Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
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By Ridders
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1402316
Yep...

Ive got the AA cell powered one (same radio but without a charger and rechargable pack).

It works perfectly with the headset adapter, pretty simple to program up, the screen is really easy to read, when I first got it, I found removing the supplied rubber aerial a bit of a faff but I know what to do now. Its not the smallest of radios, about the same size as the ICOM A6. Most importantly for me, it actually works using a headset adapter, unlike the Icom I bought. There is the saga of my Icom experiences on here somewhere - lets just say, despite being a licensed Radio Amateur I wouldnt buy or recommend to anyone another Icom radio...ever .
What in particular are you interested in hearing about?
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By dmarti32
#1402325
Thanks Ridders,

Generally interested in the units overall quality & how easy it is to of use.

Txs

Dave
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By matthew_w100
#1402332
Is the 750 (with ILS display) worth the extra £70 if you don't have an ILS display in your aeroplane? ie is it actually usable for an ILS approach?
By riverrock
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1402333
There are a couple of references on this thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=96630&hilit=yaesu&start=15
including the offer of some cheaper prices for forumites :)

I bought one a few weeks ago. Pretty pleased so far.
I can confirm that it survives being dropped onto a tarmac apron from 5 feet...

Battery charge using its cradle takes 4 hours. You aren't supposed to re-charge till the battery is low, so after initial charge I must have had it scanning for at least 16 hours, with the last couple of hours outputting Glasgow's ATIS, screen backlight turned on and "battery saver" turned off to try and run the battery down.

I live about 5 miles and slightly above Glasgow airport, although there are some buildings in the way. I am able to pick up all transmissions sitting in my lounge, including ground ops, Localiser and VOR. I can pickup aircraft on approach from when they join the frequency, at least 10 miles away. This is much better than a borrowed ICOM I had for a while.
In the air I was able to pickup VORs when line of sight - furthest I was away from any was 20 miles (with no issues) using its own antennae. No problems tracking using the information on the screen.
The speaker is pretty loud, although would need to wire it into a headset to be able to ident something in the air.
Haven't checked the glide slope.

Screen is bright and clear.

UI isn't entirely intuitive. Some things are easy (entering frequencies direct - there is a dedicated comm key to get you straight back to that front screen), some are a bit awkward. Saving and naming channels really should be done from the downloadable PC software as it is nasty on the device (which I installed with no issues on Windows 10). Once you install the new firmware, you group memories, then select which memory group you want to show on the front screen. You can then scan only this memory group (rather than the whole frequency band).
You can do "Dual Watch" but only to a single channel. Same with "Split Channel". You have to specify both of them in an admin screen. Makes them pretty much useless. Selecting a VOR radial isn't that obvious - takes a button press or two more than expected.

Build quality (as I say) feels great. Slightly awkward trying to remove the antenna once attached - you have to know where exactly to squeeze it. It is water resistant only if you don't plug in a headset.

Tried to buy a "listen only" ear piece to use when wanting to listen in at airshows etc but the after market one I bought on ebay caused it to continuously transmit (bad idea), as did the mono adapter I tried. I could get it to work if I pulled the 3.5mm jack out a tiny bit but that wouldn't be safe for any length of time. Another adapter had an end that was a tiny bit too thick, so it couldn't be pushed fully into the device (the 3.5mm socket is recessed). Means I've ended up using the bundled headset adapter and adding a 3.5mm adapter to the headphone socket to use with normal headphones. If you're only wanting a scanner - might be better to just get a scanner!

Anyway - that's my experience so far. Haven't had an excuse to transmit with it yet so can't comment on its clarity/ transmit range.
By riverrock
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1402337
550 also includes glideslope / localiser. Unfortunately, the last flight I was on had a relatively low cloud base, and the active runway wasn't the one with the ILS so I haven't tried using it.

The difference is the 750 includes a WAAS GPS, allowing you to record your track, does direct to GPS waypoints, shows ground speed, moves the compass rose around like an HSI based on GPS track (I presume). You can download the manual from here: http://www.yaesu.com/airband/indexVS.cf ... rodID=1775
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By weirdfish
#1402338
I have one too and have nothing else to add other than another thumbs up.

If I was buying again, I'd get the rechargeable one I think. That said the AA batteries seem to last pretty well, but I've not done much transmitting which I assume uses more power.

Got mine from http://www.hamradio.co.uk as they seemed 50 quid cheaper than anywhere else when I bought it.
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By Sooty25
#1402342
I've got one, but haven't used it much yet as still using its predecessor the Fta-230, but will swap it over permenantly soon. would have done it permenantly already, but it is a bit bigger and won't fit the space the 230 is in!

User interface on the 550L I think is a doddle, nice and easy for programming new airfields into the memory, but riverrock, doesn't, so I guess that is just down to different ideas on how things should work. Works fine with Sigtronics intercom with PTT's and 2 David Clark headsets. Adaptor cable for twin GA plugs included.

I'd suggest the L version with the lithium pack rather than messing with AA's, however
an AA tray is included in the L pack, just in case.

I will confess to being a bit biased as I'm a Yaesu Dealer, but It is a jolly nice piece of kit.
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By Ridders
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1402373
On dear sooty you won't like me, I bought mine, and so did a mate, at sun n fun in the US on a show special price. We couldn't resist! :pirat:

Agree with all said above by the other owners. I did find the programming easy, myself.
I specifically bought the AA unit as it just for sitting in my bag, although I did get it out and use it at our fly-in recently.
By envelope
#1402383
Does the FTA550 really have ILS localiser & glideslope? The 550 is listed as just having VOR & not ILS.

All the specs I have seen say "ILS localiser & glideslope" is only on the more expensive 750 version.
Can someone confirm they have actually used a glideslope on a FTA550 (or on a FT750 for that matter!).
User avatar
By Sooty25
#1402385
Hi ridders

I'm not primarily an aviation dealer, I try my damndest to keep flying as my "escapism" from work, so not upset at all by you impulse buying in the states. I am pleased you chose Yaesu because it is a brand I have every confidence in, although supporting the UK network would be better as it'll be them you phone for help! :thumright:

l don't blame anyone buying stuff in the states though, as it is usually cheaper, if only due to no vat. You just have to be a bit careful when it comes to warranties as there are differences with many manufacturers, which is also something that also affects the price.

I know I offered to do the forumites a deal if anyone wanted one, it is offered in the same way I would offer it to the other chaps at our strip, people I know (sort of)! I'm not looking to be the next transair!

AvMap is another brand I have access to.
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By Sooty25
#1402394
envelope wrote:Does the FTA550 really have ILS localiser & glideslope? The 550 is listed as just having VOR & not ILS.

All the specs I have seen say "ILS localiser & glideslope" is only on the more expensive 750 version.
Can someone confirm they have actually used a glideslope on a FTA550 (or on a FT750 for that matter!).


the difference is GPS.
750 has GPS,
550 Does Not have GPS

handbook can be downloaded on this link
http://www.yaesu.com/airband/downloadFile.cfm?FileID=8949&FileCatID=66&FileName=FTA%2D750%5F550%5FOM%5FENG%5FEA001N202.pdf&FileContentType=application%2Fpdf
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By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1402435
I have a VXA-700. As a radio ham I think it's brilliant that it does airband and the 2m amateur band. Shame Yaesu/Vertex abandoned that idea.

I also have an FT-757GXii (ex-Ridders) and an FTM-10 which I bought second hand on e-bay.
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