N9EWO Review: YAESU VX-2R "Micro" DUAL BAND HANDHELD TRANSCEIVER (Also at the bottom of this page : Icom IC-P7A mini-review , Older Icom IC-Q7A review) |
YAESU VX-2R micro
HT.
"Improvement over
the VX-1R but still suffers from the nasty CTCSS delay problem".
Be sure and read the Icom IC-P7A / IC-Q7A reviews also on this page.
(N9EWO Photo)
Approx.
Serial Number (3 samples tested) :
First Sample : 3G02xxxx
Second Sample : 6D6xxxxx
Third Sample (Last production run ? ) : 7Dxxxxxx
Country of Manufacture : VX-2R : Japan, FNB-82LI
Lithium-Ion Battery : Japan, NC-85 wall charger : Taiwan , CSC-90
Case : Japan.
Discontinued
Product
Dave N9EWO's view's and comments on the Yaesu "VX-2R"
Another Yaesu
"Micro" Handie Talkie
Ok lets face it, when I first seen a VX-1R I felt that
it was really neat. As small as you would ever want a HT (well
except for say a Dick Tracy radio on your wrist). But the VX-1R
was plagued with so many problems when it first came out as to
make it a product not fit to even sell in a store. It was
improved over the years to make it a usable set, but the memory
structure still was so poor that scanning continued to be a big
disappointment.
The first VX-1R that I had, not only was it's operating frequency
off (new right out of the box), also the CTCSS tone frequency was
not correct from the display. The microprocessor locked up
frequently requiring a total reset(s). Low TX audio, so one had
to open up the set and fiddle with the 2 trim pots inside.
Receive audio was poor. Only 500 mw RF output. Mushy PTT button.
We could go on, but overall it was neat only as far as the size.
I have pretty much stayed away from Yaesu HT's since my VX-1R and
VX-5R (no longer own either), and steered well away from the VX-7R.
So I was very hesitant when I first seen a picture of the new VX-2R.
I purchased one anyway and here we go with my comments.
Same Size But More RF Power / New Larger Capacity Battery
/ 2 to 3 Watts with E-DC-21 External DC Power Cable for very
short TX
Size is pretty much a dead ringer to it's old sibling, but we
have a new battery pack marked as the FNB-82LI. Still with a 3.6
volt output, but at 1000mah capacity.
I don't know how they did it but the VX-2R boasts a RF power
output of 1.5 watts on VHF and 1 watt on UHF. That puts it in a
better ball game for a more usable radio with my uses. The VX-R1's
500 mw output was just too wimpy for ANY distance applications.
Connecting the E-DC-21 power cable (not tested) increases the
output up to 3 watts on VHF and 2 watts on UHF. I do not have a
meter to check the actual RF output of my sample, so we are
taking Yaesu's word on this one.
Of course the only downside is at this higher RF power level the
battery will not last as long (even with the extra 300mah
capacity). We have a 100 mw "Low" power setting (both
bands) that will come in handy for very local contacts that
should give for some longer battery life.
We have a metal heat sink sandwiched between the battery and the
real innards of the set (see picture below). I never use
the set at the 2 or 3 watt power level, so I will not be able to
give any input on that front. With the small heatsink one should
not expect very long operation at this super high power level at
all.
Please note : The VX-2R will NOT accept 12~13.8
V directly. You MUST use the optional Yaesu E-DC-21
which contains a voltage regulator.
One should also remember that the VX-2R was NOT
designed for any long transmit times (especially using the 2 / 3
watt levels). Common sense here, but for the record.
Battery Cover
a bit thin / NC-85 Charger a Switching Type.
Battery cover slips on the rear and locks with a little
switch like latch. I feel that this and the rear cover are the
weakest links of the set structurally. This latch is a bit hard
to flip and feels weak as well. The rear cover is made of very
thin plastic and one would be advised to CAREFULLY "Slide"
it off (not just pull it off). This has not been a problem for me
as I'm treat even HT's with great care, but it may be a problem
for many, either cracking this cover or even loosing it. But if
you take extra care here it should not be a problem ?
The wall charger, the NC-85 is a switching type supply (can work
worldwide with simple plug adapters). As expected, It does create
interference on any near by AM/SW radio, but not to any serious
level.
Sensitivity OK (except low band and 800 Mhz area's) / UHF
intermod / Stock antenna not as good as VX-1R's / Scanning now
works the way It should.
