Yaesu FT-65 vs. FT-4X. Which one is the better radio?

[@SIGINT007]

When I became licensed in the 90s, there was no “let me buy this $39 Chinese POS radio on Amazon” option. Every radio, even the “cheap” ones, was expensive and the market was tighter so features and competition was better. A $200 10 channel Alinco was the budget option back then…and it didn’t do half of what any of these radios can. The clear winner is the FT65. Why the 4X even exists is puzzling to me.

[@AdamosDad]

I pulled an old Motorola speaker mike out of my retirement toolbox and it works very well on my FT-65r.

[@bruceforster3709]

I bought my FT-4 4 Years ago. It IS a nice little radio. I bought it with the idea of a Backup for my VX-8. This past June, my VX-8 was stolen out of my car. I replaced that with a VX-6, which I also like very much. Then in October The Ham Radio Outlet in San Diego got one in from the wife of a Silent Key. With two batteries and a Speaker Mic all for $200.00 I GRABBED IT! I am an Extra, and my Wife is a Tech. HER idc Radio for the last 13 Years has been an FT-60. It has developed a MINOR issue, and is still very useable: But in these current times, I felt it was time to replace her Radio, so for Christmas she's getting an FT-65. It's all charged up, programmed, and ready-to-go under the Tree. I like my FT-4 very much, BUT you are absolutely RIGHT about the FT-65. It just "FEELS" more solid than the FT-4! I personally think the FT-4 is the easier of the two to program manually, though neither is particularly hard to do. They ARE different from my other Yaesu's when it comes to programming, and there's a bit of a learning curve. That being said, when I was reading the FT-65 Manual last evening, I could not find A WORD regarding how to program the CTCSS Tones. I did figure out using the Menu. The FT-4 Manual is equally bad in this regard.. I had to figure it out on my own,, and write a little "Cheat Sheet". ALL of this aside, I REALLY like the FT-65! I think it's a LOT of Bang for the Buck. I'm liking it SO much, I plan to purchase Two more FT-65's for my Go Kit. Should something happen to one of them, $90.00 to replace is a WHOLE lot cheaper than trying to find another VX-8. I'm running with the 65 to use for SAR & Special Events as a machine I can loan to other Hams I trust, and as a General 'knockabout' rig.

[@larryjanson4011]

a year after your posting. the only vx8 on the market is a Japanese version. going for over$1,000.USD then any import problems. i love my vx8dr yaesu should have kept up this radio. or maybe watered it down with less options it would sell like hot cakes.

[@miriamsmith7135]

Great video. I do have both of these radios. I do agree the FT 65 is better than the FT 4X because the FT 65 receives, just a little better than the FT 4X.

[@Cubasenet33]

None of them has got a superheterodine receiver, as is the case with FT-70D.

[@jordesclark]

The speaker-mic plug is that used by Vertex radios, and some Motorola hand portables too. I have headsets, speaker mics etc for a Motorola radio and they work really well with the FT4X/FT65. Great video though, thanks!

[@roberttosa2560]

Great review and comparison. I just bought the FT-65 and I love it. like you I am carrying it more than my more expensive radios. It’s a great little radio. 73. WI9RHC.

[@TheSpitfiregoggles]

I've had my -65 for several years, after having bought a Baofeng to get me back on the air. I like that it's light in weight but still feels solid, has good loud audio on receive and has excellent battery life. The only way it's inferior to the FT-60 is the intermod performance, if you're on a hilltop with commercial transmitters present they may well desense an FT-65, a -60 will be much better. On the other hand, the -60 only gives around half the Rx audio output...and isn't moisture and shock proof in the way the -65 is. Very good point about the reduced environmental protection on the -4X, I hadn't considered that but then I already have a -65. Thanks for another interesting video, 73, Simon G0CIQ

[@TheSpitfiregoggles]

Yesterday I was passing Nevada (the radio shop near Portsmouth, England, not the US State!) and bought a new high capacity battery for my -65...it really gives it the feeling of a hefty power tool and should make it's battery life even better.

[@W5KVV]

As mentioned, the speaker mic jack is the Motorola flavor. The CP200 lapel mics work flawless on these radios. Built 10x better than anything Yaesu offers.

[@abogue77]

One important thing I didn't see mentioned is that the FT-65 will not let you store in memory an offset split (non-standard) repeater pair. You can operate it in VFO mode, but not as a saved memory channel. The FT-4x will let you do this. My local club has to use offset splits due to local interference issues.

