Yaesu FT 2900R Review Part 1: Initial Impressions and thoughts

My first thoughts about the FT-2900R when I received the radio (NOT an unboxing video!). Discovered a few potential issues.

[@Mojave511]

Set the radio on a mouse pad. No wobble, no skidding.

[@jriver64]

You did an excellent job on your video! I love the way you take your time and share what you think on this magnificent product, that I thought was a piece of trash at one time. Now, you made me a believer that this product holds true to its promises. Thank you.

[@motodevcam]

That's amazing I was so close to skipping when I heard the intro! So glad you're normal!!!

[@EdRickerVlogs]

For real I was too, not because I risked watching an unboxing but because of the voice. Glad I clicked ahead.

[@MikeG-js1jt]

Mr 5 watts got a 75w rig!

[@QRPadventures]

I use one of mine for an 80w digi for APRS. I forward over 1000 packets a day and it has never once been hot. Great radio. I have two of them. The other one sits in the shack.

[@digitaldreamer5481]

If you use this radio on high power, which you can adjust to do more than 75 watts by accessing the secret Yaesu settings and use aluminum foil, it will work just as good as a George Foreman grill…

[@DJChrisArgueta]

Dude, you killed me with the fake voice at the beginning. I was dying laughing.

[@geraldscott9446]

I have this radio, and am quite pleased with it, except for one thing, and that is the complicated programming. I wish they still made simple radios with maybe 10 memory spaces and not much else. A radio does not need all the crap this one has. I'd hate to think of what the more expensive ones are like. I am very familiar with the rule about using the least amount of power to establish "reliable communications" Where I live I cannot do that on 5 watts, even with a decent outdoor antenna, and definitely not with a mobile antenna, unless I drive right up to the repeater. I have a Yaesu FT-60, and wish I hadn't bought it. When connected to my base antenna and a 12V power supply, I can sometimes hit the closest repeater, but I get a lot of poor signal reports. If you can hit a lot of repeaters with under 5 watts, that's great. But regardless, 5 watts is not enough power to cause any interference. I agree you should almost never need 75 watts, though I have used it while driving through the Nevada desert on hwy 93 from Vegas to Ely. Cell phones don't work out there, and there are very few VHF/UHF repeaters. In an actual emergency, life or death, or severe property damage, crank the power all the way up. There is a whole nother set of rules concerning emergencies.

[@92dieselunit]

i just purchased a ft-2980 and figured id get watch some reviews on you tube and low and behold you live near me. Im in Caldwell. small world.

[@petemitchell6788]

They make non slip mats. I always stretch my mic cord before my first transmission. You can reduce low power to around 2 watts within the menus. Simple fixes for simple gripes.

[@MrWmburr7]

Hey, W7KBX, I like the way you mounted that FT-2900R to eliminate the wobbling and the sliding around. I may end up doing that for mine also. First I'm going to order a J-Pole Slim Jim Roll Up and throw it up in a maple tree outside my house. If I can get it into a high enough branch, THE WORLD WILL BE MINE! (cue the lightening and the spooky music) :-) 73's my friend. AA8VA

[@stalbaum]

Yeah but can you do an unboxing video? Just joking, thanks for the review.

[@robinj.9329]

I received my first "Ham" license, in my mailbox on March 1, 1993. And my very first purchase was a Radio Shack HTX-202. A 5 watt, vhf, Handheld. And boy! Was I surprised by how really H O T that bugger would get when having a short "Rag Chew" at full power! In those days, it was common for us "Newbies" to participate in what we quantly called, the Simplex Round table! And since this Newbie lived way out in the boonies, I used the full 5 watts most of the time. To put it bluntly, my radio would soon get "TOO HOT to handle! I had to work off an external antenna and use a speaker mic. So the idea of keeping any radio up at full power makes my hands hurt. I just got the FT-2980/R And that huge heat-sink will indeed be very much needed at my location.

[@mattluvsnascar]

This VA5DCS -I;m new to the world of Amateur Radio. Just installed this rig. Thank you for the time you took to do the video. Perhaps we meet on line sometime. Right now I can only work on VHS and UHF but working on my advanced. -Peace to your home.

[@jolebole-yt]

Hello. I'm a new licenced Ham. I am debating which one to get as my first 2m radio. The choice is down to the Yaesu FT-2900 vs the 3200. Any major differences except the looks and the fanless/fan design ? Thx.