Using the VX-1R's antenna, VHF (144 to 174 Mhz) is very usable,
but it's not super either. But improvement over the VX-1R for
sure. Weather frequencies in the 162 Mhz area is very poor (this
turns out to be an issue with the included antenna). UHF (70cm
and 460Mhz area) is the real gem with antenna just as it was on
the VX-1R. The UHF is very good if not excellent ,however read
the intermod notes below. As for the 30 to 70 Mhz and the entire
800~ 900 MHz area, well it's a continuation of all previous Yaesu
HT's, very very poor to almost totally unacceptable.
Scanning on the VX-1R was a disaster. You could only scan one
band at a time. So either 2 meter OR 70 cm , but not both. There is some after market
software that exists that is supposed to make that happen, but I
never had any luck with it. It would scan but not receive any
signals on some frequencies.
The VX-2 has none of this weird problem, they indeed fixed that
totally. I feel that the scan speed is good too.
UHF Intermod Problems / VX-1R's antenna NOT the same as
the VX-2R's / Watch that center pin !
I have now had a chance to use the set in a semi-large
town of approx 250,000 people and "Intermod" was pretty
bad on the UHF side. But with the VHF (2 meters) sensitivity
being only "so-so", here I did not detect any. And well
with 800 Mhz to be a almost "washout" , no internod and
of course no real signals either. This has to be expected with
the wide band receive coverage, but this is going to be an issue
for many as it is with most new handie talkies.
In my tests the included VX-2R's rubber stubbie antenna does not
work as well as the VX-1R's (see text and pictures below), it's
outside appearance has changed a bit but is the same length. With
the VX-1R's antenna attached ,the 2 Meter area is OK, but is fair
in the 155MHz area, in the US weather band (162 MHz area) it fair
to poor, and just downright "very poor" with the stock
VX-2R's antenna. UHF is actually very good if not excellent with
either antenna, but the HT's electronics has a part in this too.
Having a hard time finding an aftermarket antenna with use on the
VX-2R. Either the "center pin" is too short so it does
not make contact (see text below), or the size is just too large
(or thick) to make me happy. So using an antenna for a VX-1R and
that works for me overall. Remember, the VX-2R has a real short
SMA connector.
Coverage below 76 MHz / SW receive performance only
useful on the strongest stations with added wire.
OF COURSE one of the reasons why the VX-2R grabbed my eye was the
fact that this radio can receive Short Wave Broadcast Signals (AM
Mode only).
How well
you ask does it do receiving SW broadcast signals? : Well after testing this out , it's nothing to
get excited about. Now of course you are NOT going to
be able to use a rubber antenna and receive SW signals properly, that
just is not going to happen. I connected my "test standard" 20 ft piece of thin wire via a Comet HS05 SMA cable to the VX-2R. SW reception was usable for any "STRONG" broadcast stations. If you are trying to pull in any weak or even semi-weak station, you will be disappointed. The set overloads bad (nighttime condition) with the 20 ft wire fully wound out and if I shortened it up to try and control the overloading, then the set became very insensitive to inhale any signals. And as can be expected in a transceiver of this type, the selectivity is too wide and adjacent channel slop is a a problem. Again. If the SW broadcast station desired is one of the really strong ones, it might be of use. But overall forget it for receiving any serious SW on this or any other HT transceiver. |
Volume
Control Improvement / Same old Plastic Belt Clip / Power Button
Still Hard to Use
Gone from the new VX-2R is the UP-DOWN pushbutton volume control.
We how have a real control on top of the tuning encoder. Works
great. Tuning encoder has a good feel with no excessive play. One
must get used to turning one, but not other.
Sadly the belt clip continues to be a weak little piece of
plastic. I don't use belt clips myself (even more so with the VX-2R's
size), so it's not a issue for me. Perhaps another reason to
avoid the belt clip. I have seen reports that the screw (a longer
screw is used when the belt clip is attached vs the shorter
dummy screw without) can be very easily stripped out. I can
understand this as it is goes into the "soft" heatsink
metal. Again I don't use beltclips, so my clip never made it out
of it's little bag.
As does on the VX-1R, the side mounted "orange" power
button pushes very hard and lacks real solid tactile response.
The PTT and squelch break (or it can be a tone burst for Europe)
buttons fair much better to my fingers having good tactile
response and firmness (serial number 3G02xxxx).
Thank Goodness the external Speaker/Mic jack is located on the
top , bad news is it's the dreaded single 4 conductor phone plug
type that we have all loved to hate. But with this "peanut
whistle" being the size it is, this is to be expected. At
least it's not one of those longer than usual ones that the VX-6
and VX-7 both use.
Good Transmit and OK Receive "Audio" with three
quirks.