[@elkabong6429]

Thanks for the comparison. I’m looking for an HT that will be designated for volunteering at events only, which means lots of exposure to the elements. The FT-65R seems to fit the bill! Also, word to the wise; it’s not a good idea to pick up your HTs by the antenna. The antenna connector is the weakest part of any HT, regardless of brand and you will end up with having to get repairs. The antenna is not a handle, folks!

[@applejacks971]

The FT4x and FT65 side by side looks like my FT60 sitting beside my FT3. Between the 2, I'm still not sure which of those I like better. Regarding the FT4 and FT65, I think I'll end up with both just because they are cheap. MTC currently has the the FT4x for $59, can't beat it! HT's are fun little radio's to tinker with. Affordable so a person can have more than one at a time :)

[@applejacks971]

Yup, I ended up with both of them :) They are both really sweet little rigs. I like the display options of the FT65. I just acquired the TYT-88 and Retevis RT85 as well. I couldn't pass them up for the $$!

[@wildlifegrocery2965]

Thank you..! Very detailed and comprehensive comparison. This helped out a lot..!

[@ColeDedhand]

The FT-65 is 3X more expensive than a Baofeng but it is a 100X better radio.

[@HouseholdDog]

It's 12x more expensive where I live.

[@soodwah]

I bought Baofengs, got rid of them very soon after due to numerous defects.

[@matthealey8]

The connector is not proprietary, it's a Motorola M1 connector, so there are at least a few aftermarket options for it. Would've been helpful if Yaesu at least mentioned that in the description, very strange of them to leave it out.

[@subarusensei3685]

Probably they don't want motorola to sue them... I love how it uses motorola connectors as alot of there older commercial (CP200 is pretty heavily used radio lots of video/audio feilds use them) are easy to get accessories I can get a remote speaker mic for around 20 bucks, I got a surveillance wire for a dollar at a surplus store.

[@stevehildreth1934]

Currently equipped with a UV5R, the FT65 is on it's way. A signal stuff BNC signal stick is coming along with the SMA/BNC adapter.

[@davidl.4408]

How well does the FT-65 handle QRM? It is a direct conversion radio, so I was wondering if you'd tried it in a high noise environment. My Baofeng is continually breaking squelch due to QRM. My Yaesu FT70-D does a stellar job of handling the QRM, but it is a wonky radio with horribly poor battery life, an insane programming procedure to hook it up to the computer, and needing 2 hands to adjust the volume... I'm ready to sell my FT70-D at a loss just to get rid of that thing that was such a huge disappointment - I don't want to see it anymore... I need a dual-band handheld that does a good job in an environment where there are lots of offending signals.

[@design2survive]

The speaker mic plug is a Motorola M1. Very common accessories.

[@tomperone9338]

I agree with you on the Retevis being the true "Baofeng killer". I find that it's pretty much become my default daily carry. It's a much better radio in every respect, and it's cheap enough to where I don't feel the need to baby it. I did just pick up a new FT-65 at Xenia for $75. I couldn't pass it up at that price, even though I have far too many HT's as it is. Seemed like I was about due for one, as my last Yaesu HT was a 207R!

[@ibanez777vbk]

Those retivis radios ive had 2 rt3 and rt3s both deaf as a post on anologue,i had retevis side by side with baofeng uv5r,the uv5r picked up allsorts the retivis sat there deaf as a post,on digital retivis wasnt so bad but anologue it sucked bad,i sold them on double time,now i have anytone 868 which is a decent radio i might buy ft65 like look and sound of them,thanks for the review :-)

[@jayb3518]

So both the ft-4xr and ft-65r have the same scanning features, meaning both will do "Memory scan, Programmable Memory scan (PMS), Memory Bank Scan and Dual Receive" that are in the reseller descriptions of the 4xr? All the info I found on reseller sites omit some of those from the description of the 65r.

[@WillThePlank]

I thought the FT4 was IP54 rated too? According to Google it seems to be.

[@jamisoncook1948]

I own the UV-88 and the FT-65. The UV-88 is a great radio but the FT-65 is better in harsh RF environments. Milwaukee Wisconsin is such an area where the UV-88 caught some intermod but the the FT-65 was dead quiet. Filtering!!!!! Both have their place though!!!

