Yaesu FT-2900R Overview and Review

This is an excellent base station radio for 2m. I use it on 5w and hit all of the repeaters in my area with full quieting. It's works well on TX/RX and my antenna is located in a closet. Overall, it's just as good as the FT-2800M. It's a solid workhorse.

PROS:
*The VFO/Volume/Squelch knobs have nice tension.
*Easy to operate and program.
*RF Squelch function in menu (great for keeping out traffic light noise at intersections)

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Yaesu FT-2900R Ham Radio - Unboxing

Yaesu FT-2900R Ham Radio - Unboxing

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Yaesu FT-2900R Programming Tutorial

Yaesu FT-2900R Programming Tutorial

0:54 Simplex:
1. Power on the radio
2. Switch to VFO mode by pressing the "MW D/MR" button (you will see "VFO" in the bottom right corner of the display.
3. Enter in a Frequency (146.520)
4. Press and hold "MW D/MR" for 1-second Blinking number will appear showing the next available memory slot. (You have 5 seconds to make the selection)
5. Press the "MW D/MR" button to return to Memory Mode.

2:24 Repeater Programming:
1. Again go to VFO by pressing the “MW D/MR” button
2. Enter Repeater Frequency
3. Press and hold the “SET/MHz” button for 1 second
4. Rotate VFO knob to Menu item #49 SQL. TYP
5. Press the “SET/MHz” button
6 Rotate VFO knob until you see “Tone”
7. Press and hold the “SET/MHz” button for 1 second to lock in the Tone
8. To pick the proper PL Tone press and hold the “SET/MHz” button for 1 second
9. Turn the knob to menu #52 TN. Frq
10. Press the “SET/MHz” button
11. Choose needed PL Tone
12. Press the “SET/MHz” button
13. Press and hold “MW D/MR” button for 1 second
14. Blinking Channel will appear for next available Channel spot.
15. Have to choose within 5 seconds.
16. To go back to memory mode, press the “MW D/MR” button

4:17 Alpha/Numeric Label
1. Bring up channel you wish to label
2. Press and hold “SET/MHz” for 1 second
3. Rotate dial to Menu #30 NM SET
4. Press “SET/MHz” To bring up first character location
5. Rotate the dial to select the needed character(s)
6. Press the “A/N / Low” button to set the character and move cursor to the right
7. Press “DW / REV” to backspace one spot.
8. Repeat until Alpha Numeric tag is done (6 Character max)
9. Press the “Set / MHz” button momentarily to save the alphanumeric tag
10. Press and hold the “SET/MHz” button for 1 second to exit to normal operation

Yaesu FT-2900R Overview and Review

Yaesu FT-2900R Overview and Review

Reviews Summary for Yaesu FT-2900R

Reviews Summary for Yaesu FT-2900R

I have (2) of the FT-2900R transceivers for 2m FM operation. One is being used in my truck as a mobile station and one is being used at my home QTH as a base 2m radio. In my truck, the radio is paired with a 1/4 wave Tram dual-band magnet mount antenna. At my base station, the radio is connected via an antenna switch to a j-pole under the roof of my attic and a 5-element Elk log-periodic beam antenna (also under roof). I am able to hit repeaters within a 50 to 60 mile radius with my base station setup.

I highly recommend this radio with a 4.5 rating to anyone. My operational experience with the FT-2900R is as follows:

First, everything about the build quality of the radio says "rugged". The one piece body only has the face / display screwed on. The rest of the body is a large heat sink. The radio is moderate in size...not as small as some other brands of 2m radios, but it doesn't strike you as too large for mobile use. The radio is fairly heavy and just feels rugged. Also, the radio comes with two screw-on feet for base station use to elevate the front of the radio. I just installed these on both of my units; they do not interfere with the mobile mounting bracket.

