Posted: 12/14/2011 6:34:25 AM EDT
| I haven't been on the air for quiet some time and I am wanting a new HT. I am a Yaesu guy so I have narrowed it down to a couple. I already have a FT50R, FT530. I can buy new batteries. Mine are shot. Anyway I'm looking at the FT60 or VX7R. I really just want 2m/440 but I kind of like the compactness of the VX7R. I can order today from R&L and have tomorrow. Thanks for your input. KT4MR. |
I understand the impulse buy 
VX-7 is fine but it's virtually the same price as a VX-8GR, so you'd be crazy not to get that one in my opinion (built-in GPS and APRS). I have a VX-6 and really like it. The -7 didn't offer enough additional features to warrant the cost difference. BTW, R&L might have the worst website on the planet. Here's one of the best comparison charts on the web: Gigaparts |
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I have the VX6, and the VX8
I use the VX6 more. They are both great radios, but I pretty much stick to the 2meter, and 220 stuff. I have never even made a 6 meter contact, and the APRS stuff does nothing for me. IF I could only have one, I would keep my VX6, and put the Diamond SRH320A antenna on it. ( I also have the Comet 224 triband antenna, and it is about the same maybe a squeek less) |
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I just got the FT-60r. Seems simple but it's got plenty of options. I had an old FT-51r that I sold even after buying a replacement battery cause I was worried about batteries dying.
I got a AA battery pack for the 60r and some duracell rechagables and will call it good. Thinking about selling the factory battery and charger and whatnot. |
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I have a VX7 and almost pulled the trigger on a VX8.....until I started reading the user reviews. The VX-7r is a great little radio and I'll be happy keeping it until somebody actually makes a better radio. The down side is the menu complexity requires one of those mini-handbooks be carried with the radio. |
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I have an FT-60 which I like a lot. For me the deciding factor was the ability to run the FT-60 at full power from AA batteries. I've more or less standardized on AAs for my personal gear. I'm the same way also. R&L may have a bad website but some of their prices are pretty good. |
| Yeah, I agree that R&L's website isn't the best. I have bought the majority of my gear from them. So I just give them a call. I would never use all the other bells and whistles that is on the VX-8R except the gps maybe. I leaning towards the VX-7R. Thanks for all the reply's. |
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The dot matrix display dual VFO, and wider Rx on the VX7 are great features. It is also more solid/rugged than the FT60. The free "VX7 Commander" software is excellent for memory and radio setting management.
The FT60 will sound better and be able to take a 6x AA battery case. |
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I never thought I'd be interested in APRS until I got some gear for it. Now it's pretty cool to be able to receive and decode APRS data. You get local info (repeaters, club meetings, hamfests), other users, a built-in always-on calling channel and ham "radar" (called Voice Alert), text messaging, position reports (of users, traffic data, repeaters, etc). Not to mention invaluable functionality for public service events via position beaconing.
Just wanted to throw that out there. I know it sounds like "bells and whistles" but it's one of those "you never know what you're missing until you see it" things. |
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I just got my tech & general and decided on the ft60... still waiting for it... the wait is killing me :) I went through the same debating and figured something simple for my first radio... after christmas I plan to get a mobile unit... thinking of the ft8800 for use with our counties ares/races team... then when tax return time comes some sort of hf rig... no idea on that one yet...
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The dot matrix display dual VFO, and wider Rx on the VX7 are great features. It is also more solid/rugged than the FT60. The free "VX7 Commander" software is excellent for memory and radio setting management. The FT60 will sound better and be able to take a 6x AA battery case. Just curious, are you talking about audio or receive? Please give reasons on either. Thanks because it helps me making my decision. |
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The dot matrix display dual VFO, and wider Rx on the VX7 are great features. It is also more solid/rugged than the FT60. The free "VX7 Commander" software is excellent for memory and radio setting management. The FT60 will sound better and be able to take a 6x AA battery case. Just curious, are you talking about audio or receive? Please give reasons on either. Thanks because it helps me making my decision. The VX7 is submersible. To achieve this, Yaesu engineers added a thin waterproof membrane over the speaker and microphone. You will therefore have to speak louder into the radio and some stations may give you poorer signal reports. I have not had any trouble with this. The Vx7 is also smaller, so the audio from the radio's speaker will not be as loud or as pleasant as that from a larger non-submersible radio like the FT60. It is still "good enough" in my opinion, but you are going to have trouble hearing the little VX radios in high noise environments. I have not noticed a difference in receive sensitivity. ETA: Size comparison pic I took a while back. Vx6, 7 FT60, and Icom V8 
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I ordered the VX-7R today from R&L. It should be here tomorrow or Friday. I am looking forward to playing with this little radio. Thanks for all the input. There is a little learning curve because there are so many little features packed into that little radio, but it is a great little radio! |
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I ordered the VX-7R today from R&L. It should be here tomorrow or Friday. I am looking forward to playing with this little radio. Thanks for all the input. You may wish to find a USB programming cable on ebay and download the freeware VX7 Commander Software. It will make programming the radio and managing memory banks 1000x easier. |