people mount the radio on the passenger side of the vehicle to the center console. So the socket on the bottom would be facing the driver. It's how I have my Yaesu FT-2980R 80W 144Mhz FM Mobile Transceiver. So the mounting bracket would be the stand off to provide space for the cable and radio access for the driver.
Yeah, that's how I have some of my radios mounted.
We need a 2m SSB Radio Yeasu,Come on now, you can do it :))
I agree need SSB so many radios coming out there missing this mode ...There not listening ...
They can't even put a decent dot matrix screen on this crappo monomode monobander so you can put the name of your repeater up in clear text and show the repeater name and the frequency.
Theyre like democrats. Just buy our radios and stfu 🤔😅✌️
@nickcountycomm that's why I'm not buying!
Completely agree, there is a huge hole in 2m sideband that they could easily fill. Make the same radio but include ssb.
That sound quality kicks asp!
Absolutely love your new Tidradio stand lol. @ 4:40
They took a note from Apple's magic mouse and put the USB on the bottom! I'm with you, doesn't seem like the best spot for it.
wow, very nice clear audio. I am new ish to HAM and love watching and learning.
I see a market for a basic function high quality two meter only radio. I just wish it had air band receive. I live near a municipal airport and I like to monitor the tower and ATIS.
Looks like a newer version of the 2980 which is 80w. I paid $139 for mine at Dayton Hamvention (R&L). See no reason to pay $275 for this.
I hope that audio processor spreads across the Yaesu line. The sound is excellent.
This radio is 2x the price of what it should be for a simple single band radio. I paid $199 for a ftm6000 last Christmas. It has the same clean display and its DUAL BAND!
"holy smokes that's a tight box." - She
Sorry, should have known I wouldn't be the only one to chuckle at that.
12:34 Full duplex for the FTM-150 is really its breakout feature. 💯
an updated ft-2980r! looks great
I agree with the mic coming out the bottom of the radio. I guess they figured it would be used mostly for mobile purposes and the mount would keep it up off a flat surface or it would be hanging from the mount so the cable out the bottom wouldn't really matter. Good review and interesting radio. Thanks for the review!!
O wow just realized thr FT2980 has been discontinued. Miss those days of $130 2m radios.
$119 in 2022 was when I got it. This new radio is why they ended it. Silly business at Yasu
The fan-less heatsink reminds me of my FT-2800m that's been going strong for a decade or more. The microphone plug should be ok if you install the base station feet that are included (FT-2800 had the same feet). Why have the jack on the bottom--would be good if you mount the radio from the roof of a truck or a shelf on the desk.
Interesting. If I were to install one of these in my F150, it would be situated on the driver's side of the center console, in a vertical position. This would be a handy location, with the face readily visible, and the added benefit of having the bottom-mounted speaker facing toward the driver. I'm going to have to give this some strong consideration.
As always, thanks much for sharing.
Steve
I can't imagine paying that much more for those features over what they're already selling.
One more reason to use a mono band radio would be when an operator needs a tighter receiver keeping intermod and harmonics out. Mono band radios have better receivers than multiband radios.
Good point!
Sometimes Yaesu’s decisions make me scratch my head. I’m wondering what their thought process and long term plans are as it seems they’re spreading themselves too thin on the VHF/UHF mobile front (currently selling 9 different models). I feel like 3-4 models is more than plenty. I think it may be more beneficial for them to bring out new and updated 857, 897, and 891 rigs. Especially with the explosion of POTA and portable operations. Never-the-less it’s nice to see Yaesu innovating, bringing out cool new features, and constantly pumping out new products. It shows they’re invested and care!
DSP, sounds good, not tiring! The RJ on the bottom creates space for bigger buttons, and looks better.
Sidenote: these rigs are very usable (quiet, powerful, reliable, sensitive) for APRS/packet.
I still cannot understand why Yaesu can't, or won't, put traditional memory banks in their mobile radios. But, my ft-65 has memory, banks.
Because they are not very smart when it comes to marketing. You guys give them way too much credit thinking they know what they are doing. They have hardly any competition and they all work in concert with each other. The cheap Chinese companies will ultimately put them out of business once they decide to make a all mode HF 100 watt radio unlocked with a waterfall scope.
