Today, Yaesu announced the FT-25R 5W VHF and FT-65R 5W VHF/UHF handheld transceivers. The FT-25R and FT-65R are compact, light and ruggedly designed handheld transceivers. They both offer 5W of output power, have a 1W front facing internal speaker and are IP54 / MIL-810-C,D and E rated. A newly designed large white LED display adds improved visibility under tough conditions. The supplied 1950mAh Li-Ion battery is capable of providing up to 9 hours of operating time on a single charge!
The PTT is stupid, it sticks out, and will get hit often and TX for no reason. I cannot imagine why anyone would have it protruding like that. More stupidity in the name of style. Not to mention the unnatural angle, the old design is proven over many years, so why change it? The white display will not work at night because it will mess up your night vision, so no thanks on that. As a Yaesu fan for many years I am confused and disappointed with some of the recent designs which appear to be a result of the designers not being radio users themselves. So as much as I like the rugged simple design these new radios are not for me. I will stay with my FT-1XDR, or my previous portables such as the FT-60 or the FT-270. The design of these radios smacks of the cheaper Chinese radios and some of their idiosyncratic features which we try to avoid.
And apparently neither receives air band (108 to 136 mhz.) WTH?? Sorry, I will stick to my FT60 and FT1 xdr. No thanks, Yaesu...
Wow! WTH are they thinking! One the greatest portables ever is the FT-60.. you'd think they would have learned something from that.
Well, I think the PTT is a great idea, it sticks out making it easier to distinguish from the other 3 buttons that sometimes feel the same in the hand. Great Idea! The white display has been great on my ftm-100dr making it easier to see at night. There are many dimmer adjustments and contrast making it perfect for nighttime use. Now having it available in an HT version is great! The heavy duty design would be great for handling in a rough and tough environment making it great wherever. Great job Yaesu for not being a stagnant manufacturer by continuing to design a variety of radios for whatever application and end user. kd6iow
Love the FT-60, does all I need and more!! I use mine in my car. I can raise or lower the volume with ease. I hate the 2 hand operation to raise the volume on the FT1D. Unsafe while driving!! With 1 knob on the 65, might have the same volume issue for me. I'll wait for the price drop on the 60 and them I'll get a few more
So? My FT-60 was made in China and it's no different than the ones made in Japan. Just as durable and reliable... I also have an FT-270 that was made in China and that radio has proved virtually indestructible.
Was hoping for a less expensive System Fusion HT. In the mold of the FTM-3200. Looks like I will wait a bit longer.
You missed the point. Seeing the display is not the issue, it is seeing everything else after looking at a white display at night, that is the issue. Red and orange displays do not negatively effect night vision which is why they are used.. it is not because it looks nice or anything like that. There are many radios with a heavy duty design, and if these radios were a genuine heavy duty design they would have die cast aluminum cases just like many other Yaesu portables, but they don't, they are plastic..The FT-270 is Die cast aluminum, same as VX5, VX6, etc, genuine heavy duty radios. And the PTT's don't stick out on them either. Both the traditional orange display and the slim fitting PTT on conventional radios are for practical time tested reasons. Regardless, money talks.. and like the FT2dr, these radios won't last long. People, especially hams are a lot smarter than these companies think. Putting style over practicality is childish.
To clarify: These are more like the Chinese radio design ala Baofeng, Wouxun, and clones, rather than having manufacture of an existing radio transferred to China.
For perspective take a look at a top of the line $600.00 Kenwood portable. No childish design crap here. I don't expect to much for a $150 bucks but please, at least give us something that doesn't look like a childs toy, even if it is made in china, if I want that I'll buy a Boafeng not a Yaesu.