Transmit audio on my sample using the internal
microphone is nice and crisp and at a good level. Much improved
over the VX-1R which even lacked on later samples. As an update
here, I do hear the "PL" tone transmit level to be a
bit too loud, but I don't find it excessive to be unacceptable. I
have seen this same gremlin reported with the VX-7R as well, but
cannot say if it's just as bad as I have not had a VX-7R in my
hands....and from what I hear of this set..I will not be
purchasing one either .
Receive audio is passable, even with it's internal
quarter sized speaker. It's actually hard to believe that it
works as well as it does. However I found in additional testing
using outdoors with it's internal speaker, "audio punch"
can be a problem if noises around you get a even semi-noisy. But
is much better over the Icom's IC-P7A bomb (see review below).
With the audio output being only at 50 mw's with the battery this can
be expected,
but no way is it as loud as a larger HT and don't expect it to.
In a indoor setting this is not an issue. From looking in the
manual , It appears that if one connects the E-DC-21 external
power cord, then the audio output (as well as the RF output) is
doubled (audio output boosted to 100 mw's), but I do not own this
external converter adapter so cannot say if it really helps.
Another small gripe with the receive audio for me is it has a bit
of a "grizzly" sound. Almost like a little AM pocket
radio when the batteries are starting to go dead. Many may not
even notice this, and it took my ear right up to the speaker to
really catch it. Not a major drawback, but one that I caught.
When
scanning, the "CTCSS Tone Delay" Gremlin rear's it's
ugly head ( AGAIN ) / CTCSS Tone's are on frequency.
Just as it was on the VX-5 (and it seems to be on the VX-7
too..I cannot say for sure as again I have not personally had my
paws on a VX-7) we have that dreaded CTCSS tone delay when
scanning memory channels. So you miss a few words before it pops
to life. If you are scanning "non-ham" police-fire
frequencies that use tones, this does not work very well.
This is VERY annoying and I sure wish V-S-Y would fix this. Icom's
IC-T90A , IC-P7A or IC-Q7A tested have none of this nonsense.
But at least we have CTCSS frequencies that are on frequency. As
many can remember, the VX-1 when it first came out had very
serious problems with CTCSS tones being on frequency.
No Schematic or Block Diagram with the radio ??
Ok, here we go again. No schematic or block diagram was
included with the set. Funny, the Yaesu FT-8900 transceiver
includes both. So what gives here V-S-Y ?
"Channel Counter" feature somewhat useful.
There is a so called "Channel Counter" feature
found on this set, which allow for hunting of a unknown signal
and the VX-2R will find and display the strongest signal. Even
stores it into a memory bank just for this purpose. It really
takes a pretty strong signal at least from my tests. I will say
at least a transmitter of at least 5 watts right next to it is
required. A 50 db attenuator is engaged while this is in
operation along with muting the set while the hunt takes place.
You can set the sweep width at + - 5, 10 , 50 , or 100 MHz. But
the larger the sweep width the longer it's going to take to work
and in my tests less of a chance finding it. So perhaps keep it
in the 5 (default) or 10 MHz width max?
More of a toy than a real feature of the set for me, but is fun
anyway and it works (well not always). It's also a royal pain to
use (keep the manual handy).
Be sure and use the CSC-90 case, this is really a
requirement.
Using the CSC-90 case (it has protection for all of the
keys) with the VX-2R is a requirement. This is also true with all
other V-S-Y handie talkies too. The printing on the keys WILL
wear off in quick order if you don't. Why they cannot fix this
issue is a good question ? They have had enough time
from earlier models to correct this. I have used the case from
day one and have not had this appear with either sample.
Still better over the Icom IC-P7A to me.
One has to remember that this is still a "micro" set ,
and for many may not be the right handie talkie purchase. But I
like small stuff and Yaesu - Standard has a neat "little"
Handie Talkie that also has some performance to go along with the
punch. Many improvements over the VX-1R for sure. However If you
need good 30~50 Mhz or 800~900 Mhz sensitivity, you will have to
look elsewhere. The discontinued Icom IC-P7A does better in these
area's for sensitivity, but has it's own nasty problems. I have
tested two Icom IC-P7A's and in my view the Yaesu VX-2R is still
overall the "Big" winner even with the warts.
See below for a mini review and a old report that I did on the
older Icom IC-Q7A.
