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While the scanner market seems to be constantly overflowing with an
abundance of models to choose from, there are always those who live outside
the mainstream, and want something a little bit different.
There are also individuals who not only enjoy radio monitoring, they also take part in amateur radio with their FCC licenses (yours truly included). When you combine these interests, and the desires that go with them, it doesn't take too long before attention is focused and scrutiny brought to bear on the radios carried by the amateur radio manufacturers like Alinco, iCOM, Kenwood, Standard and Yaesu. Such radios usually offer a wide range of features which aren't normally found on the typical scanner. Build quality is usually quite robust as is audio power and fidelity. But how good do these radios really function as a scanner substitute? Well, it seems I am getting asked that question more and more. With my own personal interest piqued, along with the generosity of a well-known radio dealer, I am embarking on new frontiers in a quest to help answer these questions I get! What follows are my personal impressions regarding the features and performance of various amateur HTs. This, in no way, should be viewed as an endorsement to purchase any radio nor is it intended to discourage anyone from buying one. I have no personal or business relations with any of the manufacturers of the radios represented herein. These are simply thoughts offered to my fellow hobbyists who may be interested in purchasing a particular radio or simply want to know more about them. A lot of hard work and effort has gone into the testing and writing of this review. I would appreciate it if every effort is made to keep this document whole with me as the original author. Of course, it doesn't hurt that this document is copyrighted and therefore protected by US law and international treaties governing intellectual property. Except for personal use, and for the sake of brief passages quoted in reviews and given appropriate credit, no part of this work may be reproduced in any forms or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without prior written permission of the author. And if you want to share your thoughts about this review with me or have further questions, feel free to send e-mail. Thank you and enjoy!
Rich Wells |
These are amateur radio transceivers. They are developed primarily to meet the needs of ham radio operators who are looking to keep in touch via local repeaters in a nice, handheld package while on the go.
They typically have no more than 50 to 100 memory channels which are not organized into nice banks. They tend to scan and search at slow rates.
On the plus side, most of them have great interference rejection (especially when you consider that 99% of them ever made have only been double conversion) and superb audio in both power and fidelity.
In the past few years, in an effort to one-up each other, manufacturers have been widening the receive range and including more receive modes. The first big thing was to tune the aircraft band with AM receive. These days, some have started to put in wide FM and coverage of the FM broadcast band and some of the VHF/UHF TV broadcast band as well.
Due to the increased importance of software and the reliance on high-powered microprocessors, the set of features offered on the typical HT is simply amazing and allows a level of customization that was unheard of not too long ago. Along with all of this comes the ability of computer control, memory data upload/download and radio-to-radio cloning.
The purpose of this review is to see which models can serve as worthy scanner-substitutes and introduce to you a level of functionality and features that are not found on a normal scanner.
Also, keep in mind that should you buy such an amateur HT, you're paying for things you'll probably never use. On the other hand, it might just serve as an impetus for you to get your amateur radio license. Doing so would help you to gain more radio knowledge and allow you to put your HT through all of its paces.
| Channels | 220 |
|---|---|
| Banks | 5 |
| Coverage | 0.500-15 48-729 800-999 MHz |
| Scan | 11 chan/sec |
| Search | 13 chan/sec |
| Steps | 5/9/10/12.5/15/20/25/50/100 kHz |
| Modes | AM, FM & WFM |
| Sensitivity | As listed in the manual : |
| Selectivity | 15kHz/35kHz -6dB/-60dB |
| Conversion | Double |
| IFs | FM: 1=47.25 MHz 2=450 kHz WFM 1=45.8 MHz 2=10.7 MHz |
| Priority | 1 channel |
| Search limits | 10 |
| Search skip | 0 |
| Auto-store | Yes |
| S-meter | Yes |
| Delay | Global |
| Lockout | Yes |
| Attenuator | No |
| Lock | Yes |
| Tone codes | CTCSS & DCS |
| Computer intf | Yes |
| Rotary control | Yes |
| Channel count | No |
| Data skip | No |
| Clock | No |
| Timers | APO & Auto power on |
| Weather | No |
| Weather Alert | No |
| Light | Display & Keypad |
| Power | 10 - 16V DC |
| Audio | 400mW at 10% THD at 7.2V |
| Size | 2.3"(W) x 3.4"(H) x 1.1"(D) |
| Weight | 255g |
| Memory | non-volatile |
Inside the front cover is the usual, handy table of contents which is invaluable considering the breadth of material that must be covered with such a feature-packed radio.
