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.


High power radio, looks like a huge, strong heat sink. Otherwise a pretty stupidly designed radio with no logical or intuitive use in real use.