Looks like a nice radio. I don't like the cable either, however I currently have a single band 2m radio on a 11 element Cushctaft up 30 feet with a rotator and the hanging mike and the 85 watt's and great sound would pair wonderfully with my operation.with my shack.
Josh! Always good to see you. Cord on the bottom . . . Shootin' from the hip here . . . maybe to keep user from laying it flat on a surface and blocking bottom ventilation ??? See you out there. 73 de Bill
Possibly! Also for better speaker utilization.
@@HamRadioCrashCourse , was watching John on another channel, and I believe he said people asked for the "neatness" of the cord coming out that way. 73
Wow amazing audio signal processing... I remember the early days of outboard audio processors that made everything have a tinny sound with a lot of digital artifacts... I used one for EME way back when and it helped but dang it was hard on the ears after awhile!
Arrhhh the NRC chip in Ham gear finally,CB radios have had this a while now!
Was wondering when we see it on VHF\UHF stuff ,well thats a buddy bonus time.
A nice feature, well done Yaesu for FM mode users.
👍
Rob.P 73s
I'm betting they put the data port there because that's where the uart interface is on the board. If it isn't for aprs and whatnot it kinda makes sense.
That is my guess.
It makes zero sense other than wasting time and money r and d just to flick a new toy out instead on polishing existing designs.
@ts440s oh I know it, you know it, but they keep making things weird. I love my 818 but I hate the menu structure. That would be a great one to revamp, maybe add a waterfall and fix the placement of the mic cable. Boom, instant banger. Maybe they'll ask the people what we'd like to see for next year's upcoming models. 🤷🏽♂️
We need the old FT7900 with C4FM and removable head.
There are a pair of feet that mount to the bottom that are in the same bag as the extra screws fuses and mic clip. This angles the head while sitting on a desk and provides a space for the mic cable on the bottom
I would have no complaints about this transceiver. I have my Yaesu FT-7800 mounted “under counter.” Were I to purchase this 2M transceiver I would mount it in the same way. That 85W would couple up nicely with my 6 element Yagi.
The IQ and overall emotional disposition of an individual can be accurately measured by one simple observation . When responding to anything related to a personal interest or interaction. The individual immediately and primarily focuses on negative emotions and perceptions . Typically this is a clear indicator the individual operates at a low vibrational level and cannot see the forrest for the trees . As always great video , I cannot imagine having to read so many of these comments for a living .
I have a regular job too. Lol
Looks to be an upgrade of the 2980r 80 watt VHF radio. The new audio processor sounds great but I found the price a little high too.
And that was an upgrade of the FT-2900R. I think this radio modernizes the line.
My thoughts exactly!
These companies have serious issues and I beg you to start asking the hard questions next time they are on. The fact that you put a speaker mic to constantly be pulled at 90 degrees is just the tip of the iceberg. Why is this radio not tri band, if a cheap baofeng can have it why can't this.
Or why doesn't it include Fusion?
John Kruk of Yaesu will be on Coffee and Ham Radios tonight at 7pm CST.
The mic direction thing is a great question for John.
I can add one thing. John already said that 220MHz is a ham band only in the US, so adding a band for one market is very difficult.
@@LeeMcc_KI5YPR
It's another filter circuit and some minor software changes. It's not that hard.
Adding 220 isn’t hard, but it’s an expense other markets won’t pay for and making separate skus is often a non-starter for some companies looking to work in economies of scale.
Exelente equipo!!!
13:09 There’s always been that market niche in amateur radio of guys who want a simple mobile radio that does maximum wattage in VHF for maximum line-of-sight distance to hit their favorite repeaters for rag chew and ARES/RACES.
VHF works wayyy beyond line of site. The LOS thing is a myth that's been busted since the freaking 60's, man.
S-DX for the win! Amazing stuff. Sounds as good or better than the DNR on my FTdx10.
Great review Josh. I much prefer the NR in the off position though. Everyone's hearing is different. 73 OM
That heatsink is such a pain in the a$$ when dealing with coax connection. I have a couple FT2980's and it looks like the same chassis.
Just cut the arching bridge out of there. Works great, a little black touch up paint etc.
Usability, we didn't need no usability.
