Ham Radio Hand Helds
I have Known

[ Overview | Currently available Radios | Older Radios | ]



Overview and opinions

First, let me say that "yes, hand held radios are fun". Thus I have owned quit a few.

The "shack on your hip" syndrome abounds and is worthless to Amateur Radio Emergency Service (ARES). Thus I recommend that you get a good quality radio to operate from home that requires either a 8+ amp power supply or 110 volts to power it (NOT a handheld) and that you run a good external antenna. In doing this you will learn a lot about the hobby, your radio and antennas.

Unfortunately I do not get paid for any of this so you will get my opinion with out the sugar coat so prevalent in most reviews.

Since the ARRL does such a good job of reviewing radios at the micro-volt level I will only put in here what a casual user might want to know.

Currently Available Radios

Yaesu VX-170

  • Overall - VERY nice

  • First Impressions

    Very convienient size! Just enough radio that you know where it is but not so much that it is a burden. Comes with a belt clip that is like the one on the VX-7 but is not as usable.

    VERY complex to program! If you have not purchased the software kit to do the programming, reconsider. This turkey has 1,000 memories! Without the software it is prohibitive. It does have ten "banks" for scanning and a given memory location can appear in multiple banks.

    Comes with a "wall wart" charger that handles the 1400 mil pack in ten hours. Drop-in charger is another $35 but seems worth it.

  • "Hits"
    • Convienient size!
    • Ni-MH Battery - VERY good.
    • 1,000 memories! - VERY good.
    • 5 watts output
    • Display is easier to read than most.

  • "Misses"
    • Stupid change from the VX-7 belt clip/hanger that makes it VERY hard to use until you - almost - break the thing. YES Virginia, almost break it. That's what you have to do - per Yaesu - until it becomes more usable.

  • "Gotchas"
    • The CSV (Comma Separated Varible) file for programming is in a different format then the other Yaesu offerings.

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    The ADMS software sucks! Use the FTB2070 from the UK.

    Excellent monoband HT.    Excellent value!    Best price for what you get on today's market!




Yaesu FT-60

  • Overall - VERY nice

  • First Impressions

    Very convienient size! Just enough radio that you know where it is but not so much that it is a burden. Comes with an excellent belt clip.

    VERY complex to program! If you have not purchased the software kit to do the programming, reconsider. This turkey has 1,000 memories! Without the software it is prohibitive. It does have ten "banks" for scanning and a given memory location can appear in multiple banks.

    Comes with a "wall wart" charger that handles the 1400 mil pack in ten hours. HOWEVER, a MAHA 777 or 777 Plus will easily give you rapid charge capability for just over half the cost of the Yaesu unit.

  • "Hits"
    • Convienient size!
    • Lithium Ion Battery - VERY good.
    • Non-Yaesu replacement batteries are about $55.
    • 1,000 memories! - VERY good.
    • Covers 108 Mhz to 1 Ghz (cell blocked)!
    • 5 watts output
    • Very good dual band antenna included
    • Belt clip is VERY good!

  • "Misses"
    • 6 character alpha display
    • does not have dual receive thus no cross band

  • "Gotchas"
    • None that I have seen so far.

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    The ADMS software sucks! They obviously use total newbies to do the software for Yaesu and thus we suffer.

    Does everything but cross band so it is an excellent choice for ARES! Get one of these and one Icom W32 and the pair would do EVERYTHING that anyone could need for ARES.




Yaesu VX-2R

  • Overall - Fixed the problems with the VX1

  • First Impressions

    SMALL!! This is a very small radio. That may be one of its great features (small enough that you will have the radio with you, should you need one. Still hard to use with other than small hands.

    VERY complex to program! If you have not purchased the software kit to do the programming, plan on spending several hours to program the radio. Days to fully program it. Good part, do a Google search on VX2 and COMMANDER. You will find software that is free for the download. The author requests a contribution if you like (read that use) it.

    The display is quite small but better that the VX-1. Controls are more intuitive than the VX-1. There is no provision for a drop in charger but a rapid charge wall wart is provided (2.5 hours).