Dave N9EWO
© N9EWO, all rights reserved
ver 8.0
Discontinued
Product
VX-2R : " When
the rose is not quite a rose. " Power Up issue , Weird Display , PLL Unlock , Dumping Memory, Excessive distorted bussy audio, with sample # 2 |
My second sample tuned out to be a total disaster after 11 1/2 months. I treat radio equipment with the utmost care and has NEVER been abused, gotten wet or dropped. Here is the list of issues that I had before I was forced to send sample # 2 in to Yaesu for repair (USA), it was just under the 1 year warranty. Some of the issues below have been covered on the non defunct Yahoo Groups for the VX-2R. as well. 1 - This problem appears to be with most (if not all) current samples ? : Ever since day one with the # 2 sample, once in awhile I was unable to power it on. When it did this, I removed the battery and then just replaced it. It's then is OK for a while , but does this once again after a number of power cycles. At least for a good say 6 to dozen power up and downs, (IMPORTANT: In actual use and NOT just switched on and off 6 times fast). Battery contacts were not dirty or loose. Some have said that it's battery contacts are the issue here , but this is dead wrong !! I never had this one happen with sample one. (see bottom of this page for more) 2 – Once in awhile it was dumping ALL of its memory channels at power up. Yes, a total reset on it's own. 3 - Audio is always on the buzzy-distorted side especially at louder volumes (that's totally normal). But this had gotten much worse with sample number 2 before I sent it in. AS RECEIVING AN ACTUAL RADIO SIGNAL, Not just white noise (NORMAL FM MODE). Another strange note, It was not this way before the memory loss issue above started. 4 - PLL unlocking, once in awhile the display frequency flashed on and off with NO receive at all at power up (entered frequencies were all Amateur) and the squelch was open (just white noise). However, this issue is also intermittently occurring. If I turned it on and off a few times it came back to life when it happened. 5 - Here is another issue that hits most if not all later samples, but for the record: The LCD display at power up shows a lot of non-relevant quite faded segments together with the correct display information for a while. Those extra segments fade away within 60 seconds (depending on room temp). After that the display works perfectly as long as power is on. If you switch it off and directly on again it always works correctly. The problem only shows up when the unit was powered off for at least a good hour or so. Sample one had NEVER done this. Well after a month it returned repaired. They replaced the entire "Main" board (CS1792002 in the service manual). The first thing I noticed was that the # 5 display issue above was now totally gone. No more power on bug issue either. I let sample # 2 go after I ordered the VX-3R and well missed the VX-2 so much that I purchased new sample # 3 (just before they were all sold out). This one must have been near the last production run by looking at the serial number. No LCD bugs at all, however the power nasty does happen even with # 3 but no where near often as with sample # 2 . Dave N9EWO © N9EWO, all rights reserved Ver 3.1 |
VX-1R Stock Antenna vs the VX-2R Stock Antenna.........not one in the same, Beware of Aftermarket Antennas !! |
First thing I noticed when I
first pulled the VX-2R out of the box was the fact that the stock
"stubbie" antenna does not look the same as the VX-1R's. It's the same
length all right, but is a bit thicker with the (now defunct) "VS"
marking as well. I always felt that for a stubbie duck the stock VX-1R antenna worked fairly well for a "stubbie". Some of performance has to be blamed on the so-so sensitivity of the VX-1R in the 2 meter and VHF public service area (150~174), but it passes. So I was thinking that the VX-2R's stock antenna should work the same ?? Well in my testing in the 2 meter / VHF public service area, that's a big NO. Signals that I can barely here using the VX-2R's stock antenna , bounce in with some improvement with the older VX-1R's stubbie. Weather signals in the 162 mhz area are improved as well. Mind you it's still not going to work as well as a longer antenna, but overall to me the VX-1R's antenna is the better "stubbie" out of the 2. Not sure what Yaesu did, but in my view changes were made and not for the better. Dave N9EWO WARNING : I have found with many aftermarket SMA antenna's having a problem working with the VX-2R. The "stinger" center pin on many aftermarket SMA antenna's do not stick out far enough to make contact with the shallow TNC on the VX-2R. Sometimes you can remove the rubber dust cover and will then make contact (not a good idea in my view), but this does not always work either. Keep this in mind while shopping for a replacement antenna for a VX-1R, VX-2R or VX-3R (and others). |
N9EWO test between the YAESU VX-2R & ICOM IC-P7A |
The
discontinued Icom IC-P7A was totally
unacceptable to me with the receive audio problem. Discontinued
Product PRO : IC-P7A CON : IC-P7A |
