Yaesu VX-8r Review

[bjpell]

Total bill for the whole package without tax came to $549.85. Ouch!

My biill for the same equipment from HRO was $499.90 shipped. I told them my limit was 500 and they made it happen. Kal, the sales guy who helped me was very friendly and I enjoyed talking to him--Down to earth kind of guy. I will be ordering a case and antenna from my radio in the near future and I will be using him because of his great service so far.

My original call was to hamcity.com because they were cheaper but eventhough the internet said it was in stock they were out (I'm glad I called to order.) I hope this helps any of you who might be leaning towards getting this radio and where you consider getting it from.

499.90shipped.

 

[Moleculo]

499.90shipped

F'ing sales tax!!!! (Sales tax was $50 for me!!)

 

[Happy_Hamer]

Just a quick note on some thoughts that came to me the last few days of carrying this radio around.

Carrying it with the external mic is a pain. I've been doing that so I can use the GPS/APRS functionality. I'm going to get the gps attachment that allows you to plug the gps receiver right into the radio. I'll definately use the mic, but that way I only have to carry it when I actually want to use it.

You have to do like the mall cops,

STRETCHHHHHHHHHHHH the cord up around the back of your neck and attach it to your shirt collar.

 

[Happy_Hamer]

By the way, did you find out what the TX capability is yet?

 

[mpspringer]

I bought mine at HRO Ham Radio Outlet Worldwide Supplier of Amateur Radio Electronics Equipment
$394.95 and NO Sales tax!
Make sure it ships from a state with no sales tax.. such as OR or UT.

 

[Moleculo]

By the way, did you find out what the TX capability is yet?

Yes, TX range after the mod is:
50-54
140-174
222-225
420-470

If you try anything outside of those ranges, the screen just says "ERROR".

Another thing I found today is that on 6m, the radio can TX 1 watt in AM mode

 

[tgfoyl1472]

Thanks Moleculo!!! Now I can transmit and receive on the FCC approved frequencies for Paragliding and Hangliding Pilots. In case you are curious I have attached the document referring to the frequencies.

 

[gaucho]

After a month of driving my wife nuts with me reading and studying every second, I passed tech/general/extra today. I can get back to normal life now. It was a feat and I am glad I accomplished it. I had been needing to challenge myself in something for a while and this was it. I am excited to get my call sign next week. When I passed the extra, there were quite a few people still around and it got quite a few oohs and ahhs.

I can't wait to transmit on my vx-8r as soon as my callsign pops up!

 

[89gta]

Congratulations! All three at once, that's incredible!

 

[Moleculo]

I found something new about the VX-8r today: Many of the settings (in SET mode) are independent between the VFO's. For example, you can turn on the Antenna Attenuator for VFO B, and turn it off for VFO A. You can also change the offset frequency between the two. I'm not sure how many of the settings are independent, but there are definately a few. This is a nice feature.

Today I bought the GPS adapter that allows you to attach the GPS receiver on the radio. Tomorrow I'll take some pictures and let you know what I think about that.

 

[Slim]

Man oh Man,you guys are killing me! This thing does about eveything doesn't it?
Will it give a guy a BJ too? Sounds like this rig has everything INCLUDING the kitchen sink! Keep up the great reviews fellas. I just wish it didn't cost so much.That's quite
a price to pay for a HT no doubt. At least it won't say "sorry honey,I've got a headache".LOL!!!
Congrats on the passing of your Amateur test too.Nipped all 3 of 'em in the butt in one try!!!! That is one great feat for sure.Enjoy your new priveledges.It's a great world out there in Amateur Radio.It'll open your eyes like no tommorrow man!!!
Thanks guys.Slim.

 

[Moleculo]

Here are some pictures with the GPS unit attached to the radio. You can see that, as expected, it adds some bulk to the radio:

At first I was concerned (from pictures I had seen) that the GPS bracket would cause a lot of stress on the mic connector and something would break. However, the Yaesu engineers thought about this and designed a bracket that installs in between the radio and the antenna and screws into the GPS. On one side, the base of the bracket slips into a little notch on the radio. This makes the GPS attachment very strong and will not compromise the integrity of the mic connector.

