Yaesu FT-60
The Ultimate Sport Radio
| There are
several reasons why this radio is a #1 choice in my opinion:
Cost - The FT-60 is one of the
cheapest radios available with a price tag of only $190 CDN or $180 USD.
Flexibility -
Dual-Band operation allows for use of either the 2m or 70cm band with the ability to
program unusual offsets especially good for satellite and cross-band repeater operation.
Wide Receive - The
radio offers near full receive from 108 MHz up to 999 MHz including the aviation and
weather bands.
Long Battery Life -
The radio uses a multicell 7.2 volt 1400 mAh nickel-metal hydride battery which will
provide hours of talk time and about 7 days of operation in standby powersave mode.
Powerful TX - The
radio has the three most useful transmit power settings, 0.5 watts, 2 watts and 5 watts.
Backlighting - The
radio has a well placed illumination button under the PTT tab and will light both the
display and keys making night operation very easy.
Weight - Heavy enough
that you can feel the radio in your hand and on your waist, but weighing only 300 grams
you easily forget it is even there.
Rugged Design -
Military grade specifications are used for weather exposure, shock and dust. From personal
experience the radios front cover which is made out of a heavy duty plastic can be
scratched but will not effect the radios operation in anyway and the rugged design of the
radio plus the battery type allows it to work efficiently at temperatures between -20C and
+60C. I have successfully used the radio at temperatures of -35C.
Audio Quality - A
large speaker at the front of the unit allows for crisp, clear and loud audio at all
times.
Features - The radio
offers all the standard features found on portable units but it also offer some uncommon
features such as specialized paging, WIRES access, CW identification and a range
transponder system known as ARTS.
Memory - What strikes
many is the channel memory of the radio, featuring 1000 channels,10 banks and full alpha
tagging means you program the radio from your PC and go literally anywhere knowing you
have all the frequencies you will ever need stored for a single city, region, country or
even continent. |
|
My FT-60's:
I currently own two FT-60's
which have been adapted for sport and adventure communication use between my girlfriend
and I who are both licensed amateur radio operators.
For most applications such as skiing and mountain biking the stock antenna is just fine
but in cases such as camping and trail hiking where distance becomes an issue especially
with simplex communication the stock antenna is replaced with a Comet SMA-24 antenna. The
SMA-24 is a high gain portable whip antenna, it is 17 inches tall and features 2.15/5.3
dBi gain on VHF/UHF. On average the added gain increases the receive by 5 bars on VHF and
3 bars on UHF but the real advantage is in the transmit where the gain boosts the
effective radiated power. The VHF gain produces an ERP of just over the amount of input or
dead key power, so instead of loosing power on transmit a little more is produced. The UHF
figures are far more impressive where 0.5, 2 and 5 watts have an ERP of 1, 4 and 10 watts.
The effect is that the maximum range between the two radios is increased 2x to 5x or more
as compared to using the stock rubber duck antenna.
Ease of communication is
another critical aspect when biking, skiing or doing another activity that restricts hand
motion or the ability to reach/hear the radio. In most cases I use a Pryme SPM-102 speaker
mic. The radio will sit on my waste and the speaker mic is clipped to my shirt or jacket.
This lets me hear clearly and I can easily reach the PTT button. I chose the SPM-102
because of its small size, most speaker mics are large, bulky and fairly heavy which is
not desirable when bouncing over holes while mountain biking or doing other activities.
The SPM-102 is the only speaker mic I have every really used or desired to use but it has
certainly been a flawless performer never failing me and enduring hot, cold, wet and dusty
environments as well as hitting the ground a few times without any damage resulting.
 |
 |
 |
FT-60 with stock antenna
and speaker mic cable |
Pryme SPM-102 clipped to
ski jacket |
Comet SMA-24 17 inch whip
antenna |
High Gain
Advantage:
Below are two computer
simulations showing the local topography around my campsite and signal strength in
microvolts emitted from my FT-60 at a transmit and receive height of 1 meter using the UHF
amateur band. The minimum signal needed is 0.16 microvolts, anything less will not be
received by the Ft-60.
 |
| No gain stock antenna - 0.5 watts at 446.000
MHz FM - 90% forest signal loss | Reliable coverage 1.25 km |
 |
5.3 dBi Comet antenna - 0.5
watts at 446.000 MHz FM - 90% forest signal loss | Reliable coverage 2.85 km |
Here are a series of maps showing the above results as well as the simulated results using
all three power settings of the FT-60 with the stock antenna vs the high gain comet
antenna. You will notice that the half watt power setting used in conjunction with the
high gain antenna is actually better than using a full 5 watts with the stock antenna. The
obvious advantage is a better signal all around but the more practical advantage is
battery conservation.
FT-60 Practical
Suggestions:
Despite the FT-60 being an
amazing radio like all things man made, flaws do exist. Fortunately there is always an
easy cure to be found!
Speaker/Mic Connector
Popout - A common problem found when connecting things into the 4 conductor 3.5mm
jack is that the cord easily pops out of the radio, especially if the connector has a bent
elbow shape and catches the rubber flap which covers the 3.5 mm jack. A solution is to
wrap the cord behind the radio under the belt clip. This creates tension which forces the
connector to stay in place.
Carrying
Case - Unfortunately Yaesu does not produce a soft case for the FT-60 and none of the
other cases for different models really fit properly. The FT-60's screen and keypad
position makes the radio unique and none of the Vertex Standard cases produced for
commercial equipment will fit either. It has been recently discovered that the SC-47B
Kenwood soft carry case for the THD7AG fits the Yaesu FT-60 perfectly without the need for
modification.
ARTS
(Automatic Range Transponder System) - This feature is useful if you are worried
about wandering out of radio range. The ARTS feature tells the radios to send a special
polling signal every 15 or 25 seconds and they will all communicate back and forth that
the polling signal has been received. The instant a polling signal is not confirmed or
returned the radio beeps that you are out range. If you plan to use this setting I
strongly suggest you use it sparingly! A 1-2 second key-up every 25 seconds can quickly
drain the battery! As a safety feature make sure you have the TX/RX LCD turned on. If the
light is not activated it is easy to put the radio down after use and forget the ARTS
system is still running.
Screen
Scratches - So you have scratched the screen! There are two types of scratches,
surface abrasions and deep gouges. Surface abrasions can be fixed with a good generic
vehicle window or eye glass scratch remover. Make sure the scratch remover you use is safe
with polarized glass, most are but not all. If you have a deep gouge you can either buy a
replacement plate from Yaesu or head over to your local glass store and have them cut a
fresh piece, taking the radio apart and putting in the fresh plate is the hardest part. In
future use a carrying case to prevent scratches!
Links, Accessories & Modifications
Battery
- Click Here - W&W manufactures batteries and a quick charging cradle for the
radio
Charging Cradle - Click Here - Using
the charging cup cradle is much better than the wall charger. There are a series or LED
lights and automatic controls built into the charging cradle so it will never over charge
the battery and fills it up properly. The LED's let you know what the progress of the
battery is and whether it is n rapid charge mode or trickle charge. You will have to
contact the company directly since there FT-60 charger is not listed on their website, but
they do manufacture it.
Extended TX
Modification - Use at your own risk! I do not modify my radios, but if you choose to
you will void the warranty. If the original website link goes down a mirror can be found
at the link below.
Extended TX
Modification Mirror
FT-60 Yahoo Group - Excellent group with
tons of information
Yeasu FT-60
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