-Yaesu
ASP S-DX is pretty cool. It would be interesting to see the comparison with the S-DX on the 500D
The S-DX button first appeared on the FTM-500D and hardly works. It boosts a faint signal, but it boosts the background noise just as much. It’s nice to see that they finally fixed the issue. Hopefully, it’s just a software fix and it will appear in a future firmware update.
I believe this is a new technology they are deploying.
That was a basic preamp. This new version has some DSP.
I'd love to see some lab testing of the receiever. The spec sheet says better than 0.16 uV sensitivity which is incredible for a mobile rig. The Super-DX feature supposedly also works without the ASP unit installed which would get rid of the noise cancelling underwater sound, but might still do some improvement to the sensitivity? Overall seems really cool as a long range weak signal FM rig for those of us who have a nice low noise floor.
I removed the ASP module temporarily as you suggest & it does bump the S meter up, but of course the noise level increases also. Couldn't see any advantage to my ears. Same thing with my FTM-500DR only it doesn't have the ASP at all. I will say the 3185 has excellent inherent sensitivity.
@geoffreysmith511 Thank you for testing that! Interesting results! I personally don't care for the noise reduction effect on the audio but I love a good sensitive receiver.
Man, that audio tech is SO cool. I was thinking about buying the 991a, but I want a new version with this audio processor.
I HIGHLY recommend you look at the new offerings from Yaesu. They’re fantastic.
@ is there a comparable all-band, all-mode to 991 with SuperDX? Very space limited in my apartment.
I wonder if someone found the MARS/CAP mod yet
The radios are very cool there's no doubt about that but I don't like the fact that they've started to split VHF and UHF up. There are a lot of 50 watt radios out there that are multi-band and a 50-watt radio will go a long way. Most of the time I find a 50-watt radio will reach any repeater that I can then use as a jump off point to go halfway across the country. I like the idea of 85 or 100 watt radios and I would be tempted to buy them if they were VHD and UHF but only one band is very limiting. I'm definitely not trying to sell one brand or the other but there are quad band radios out there that are 50 Watts that will do cb, Murs, VHF, uhf, and even some FM 10 meter on one radio. Not going to give the brand but I'm sure a lot of you know what I'm talking about. I would say he you have the ability to create wonderful radios but please add more than one band. I'd even be willing to pay a little bit more if it was multi-band but 250 bucks or so for one band seems like a lot. Other than that I think it's a fantastic technology Plus in terms of the benefit between 50 and 85 Watts I'm not so sure the extra 35 Watts gives me a whole lot more. I live in an open prairie which is a perfect place to benefit from more watts and of course it will go further and increase the DB but you have to double the Watts in order to have a 3db gain and a 50 to 85 Watts isn't even doubling to get you to the three DB gain. Maybe if I were trying to bounce VHF off satellites which someday I'm interested in but as of yet not really what I'm doing. Anybody else have any thoughts. Again I'm not trying to be negative it's clearly an awesome radio just from a ham radio / prepper guy perspective this is where I'm coming from.
Now one “started” doing this. Monitor band high power output mobiles have excited for years.
The quote of the year at 2:24 😂😂😂😂😂
This would be great for a packet rig! Even better if the data port would work for that.
If the data worked that would be great!
Confirmed; Josh is an ASP man.
Looking at the design of the radio chassis, it reminds me of the FT-2800,FT-2900,FT-2980 models, and being that the speaker is bottom firing, and you 'should' have 2 'standing foot' (Page 3 in the online manual) that prop up the front of the radio to hear the speaker when on the desk, and I think it would also have the clearance for the mic when its got the feet attached.
AR Mod syncs with your AR-15. 😂
Intended to be dash mounted ? Might explain the connections
Mic on the bottom was the UTV and off road request. They break them in the front.
I’m still watching the video. I don’t know if you mentioned it, but it has the exact same mic as the FTM 500.
Can’t wait to see how the 150 performs.
But this simple high power radio is quite intriguing, some times KISS is the way to go…
Thanks
This offering by Yayy’auzuu , looks great !
I wish the speaker was on the top. We have yet to see what the data cable port is for either. Could be programming but can't find a note on it in the basic and advanced manuals. Bottom mic port works only if you are using the mounting bracket.