The physical controls are pointed out on a helpful page listing the purpose of each. This is followed by a page detailing the LCD, and what the various indicators and display information conveys.
Next up is a two page spread covering the function of all keys in each of their three access modes (pressed, used with FUNC, and pressed and held down). This is a great resource and one you'll be referencing quite often for quick help until you have mastered its operation. I'll warn you now that there are few extra combos that are not mentioned in this table.
The next section deals with accessories, both optional and installation of the stock equipment. This includes the antenna with extender element, belt clip, hand strap, Lithium-Ion battery pack, and the optional AA battery case. There's also a page detailing the microphone/earphone jack and the pinout of the various signals which are used for ham radio TNC operation.
The manual then progresses into the real "meat" of the subject material and discusses many of the fundamental features new users will need to get their feet wet before progressing to the more advanced operations. This includes items like power, squelch, operating bands, rotary control operations, basic frequency input, VFO searching, initial transmitting, backlight, and reception in the AM broadcast, aeronautical, FM broadcast, TV broadcast and weather broadcast bands.
The Advanced Operation section starts the in-depth coverage of all the features which begins with the dual VFOs, step sizes, and receive modes. This is followed by a section on repeater operations and its various supporting features. CTCSS and DCS operations are covered next followed by various details on transmitting. The last sub section deals with the Automatic Range Transponder System (ARTS) which takes up four pages.
Memory mode operations are covered next. This includes storage, recall, labeling, masking, grouping, and various operations pertaining to ham radio receive and transmit.
The section on scanning details the operations which most scanner manuals which split up into scanning and searching. VFO scanning relates to performing a search from the current VFO frequency while memory scanning is just what it sounds like!
Preferential Memory Scan is the feature allowing individual memory channels to be specially tagged and then such channels being scanned apart from any other grouping.
Programmable Memory Scan (PMS) refers to the ten pair of search limits which can be used to search your own set of frequency regions.
The Dual Watch feature of Yaesu models is designed to perform as the priority operation found on most scanners and this is covered as the last major feature of the scanning section.
The Smart Search section is covered next which is basically a limited auto store search operation. This is followed by the Spectrum Analyzer feature which most scanners these days refer to as a band scope.
Should you buy the optional Barometric Pressure Sensor Unit, the next section of the manual can be used to explain the operation and calibration of the barometer and altimeter.
The next, few, "quick" sections detail things like display customization, reset, and cloning while the large SET mode section uses up 10 pages in its exhaustive coverage of this useful mode.
Unlike other Yaesu manuals which have the Specifications within the very first few pages, this manual finds this two page section toward the very end.
Construction and Physical
Suffice it to say Yaesu has outdone themselves when it comes to the
construction and physical design of the VX-5R! This is the most solid and
rugged amateur radio I have encountered yet.
Dressed entirely in black, the casing is comprised of a very durable metal which has absolutely no "give". All of the edges and seams are very well done with excellent fit and finish throughout. All of the components are of the highest quality, and once held in your hand can you begin to appreciate what your hard-earned dollars have purchased.
The front panel houses what is a large LCD considering this radio's overall size. Just below this is the speaker grill which is flanked on its left by the power (orange), lamp (black) and function (yellow-green) keys. In the upper right corner is the microphone opening. Below the speaker is a full kepad consisting of three rows of five keys each.
Looking at the top panel we can see the usually volume and rotary controls along with the SMA antenna connector. Partially recessed into the case in a large hollow, the SMA connector is protected from moisture when the provided antenna is screwed into place. The antenna's rubber flange at its base extends into the antenna hollow making contact at the base thus helping to seal out the nasty environmental elements.
Both the volume and rotary control are very solid and have a nice, quality feel about them. Unfortunately the volume control has only a thin raised ridge running down its side to help denote the setting position. It does make it difficult to note its setting at a glance; especially in dimly light conditions. This is easily solved with a touch of white/orange/green paint along this ridge; something Yaesu could do if it desired to help improve usability.