    Fixed almost every gritch I had about the VX-1.

  • "Hits"
    • Small, light weight.
    • Lithium Ion Battery - VERY good.
    • Non-Yaesu replacement batteries are just under $30.
    • 999 memories! - VERY good.
    • Covers AM broadcast to 900 Mhz (cell blocked)!
    • The "upgrade" to 1.5 watts is great.
    • The 17 inch "wisker" antennas show what a good receiver this has.
    • Belt Clip - improved, and the radio easily fits in your shirt pocket (a button pocket keeps it in place).
    • Some call this a hit - Controls are stiff.

  • "Misses"
    • Antenna is better than the VX-1 but very inefficient.

  • "Gotchas"
    • None that I have seen so far.

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    The COMMANDER software is not as sophisticated as some but that makes it MUCH easier to use and with 999 memories, you NEED that.

    This is one that you can easily take with you, so you probably will.




Yaesu VX-7R

  • Overall - good to excellent. VERY convenient size!
    EXCEPT: The current production is worthless if you need to run a PL tone. This is the one real fault in the VX-7.
    Yaesu has NEVER figured out how to set up production VX-7s to run PL tones!

  • First Impressions

    Yaesu/Vertex has fixed the "too small" VX-5R and added more memories and another band. Unfortunately they also went stupid and added a strobe light. I guess I'll never understand that type of thinking.

    VERY complex to program! If you have not purchased the software kit to do the programming, plan on spending several hours to fully program the radio. It is one step more complex than the VX-5.

    The display is quite good and is user configurable (older eyes will love the large frequency display). This radio allows you to have so much information in that display that it is almost cluttered.

  • "Hits"
    • Small light weight, good receive audio and volume, receives almost anywhere from 50 Mhz. to 900 Mhz., will fit into a shirt pocket if you have large pockets.
    • Lithium Ion Battery - VERY good capacity at 1300 Mil's.
    • 450 memories that you can configure into 18 banks of variable size! This cures my complaint about the VX-5.
    • Swivel belt clip is standard!

  • "Misses"
    • 6 meters - who is going to try and use 6 meters from an HT? Other than from a novelty aspect, no one.
    • IMERSABLE! How many people want to be able to leave their hand held in a bucket of water for six or ten hours and still have everything work? I don't think very many. Water resistant is GREAT! Virtually water proof is total overkill.
    • Transmit audio is marginal because of the "imerseable" feature. I understand that you can remove one of the two layers of water proofing from the mic. and improve on that.

  • "Gotchas"
    • Transmit audio problems noted above! Current production radios (HRO checked five on the shelf in Denver) are useless for communication, if you need a PL tone!
    • The VX-7 requires a different drop in charger than the VX-5. BUT, you can charge the battery pack in the VX-5 charger if you take it out of the radio.

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    Many have a problem with low transmit audio. One fix is to turn up the "MAX DEV" setting - DON'T! That will also turn up the deviation on access tones to a level that is very disturbing. The two options that are best 1) Return it to Yaesu and have them fix it! 2) Remove the diaphram that maintains the water seal over the microphone (which eliminates the water proof feature).

    Like the VX-2 there is COMMANDER software available to ease the programming of 450 memories.




ICOM - V8

  • Overall - Good to excellent. For the price $135 (yes Virginia, One Hundred Thirty Five) an exceptional value!

  • First Impressions

    Compact. About 2/3 the size of the olde IC2-ATs. Comes with 600 mil. battery (7.2V), DROP IN CHARGER (no provision to power with any source but the battery) rubber duck (see below) and plastic belt clip. Runs 5 watts on high power.

    Relatively easy to program (key in the frequency and it recognizes standard off-sets). Sub Aud. tone takes a few seconds more and 5 char. alpha is adequate but slow to enter (requires you to change a setting in the defaults).

    The display is adequate and frequency selection (from memory) borders on being a pain in the fingers (two small "arrows" do the up/down). This function and the volume can be switched from one of the menus.