Some accessibility questions from a blind ham:
First, I did hear that this radio accepts the FVS-2 voice board, so that is potentially useful.
I am reluctant to buy another Yaesu product though, considering how many things do NOT talk, and how easy it is to get lost in those menus.
When selecting CTCSS for a repeater, is there a beep at any of the tones in the list? My old FT-60 has a beep at 100 Hz, so I can count knob clicks from there.
Generally, do the menus wrap around, or do they have fixed limits?
Josh, I have the old ft-2900r, the data port is where the mike plugs into the radio. double ckeck the user manual.
I did. I even pulled up the pdf version doc and looked for data, port, etc. nothing related to some kind of computer interface.
This would be an interesting radio if it was dual band 2m/70cm, not only 2m.
That seems to be Yaesu's MO! Yaesu always seem to make a really good product and then do some weird quirky thing to it like the mic cable on the bottom of the face of the FT-3185. Case in point... The FT 70 DR has a volume button that must be pushed and then you can turn the vfo to change the volume. Not real handy if your out in the field either with the radio in a pouch or attached to a shoulder strap. The FT 70DR's battery life is also not that great. The FT-891 which is a really good radio but has some little quirks that Hams complained about when it first came out and Yaesu never addressed them. You have to go into the deep menus to change your power setting, mic gain and change from upper side band to lower sideband. When your mobile in your vehicle those settings should be available without the need to sift through the menu system. Sometimes it makes me think the Yaesu engineers are not ham operators and have absolutely no practical experience in operating a radio in different environments.
WHAAAAAAAAAAT?! That AUDIO is just AMAZING!!!!!
It would be interesting to hear how well the ASP copes with variable strength mobile signals.
Mic port is on bottom because it's intended as a mobile unit. ... which, if you are cool, would be mounted on roof of car, or buggy, or pickup ,or semi ,or whatever...
Males perfect sense for a mobile unit.
Afterthought,.. don't boats like to mount overhead?
FT 2980 owner, was about to buy another one but this looks interesting.....
The audio is nice but just like my FTM500, it doesn't have banks nor temporary memory skip while scanning so it's a non-starter. The IC-2730a can do both but the audio arrangement isn't as good but it's also cheaper.
I bet Digirig comes out with a data cable that replaces the mic to offer data / APRS capability. I have one for my IC-2100.
My guess is that this radio is marketed to hunters and Canadian log truck drivers. Truckers in particular often mount their radios on the ceiling.
It would work well for that.
Wow, the Canadian logger market what a huge market that is.😂
lol, 1st thing on their mind I’m sure.
I'm just here to ask if this can be "Unlocked" for FRS, GMRS, MURS ?... Not that I ever would of course.
Nope.
Yes....they are all made to be unlocked but not for what you want to go on...only murs and vhf frequencies..no.gmrs or frs
Cant they make one radio with multiple modes? FM, C4FM and SSB. That would be be great. You were tuning the Catalina repeater 5 khz ofcourse.
I'm confused - at the end you say there's no Data Port - but 3:02, you specifically point to and mention the Data Port? Did you find out later that it had no function?
It’s labeled data, but there is no documentation on it. It seems to be for programming.
I miss memory banks. PMG only allows up to 5 memories. Why the change?
I dunno, on that one weather channel it was super garbled, S-DX cleans up static, but fails at a weak signal, IMO. See: 11:28
what happening with SSB and CW in VHF, too vintage??
Do any of these new radios allow you to play the audio through the car's sound system with Bluetooth? If most cars now have Bluetooth, seems that would be a "no brainer"?
This ones doesn’t. And to be honest, even though I have a radio that does, I never use it. It’s not really the value people think it is.
I've been more subject to connect with an auxiliary cable to my stereo in my car. That's not too bad.
Nice radio but for now I prefer not to replace my old ft 8800 which has never betrayed my expectations and what's more it's a double band.73 from IZ1JLM ITALY
Man ,that’s a nice looking radio .
