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Yaesu VX-170 Hand Talkie Review

Buckshot555

Member
Jul 25, 2010
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I'd like to talk about this great little radio a bit. Its the first amateur radio I bought since getting my basic license.

Its a great, compact radio with many features. It has selectable power output from a quarter watt, 2 watts, and 5 watts, which allows for extended operation. I have personally used this for communication outdoors with my buddies all day long and still have alot of battery power left. Using the max 5 watts will consume the battery pretty quickly though, so keep a charger handy!

The entire radio is waterproof, allowing it to be submersed at a depth of 3 feet for up to 30 minutes. Its outer shell is very rugged and for these two reasons I recommend this radio above any for anyone considering a durable unit for outside use.

The radio's volume is very loud so you don't need to crank it up much, but it will be heard easily in a noisy environment.

The receive range is from 137 to174 MHz although transmission is limited only for the amateur radio band. This is easily modded however through the simple removal of a small resistor. Tx range is expanded to the entire receive range. This allows for use of marine VHF bands and public services bands. I have my radio modded because I operate a boat, but I do not condone miss-use of radio bandplans.

The radio allows for easy memory storage and recall to store frequencies in 200 memory banks, I haven't even come close to reaching that limit!

You can also listen to the weather alert stations and set up the radio to interrupt your listening or transmitting on other frequencies to alert you to weather problems in your area. Its a must have for outdoorsmen!

The radio uses CTCSS and DCS Encoding and decoding as well as split-tone.

This is one of my favorite radios in my collection and my favorite hand talkie of all time, though it is only useful for 2 meter operation. If you need one, get a dual-bander.

Last week I hiked the Kineo mountain in Maine and got on top of the firetower. The elevation is 1700 feet. I was able to make a contact 124 miles away to a repeater using 5 watts and the supplied rubber ducky antenna. Audio was reported as being exceptionally well.

Needless to say this is the greatest little outdoor hand talkie I've ever had.
KJ4MFU

VX-170_thumb.jpg
 

vx-170 experience

i have one also, incredible performance. i replaced the rubber ducky antenna with a diamond srh77ca antenna, much better performance. 73s, jim johnson, ki4tat
 
moleculo: This radio hands down can take more beating than any other radio I've owned or have had a chance to look at. I would go so far as to say its shock proof as well. Its been dropped way too many times and still works great. :laugh:

I've used it near and in water and its still holding up. The display screen can also be protected well with those cheap, cut to fit LCD protector sheets. I'd definitely recommend those for any outdoor radio use.

cvttejim: If you are talking about those extendable antennas, they are amazing and really bring this radio to life. My buddy has one, and its on my list of accessories to get for this radio.
 
"The receive range is from 137 to174 MHz although transmission is limited only for the amateur radio band. This is easily modded however through the simple removal of a small resistor. Tx range is expanded to the entire receive range. This allows for use of marine VHF bands and public services bands. I have my radio modded because I operate a boat, but I do not condone miss-use of radio bandplans."

I just would like to add the Mod is easier and faster to just nick (cut) the trace instead of removing the resistor. Just nick between the red arrows in pic. This also works for the Yaesu FT-270r which is the replacement for the VX-170.

KB2LJJ Radio Mods Database and Manuals
 
That's true. If you cut the trace, it would be easier to place some solder to re-connect the trace if you ever wanted to un-do the mod.
 

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