  • "Hits"
    • COST! - At $135 this is a GREAT radio for anyone that doesn't want to spend a lot of $s.
    • Lithium Ion Battery and high capacity Nicad are available (at extra cost - of course). There is now a 1650 Mil. pack available with a drop in rapid charger (total cost $150 for the two pieces). Yes, I know that is more than the cost of the radio, but I also have the commercial version and all accessories interchange.
    • 100 Memories, 5 watts, uses standard ICOM speaker mic., Alpha display and very comfortable size.

  • "Misses"
    • Ducky antenna came tuned to 134 Mhz. (retune was easy)
    • Belt Clip - marginally adequate.

  • "Gotchas"
    • Have NOT seen any so far. Time will tell but this looks GOOD!

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    I am VERY impressed with what you get for the money you pay!




Yaesu VX-5R

  • Overall - good to excellent.

  • First Impressions

    SMALL! The first time I held one of these radios I was quite surprised at how small it was/is. This is a radio that will require some adjustment to, on the part of people with large hands.

    VERY complex to program! If you have not purchased the software kit to do the programming, plan on spending several hours to fully program the radio.

    The display is quite good and is user configurable (older eyes will love the large frequency display). The first radio that tells you what it is doing when you charge it (that I have had). You do not have to rely on LEDs and a guess.

  • "Hits"
    • Small light weight, good receive audio and volume, receives almost anywhere from 50 Mhz. to 900 Mhz., will fit into a shirt pocket (very easy to drop it that way) and scans very well (you may want to dump your PSB scanner if you have one of these).
    • Lithium Ion Battery - VERY good.
    • 220 Memories does a nice job (optimal would be about 280).

  • "Misses"
    • 6 meters - who is going to try and use 6 meters from an HT? Other than from a novelty aspect, no one.
    • Factory antenna - LOUSY. Get yourself an after market antenna that is worth its salt. All but one, a dummy load, that I have seen go from 4.5 to 6 db gain over the factory antenna.
    • Belt Clip - marginal. Very easy to knock the radio off of your belt and end up with a broken antenna (the radio will with stand a lot but the antennas will not).

  • "Gotchas"
    • The programming kit does not like you to go out of the Ham bands if you like to keep the transmit frequency information.
    • The programming kit does not like you to have only one sub. aud. tone if you want to keep multiple configurations (memory layouts). You have to alter the first line of the exported file to have the information usable.
    • The low battery indicator is VERY easy to miss. Thus you can have the pack "die" on you when you are busy.
    • OEM headsets do not "lock" into the connector properly. Thus you can have the radio lock in transmit when you try to use the headset. (Not a problem if you spend the extra for the Yaesu headset).

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    I purchased a carry case from HRO that takes the problem out of the marginal belt clip. In addition, there is an OEM belt clip (ala motorola) for $15 that makes it a LOT better.




ICOM-W32

  • Overall - good to excellent. Just a tad taller than the IC-T7 but does true dual band with V/U, V/V, U/U and U/V capability. This is an excellent choice for ARES/RACES work!

  • First Impressions

    Nice size. Enough radio to know you have a radio in your hand but not to excess. It is reasonably small, almost light weight and full featured. The standard "high power" pack is HEAVY.

    Reasonably easy to program. 100 memories VHF and 100 memories UHF and you can pay a bit more and get software to program it with (I don't plan on changing it enough to make it worth the cost). If this is your first radio or if you are not sure what memory layout you want, I would spring for the software.

  • "Hits"
    • Nice size, good receive audio and volume, 200 memories.
    • Belt Clip - Will with stand reasonably heavy use.
    • Uses the same accessories (wall charger, head set, speaker mic.) as the IC-T7, IC-32AT, IC02-3-4, IC2,3,4 etc.
    • Default is to mute second band when transmitting on primary.

  • "Misses"
    • Alpha display is marginally adequate.
    • 650 Mil. factory battery is marginal. A 1200 to 1500 Mil. would be excellent (not available from anyone I can find).
    • Instructions on doing true cross band repeat are inadequate. You have to go to QRZ.COM to get good ones.