Another resident of the top panel is the transmit/receive LED located between and just in front of the volume and rotary controls. This LED glows red while transmitting and green while receiving.
Moving over to the left side panel reveals a large, rubber "button" which has a very low profile. It covers the contacts for the push-to-talk and squelch monitor buttons.
Over on the right side panel we see two rubber caps designed to keep dirt and water out of the jacks they cover. One cap covers the microphone/earphone jack while the other covers the DC power jack.
Making our way onto the rear panel, we see the typical belt clip screw anchor at the very top. Attached by a single screw, the supplied and just adequate plastic belt clip also provides a loop to hold the supplied hand strap if you choose to make use of it.
Below the clip screw anchor is the usual radio identification sticker. The
The lower half of this panel is composed of the supplied Lithium-Ion battery pack. This packs is about half the thickness of the radio while being equally wide. Its left and right edges form part of the left and right side panels as well as a part of the bottom panel.
To keep the battery pack in place, the bottom panel contains a hinged, plastic(!) latch. The battery is slid into the back panel "nose" first where its square, metal contacts meet up with the "fingers" inside the radio. Once slid to the upper extreme, the bottom end is then lowered into place and the latch flipped up and snapped over the bottom.
It seems to be a decent design since even with all of these parts and seams, the radio exhibits very little ability to rock around when placed on a flat surface.
Antenna
Right out of the box, the antenna seems VERY similar to the model supplied on
the Icom IC-Q7 transceiver and IC-R2 receiver. An SMA model, it is fairly thin
at the base with its rubber coating extending over the SMA connector itself and
continuing downward to form the flange mentioned earlier.
Roughly one third of the way up it begins to narrow quickly to about a 1/4 inch diameter that remains constant until the 7" length is reached.
A close look at the top reveals an interesting tidbit which sets this model apart from any you've probably seen before. At the tip is a screw off rubber piece which, once removed, allows the 3" extender element to be screwed on in its place. Nearly as large in diameter as the base portion, this section is most likely heavily coiled since it is supposed to be used to help with reception below 50 MHz.
As part of my recent Handheld Antenna Review update, I tested this model against a few others in an SMA lineup. Without the extender element, this model proved to be an overall average performer across the 42 - 936 MHz range I tested. Since it tied with the Premier RD-9SMA, I have been using the Premier model since it makes the VX-5R less conspicuous and its flexible whip doesn't poke into your side when worn on your belt.
Use of the extender on HF and AM does help some. Nothing great, but you can tell the difference in signal quality and strength on those weak signals.
While the lettering on each key gives you that key's primary function when pressed, most have an orange label (used in conjunction with the FUNC key) and a gray label (used when the key is pressed and held). The orange is striking and makes it easy to read. The gray is simply too dark for my liking. I would prefer an easier to read light blue or green.
They keys are small which might post a problem for some. You do have to really pay attention to what you're doing if you have large fingers or poor aim! The spacing is fairly generous given the radio limitations of such compact width.
One thing I do miss is an ENTER key. On most radios, frequency input is completed at any time by pressing an ENTER key. On the VX-5R, you have to keep keying in digits until the radio finishes the entry for you. So if you want to enter 150 MHz, you have to key in the full 150.000 to get there.
There's also no decimal key...the radio does that for you after the third digit is input. That means you have to input leading 0's for frequencies less than 100 MHz. I guess it's the price you pay to pack all the functionality you can into a small area.
Keypress feedback is pretty good, and each one is verified by a beep. The beep volume does vary with the Volume setting and it can also be disabled.
To prevent accidental key/control activations while out and about, the VX-5R offers a number of locking options. By default, pressing FUNC + LOCK locks out the keypad as you'd expect. Using the SET menu, you also have the option to lock out the rotary control, push-to-talk (PTT) button, keypad + rotary, keypad + PTT, rotary + PTT, or all three!
The dot matrix display is a decent size and consists of 3 rows of 12 columns each. Along the very bottom is a row of small indicators used for things like the battery saver, repeater shift, tone squelch, low battery, etc.
The top line is typically used to display a VFO or memory frequency. The second line is usually used to display programmed alpha-tags or the other VFO when in dual VFO mode. For those with poor eyesight, a special setting can be enabled which uses the top two lines to display frequency values when in VFO or memory mode!