[@ppersia02]

Hi, would you recommend the Abbree Ar-730 instead of the FT-65?. I need to buy one radio but the chinese model seems to be quite good. Thanks in advance

[@LordGryllwotth]

Are you dragging out a TYT? I got one a few years ago and it drains the battery when on the radio. And also it has no filters. The Baofeng killer a few years ago was Wouxun for me. Filtered, ip54, decent battery, more volume than a car horn.

[@angryguy714]

At 16:22 LOL...so true...sometimes I make sure to wear a jacket or cargo shorts to certain events so i can sneak in some radio action....hahaha.

[@albertoneri5427]

about the battery. i've both ft4 and ft65, got in the same period. so i tried to run in parallel in RX mode and the ft65 depleted battery some hours before than the ft4.

[@mauriciotosetti7259]

hola consulta puedo con mi Yaesu FT4X ampliar el rango hasta 119.5? gracias

[@Trancifiedx]

FYI, the Tera speaker mic accessories are compatible with the 65 and 4x.

[@KS6DAY]

Interesting. Many thanks for the info. I've been meaning to get my hands on a TR-590. I'm even more interested now.

[@billisnice]

I have the Yaesu vx-6 and ft-65. The vx-6 is a better radio but having to screw in accessories like the programming cable, speaker mik, etc is a pain. If I want to listen to the ft-65 privately I can plug in a cheap headphone without screwing it in. The 4 memory keys are a nice touch.

[@tomoiagaflorin8910]

Can 65 rx on uhf and tx on vhf and viceversa? What about Pmr446? Thanks

[@sergiocavazos8963]

I just have a big conflict with ft65... all the time receiving "low modulation" reports, my voice trasmitted to low... quite bothering from a yaesu radio

[@bartsta603]

Hi, is possible to register two different frequency in one memory channel like in ft-4 one for rx and second for tx. It’s name split memory page 10 in advanced manual ft-4.

[@baronedipiemonte3990]

Will the "unlock" code work on the new FT4X *R* ?

[@robertrockwell7581]

I own the Yaesu FT65R and a uv5r. the 65r is a lot better radio. I watched reviews on different hand helds here on youtube that is why I picked the 65r.

[@bartsta603]

Hi, is possible to register two different frequency in one memory channel like in ft-4 one for rx and second for tx. It’s name split memory page 10 in advanced manual ft-4.

[@larryhunter8245]

Great informative video. Thanks!

[@jozefbezan2501]

Danke für das tolle Video.73 von Jozef,S56CJG QTH Wien.Österreich.😊😊😊

[@gnomgnomownik3287]

11:55 i AM disagree with you. Even with the larger battery the ft65 shuts off quicker then ft4x

[@Blaculo]

Great info. Subscribed.

[@adamdudek2608]

I cant seem to find this information, but are the keys on the ft-65r backlit?

[@KS6DAY]

No. They are not backlit.

[@adamdudek2608]

@@realisticallysimple I ultimately bought this radio after finding out about the keys infact being late. Love this radio so far

[@errc23]

Which brand, type antenna on the 4X?

[@rushtonline1674]

Hah! Voting system. :). Had to rewind just to make sure I got that one.

[@punk303]

This video just answered every question I had

[@erman0006]

has it dual watch function?

[@eminusipi]

Your FT-65 doesn't have the stock antenna. Is that a Diamond SRJ77CA? I have one of them.

[@stevennelsonjr.3407]

It's probably a Nagoya NA701 or 771

[@TheSpitfiregoggles]

Yep, Nagoya...I bought a 701 for my FT65 a couple weeks ago and it's better than the stock antenna in both usability and performance, despite still being a short (7 1/2") antenna.

[@billmakesmovies]

FT65R inbound!

[@ivrsn_1569]

Anyone, the led receives blue color besides green and red, what does blue mean?

[@mikemurphy1940]

I bought 2 FT4’s, one as a gift and one for me. At the time I got them, they were selling for about $69. My biggest gripe with these is the tx audio. You really have to close talk these to be heard. Does the FT65 have this issue?

[@jameszeman4438]

After doing the Mod for out of band TX (the code), I don't get the "ERROR" message on the screen but it isn't transmitting. What about enabling Scrambling? Is that possible as well?

[@Boohpoop]

I live my ft65. Why would anyone buy Chinese radio? They are not our friends.

