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Monster Media 1993 #2
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FT470
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1990-07-30
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SB ALL @ USNET < AB9V $21463_KD9QB
Yaesu FT-470/411 Caution!
R:890503/0135z @:KD9QB Noblesville, IN #:21463 Z:46060
YAESU FT-470 and FT-411 CAUTION!!!
This is a caution for persons considering purchase of either the Yaesu FT-411
or the FT-470 handheld tranceivers.
I purchased an FT-470 Dual-Band HT from R Electronics at the Dayton Hamfest.
This is a beautiful little radio with enough microprocessor controlled
functions to rival even the largest radios. I was initially pleased with this
radio while operating at Dayton. Upon returning home to the Indianapolis area,
however, I was quite disturbed to hear the combination of a local repeater and
the local NOAA weather radio station appearing anywhere and everywhere in the
2 Meter band.
Further investigation revealed that the apparent cause is a front end mixing
of the 145.25 MHz. repeater and the 162.55 MHz. weather radio. Note the
difference in frequencies: 162.55 - 145.25 = 17.3 MHz. OOPS!
The first IF frequency of the 2 Meter receiver in the FT-470 is 17.3 MHz! I
have since talked to two other local hams who have the same model radio. They
both have this problem. The interference is strong enough in the Indianapolis
area to render the squelch control totally useless and to rival the signal
strength of some otherwise useable repeaters. I am told that the first IF of
the Yaesu FT-411 HT is audio is a 24 hour/day broadcast and the wide area
repeater
(WA8VZY) on 145.25 MHz. is probably the busiest in Indiana, these Yaesu radios
are of questionable utility in the Indianapolis area. Note that my QTH is one
county North of the Indianapolis (over 20 miles from NOAA and over 30 miles
from WA8VZY). I cannot use this HT on 2 Mtrs with my 11 El. yagi, regardless
of where it's pointed! The interference is marginally tolerable at home when
using the suppleed "rubber dck" antenna.
I have contacted both R Electronics of Hamilton, Ohio (local Yaesu service
center) and Yaesu in California. I have not received acknoledgement from
either party that there is even a problem with these radios in this situation.
I am still pursuing this with Yaesu but I am getting nowhere fasts little radio
but something needs to be done here! It appears to me that there is a design
or alignment problem with these units which needs to be cured.
If you are considering buying one, THINK AGAIN!!! If you have already bought
one and are experiencing similar problems, let me know! I feel sure that if
Yaesu can come up with a cure, that they will then acknowledge the problem.
Until then I guess I'll just live with the thing and stick to 440.
Mike... AB9V @ KD9QB