The third line of the LCD is used for the S-meter and current receive mode. When using the spectrum analyzer (band scope), it's used to display the graphical meter bars.
The LCD characters are a decently sized and good contrast make this one easy on the eyes. It also helps that it can be read from just about any angle! If you like, there's even a contrast setting with 10 selectable values.
When it comes to displaying the S-meter, there are a number of options to pick from using the SET menu. By default, a series of '>>' characters are used to depict the strength of the signal being received or the transmit power. I personally don't care for this character and opted to use the ramping staircase option. For even more customization, there's a mode which allows you to select each of the characters to be used to display each segment of the S-meter!
As you use the VX-5R, certain words are used to display the operating mode or frequency band currently in use or being selected. Instead of using English words to convey these details, the SET menu allows you to select icons to be used instead. There are 27 icons available to choose from and the radio comes pre-programmed to use certain icons for certain modes/bands. If you desire, you can select different icons to be used. Once done, the ICO key is used to put the radio in "Icon Mode" at which point icons are displayed on the LCD rather than the usual "VFO", "Memory", "TV", Air", "SW", etc.
To help find your way across the keypad and LCD at night, there is the usual backlight feature. It's a nice, soft orange color and it does a good job of fully illuminating the entire display and keypad. Some might find the LCD a bit on the dark side but it more than gets the job done.
The backlight is turned on with the dedicated LAMP key on the front panel just below POWER and above FUNCTION. By default it is programmed to come on for 5 seconds each time any key is pressed. I immediately changed this to use the LAMP key instead. There's also a handy toggle setting allowing you to turn the light on with LAMP and it will stay on until LAMP is pressed again! This 'toggling' function can also be activated when in the other two modes by simply pressing and holding the LAMP key.
There's even a mode where the backlight can be programmed to come on for a few seconds when scanning/searching stops on an active frequency! The Yaesu designers were working overtime on this one!
Another related function is the top panel LED which is used to provide an indication of transmitting or receiving. To conserve battery power, this LED can be disabled.
Turning to the speaker output, we come to one of the many areas in which the VX-5R simply shines! Audio output is strong - actually it's more like remarkable considering this radio's size. Fidelity is superb as well. While the speaker is quite small, it produces some of the finest audio you'll hear on many other radios. Wide FM signals are superb while both AM and FM are crisp and clear.
There is no physical squelch control on the VX-5R. Like more and more models coming out these days, this radio uses a digital squelch control level which is specified via the SET menu system. There is one level used for AM and FM, and another for WFM. In practice it seemed to work well but I did not perform any detailed testing to see if weak signals were being "skipped over" at the lowest level setting.
Speaking of the squelch, the "tails" of noise found at the end of transmissions could best be characterized as average. They are not overly long but they are definitely not short in duration either.
The radio comes with the FNB-58LI Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery pack which is rated at 7.2 volts and 1100 mAh! The operating life on this pack is simply astounding as you'd expect using such power-packed LI cells. What's even better is that the VX-5R comes with a built-in battery charger! Simply plug in the AC adapter and the display announces 'now charging' and when done it displays 'complete' as well as lighting the top panel LED orange! No more guessing as to when to pull the plug!
As if that wasn't enough, there's also a battery voltage indicator and a utililization monitor! Before heading out into the field, simply look at the battery voltage level and if it's nearing 7 volts, it's time for charging (a full charge is around 8.3 volts). This is also indicated by the two-stage low battery LCD indicator.
The utilization monitor simply keeps track of the total time the radio has been on as well as the transmitting time elapsed since the radio was last turned on. After the battery is recharged, a handy keypress exists to reset this timer.
For those who are forgetful, the VX-5R comes with the expected Automatic Power Off (APO) feature. The selectable times are 0.5, 1, 3, 5, and 8 hours. Once activated, if there is no key or control activity within the specified time the radio turns itself off to conserve the battery.
Another handy feature is the battery saver which is used to put the radio "to sleep" if no activity is detected on a VFO frequency after 4 seconds. Once activated, the saver wakes up every so often to check for a transmission. The SET menu allows the "sleep" time to be set to one of 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.5, 1.0 or 2 seconds.
While there's no time of day clock, there is a turn on timer which can be used to automatically turn on the radio after a preset time. The time is specified in hours and minutes up to a maximum of 24 hours.
