Yaesu FTM-350 vs Kenwood TM-D710A

[n1plh]

I have the VX-8DR and I would like to get a mobile. The 350 looks pretty good, except for the lousy memory management (separate pools of channels for each VFO, no banks) and the fact that it won't digipeat.

I see that the 710 will Smart Beacon so, other than the higher cost for the 710, are there other benefits to the Yaesu? I generally prefer Yaesu, but I have a feeling that the 710 may be better for heavy APRS use.

Any tips from the guys that have used both would be appreciated!

 

[ke7vvt]

The D710 is slightly cheaper. I like the D710, but haven't used the FTM350. I don't know if the D710 will do ARTS stuff.

Yaesu FTM-350R FTM350 Mobile Transceiver

Kenwood TM-D710A TMD710 APRS Mobile Radio

 

[mmccurdy]

I am very new to this whole scene, but I have used both of these radios and I recently went through this decision process myself.

My friend and I were both interested in rigs with good APRS support, since we are both into four wheeling and backcountry exploration, and we wanted APRS capabilities to find each other and track the other members of our caravan while well outside cell range.

He went with the Yaesu. One main benefit is that Yaesu seems to take a more all-inclusive approach to APRS support. Namely, the GPS can be included "in the box" for an additional $70, which is pretty reasonable and seems to work well (assuming you get the software-updated version as covered elsewhere on this board).

I heavily favor the aesthetics and overall apparent build quality of the Yaesu, but at the last minute I wound up going for the 710. This decision was actually driven by the fact that I already run a GPS with NMEA in/out capability, and the Kenwood offers much better support for the external GPS connection, including the ability to output station locations back to the GPS unit for view on the screen, which I find incredibly useful. (Both units will do a basic "navi" display which shows you distance/bearing to the station.)

Beyond this, basic APRS capability seems really similar between the two units. There are some minor things that seem a little more refined on the Kenwood, such as the ability to have the little APRS status text messages (of which there are a lot in my area) only occupy half the screen where on the Yaesu they are displayed full screen with a flashing border. This is probably more a function of a unit that has had a much longer run, and it's totally possible Yaesu will catch up with later software versions.

Incidentally, I have been very pleasantly surprised with the smart beaconing on both units. It works extremely well to plot the course on the roads. We have not tested it off road yet, but we will do so this weekend.

Anyway, like I said I'm pretty much brand new to this, but I do have access to both radios so I may be able to answer any more specific questions. It's a tough call, and I was on the fence for a long time. Good luck w/ your search.

 

[Moleculo]

Mmcurdy summed it up pretty well. You touched on the digipeat function already. Most will probably have no desire to do this, but I really wanted to be able to do this with the Yaesu I purchased. I like the integrated GPS of the Yaesu and have no need for advanced GPS external functions. Overall, I liked the the display and user interface of the Yaesu better after messing with both radios at the store. The NAVI feature on the Yaesu is really cool, especially if you don't have another GPS navigation system. The external speakers in the Yaesu remote head are a nice touch. The display on the Yaesu is head and shoulders above any other VHF/UHF rig I've ever seen.

80% of the people wanting to make use of the APRS features will find both radios to fulfill their needs. You need to evaluate how important digipeating and using the rig with external APRS software is to you. Then weigh that against the other features in both rigs to make the decision. Good luck and let us know what you decide. Give us your own opinion and review on whichever radio you choose.