[@mikesmith5139]

Thanks for the review. I now have an FT65. I have found that while it produces the full 5 Watts on 2 metres, it only manages a maximum of 2.5 Watts (when set to 5 watts) on 70cms. This is either into a dummy load or into a 70cms aerial. The power meter, by the way, shows that other 5 watt radios produce 5 Watts, so it's not meter inaccuracy. Is that normal / typical of the FT65, do you think, or is there anything that could / should be done? Thanks again. 73, Mike.

[@echofoxtrotwhiskey1595]

For whatever reason, a lot of HTs I’ve seen tested on YT tend to drop off on 70cm for whatever reason. Some more than others.

[@gregm.857]

Thanks for the review. In general very informative and helpful. Yes, I'm leaning toward the 65. However I'm a bit confused by your comments about display. You say one has LED and one has dot matrix (you don't say which is which). Every other comment I've read says they're both LCD with a backlight. AFAIK the 4x has segmented type characters (i.e. old style crude characters) and the 65 is dot matrix which has more "normal" looking characters. What about programming? Eck-cetera.

[@pixeluser175]

The FT-4 DOES HAVE FM broadcast receive.

[@alexgunawan98]

Frequency stability this radio is 5 ppm. Alinco DJw18 is 2.5 ppm. I choose lowest Frequency Stability better.

[@larryjanson4011]

i can not understand a light on a radio? i always have a light on me. and others close by. my 4D mag with a led light bulb can be seen for miles. and punches through the fog…to a point.

[@KS6DAY]

I don't really get the light thing either. But you would be astonished at just how pissed off some people get when you ridicule the LED light. Especially amongst the Baofeng crowd. It's a weird obsession they have with it. But given they are only willing to spend $25 on a radio, I suppose handheld flashlights are some kind of luxury item to them.

[@StaffAction]

well I wish I would have come across this video before I made my purchase...ha! oh well, it's not like owning a 4x will be detrimental. Anyway, here is something can't figure out as I learn my new 4x: When I have it scanning, it stops when it finds an active frequency...I'm used to the UV5R which will stop for a few seconds and then keep going, scanning the band. Where as on the 4X it won't keep going...there must be a setting to fix this? It's getting monotonous to have it continue scanning every time it stops on static.. I do plan to watch the rest of this series to be a 4X tutorial and will likely get a 65 at some point. I'm gifting my UV5R to my dad for Father's Day tomorrow :-)

[@KS6DAY]

My FT-4XR with the clip removed and a stubby Diamond RH3 antenna gets a lot of use as my pocket carry radio. In fact, it's going with me today when I go to a family event. There is a very good case to be made for owning both. So, you now have 50% of the collection in hand. Enjoy your new radio. As for the scanning issue, go to Menu Item #34 SCN.RSM and make sure "BUSY" is selected. That will allow scan to resume when the memory channel is no longer busy.

[@StaffAction]

@@KS6DAY thank you! I changed the setting to 'time' and that did the trick. I'm amazed at how much static/digital it is picking up as it scans, far more than the baofeng did. To try to eliminate most of that, that would be adjusting the squelch, right?

[@KS6DAY]

@@StaffAction Yes. Kick the squelch up a bit and the weaker signals won't register and be picked up on scan.

[@pache2112]

Whoa! Don't spend "too much" on old dad! LOL 🤣

[@rodneywillissr9489]

China is the last place I buy from, there are some things you just have to purchase that is from China, but I put forth a great effort not to. So long as there is a very comparable item, with a fairly comparable price I will by the other.

[@KS6DAY]

The good news then is that these are made in Japan now. One of the many reasons that I promote these as heavily as I do.

[@forgetyourlife]

You never covered the biggest difference of all. The 65 has the secret menu to activate Dual Display!!

[@W5KVV]

Absolutely. That alone makes it more valuable than the 4x. Not to mention the optional 2500mHa battery.

[@Boebus666]

How is that done!?

[@forgetyourlife]

@@Boebus666 if I remember correctly you hold the PTT and the button below it when off, turn it on while holding them down, when on let go of the buttons…A new menu will appear, scroll to Dual Display and turn that on.

[@Boebus666]

@@forgetyourlife That's so cool! Thanks a bunch! 😀

[@jeffwright713]

Man get on with it

[@risingsunflagsamemeaningas7472]

Don't buy products full of program errors~

[@RaytheReviewer]

the company for that $35 mod doesnt happen to be out of Georgia(ant.farm?) is it? like to know before wasting 35 buck..thanks