Tri-Band Yaesu VX-6R Submersible Amateur Ham Radio Transceiver (144/222/440)

• Compact, Mil-Spec, Waterproof & Submersible Tri Band Ham Radio!
• Transmits the 144, 220 & 430Mhz Amateur Ham Radio Bands, & receives 0.5-999Mhz!
• Output Power is 5 Watts on 2 meter & 70cm, & 1.5W on 222Mhz, with multiple lower power settings!
• 900 AlphaNumeric Channels, ctcss/dcs, Backlit keypad, includes HiCap 1500mA Batt, sma antenna & charger.
• Compatible with these Optional Accessories: ( Sold Seperate): SU-1 Altitude Barometer Display module, CD-15A Desk Quick Charger, MH-73A4B mic, VC-27 Ear mic, E-DC-5B 12v Car Adapter, CSC-91 Case.

Just a couple of days use so far. I bought this radio in lieu of the Kenwood. The Kenwood interested me as it puts out a full 5 watts on 220. That said, there were also quite a few complaints of water damage from rain or ?. Whatever the reason the last thing I wanted was a radio I couldn't carry in bad weather. I opted for the VX-6R. And since receiving it I haven't even glanced back. The prevailing attributes so far are one, battery longevity. Does this thing ever go dead? And second, the waterproof aspects. The screen (used radio)had some very light scuffs on it. I've learned long ago to buff these marks out with toilet tissue and a bit of toothpaste. It works well. When I'm done I usually have to carefully remove the toothpaste residue with a damp cloth. In this case I decided to take Yaesu's claims all the way and just put the radio under a very slow stream of water at the kitchen sink. That and a little scrubbing with a dish cloth and no more residue.... I guarantee you that a little rain is not going to effect this radio in the least.

Now... what about txmt and rcv...? I don't have any antenna but the stock to use on it other than my base station roof mount. With the roof mount I was doing absolutely great. As good as my Icom 208H which I use as a base, mobile, and portable. At first I got some reports of weak modulation. I turned the mic gain up to 8 (1-10) and reports went from good to much better. I changed antennas and put the stock rubber ducky on and most reception in the house died off. In all fairness though, I have a steel roof and stucco walls. All my receivers have a hard time. The 6R did as good as any of my other radios under the circumstances.

I then took it out side to see how it did. I couldn't rouse up any simplex traffic but I was hitting my local repeaters with less than full wattage. Many of these repeaters are about 7 to 12 miles away but at great elevations... so no real test there. All signal reports were good and no one had a problem copying me. Now lastly, the menu system. I have AOR, Alinco DX 70TH, Icom 208H, Yaesu 857, and an asst. of other scanners and radios. By far I prefer the Yaesu company's menu functions over all others. I must admit though that the 6R is a bit harder to use than even the FT 857D's. But 2 days down and I can get around it well enough but not good enough to leave the manual at home when I go hiking. If your looking for a great HT, built tough with a great batterylife and 220 transmit (1.5 watt), this is a great deal. 73... K5ATE

Update 7/11/12

In reviewing spec's, advertising, and other literature before deciding on this model I had never gotten the impression that this HT was a capable dual-bander also. Well, if you want to work the birds this little puppy can do it. In addition to all it's other features it has a memory save function that allows split frequency saves and the ability to allocate which one is transmit or receive. You can go VHF/VHF, UHF/UHF, or VHF/UHF and visa versa. You can also assign each split freq it's own CTCSS and DTC values. Add one more note to my last review. In hiking around town I was beginning to get a lot of bad signal reports in various areas. Disturbing to say the least. Well, I had an old scanner antenna that extends about 24 inch's. I checked it against my analyzer and it looked good. I put it on the radio and I'm now back to great reports. That being said I might recommend an aftermarket antenna to make this about the best HT package going...73's K5ATE

Buy Tri-Band Yaesu VX-6R Submersible Amateur Ham Radio Transceiver (144/222/440) Now

This is a good starter radio if your interested in breaking into Ham radio. It has a wide range of RX bands and 3 popular TX bands. This is not a CB radio and you do need to get your Amateur radio license to transmit. The radio is also loaded with features and memory to allow you to dabble in many aspects of amateur radio. Download the manual from the Yaesu site to see just what this little radio can do. One word of advice. The Rubber Duck antenna that comes with the radio is next to useless and is little more that an dummy load. Research and spend the extra 30-50 dollars to get yourself a good antenna. You will not be sorry you did.

Read Best Reviews of Tri-Band Yaesu VX-6R Submersible Amateur Ham Radio Transceiver (144/222/440) Here

This radio is without question the most complicated hand-held I have ever used. There are too many functions assigned to the same buttons. After having for many months I have yet to figure it out. A bit disappointing but still a great radio.

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Does everything it says it will and more and in a tough, subermsible package! I bought a longer antenna for it, the earphone mic and also the AA battery pack for emergencies. The extensive receive mode is great: world shortwave stations, local police, fire, bus drivers, event staff, business band, FRS/GMRS, MURS, CB, NOAA weather, marine band, you name it! Even has LED flashlight mode. If you're not comfortable working with menus and multi-function buttons, you'll definitely want the computer cable and software for it, but I figure I want to know how to really use it for full functionality on the go so I didn't get the computer hookup, and I've been able to set it up with all kinds of station lists and memory banks no problem. You will need to refer to the manual frequently at first, though.

Only thing I don't quite understand is that it has a morse code trainer but I don't think it can actually send morse code (CW mode for you hams). But overall I love this thing and couldn't imagine being without it. Tough enough to go anywhere, I take mine out on the boat (it can't transmit on marine band, though) kayaking, hiking, road trips, wherever. The VX-7R and VX-8R are newer models in this Yaesu HT line, but you'll save a bundle if you go with the VX-6R and it does most of what the newer ones do with the exception of some of the digital stuff.

A final word for non-hams: remember, this is a ham radio, not a walkie-talkie or CB, meaning that it is meant for use on the amaetur radio service, so it is illegal to use it to transmit without a license, although no license is required to receive. Also, even if you have a ham license, this radio will not transmit outside of the ham tri-bands listed, and not would it be legal to do so even if it could (non-type accepted for those other bands). 73

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This is my first ham radio after receiving my tech license. The radio doubles as a police and fire scanner. It has the broadcast bands. More importantly, it transmits on all of the UHF/VHY frequencies except 6 meters. I can hit all of the local repeaters Very nice little radio.