One thing I don't like is that the GPS bracket forces you to take off the rubber grommet that goes between the antenna and the radio. This rubber grommet is part of what helps with the water protection. You can see a close up of how the bracket and antenna fit together in this pic:

I guess having thing GPS attached to the radio in this manner is a little more convenient than having the hand mic attached. However, it does add a lot of bulk to the radio if you're going to carry it on your belt. I'm not sure whether or not I will keep it like this or just go back to carrying the hand mic. One thing that really stinks is that Yaesu charges you $30 for the bracket to allow you to attach the GPS to the radio. IMO, this bracket should be included with the GPS receiver.

 

[Moleculo]

APRS is fun to play with on this little radio. Sending and receiving messages is like texting on a cell phone, except its free. On the down side, Happy_Hamer has turned into my own personal stalker, watching where I go and reminding me to slow down when I'm speeding. I think he just wishes that he had one of these little radios

 

[C2]

I've been having a lot of fun just playing with myself on aprs.fi

Mole, are you done comapring the VX-8R to the TH-F6A? Aside from APRS, is there any real reason to even consider the Kenwood? At this point, the only real thing that interests me in the Kenwood is the expanded receiver. But I'm starting to think, why bother?

OK, now all this talk about APRS has me "waisting" lots of time. A guy at work bought some sort of module that plugs into his HT. I can't find exactly what he has, but it is relatively small with a blue plastic case.

Anyway, I'm not sure I'd spring for the GPS module for the VX-8R right off. IS there any chance this unit can work with another GPS, or take NMEA data? I'm sort of suspicious that is all it does anyway, is send NMEA to the HT.

Aside from the GPS, what all else does the APRS function do on this HT out of the box? I'm guessing, as you've said, you can send/receive text messages, and you'd get any other sorts of messages or bulletins it received.

What does the display look like when texting or receiving a packet? I'll have to go back and read what you wrote about this, but just a bit more interested in what the APRS experience here is really like.

 

[Moleculo]

I'm pretty sure the GPS is just a standard GPS receiver that sends the data to the VX-8. You could probably use any GPS if you can make an interface cable for it. You'd have to figure out the pinouts on the mic plug to do it.

The APRS functionality on the radio is pretty much full functionality. You can see other stations, as well as their location, speed, text, symbol, everything. You can also send and receive text messages, receive messages from a particular message group, etc. Send me an APRS message if you want. I'll take some pics tonight of the APRS screens and post them so people can see what it looks like.

A guy at work bought some sort of module that plugs into his HT. I can't find exactly what he has, but it is relatively small with a blue plastic case.

It's probably the TinyTrak: Byonics - TinyTrak4 GPS Position Encoder

The thing about having the GPS for this radio that makes it valuable is that it totally automates the APRS functionality. What I mean by that is with the GPS attached, the radio will automatically take your position, speed, etc. and use that for the beacon information. Then you can tell it to auto-beacon every xx seconds or minutes. Without the GPS, you have to punch in all the information yourself every time and beacon manually. The GPS is a little pricey but it's worth it for the convenience, if you really intend to use APRS.

Aside from APRS, is there any real reason to even consider the Kenwood? At this point, the only real thing that interests me in the Kenwood is the expanded receiver. But I'm starting to think, why bother?

Well, if you want full 5 watts on 220mhz. The kenwood hears a little better on 220, also. IMO, the VX-8 is a better radio, though. If we forget about the GPS/APRS stuff and just focus on the radio functions, the Yaeusu beats it, IMO. People have told me that the TX audio sounds better. The radio is A LOT tougher and it's waterproof. It's relatively easy to program. It's triple receiver is amazing (two ham VFO's + broadcast, all at the same time!). It comes pre-programmed with "special" memory banks for VHF Marine, SWL, and WX. The way that it allows you to have different settings for each VFO is really nice.

I liked the Kenwood for as long as I had it, but after I had this new Yaesu for a while, I was hooked. I already sold the THF-6a.