Posted: 1/15/2009 10:21:16 AM EDT
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Ok so the two models im looking at is the Yaesu VX-3R or the Yaesu FT-60R. Which one should i go with?
The big diffrence between the two seems to be the 5 watt output on the ft60 and the keypad. but the size of the vx3r makes it nice also. Both are in my price range i just cant decide which to get. Thanks |
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depends on your usage between those 2.
the vx-3 is a plastic case and LOW power unit. the ft-60 is a real radio. for urban use without needing distance to the repeater and limited use in harsh environments the 3r would do ok. for real world use the 60 would be a better choice. for the record i am looking at getting the wife a vx3 when she gets her ticket. small, relatively well made and the extent of her usage would be talking to me simplex in a mall or walmart or at best a mile away outside. |
| I have the FT-60R and it has worked very well for 3 years. I live 5 miles from town and 2 miles from the nearest repeater. 1.5w would not work well here in the mountains. I can hit the nearets repeater with low power (1w) about half of the time but thats about it. I can hit repeaters 10 miles away with 5w. It may be different in Kansas due to the terain. |
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Quoted:
depends on your usage between those 2. the vx-3 is a plastic case and LOW power unit. the ft-60 is a real radio. for urban use without needing distance to the repeater and limited use in harsh environments the 3r would do ok. for real world use the 60 would be a better choice. for the record i am looking at getting the wife a vx3 when she gets her ticket. small, relatively well made and the extent of her usage would be talking to me simplex in a mall or walmart or at best a mile away outside. |
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depends on your usage between those 2. the vx-3 is a plastic case and LOW power unit. the ft-60 is a real radio. for urban use without needing distance to the repeater and limited use in harsh environments the 3r would do ok. for real world use the 60 would be a better choice. for the record i am looking at getting the wife a vx3 when she gets her ticket. small, relatively well made and the extent of her usage would be talking to me simplex in a mall or walmart or at best a mile away outside. +1 - love the ft-60r. i have it setup as mobile with power and a trunk mount antenna, but can unplug and carry around as HT anytime i want. for the same price, i cant imagine trading 5w of power for a cute case. the ft-60r is plenty small, but has a more sturdy feel to it. |
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Quoted:
depends on your usage between those 2. the vx-3 is a plastic case and LOW power unit. the ft-60 is a real radio. for urban use without needing distance to the repeater and limited use in harsh environments the 3r would do ok. for real world use the 60 would be a better choice. for the record i am looking at getting the wife a vx3 when she gets her ticket. small, relatively well made and the extent of her usage would be talking to me simplex in a mall or walmart or at best a mile away outside. I don't think accusing the Vx3 of not being a real radio is fair. I've got one, and it works like a charm. Everyone knows the vx3's limited with power, so this is not even a realistic comparison to make with a 5w unit since you already know the vx3 has a power limitation. I've never had a problem using any of the same repeaters locally with the vx3 that I do with the 5w kenwood and Vx8. Compare 5w radios with 5w radios, not a 1.5w radio with a 5w radio IMO. If power is an issue, then of course, go with a VX7 or 6 with the higher power. The fact is though, I can use nearly any local repeater with 1.5w on the vx3. The biggest draw for the vx3 is how tiny the thing is. It's really amazing how well it works. My only complaint is they did not waterproof it like the other models. With that said, the original poster will be happy with either one if he's within HT range of the repeaters in general. The 1.5 or 5w wont make as big a difference as some would think. I'm not discounting the power factor, but it's not as big a deal as some make it out to be. I've rarely been in a situation where 1.5 did not work, but 5w did but I also live in an area with 30+ repeaters. |
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How do these compare to the now slightly dated Kenwood TH-F6A? The Kenwood F6A is a very well made unit and will never be "dated" as a negative connotation anywhere in the near future. They are also a great option for you. Also, consider the VX8 if you are looking at other options. It really depends on what you want the radio to do. |
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I just ordered a VX-7R, is that good? i have one and love it.small light and tough as nails. my only real ripe is the fact you NEED the software to do any serious entry on it. one really cool thing is the ability to do mars/cap/freeband mod in the software without any hardware changes. |
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The FT-60 was my original choice. then saw i could get the VX3 for a little less and wondered about it. I think i will stick with my original decision and get the FT-60. Thanks gents. i played with a vx3 a few months ago. decent little radio for what it is, but it was functionally useless if you aren't CLOSE to a repeater. it was significantly better that gmrs stuff but out in the boonies i need something with respectable power. |
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The FT-60 was my original choice. then saw i could get the VX3 for a little less and wondered about it. I think i will stick with my original decision and get the FT-60. Thanks gents. i played with a vx3 a few months ago. decent little radio for what it is, but it was functionally useless if you aren't CLOSE to a repeater. it was significantly better that gmrs stuff but out in the boonies i need something with respectable power. I also have an ft-1r and and ft-2r. they're great little radios and i use them for aprs edit: i meant vx-1/vx-2 |