quote:

Originally posted by 911Boss:
I too have an FTD5, no problems with it, but gets very little use.

TBH, I find my CCR’s easier to use and just as effective unless I need something they don’t offer such as digital modes etc.

My RT-950 Pro has quickly become my “go to”. Great audio RX and folks I’ve talked to on it report strong signal on their end as well.



As to repair, my guess is they are just a likely to replace than actually repair. Yaesu is good stuff, however all the 1st tier Japanese company’s (Yaesu, Icom, Kenwood) have probably been forced into to QC cutbacks from CCR price pressures.


I remember when the most basic Dual Band HT’s were north of $300.

Interesting. Does that Radtel do real APRS, or is it the neutered proprietary GPS on many Chinese radios?

^^ According to my research APRS is beacon only, so yeah, neutered

I’m a total newb technician, so take anything I say with a grain of sand… my main radio is a Kenwood TH-D75, but I have a pair of BTech UV Pro’s also. Those two are a lot of fun. They are totally programmable with an android or iOS device. I unlocked mine with a trick to use GMRS as well.

I'm glad to learn of the success y'all have had with cheaper radios. Gives us all confidence that we don't need to spend big bucks on ICOM, Kenwood or Yaesu.

The plan is to wait on the repair, and to use my existing ICOM V80 as a stop gap for 2m work locally. No need to rush out to purchase a replacement.

Just received a very comprehensive e-mail from Yaesu, copied below.
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I am writing to provide a status update on the FT5D (S/N: 2I082709) that you sent in for service. I was able to detect a fluttering sound present on transmitted audio. After a through investigation, I was able to pinpoint the source of the interference. It is being caused by the individual microSD card that is installed. The same fluttering sound occurs when your microSD card is used on our test unit. When I transmit without the microSD card installed or with our known working card, the audio sounds normal without any interruptions. Replacing the microSD card should resolve this issue. Unfortunately, because of the variety between different microSD cards and their manufacturers, we can’t guarantee that every specific microSD card will work perfectly with the radio. We are at least able to verify that your radio is operating normally. Please let me know if there is anything else we need to check on the radio, or if it is ok for me to close out this request so that we can return the radio to you.
- - - - - -

Unbelievable. How a microSD card affects audio quality I can't imagine. But, kudos to Yaesu for their quick investigation and exemplary diagnostic skill. Columbo would be proud.

Well, it's pretty cool that they could work that out. Hopefully it really is that easy.

With all the ice Fedex wouldn’t deliver as scheduled. I saw the truck speed past the house and mark the delivery as not attempted for severe weather.

I actually chopped out the ice in the street for the driver who would be walking to the clear driveway, hoping each day he would stop.

Finally Monday I heard a truck and went out to meet the driver. He skated from the far side of the road to me and the radio was home.

The knob on top doesn’t have the same feel as it did…less separation of the clicks.

I pulled the faulty SD card and tested the transmission quality. No issues. So, it is fixed if you can call it that.

Formatted the defective SD in the radio. Tested with empty card. No issues. QSO on 145.43 MHz 9 miles away from indoor office with good audio report.

Next step will be to reload the radio settings and memory on the formatted card. If the card still causes transmission issues I’ll use it elsewhere and buy the RTSystems programming cable.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: 4MUL8R,