Just like the FT-50R, there is a CPU clock shift frequency feature which is designed to help to move birdie frequencies should they fall on a used frequency. And just like the FT-50R, I tried this function and could detect no effect.
To help keep you in touch with local weather forecast information, the VX-5R comes pre-programmed with 10 weather channel frequencies. Pressing and holding the WX key puts the radio into this bank where you can manually tune or scan for an active weather frequency. These 10 frequencies consist of the standard 7 for the US, and 3 for Canada.
Should the radio "act up" or become unresponsive, a reset feature can be used to give the microprocessor a kick in the pants which should bring it back to normal operation. While using the VX-5R for the last few months, I did have it "freeze up" on me but luckily it was enough to simply cycle power to remedy it.
Another type of available reset is for the SET menu system which, when used, resets all settings to their factory default values.
The last feature I'll mention here is the ability to clone the contents of one VX-5R to another. Once the two radios have been connected with the optional CT-27 cloning cable via the microphone/earphone jack, both radios are turned on. On the "master" radio on key is pressed while another is pressed on the "slave." "Clone wait" is then displayed on the LCD while the cloning operation is in progress. "Clone" appears when cloning is complete. No mention is given of how long an "average" cloning operation takes.
SET Menu
To fully customize the radio to your liking, you'll have to dig into all of the
options available under the SET menu system. There are 46 items in total but
those of you who do receive-only work can ignore 11 of them.
Each setting is represented by a number between 1 and 45 as well as an abbreviated title. Here's a table which lists the available settings as they appear on the LCD:
| No. | Title | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SQUELCH | Set AM/FM squelch level |
| 2 | WFM SQL | Set WFM squelch level |
| 3 | NAME SET | Set channel alpha-tag |
| 4 | ICON | Icon select |
| 5 | VFO | Enable/disable VFO band edge |
| 6 | ARS | Enable/disable ARS |
| 7 | RPT SHIFT | Set rptr shift direction |
| 8 | SHIFT | Set size of rptr shift |
| 9 | VFO SPLIT | Enable/disable split VFOs |
| 10 | VFO LINK | Enable/disable VFO link |
| 11 | VFO STEP | Set VFO step size |
| 12 | RESUME | Set scan resume mode |
| 13 | SCAN LAMP | Enable/disable lamp |
| 14 | RX SAVE | Select battery save level |
| 15 | TX SAVE | Enable/disable tx battery save |
| 16 | APO | Set APO time |
| 17 | BUSY LED | Enable/disable busy LED |
| 18 | ARTS BEEP | Select ARTS beep |
| 19 | ARTS ITVL | Select ARTS interval |
| 20 | KEY BEEP | Enable/disable key beep |
| 21 | EDGE BEEP | Enable/disable band edge beep |
| 22 | BELL | Select CTCSS bell ringer |
| 23 | MON/T-CAL | Select MON key function |
| 24 | HOME/REV | Select HM key function |
| 25 | LAMP MODE | Select lamp mode |
| 26 | TOT | Set TOT time |
| 27 | BCLO | Enable/disable busy lockout |
| 28 | CLOCK SFT | Shift CPU clock freq |
| 29 | SQL TYPE | Select tone type |
| 30 | TONE SET | Set CTCSS tone |
| 31 | DCS SET | Set DCS tone |
| 32 | DTMF SET | Program DTMF autodialer |
| 33 | CW ID | Program CW ID |
| 34 | SPEC-ANAL | Select analyzer mode |
| 35 | SMRT SRCH | Select smart search mode |
| 36 | RX MODE | Select receive mode |
| 37 | LOCK MODE | Select lock function |
| 38 | HALF DEV | Set 50% deviation |
| 39 | LANGUAGE | Select menu language |
| 40 | ON TIMER | Set ON timer |
| 41 | CONTRAST | Set LCD contrast |
| 42 | MTR SYMB | Select S-meter type |
| 43 | BARO OFST | Atmosphere correction |
| 44 | ALTI OFST | Altitude correction |
| 45 | DISP MODE | Select OFF display mode |
By default the radio will automatically select the receive mode and step size. These can, of course, be manually overridden using the SET menus. Luckily there's a quick keypress that will gain access to the step size so that you don't have to waste time slogging through the SET menu selections!