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Yaesu ft-2900 2 meter transceiver

Yaesu ft-2900 2 meter transceiver

How To Program The Yaesu Ft- 2900R The Ultimate 2 Meter Ham Radio

How To Program The Yaesu Ft- 2900R The Ultimate 2 Meter Ham Radio

Today I will show you how to program the yaesu ft-2900 the ultimate 2 meter ham radio.

Products used for todays videos:
Yaesu Ft-2900 @ Meter Radio
Diamond X-50 Antenna In The Attic Of My Condo
2-Goal Zero 30 -Watt Solar Panels
Goal Zero Guardian Solar Controller
Midland External Speaker

Yaesu FT 2900R review

Rig continues to draw unsolicited compliments on its TX quality - mostly I'm using WideFM and always using the standard rather flimsy feeling mike. After using the rig in the car and at home I find it's now a pest that it lacks a detachable faceplate. The radio is a hefty lump to find a site for in my VW Golf estate. So I got a used FT7900 to try out with its separate faceplate - far smaller and lighter than the 2900. More expensive too, but the 2900's now likely to see use only at home - mostly on a variety of near and distant repeaters. Can still sometimes trip and use that 94-mile distant one in Fraserburgh (I'm in Fife, Scotland - go measure!) using a simple vertical resonant dipole when at its full height of not-quite 40ft up, on a fibreglass mast.

After around an hour of ragchew with the rig on its 30Watt setting this evening it was too hot for comfort really - so am wondering if replacing it with another set with a fan might be sensible - while this one is still 100% operational. We'll see. END of update notes.

My 2900E (Euro version) was bought just over a year ago and came with a 2 year Yaesu warranty. Somehow I don't see it as likely I'll need that warranty, but you never know...

This rig can be initially summed up with some pluses and minuses - here we go.

Yaesu FT-2900 Review

This is my first mobile 2M rig, and I am very pleased with my purchase of the Yaesu FT-2900.  I am running it with a Hustler MX-2 mag mounted on the roof of my Toyota Corolla, mostly talking to friends on FM simplex. I drive from the Bay Area across the San Joaquin Valley to the Sierra foothills, and regularly work stations 40-50+ miles distant. Most of my friends are running 2-meter horizontal beams for sideband, and we can make reliable contacts with my setup despite the loss with the cross polarization. Any repeaters I'd care to use are a snap, of course.

Some of the Pros (many others have mentioned):
1.)Very rugged design with a large display.
2.)Nice touch on controls.
3.)Robust, pleasing audio on both TX/RX.
4.)Very good receiver, with extended coverage for high VHF Public Service (very useful in my area), and Weather Band. I'm not sure why the one reviewer was experiencing splatter from adjacent channels, but I've heard none of that. My take is that this rig has a bullet-proof front end.
5.)Excellent value for the money. The MX-2 and the rig were about $200 out the door at HRO.
6.)I think the scan functions work adequately well for my purposes. I have about 20 channels -- a mix of simplex channels and favorite repeaters -- programmed in mine. I use the carrier mode and the mic to toggle in or out of the scan mode or step if the rig stops on a channel I'm not interested in.

Cons:

Yaesu FT 2900R review

The Yaesu FT-2900R is my second 2 meter radio, and I'm super impressed. I paid $130 for this little gem.

I have been using this radio daily for 5 months, first month as a mobile, and 4 months thereafter as a base unit. Antenna is a 5/8 wave 2 meter unit.

Good points of this radio...
-Great send and receive audio quality.
-Easy to program, even without the software cable.
-Well built, strong construction.
-Seemingly infinite number of settings to customize this radio are built in.
-Large, easy to read, dimmable display.
-Can display radio internal temperature on screen.
And the list just keeps going.

Yaesu FT-2900R Overview

I bought one of these. The HT will be used as a mobile and portable, this will be my base station. I think it works great. It easily hit local repeaters on 5 watts, and I got great reports on the sound quality. I also didn't like the huge bulky power cable, but this thing does put out 75 watts if you are so inclined. The only real problem I had was the programming. First of all, it is possible to program way more stuff than anyone could possibly need. Second, it is easy to make a mistake with the tiny buttons when you are in a hurry, and it doesn't give you time to think about what you are doing before it cuts off. I went back the next day and got the programming software. Expensive, but now it has been successfully programmed with a ton of stuff I will never need.

