Yaesu FT-65R 5W VHF/UHF FM Dual Band Handheld Transceiver
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SKU:
ZYS-FT-65R
Availability:
In stock
$109.95
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Customer Reviews
Overall
5
Nice, especially for the price.
Review by
Gary
I own 12 HT radios to include the Kenwood TH-D74A, several Icom radios, Yaesu FT 5D, FT-60 FT-70, VX-6, three Baofeng radios, as well as three mobile radios.
This radio is simple to operate, 200 channels, and 10 banks to store those channels.
If you are thinking of buying a Baofeng....DO NOT....buy the FT-65R instead, MUCH better and 100% legal. Great for a Bug-Out-Bag / emergency purposes
This radio is simple to operate, 200 channels, and 10 banks to store those channels.
If you are thinking of buying a Baofeng....DO NOT....buy the FT-65R instead, MUCH better and 100% legal. Great for a Bug-Out-Bag / emergency purposes
Overall
5
Great HT For The Money
Review by
Joe
This is a tough, compact radio. I would also recommend getting the Diamond Antenna to replace the stock antenna that comes with the radio. HT is simple and to the point.
Overall
5
Great cheap hand held
Review by
K4BTR
I've had this radio for over a year. It's easy to program on the fly.
Overall
5
Built like a tank and clear as a bell
Review by
Brian
In my opinion, this is an excellent sub $100 radio, and this little HT screams quality. The LCD is clear, the speaker sounds surprisingly excellent, and this radio feels like it could withstand a nuclear blast. It is also the perfect size in my average [large] hands, and the seemingly indestructible construction of its chassis is equally matched by the ruggedness of its controls. If one can afford to step up from the $30-$60 range, it is a no-brainer in my humble opinion.
Overall
5
Certainly good enough for a basic handheld...
Review by
Taylor
First, this radio has some "chinese" accents and is made in china but has that Yaesu feel and seems to work just fine. Don't let the "china" scare you away. I have three Icom V80 radios and the FT-65 seems to be of better build quality than those. For what it it's worth all three of my Icoms have been in the local fix it shop for various things but I have never had to fix a Yaesu yet. I let the FT-65 run next to the Icom all day and it didn't pick up any garbage that the Icom didn't. The antenna, like most stock antennas, is probably ok with close simplex but lacks for anything further. The stock antenna would not hit the local repeater 5 miles away inside the house consistently. I put on the Diamond SRJ77CA antenna and no problems hitting repeaters 27 miles and 23 miles away standing on the deck. As far as functionality, it is pretty basic. No thrills but that's what I like. All I need to do is talk on it. I programmed 57 memories by hand. It was a chore but programming a single memory is pretty simple. I mainly use my handhelds for monitoring the local SKYWARN and outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, hunting etc when there is no cell service. Yaesu states it is commercial quality and MILSPEC this, that and the other. Only time will tell if it is but seems to be. The down sides so far that I have come across is finding a speaker mic that will maintain the IP rating of the radio. The recommended mic, SSM-17B, may maintain the IP rating but it is not stated so there for it probably doesn't. Also there is no AA battery pack that I can find. Fingers crossed. As of today I will probably change out my Icoms for this radio if I can get a AA battery pack for it. All in all I think this radio is a great value and good build quality for a basic radio.
Overall
5
Alternate headset that works
Review by
Charley
Its unfortunate that Yeasu doesn't offer an actual headset/boom mic for the FT-65 (or FT-4). The published docs have very little info for the headset/mic jack. The connector isn't a 'Kenwood' compatable connector, but after some experimenting, the Motorola M1 connector is a match! The Heil HTH headsets don't have a match (yet?) for the M1 connector, but other headsets are available.
Overall
4
More solid than a baofeng
Review by
Mark
The stock antenna I received with this wouldn't hear high-power simplex in the house from another HT, and was actually hearing a local repeater w/o the antenna. However, this uses the same female SMA antenna that a baofeng uses and what I had on hand, so it wasn't an issue.
I bought this from the GigaParts Amazon storefront, so be aware that the $20 discount doesn't apply there.
So far, the radio is easy to program, the software loads fine on Windows 10, and is basically a more professional version of a baofeng. It feels solid, it has a comparable standby time that the FT-70 and FT-2DR have, so basically 8-10 hours. It came with a base charger so that's ok also, another thing that makes it seem like it's a baofeng competitor.
The sound is a bit muffled; it's not bad but it's not as clear as the 70 or 2DR. It doesn't seem to be as sensitive either, as I can't hear a couple further repeaters that I can hear with those other's...however for what it is, that's fine also.
Basically, this is a Yaesu version of a baofeng, which I'm sure means a lot less spurious signals. The menu is also more clear, and is simple to program.
For what it is, I'll give it a solid 4 stars. If it was a bit more sensitive, and it didn't come with a stick instead of an antenna, I'd give it a 5 for what it is.
I bought this from the GigaParts Amazon storefront, so be aware that the $20 discount doesn't apply there.
So far, the radio is easy to program, the software loads fine on Windows 10, and is basically a more professional version of a baofeng. It feels solid, it has a comparable standby time that the FT-70 and FT-2DR have, so basically 8-10 hours. It came with a base charger so that's ok also, another thing that makes it seem like it's a baofeng competitor.
The sound is a bit muffled; it's not bad but it's not as clear as the 70 or 2DR. It doesn't seem to be as sensitive either, as I can't hear a couple further repeaters that I can hear with those other's...however for what it is, that's fine also.
Basically, this is a Yaesu version of a baofeng, which I'm sure means a lot less spurious signals. The menu is also more clear, and is simple to program.
For what it is, I'll give it a solid 4 stars. If it was a bit more sensitive, and it didn't come with a stick instead of an antenna, I'd give it a 5 for what it is.
Overall
3
Okay for the price
Review by
Steve
Not a bad starter radio for the new technician but lacks some sensitivity
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