  • "Gotchas"
    • Heavy battery consumption if you run dual receive. In mono-band mode it functions well on the 650 Mil. pack.
    • Marginal Alpha display! Borderline unusable.
    • If you happen to hit the lower right button, the display changes to an LCH-nn or HCH-nn. You just press it again to go back to normal display (LCH is Lower frquency [VHF] CHannel and HCH is Higher frequency [UHF]). It took about fifteen minutes to find that in the user manual when I brushed the key by accident.

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    Excellent radio. If you settle for 2.5 watt output power (BP-180 battery) it is a comfortable radio to carry and with a spare pack or two will last for a full major ARES event.

    The RS Scanner Headphones (plus their "motorcycle" microphone) turn this into a gem of a rig for ARES events where you need to listen to the PD plus your own freq's at the same time. EVEN in high noise areas!

    This radio was discontinued and then brought back. If you take an "alkaline battery" pack and add a power cord you can use the R.S. 1600 Mil. radio control car battery packs. This does then have an umbilical cord to contend with but replacement batteries are $24.95 for 1600 Mil rechargeable! (uses the Maha 777 or 777-Plus for rapid charge)

    I now use this as my primary ARES Event radio.




Yaesu FT817

While many people will not call this a "hand held" it can be used as such. With the shoulder strap it can be much easier to carry than many "hand helds".

  • Overall - GOOD to Excellent

  • First Impressions

    Large for a hand held but still usable as one. The first ALL BAND (except 220 Mhz.) ALL Mode that you can conveniently carry with you.

    You can buy a Yaesu rechargable battery pack or cut the "green wire" on the removable pack and use NiCads or Nims.

    Manual is not the easiest to read but not a problem. But watch out for all of the features! I advise spending an hour or two just reading before you attempt to play with this gem.

  • "Hits"
    • Small size all mode.
    • Can easily be set up with Lithium Ion Batteries.
    • Good transmit audio!
    • Just like the IC706, you can "dial away" from memory frequencies.
    • Good receive audio.

  • "Misses"
    • Yaesu rubber duck needs some help.
    • 5 Watts max. This radio with an extra "power (level) switch" to bring the power to say 25 Watts would be all ANYONE would need (except during sunspot lows).
    • Shoulder strap is inconvenient when not over the shoulder.
    • The BNC for 2M, 70CM, would be better on the back of the radio.

  • "Gotchas"
    • If you make the "green wire" mod, you get a blinking icon in the display (that was not there before the mod) to tell you it is running 5 watts.
    • Typical Yaesu - Timed recharge of batteries! You would think that by now they would have learned to recharge batteries based in the condition of the cells!

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    I got fed up with looking for amplifiers to back up this radio and sold it to a guy that sold it to another guy a few months later. I believe the 897 cures all of that.




Yaesu FT50R

  • Overall - Good. With the FT-60 out it is not as good as it was

  • First Impressions

    About like holding a small baseball. Factory batteries have a lousy belt clip and the older versions have a real problem with the power switch being too sensitive (turns on when you don't want it to).

    VERY complex to program! If you have not purchased the software kit to do the programming, plan on spending several hours to fully program the radio.

    The display is quite small but usable. Controls are not intuitive. The alpha display is limited to four characters.

  • "Hits"
    • Small, durable and quite water resistant.
    • Best Yaesu antenna on any of their "hand helds".
    • True dual band but not as convenient to do V/U as other models
    • Good receiver

  • "Misses"
    • Turns on when you don't want it to (older versions)
    • Four character Alpha display.
    • 100 Memories
    • Feels like a baseball in your hand.

  • "Gotchas"
    • The factory battery is 600 mils. and comes with a marginal belt clip.
    • You have to go to Maha to get reasonable Batteries/Chargers
    • OEM accessories (other than batteries) do not always function like you would expect.
    • Like the other Yaesu radios, the accessories are unique (for example: many ICOM accessories interchange with Alinco and OLDER Yaesu radios).

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    Not at all bad. At one hundred dollars less than the VX-5R the 100 memories are not as much an issue. HOWEVER with the release of the FT-60 I would not even consider this radio. The FT-60 has more features, larger battery capacity, ten times the memories, easier to hold on to AND costs less.




