Yaesu FTA-450L (hand-held transceiver) pirep

MountainDude

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MountainDude
After being very disappointed by PJ2 (Sporty's deleted a bad review by a pilot and the product is shipping with defective connectors), I selected Yaesu 450.

Items in the box:
There are a lot of items in the box, but I just charged the battery and screwed in the headset adapters. This is how it will be stored in my glove compartment.

Performance:
I could clearly hear the conversation between the tower and the pattern/arriving traffic 20 miles away. I was on a "hill", so had a direct line of sight to the planes, not sure about the tower.
I did not test the transmission.

Ease of use:
I am sure it can do a lot more, but you can just type in the 5 digit frequency, and it instantly switches to it. That is all I need. Very simple.
 
I bought a 550...I think. Anyway, it is the one that takes AA's. I was concerned a rechargable would be dead when I needed it. I always have spare AAs for the headsets.

I wasn't expecting too much, but it seems really nice & solid. I hope to never NEED it, but I've used it to listen on the ground, as well as get the atis when one of our kx155s was inop.
 
I have an FTA-250 and the quality has proven terrific. Rock solid unit, and serves as my back-up. Unit included PTT switch, Headset adapter, external power, battery pack. Four years later, still running strong. Only negative is the rechargeable battery, which would hold a charge after 8 months. I use the included AAA battery carrier instead, and it's lasts for a very long time.

I'd buy Yaesu again.
 
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I have a FTA 230 it worked great utill I dropped it. Can't hear a thing unless you take the squelch off and that's really annoying. I think the only way to fix it is to replace the circuit board. At that point I might as well buy a new handheld. I have been thinking about a FTA450
 
To confirm, my 450 came with an AA battery adapter if you want to use them. However, the built-in battery lasts 12 hrs, so I am set.
 
I have the FTA-750 and as far as I can tell, it's like the 550, but has GPS and waypoint navigation.

Since my airplane has no NAV receiver, It was nice to be able to tune up a VOR when my GPS signal went away on all my devices...

I own a few Yaesu Amateur Radio products and I prefer them because of their features and bang for the buck.
 
I own a few Yaesu Amateur Radio products and I prefer them because of their features and bang for the buck.
I have thought about amateur radio, what is the best way to start? Do you have to start with the Morris Code?
 
There is no longer a code requirement. That went away years ago.

The entry level license is the Technician Class Certificate. It can be had simply by getting a 70% passing score on a 35 question test. Anyone can take the test and there is no formal training requirement.

Go to http://www.arrl.org/getting-licensed and read through the simple application process. Finding a Volunteer examiner session is usually the most difficult part of taking the test, but you can do it anywhere there is a test session offered.

Contact a local club or a VEC (testing guys) listed in the ARRL website and they will go out of their way to get you licensed. My club in Central Texas will come to you and give you the test on very little notice and we encourage anyone to try.

There are many excellent videos on Youtube that will cover every tested subject and that is a great way to learn the basics for the Technician test.

You can learn Morse code on your own if you want to and many hams do, just to enjoy another way of communicating, other than voice.

The whole process is easy and you can advance your way through the classes in order to get more privileges on the bands. Experimenting with radio hardware and computerized digital modes is a lot of fun if you are a tinkerer. Emergency comms is yet another aspect of the hobby.

Go for it!
 
The entry level license is the Technician Class Certificate. It can be had simply by getting a 70% passing score on a 35 question test. Anyone can take the test and there is no formal training requirement
Go for it!
And I believe, if I'm not mistaken, that a 5 year old girl took the Tech exam and passed it on the first try.

Jim
 
I love my Yaesu FTA-450L. Some times at home, I turn it on to listen to Hudson River Traffic. When it is off and not in the plane, I take the battery off the pack to minimize battery drain.
 
I can’t say enough good things about mine. Wonderful and troublefree. I’ve had it about two years.
 
Curious if anyone replaced the antenna - it seems to detach very easily from bnc connector on the top of the radio. Any recommendations ?
 
I have one as a back up. never tried it in the air yet. My tiger has a glove box and an unused com antenna so I can plug a BNC connnector into it and I assume it will work even better. Glad to read the good reviews.
 
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