[@homgrwn]

Ok so this was an unboxing but without you opening the box

[@marsradio]

Yep. I guess we all suck, and we're all goobers. Oh well. :D

[@africantwin173]

I mist the 9k6 data port on those models, and on the cheaper FTM series.

[@Mike82ARP]

You can buy a pack of stick-on rubber feet for a couple bucks which would alleviate the leveling and grip problems.

[@smallenginedude71]

you used my favorite word. goober. instant subscribe.

[@nickc8819]

@W7KBX, Question: Do you have to program a repeater into the radio to able to receive or transmit on this radio? Or can you just input a frequency to talk point to point

[@jackfoster4859]

Old reply but yes just input freq to use on simplex

[@joeshmoe7899]

How is it for receiving and urban receiver overload, compared to other radios?

[@AndrewMurphy8383]

i guess we all sucks if we like watching unboxing and does unboxing vids

[@childfree83]

This is a great radio. I love not hearing that annoying fan noise after every time you key up on the dual band 7900r. Yaesu should have made this radio a dual band for as big and heavy as it is. That is the only thing I would change. However this radio is a great value at only $139. Way better value than a cb radio.

[@grantbalazs8427]

Matt childfree 8

[@CertifiedSped94]

Would I need a power supply for this? I am wanting to use this in my home, as well as in my vehicle via, the cigarette lighter port. Are these options possible?

[@w7kbx-buckley]

For home, yes you need a power supply. I use MFJ-4128. For your vehicle, you do not want to use the cigarette lighter port. The wiring for that port is not rated for very high amperage and will be at risk of melting or other hazardous consequences if you use the 2900 radio with it. You will want to run heavy gauge (10 AWG) directly from your battery to your radio. Be sure to install an appropriate fuse on the wire between the battery and your radio on the hot wire (red). The wiring needs to be rated for high heat. Auto stores like Napa Auto Parts has great wiring for this. Also, it would be smart to also encase the wiring that is in the engine compartment with split loom. It's cheap. I just remembered that the radio comes with wiring. I didn't use it for my vehicle setup. Too short. And I didn't trust that it would withstand the engine heat. But, it may work for you.

[@mazverve7690]

11:55 OMG you have to put pads on the feet to prevent it from sliding and wobbling...it's the end of the world!

[@SiezureLips]

fock 5 watts! if it were 100 watts id use it!

[@shannonstephenson0993]

How do you remove a repeater frequency from memory? I can program them, but deleting a channel or frequency?

[@warplanner8852]

R. T. F. M.

[@Duddie82]

I also see no point on unpacking a radio. I also have the same radio, and it works fine, There are a few new hams who run their 2900r on full watts, and we try telling them, "You are on a repeater, and not very far from that repeater, so put your power on 5 watts and it will be fine". But they go on using high power and wonder why their radio gets hot, because some of them talk way too much. long key ups. Kind of frustrating.

[@jacuswoczega9180]

Worst sensitivity comparable to FT-1900 isn't a problem ?

[@zebpoletti3659]

do you need a power supply for one of these radios?

[@az_pit_viper4270]

Yes,.you do

[@CertifiedSped94]

Is there a decent handheld ham radio that has relatively long range? at a cheap price lol?

[@w7kbx-buckley]

Handhelds usually have a max power of 5 watts. With the stock rubber duck antennas, that won't do much, no matter what brand/model it is. if you attach it to a better antenna, like a j-pole that is mounted up high, most handhelds will perform quite well and will make decent line-of-sight contacts. Just don't go for Baofeng radios. Those things are potatoes and are absolutely terrible at rejecting unwanted signals and have a hard time picking up weak signals. Side-by-side comparison, my Alinco DJ500T can pick up weak signals that my Baofeng UV5R could not. They were using the same 20 foot high antenna for the test. Baofengs are crap. I have gone through 6 of them. They only lasted a year and then developed significant issues. I threw all mine in the trash. The Alinco DJ500T is a decent budget radio.

[@az_pit_viper4270]

There is, but remember that you get what you pay for

[@az_pit_viper4270]

My question is, how do you justify your hatred fora mobile radio that can put out 75 watts? I mean let's be real. You either live out in a small town or in an area that does not have a lit of RFI, etc. What if someone has an emergency and is 50 miles away from the nearest town? Do you think 5 watts will get you that far?

[@majorkonfuzion1007]

mine have no feet 🤔

[@aurtisanminer2827]

Ha ha! I agree about unboxing videos.

[@matt9c1]

At 7:29 you whine about a kerchuker. Seriously ? Get over it. Ham repeaters get kerchunked....big deal.