Yaesu VX-1R

  • Overall - LOUSY. Don't waste your money.

  • First Impressions

    SMALL!! The first time I held one of these radios I was appalled at how small it was/is. This is a radio that will require constant attention to keep track of. Very easy to drop (I managed not to with mine, but only because I used the lanyard).

    VERY complex to program! If you have not purchased the software kit to do the programming, plan on spending several hours to fully program the radio.

    The display is quite small and difficult to read. Controls are not intuitive. There is no provision for a drop in charger (that I know of).

    It's "cute", if you like cute radios.

  • "Hits"
    • Small, light weight.
    • Lithium Ion Battery - VERY good.

  • "Misses"
    • Antenna is basically a dummy load. Very inefficient.
    • To scan a different "band" (Aircraft, 2M/PSB-150s, 70cm, etc.) you have to stop the scan, change "bands" and restart the scan. Will NOT allow you to scan 144-148 and 440-449.99 without changing the "bands".
    • Belt Clip - marginal. Very easy to knock the radio off of your belt.

  • "Gotchas"
    • ONLY the first 49 memories remember everything you put in. The other 150 remember that you had a sub-audible tone but not what it was, etc.
    • The low power output (350 mills) works quite well for almost one quarter mile (unless the repeater antenna is in that quarter mile).
    • Controls are difficult to manipulate.

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    I was so mad at mine I got rid of it in less than two weeks.




Yaesu VX-150

  • Overall - good to excellent. Good choice for a single band radio.

  • First Impressions

    Very comfortable size! Just enough radio to know you have a radio in your hand but no more. It is small, comparitively light weight, full featured.

    Complex to program. You will not have this one completely programmed in ten or twenty minutes. But with 199 memories, do you care? I don't.

    The display is angled down at about 30 degrees, controls are intuitive, transmit AND receive audio are good. The frequency display is as small as these old eyes will tolerate.

  • "Hits"
    • Small light weight, good receive audio and volume, 199 memories.
    • Belt Clip - Good quality clip is factory installed.
    • Uses the same accessories (wall charger, head set, speaker mic.) as the VX-5R

  • "Misses"
    • Drop in charger required to keep from flexing the rubber plug in the side that maintains water repellency.
    • 700 Mil. factory battery is - almost - enough when you run 5 watts on transmit (would be fine if you ran 2.5 watts (MID power)). I have the 1100 mil. battery and that helps a lot. Maha makes a 1500 mil. for less $$s than the Yaesu 1100 and that makes it a good setup.
    • Does not want to stand upright. The battery clip is one third of the suspension mechanism when you stand the radio up and - at best - it is shaky. It requires a FLAT solid surface to have it stand up and not fall over.

  • "Gotchas"
    • Yeasu seems to be out to get you hooked with a good radio at a reasonable price then drain your pocket with the accessories (battery packs, required drop in chargers - for high capacity packs) etc. The1100 mil. and the 1500 mil. packs will NOT charge properly in the Maha MH-C777 charger in one pass. The temperature sensor is in direct contact with the battery cell and thus thinks it is over temperature at about half charge. Just let it cool and start again.
    • You need to use the lock function if you carry the radio on your belt. If you do not, you find the radio has "wandered" to another frequency.
    • NO low battery indicator! You are operating and suddenly the radio ceases to function (turns off).
    • There is a battery voltage readout that you can use but you only see the battery voltage (no indication of what frequency you are on).
    • If you put this radio on your belt, PLAN on having the volume AND squelch settings change as you move about.

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    Neat radio. The most significant problem is the volume changing when you have it on your belt. Good choice for a single band radio.




ICOM T7A

  • Overall - good.

  • First Impressions

    Convenient size. One of the best dual band antennas on the market (until they came out with the much larger gain antennas).

    Easy to program. Takes a little getting used to the push vs push and hold for the second function on a given key.

    The display is adequate. A tad small for older eyes.

    Typical ICOM and that's good.