While Yaesu may have mastered many aspects of amateur radios, the programming of the US bandplan is not one of them. In the 54-59 MHz range FM is used when it should be WFM. In 72-76 & 216-222, WFM is used where FM is needed. In 222-225, AM should be FM. In 335-400, FM should be AM.
To help you navigate about the frequency spectrum, the VX-5R incorporates a number of useful features. Like most Yaesu handhelds, the BAND key is used to quickly jump between large frequency "chunks" or bands. The VX-5R has 10 such bands. Since each band keeps its own copy of its last VFO frequency, and since there are VFOs A & B, it's almost like having 20 VFO frequencies!
Once you're in the ballpark by using the BAND key, the FUNC key is pressed followed by use of the rotary control in which each click steps the VFO frequency by 1 MHz. It's then just a matter of using the rotary control by itself to use the currently selected step size to tune the final frequency.
The last important item to mention here is the VX-5R's tone decoding capabilities. This powerful radio can decode 39 CTCSS and 104 DCS codes! Using this capability, you can set up the squelch using CTCSS or DCS so that only signals with the matching code open the squelch and allow you to hear that signal. There's also a very handy tone search feature that allows you to find a transmission's tone code if you don't know it!
Programming & Memory
Once you get the hang of the VFO and how it works, you'll soon desire to start
programming the memory channels with often monitored frequencies. The VX-5R has
220 channels but no "real" memory bank structure. So I took it upon myself to
impose logical banks by starting different agency listings every 20 channels.
For additional storage, there is also one HOME channel per band but since these aren't part of "normal" memory and can't be scanned I won't be talking about them or include them as part of the 220 channels mentioned above.
Once the frequency and its associated settings are tuned in the VFO, the memory write cycle is started by holding down FUNC until it beeps. The rotary control is then used to cycle through the memory channels. Once the desired channel is found, FUNC is pressed to complete the process.
By default, the VX-5R selects the lowest, empty memory channel to start the memory write cycle with. While this is OK for programming the lower channel numbers, once you get above 80 or so, it begins to be a big pain to have to twist the rotary control to get where you want to go.
Yaesu needs to follow the Yupiteru approach at the minimum: allow the user to specify the channel to write before the write cycle is started OR take the last programmed memory channel and add one to get the next channel to program.
Once memory has been programmed, the MR key is used to go into memory mode where the rotary control can be used to slew about memory and examine its contents. While moving about you'll notice that empty memory channels are not displayed. To jump directly to any channel, the channel number is keyed in followed by the MR key. To return to VFO mode, the VFO key is simply pressed.
With the memory channels now programmed, it's possible to go in and use the SET menu to provide 8 character alpha-tags for easier identification. Possible characters include both upper and lower case letters along with numbers and a variety of symbols and punctuation. To view the alpha-tags when in memory mode, you must press and hold the TAG key to enter tag display mode. This setting will remain in effect unless turned off or the battery voltage is displayed.
To tune off of an existing memory channel frequency as though you were in VFO mode, simply press MR. The MR mode indicator will change to MT to indicate that memory tuning is in effect. The rotary control can now be used just like VFO mode. The newly tuned frequency can also be stored into a memory channel using the normal process.
For some, odd reason the Yaesu designers do not like to provide a memory channel delete function. Instead, you have the ability to "mask" a channel so that it no longer appears in memory but it really is still programmed as such.
The last item to discuss is that of memory groups. As mentioned earlier, the VX-5R has no memory bank scheme like that found on most scanners which allows logical or geographical grouping of related frequencies. Such schemes allow for neat organization of memory as well as customized scanning operations.
There are 5 memory groups and you're allowed to copy up to 24 memory channels into each group. Used appropriately, this procedure allows the VX-5R to mimic the memory banks of a typical scanner.
Once you have grouped your memory channels accordingly, it is then possible to access a single memory group in a special, memory group mode. Once done, only the channels for that group are accessible for viewing. You can, of course, move to other groups and return to viewing normal memory at any time.
The grouping process does not effect the normal memory in any way. And once a channel has been "grouped", there is no indication while in memory mode of which group(s) this channel belongs to.