Yaesu DROPS the ball big time with the 2 single band radios. They dropped the single band 3200 and 3207 radios that were analog AND digital and cost less. Everybody wants to buy a radio that does less for more money. Seriously..... Edited to add: Also, they put the speaker facing my feet. Of course, everyone's ears are on their feet. The 3200 and 3207 had a front firing speaker. Imagine that, a speaker that actually points at your head.
as a newb, i’d love to own that radio.
Maybe the connector is on the bottom to keep it cleaner while in the mobile??
Thank you for the video! If this was a SSB radio, I would go grab one... but there is no benefit for me. I wish someone would release a new, mobile SSB radio.
I noticed you can buy 1500w+ FM transmitters on various Chinese sites. Is there any restrictions to owning such a high power transmitter? or is restriction just in the devices usage?
I guess they expect you to mount at dash/head height. Hence the downward firing speaker and mic coming out the bottom.
Josh, thanks for the great video on this new mobile radio. Do you know if the ASP on this radio is the same as the S-DX (says it’s for better DX sensitivity) on the Yaesu FTM-500??? Thank you
I don't have a use case for 85W. I run an Alinco Dr135 AT 5w. Can do 50W but 5W gets me where I need to be) It's all I need, but understand YMMV. $.02 db
Put the VHF and the UHF rig together in a Go Box and this would be perfect for satellite commo🎉 I hope they you can slowly move the channel but keep the same Tone frequency ( for the VHF rig)
Oh man. If they made an 85 watt 70cm??
The heat sink would have to be twice as big. UHF is hotter than a 2 dollar pistol.
How was the heat output? Some people report the 2980R can get toasty. How is the weight? Is it really 4.2 lbs?
How does it compare to the Icom IC-V3500?
Is 20 watts more going to make a huge difference for SOTA?
My 2900 get toasty after transmitting a PD120 SSTV image, just don't full blast on high power all the time 😅
They don’t call it the George Forman grill for nothing.
I wish they made the dual banded with 85 watts
It is surprising to see the ports on the bottom. The speaker is down-firing on the bottom as well. They didn't seem to consider using on a desk for this radio. Can you mount "up-side" down in the included bracket? And if so, does the bracket mount allow the bottom to be elevated enough for speaker and cable clearance from the bottom surface? The ASP processing does sound really, good, though! Thanks for sharing a first look.
2:27 yep, that’s what I thought when she was 14…😂🤣😂
You said it doesn’t have a data port, is the port on it for programming only?
So I guess this ASP option means Steely Dan got it wrong. 😄It was really impressive.
"No static at all" 👍
Interesting radio, although like YOu I wonder whjo it's for. To my ears I felt the s-dx slightly overdid the upper-mid attenuation on the weather channels, making them a little muffled and indistinct as a result. They sounded better with it switched out imho That function really did sound excellent on the 2m frequencies though, and that's the main thing. (On a less serious note, I wonder how Yaesu feel about the impromptu Tidradio promo. ;) )
Imho this are radios designed for markets were ham operator can not pay 500+ (european price) for a yaesu ftm500 or similar. Reduced in feature but with super rx capabilities. 73 from dl
I understand people want a FM only 2 meter but I am not one of them to each his own I own two Yeasu radio’s myself and have had great luck with them but the question still arises why just a 2 meter why not a 70CM to but i understand both ways but gets you wondering if later on a 80 to 85 watts dual band may be in the future now that would be great for sure.
Looks like the next iteration of the 2980, case is the same
ASP to the rest of their line would be awesome. Now imagine if you will ASP on a 10m/6m dual band AM/FM/SSB @ 85 watts....yes please. Side note comparing a 9700 to this is unfair as the 9700 isnt a mobile.
Like the mac mouse recharge port
The 150 is probably what most people will buy. If you're far away from the next simplex person or there are no repeaters nearby, this one fits the bill.
Yeah. 150 will be the most popular.
Have you done a radio test on the new Yaesu FTM 150Rasp I have the radio as of November 26 2024 from Ham Radio Outlet out of Georgia. I did find out from RT systems they do now have the software the CD and the programming cable for that radio Yaesu FTM 150 raspe. 73 K4BWN
I would much prefer a 2m + 70cm (Or Tri-band w/ 1.25m) combo radio as opposed to just 2m on its own. But if you're not doing too much communicating outside of 2m, then I can see the appeal. - KF0QNM
Okay that is impressive