  • "Hits"
    • I am not sure how else to say it - just comfortable. As reliable a radio as I have ever had.
    • When you power it from the car it recharges the battery while you operate (if you drive more than two hours, you have a full charge on a dead pack).

  • "Misses"
    • 60 memories. This radio with 150 to 200 memories would be a MAJOR player.
    • No alphameric display. 200 to 250 memories and alphameric display and this would be THE radio to have.
    • Does MUCH better when you replace the factory 600 mil. battery pack with the Maha 1000s. (at a lower price than factory).

  • "Gotchas"
    • When you use sub audable tones you have to set BOTH the transmit and receive tones independently (why not just one?). I don't know of ANY repeater that uses one tone on transmit and another on receive.

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    My only regret is that they don't have an alpha display option. Alpha display and 250 memories - you couldn't find a nicer radio.




ALINCO DJ-190

  • Overall - fair to poor. In light of the reduced cost of the Icom V8 and the Virtex 150 this radio is almost worthless.

  • First Impressions

    Slightly large for todays radios. ONLY comes with a battery case to run AA Alkaline batteries. But what do you want for a radio that only costs $75.00 on sale from RS.

    Tedious to program. Takes a lot of getting used to to use the multi button push to get it programmed.

    The display is large enough to see easily but has NO alpha capability.

  • "Hits"
    • Low cost.
    • 5 watts when run on 13 volts.
    • Wide band receive. DON'T cut J1 or it will transmit out of band.

  • "Misses"
    • No DTMF tone pad
    • 40 memories.
    • NiCad packs are expensive and then you have to buy a charger.

  • "Gotchas"
    • By the time you buy enough accessories to make it really usable, you paid more than the cost of the next better Alinco that came with the accessories AND a DTMF tone pad.

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    Good "loaner" and not much else.




Older Radios

ICOM 32AT

  • Overall - very good.

  • First Impressions

    Large size (by todays standards). One of the best dual band antennas on the market (until they came out with the much larger gain antennas).

    Easy to program.

    The display is adequate. No alphameric.

    Typical older ICOM and that's very good.

  • "Hits"
    • Durable! While you cannot pound nails with it, the radio is able to withstand a lot of abuse.
    • Reliable! ZERO failures with this radio.
    • Interchangeable battery packs. You can go from 2 to 6 watts (on 2M) by changing the battery pack. Size range is from 600 mil. to 1800 mil. at various voltages.

  • "Misses"
    • 20 memories. But this was the "best you could get" when it came out.
    • No alphameric display.
    • Not a good choice for a person with small hands.

  • "Gotchas"
    • Dual microphone pots. One for 2M and one for 70CM. Thus your transmit audio can be different as you change bands. (On the plus side, it's easy to adjust)

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    Great olde brick. I'm glad I still have mine.
    As a P.S. - This is the radio I used for most public service events for almost a decade. I have now switched over to the Icom W32 with a 1600 Mil pack (see above).




ICOM 2AT,4AT

  • Overall - good.

  • First Impressions

    Large size (by todays standards). One of the earliest synthesized HTs on the market.

    Easy to program. Spin the dials.

    Typical older ICOM and that's very good.

  • "Hits"
    • Durable.
    • Reliable.

  • "Misses"
    • Olde iron. When released it was THE best. Now it is functional.

  • "Gotchas"
    • No provision for CTCSS but single freq. boards are available.

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    Good olde brick. You must remember the frequencies and the offsets but that should not be a problem for anyone that understands what they are doing.




ICOM 02AT

  • Overall - good.

  • First Impressions

    Large size (by todays standards). Ten memories (without offset) and I don't remember about CTCSS tones.

    Easy to program.

    The display is adequate. No alphameric.

    Typical older ICOM and that's very good.

  • "Hits"
    • Durable.
    • Reliable.

  • "Misses"
    • 10 memories. But this was the "best you could get" when it came out.
    • No alphameric display.
    • No tone (I think).

  • "Gotchas"
    • Display is a little hard to read in the sun.

  • Once it is no longer "new"

    Good olde brick.