Scanning
Scanning comes in four flavors on the VX-5R: memory, group, preferential and
Smart.
With memory scanning, all memory channels which are not locked out get scanned. Channels can be locked out, or skipped, by designating them while in memory mode or this can be done "on the fly" while actually scanning. To skip a memory channel, FUNC + SKP is pressed which marks this channel with a triangular indicator on the LCD and it will no longer be considered for scanning.
In group scanning, only the channels in the memory group currently being viewed will be scanned. As mentioned above, there are 5 memory groups into which up to 24 memory channels can be copied thereby dividing them into groups of your choosing. You can then choose to view a particular memory group and while there, scanning can be started which will only scan the channels in that group.
A preferential scan is one in which only those memory channels which have been tagged for this mode are scanned. In memory mode, individual channels are specially marked for preferential scanning. Once done, a scan started from a preferentially marked channel will start a preferential memory scan.
Regardless of the scan, there are a couple of options available when scanning.
The first is the scan resume condition. This dictates when the scanner will resume scanning after it stops on an active memory channel frequency. The default mode is for the radio to stay on this signal for a maximum of 5 seconds, at which point it forces the scan to resume even if the channel frequency is still busy.
The next option is more practical and similar to the method used by a typical scanner. In BUSY mode, the radio will stay on an active frequency as long as it is valid. Once the signal disappears, it will wait for up to 2 seconds for another transmission on that frequency before it resumes scanning.
The last scan resume condition is HOLD and it basically doesn't resume the scan at all! In this mode, if the radio stops on an active frequency, the scan mode is canceled thereby holding on the current memory channel.
The other scanning option is the Scan Lamp setting. Once enabled, this SET menu option illuminates the LCD backlight each time the radio stops on an active channel. A very handy feature for hands off, nighttime operation!
My empirical measurements put the scan speed at roughly 11 channels/second.
Searching
The VX-5R employs two methods of searching, VFO and limit, although Yaesu likes
to call both operations "scanning."
In a VFO search, a search is started in VFO mode from the current frequency using the selected receive mode and step size.
For limit searches, the VX-5R allows up to 10 search bands to be specified by the use of 10 lower and 10 upper frequency limit pairs. Simply program the two frequencies which define the desired band into a lower/upper pair and then a limit search can be conducted within this band.
For either search, the search direction defaults to forward, or toward higher frequencies. Using the rotary control, it's easy to reverse the current search direction at any time.
Since both of these searches are considered scanning, the Scan Resume option mentioned above also controls the resume behavior here as well.
My empirical measurements put the search speed at roughly 13 steps/second.
The last type of searching to discuss is Yaesu's unique Smart Search. This can be thought of as a cousin to the auto store operation found on some high end scanners.
First, Smart Search mode is enabled using the SET menu. You then go into VFO mode to set the starting frequency of the search which needs to be the center frequency for one of the bands you wish to search. The search is then started.
The radio searches upward from the start frequency and puts active frequencies into the upper half of the Smart Search memory bank. At the end of the band or when the upper Smart Search memory is filled, the radio starts searching downward from the starting frequency, filling up the lower half of the Smart Search memory with active frequencies.
The Smart Search memory is composed of 31 channels. The lower 15 are for the downward search hits, the upper 15 are for the upward search hits, and the middle channel is for activity on the center starting frequency.
The one option of the Smart Search is whether a single "sweep" is made in the upward and downward directions, or if the sweeps continue upward and downward alternately until the entire Smart Search memory is filled.
Priority
Most scanner users are familiar with the priority feature of their radios which
is used to poll one or more frequencies at a programmed interval regardless of
what else the radio might be doing. Yaesu likes to refer to this features as
Dual Watch and it is a fitting name.
To use one form of the Dual Watch, the "priority" frequency is put into memory channel 1. You then "park" the radio on a memory channel or one of the VFO frequencies. Pressing FUNC + DW activates this features which checks for activity on memory channel 1 every four seconds.
The other form of Dual Watch allows you to switch back and forth between the two VFO frequencies. In this mode, VFO A is the primary listening target while VFO B is check for activity every few seconds.
Spectrum Analyzer
The VX-5R's Spectrum Analyzer is used to graphically display frequency activity
on either side of the tuned VFO frequency. This feature is usually called band
scope on most high end receivers.
