The Jeep Expeditions Group™ - Exploration, Education, Conservation & Preservation.......... Live The Adventure

The FT-60R’s small size allows you to take it anywhere - hiking, skiing, or while walking around town - and its operating flexibility brings the user many avenues of operating enjoyment. Its incredibly tiny FNB-83 Rechargeable Nickel-Metal Hydride Battery Pack provides up to 5 Watts of transmit power on the 144 MHz and 430 MHz Amateur Bands. Besides 144- and 430-MHz transceive operation, the FT-60R provides receive coverage of the VHF and UHF TV bands, the VHF AM aircraft band, and a wide range of commercial and public safety frequencies!

New and exciting features of the FT-60R are the Emergency Automatic ID (EAI) function, that will automatically cause your FT-60R to transmit your callsign and engage your rig˜s microphone, even if you are disabled and unable to press the PTT switch; Enhanced Paging and Code Squelch (EPCS), that allows you to page a particular station and only receive calls from that station, if desired; and a security Password feature, to prevent unauthorized use of your transceiver.

144/430 MHz FM DUAL BAND HANDHELD
WIDE BAND RECEPTION 108-520 MHz/700-999.990 MHz (Cellular Blocked)
NEW EMERGENCY AUTOMATIC ID SYSTEM
NOAA Severe Weather Alert with Alert Scan
HIGH POWER OUTPUT 5W
Ni-MH LONG-LIFE BATTERY FNB-83 (7.2 V, 1400 mAh)
PROGRAMMABLE KEYS FOR USER CONVENIENCE
SPLIT CTCSS/DCS AND DCS ENCODE-ONLY CAPABILITY
Over 1000 Memory Channels w/Alpha-numeric Labels • Ten Memory Banks for Channel Allocation

Here Is What WE Say About It:

Let me start off by saying and hand held radio should NOT be your primary radio if you are heading into the wilderness as it is a low power (5w) radio. It is fine for vehicle to vehicle communications with other Jeeps in your "convoy" on a trail ride if you have a vehicle power cord and a headset and as such would be a low priced entry into the world of Ham Radio.

The FT60R along with an FT8800R mobile unit are the Batman and Robin of Ham Radio, the Dynamic Duo! It has features that radios costing twice as much don't have. Battery life is excellent and I've run a long weekend (4 days) of monitoring and talking on a single charge. This unit is quality built as you can tell as soon as you hold it in your hand. This is no toy! The feel is substantial. It is rather easy to program, especially for simplex. You can program it by hand or with a laptop. And memory, this little powerhouse has 1000 memory spots just like its big brother the FT8800R!

Battery packs will typically last 5 or more years before needing replacing. A good accessory to have with the FT60R is the battery tray for AA batteries. This item could be easily used in an emergency. I've heard that if you peel the bottom 1/2" of plastic off the negative side of the bottom cell in the AA pack that you can charge your re-chargable AA batteries in the radio with either the home or car charger.

The Cross Band Repeat function works without a flaw. Great for Search & Rescue, ARES and public service events when a low power portable is not enough, your FT60R becomes a a high power radio when combined with your FT8800R as a high power mobile repeater. Great for camping, hunting, fishing, it's easy to set up for cross-band repeat. You can cross band from V/U and U/V as well as V/V and U/U. If you set up your FT60R (portable/hand held) using encode/decode you will avoid unwanted signals. In remote areas where your HT doesn't have the power to hit repeater towers, using Cross Band Repeat along with your FT8800R in your vehicle will make it happen. You can be a few miles from you vehicle hunting or fishing as as close as your campfire. Using your HT transmitting UHF to the FT-8800, the crossband will hit distant repeater towers that you have programmed on the other VFO.

Sound quality of this unit is excellent given the small speaker and no one has ever complained about quality of my transmissions either.

It is an excellent value selling for under $150! And there are a lot of accessories you can buy for it, like a head set, PTT mic with speaker and vehicle charger. Where to buy? Ham Radio Outlet of course www.hamradio.com

So you've heard all the good. Is there any "bad"? I don't know if there is anything bad perhaps a "con" or two:

Accessories are expensive like any other brand name but if you are going to buy accessories, make sure they are genuine Yaesu. I have heard talk of knock-off brands damaging batteries and radios
Do NOT leave your radio connected to the charger all the time. It could shorten the life of your battery.
It would be nice to have a protective carry case for this unit.
WIRES feature is annoying and activates at the accidental press of the Ø button - FT8800R has a similar problem.

Using a Ham Radio isn't rocket science but there is a learning curve that will be more difficult for some. The good news there are a number of laminated "cheat" sheets for this and other popular radios to make things a bit simpler. Don't worry though, it does get easier as you get more time with the radio.

Bottom line is I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a good dual band hand held unit to supplement their mobile Ham Radio. I've been carrying mine in my vehicles for over 5 years now. It is a quality made unit, performs very well and is easy programmed by hand or with a laptop computer. It is a great value for the money! You'll be happy with this radio!

Check back monthly as we add new reviews as they are completed.

Want to have YOUR Product Reviewed Here?

If you have a quality product that can be used by the off-road pubic we would be glad to test it, do a fair write up about it and make an honest recommendation about it.

Products that we feel are useful to off-road travel whether it be Jeep related or camping related will not only be posted on our website but we will submit them to one of several magazines for more possible exposure.

Email info@jeepexpeditions.org with detailed information about your product and your interest in working with our organization.

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*The opinions expressed in this product review are the opinions of the writer and are based on the writers tastes and preferences. The writer may have and in most cases invited other people to participate in this review. Despite the review (favorable/unfavorable) you are encouraged to try out any product that you might be interested in.

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The state recognizes us as a fraternal organization, we prefer to say we are a club. Our members and volunteers are dedicated to the exploration of this great land for the educational value, historical value, scenic beauty, the geology, paleontology, the camaraderie of people who share the same interests and to escape the confines of civilization if only for a few days. Our organization and members adhere to the standards of "Tread Lightly" and "Leave No Trace".

Jeep Expedition Members enjoy adventures that vary in length from one day, a weekend, long weekend, week long, two weeks and like our Arctic Expedition in 2011, a full month. Don't worry, most of our trips are one day and two day trips. We are Family Friendly and we have a number of members who bring their friendly "Jeep Dogs".

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