Yaesu Original FT-65 FT-65R VHF UHF Dual Band Rugged & Compact Handheld Transceiver

In these days of $25 Chinese knock-off ham HTs is there even still a place for a high quality, simple, straight-forward dual-band radio? Yaesu obviously thinks "yes" and the FT-65 is a very strong argument in support. In a small box you get radio, antenna, belt-clip, 1900mah battery, and a quick-charge base with associated wall-wart power supply, slong with a better than expected English manual and a four-page quick-reference card that gets you going without needing to delve into the full manual. There's also an "advanced features" PDF manual available for download from Yaesu's web site. The standard Li -ion batter latches into place securely. The belt clip pushes against it so even if you somehow manage to actuate the TH-28 style latch on the bottom, you're not going to be dropping the battery pack on the floor. The included batter does not protrude from the back beyond the basic "brick" shape of the radio. There are two contacts on the inner face of the battery connecting to the radio, and the usual three +/T/- contacts on the back that connect to the quick charger. The Quick charger and battery have tabs/slots that locate the battery against the charger contacts, so you can charge the batter with or without the radio attached. The quick charger base has enough room to handle the optional larger (2500mah) capacity battery as well. Everything is plastic, but it really feels like quality in your hand. It's heavy, and a nice size between a micro HT like a VX1,2,3-R and a modern full-sized digital radio with a big display. This is a very rugged, basic dual-band radio with excellent performance and all the needed functions without the bells and whistles that would add another $400 to the price. Having started as a Kenwood fan, I have evolved over to believing that Yaesu generally makes the nicest and most rugged ham equipment, and the FT-65 just reinforces that opinion. This is a great every-day radio, one that's very reasonably priced and does everything you need for basic communication. Just a solid unit that feels excellent in your hand. Functionally it's like most other Yaesu models, with an "F-key" based user interface. This radio moves the F key to below the MONItor button on the PTT side of the radio, so it;s convenient to access (if you're right-handed) while using the main keyboard for data entry. There are four reprogrammable P1-P4 keys that you can assign, and dedicated up/down buttons instead of a digital encoder dial (the knob on top is power/volume). It's dense and feels good in the hand. A great grab-and-go radio for every-day use when you don't need a lot of extra fancy stuff, and the price is reasonable. This one easily gets all the stars. G.

I have not used it yet as I need to be certified first but I showed it to a good friend that is well versed in Ham Radios and he said I got myself a great quality radio.

This radio is the best HT I bought. I have a few of the Chinese HT radios and I have to say the FT65 is awesome. I would suggest it be in a hams arsenal.

Good battery life.

I got FT-65R a couple of weeks ago and so far I really like it. It's a rock-solid unit, it exudes quality. I also own Yaesu FT-60R, several Baofengs and Alinco DJ500T so I can make a comparison. Pros: - easy to program manually, intuitive enough not to require the manual, automatic repeater shift is on by default - very good sensitivity, allows for the use of smaller antennas (I tried Diamond RH3 bullet and short Hyperion rubber stub) while maintaining a good receiving coverage - good transmit reach with the stock antenna (slightly better than Baofengs), one of the repeaters in my area (N6NFI) has an automated signal strength report capabilities so I was getting one S unit better reports from the same location - FM radio sensitivity/selectivity is much better than with Baofengs, a touch better than Alinco

Quality radio.

Very hard to program and I found it like 40% cheaper from another vendor.

This radio is fantastic. I picked up a Baofeng (as everyone is opt to do at their entry-level price point) after I obtained my Tech ticket, and was pretty impressed with the quality considering to the price I paid. I never transmitted with the Baofeng, just listened to repeater traffic. This was my ultimate target radio after it was announced last spring, and I am glad I saved my pennies to get it. Amazing quality build, I was able to program it from the front panel without the need for a cable or software. I know a lot of people believe the FT-60 it a better value given all the 3rd party accessories available - but this one has a better battery. Plus, it took that aftermarket whip antenna I bought for my Baofeng. I bought the FT-65 for far less than the FT-60 is going for too, enough so that I could have bought a 2nd battery for the '65 if I wanted to.