After the VFO is tuned to the center frequency for the analysis, the analyzer is started. It notes activity on the VFO frequency as well as the five frequencies on either side of it then displays this activity on the LCD. The spacing of these frequencies will simply be based on the currently selected step size.
The one option of this feature is whether a single pass is made of these 11 frequencies, or if they are continually swept and the results updated on the LCD for each sweep.
VHF/UHF Performance
Birdie testing on the VX-5R was a bit disappointing after seeing the good
results that the FT-50R turned on. Sweeping the 48 - 999 MHz range turned up a
total of 47 such internally generated frequencies.
Even though the VX-5R is a double conversion design, it does a great job at filtering out images and intermodulation interference. Hooked up to a 19" whip while at home and sweeping the entire VHF/UHF range turned up only a few problems with TV images between 109 & 230 MHz. A few other cellular data signals showed up in the 940/950s.
Unfortunately the VX-5R has been neutered beyond the usual cellular band blocking as required by US law. In an effort most likely to keep users from hearing cellular images, Yaesu has also blocked out 918-944 and 963-989 MHz! But last I heard, Yaesu managed a redesign of the radio which allowed them to put these ranges back into later production units. So if you are interested in these ranges, be careful when shopping the used radio market!
Next it was time to put it up against the popular IC-R2 to see how well it performed in the sensitivity department! On VHF-lo and up into the VHF aero band, the VX-5R was able to pull in not only cleaner sounding signals, it also heard some things the R2 couldn't!
The R2 was able to match the VX-5R on VHF-hi and it definitely outclassed it in the 200s where the VX-5R appeared to be largely deaf. Starting again in the 450s, the VX-5R was the better performer but by the mid 800s, the R2 had pulled even again and then slowly left the VX-5R behind.
HF Performance
When you shrink down the electronics to the point that you're making a radio
which is smaller than a pack of cigarettes, you have to make sacrifices. And
the VX-5R is no exception. Tested on HF against the R2, both were capable of
only pulling in the strongest of signals with their stock antennas. Even with
a 4' whip attached, they were only able to do a little better. AM broadcast
was equally poor.
Just keep in mind that most handheld's coverage of HF is icing on the cake and meant to tempt you when comparing radios from other manufacturers. If you know this then you won't be disappointed.
Add in a boatload of features giving you a large degree in both receiving and transmitting, throw in great sensitivity, and good interference rejection, and how could you go wrong?
Good bye faithful FT-50R...you have more than met your match!
Recommendations
While the VX-5R is removed from what would even be considered a mediocre
scanner, it offers many features not found in the receiver market. Exceptional
build quality, battery life, and reception along with a host of features which
provide a great deal of flexibility.
While the VX-5R is obviously meant to cater to amateur radio operators, you'll find that many will buy the VX-5R yet never use its transmitting capabilities! That's a great testimonial to what this kind of radio offers and points out what's missing from the everyday available scanners.
Most of the VX-5R's competition will come from its brother, the FT-50R. This radio has been very popular but considering that the VX-5R is MUCH smaller, weighs MUCH less, and actually has usable wide FM, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to predict how popular the VX-5R will be.
For those of you who might look for one on the used market, keep in mind the frequency blocking found on early units. Also, Yaesu received a lot of bad publicity for releasing this radio with a few CTCSS defects. One thing that did help was that they were up front about the problems and resolved to fix all units which were effected. But be careful if you do run across an older unit which might have been unloaded before the fixes were available.
Looking at Yaesu's track record of designing very popular HTs, and at their recent introduction of the VR-500 receiver, one can only wonder how long it will take them to capture a new breed of scanner users. If you could combine the strengths of such a radio like the VX-5R with the abilities of a "pure bred" scanner, you would indeed have a powerful piece of monitoring equipment.
The rest of the scanner manufacturers had best keep an eye over their shoulder as well as take heed at how the marketplace is changing. Keep designing radios that your grandfather would like, and you could soon find yourself in trouble.
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If you are interested in purchasing one of these radios or simply want more information, please stop by the Lentini web site to find out how to contact Alex, Chris or any of the gang up in Connecticut. Buying from them will help support the people who made this review possible. And don't be shy about telling where you read about them!
| Copyright © 2012 by Richard J. Wells |
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