I wish someone would make a simple radio where you could just look in the repeater directory (yes, I have a paper copy), use the VFO to set the frequency, key in the offset, and the repeater access code if necessary. You then try low power, and if you don't hit it, keep raising the power until you do.

I plan on doing a lot of traveling, and will need to be able to look up and tune the radio to local repeaters

Yaesu FT 2900R Review video

Yaesu FT 2900R Review video

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

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Yaesu FT-2900R Reviews Summary

I got mine as a Christmas present with the $119 deals that were too good to pass. Plus it let me give my 20 yr old 2nd hand Yaesu mobile to my son who only had a handheld. This is an easy to use basic 2m only radio for base or mobile use. It's heavier than I thought but I used the same space on the drivers side under right leg sideways on the "transmission hump" and it fits fine. I just finished a 3000 mi RT snowbird MN/FL trip and made many contacts on the road and in the Orlando area.

Pros: I think it's easy to program and use, but I also have the Yaesu/Vertex 170 handheld (for some reason I've favored Yaesu VHF like my 15 yr old FT-1500 still in use, but Icom HF with exception of Icom ID31 for our DStar).

Software for Yaesu FT-2900R- Sending Data from Software to Radio

Software for Yaesu FT-2900R- Sending Data from Software to Radio

A video demonstrating how to send frequencies that have been pre-loaded into the software and then send those frequencies to your radio.

How to unlock yaesu ft-2800m

How to unlock yaesu ft-2800m

Amateur Radio Users Support Group
AmateurRadio@groups.io
https://groups.io/g/AmateurRadio

Yaesu FT-2900R Silly Little Microphone

I see only TWO pro's -

- 75w output
- Sturdy cast aluminum brick

Other than that, everything about this radio is a con, IMO. EXTREMELY non intuitive controls. Example, the switch from MEMORY to VFO is on a button labeled "MW D/MR". What in that label suggests choosing memory or VFO? The other menu choices are equally as confusing and all of them are of that typical "Push momentarily for one function, hold down for 1/2 to 2 seconds for another, hold down longer than 2 seconds for a third choice". That's hardly good engineering, particularly for a mobile rig. If you hit a menu choice button and want to get out of it, there's no clear way how to "back out". Sometimes you have to recycle the power.

But the absolutely most ridiculous "feature" of this radio is the stupid microphone. Weight of the mic is about 3 oz. Doesn't want to stay in any mic clip unless the clip is set up with a LOT of tension. When it does sit in a clip, the slightest movement of the vehicle or the mic cord wants to either push the mic out of the holder or rotate it around on it's clip button. PTT switch is very large and takes almost NOT pressure to activate. That, combined with the tiny size of the mic, means that every time you try and pick up the mic, it's likely you're activating the PTT. Sitting on my desk in the shack, I can simply brush the mic cable aside and it will rotate the mic onto it's PTT and key up the radio. DTMF buttons on the front of the mic are a joke. Each button is about the size of the positive terminal nib on a AAA battery. The labels on the button are, of course, smaller than that. Difficult to read in a well lighted shack, much less in a vehicle while moving. And the buttons are recessed with some kind of plastic ridge/guard thing around them which means about the only way to activate the DTMF buttons is to use some kind of stylus like a ball point pen to push them. No way in heck will my thumb or fingers fit into the recess to reach the buttons. The mic to radio connector is an RJ style modular, which all the manufacturers seem to think is appropriate. To remove the mic's RJ connector from the radio front panel requires some kind of tiny screwdriver or other tool. Fingers cannot grab the release tab on the RJ because it is shielded/shrouded on the front panel.

Radio discusses the Yaesu FT-2900 mobile

Universal Radio discusses the Yaesu FT-2900 mobile Amateur Radio transceiver