Dave's Icom IC-P7A notes : The included BC-164 desk charger is very nice, gets the job done too. Has a nice BIG 3 color LED to let you know that it's done. It does not have the problem that the IC-T90A desk charger (BC-139) has with heat , it only gets very warm to almost hot. Also does not have the almost falling apart feeling that the bottom cover has with the BC-139 charger. The huge BC-145LA wall wart adapter for the BC-164 is of a linear type, so no RF garbage (the VX-2R uses a noisy switching type). Receiver performance with the IC-P7A is improved over the VX-2R to my ears (test made using a number of SMA portable antenna's including the Diamond SRH-519). The 220 Mhz area is still deaf as a brick. The 800 Mhz area is night and day, much better. It actually works here, with the VX-2R almost forget it on 800Mhz. Even SW has better reception (using a short 10 ft wire). MW and FM broadcast, ditto....a real improvement. However just as it is with the stock VX-2R's antenna, the Icom's stock antenna is poor, even more true outside the ham bands. It needs a aftermarket antenna as well. Good news is that the Icom has a standard length SMA connector , so the center pin with any SMA replacement antenna will not be an issue with the IC-P7A. NOTE: The older IC-Q7A does even better with overall sensitivity. The old IC-Q7A HT's receiver used a triple conversion scheme, the IC-P7A is only dual. The MAJOR problem with the Icom IC-P7A for me is with the receive audio. Distortion and speaker break-up happens WAY too quickly. While the VX-2R is no barn burner either with receive audio power it still does better and at least passable. I found the IC-P7A's audio to be really whimpy and a no-go for most outdoor uses. A speaker mic will almost be required for any outdoor use, and that only helps slightly. The second sample was no better with this distortion. I feel even the old IC-Q7A model worked MUCH better for audio punch and much less distortion factor. What happen here Icom, you blew it BAD in my view !! Transmit audio fairs much better, crisp and clean but it is a bit on the weak side (on both bands). The tuning encoder while having a good feel while rotating, has a little "giggle" play with the encoder shaft. It just does not have the excellent feel of the IC-Q7A's "dial". The painted chrome look knob with the rubber grip has a cheap look and feel to me. Battery latch was so tight fitting with the first sample that it was impossible to open with your fingers. With the second sample tested this was not quite as bad as I could at least pop this one open with my fingers. It still takes a bit of finger strength to pop the cover off. Again the elder IC-Q7A's latch has non of this, works perfect. PTT and function buttons with the first sample had a very sloppy feeling. With the second sample this was gone (fixed ?). The LCD is nice and large with excellent "Green" backlighting and contrast. Unlike the IC-Q7, here we have DCS (Icom calls this DTCS) and a 6 character alpha tag for each memory channel. I say totally forget about the Icom IC-P7A. Final Word : Icom was extremely stubborn to make ANY changes to the MAJOR receive audio issue. I made hard contact with them when it was first released on this subject. So it had a short life on the market. Yeah I wonder why...right ?? Dave N9EWO © N9EWO, all rights reserved Ver 5.1 Discontinued Product |
Below is a
review I did back in about 2000 or so on the Icom IC-Q7A (updated
slightly).
Here for general reference only. Dave N9EWO
Icom IC-Q7A Dual Band Transceiver |
The
excellent "Triple Conversion" Icom IC-Q7A (now
discontinued).
Why this radio has great receive audio and the IC-P7A downright
stinks is a good question ?
One could say, "well it's a bit smaller" , does not
wash with me.
The IC-Q7A and VX-2R does not have these receive audio issues
that the IC-P7A does.
(Icom
photo)
Note: The
IC-Q7A as well as the Standard C-508 and Yaesu VX-1R I talk about
below, are no longer sold new (all discontinued). There is always the
used market, so it's not a lost cause.
The Standard C-508 / Yaesu VX-1R (ouch!!)
After owning a Standard C-508 and making the "BIG"
mistake of purchasing a early version YAESU VX-1R (Update:
the later versions of the VX-1R were better), I was
wondering if buying another micro-talkie was really worth it ?? I'm
very happy to say that it most certainly was, I feel that the
ICOM IC-Q7a is a big "Winner".
The real reason I wish to own one of these "micro" sets
is to really receive on. The minor amount of RF that these "Pocket
Marvels" emits, is not to be counted on in case of a
emergency. So it should not be your main handheld transceiver .The
RF output on the Q7a is supposed to be (at 3.0 volts) 350 mw on
VHF and 300 mw on UHF.
The Standard C-508 was a real disaster on RF output when using ni-cads
as of the lower voltage. RF is also really low, something in the
order of 50 milliwatts. It was pretty close to specs when using
Alkaline (about 250 milliwatts), but on rechargeable AA batteries,
forget it. I could get out just as good screaming. Any local
repeaters ,and I mean line of sight, were out of the question
using ni-cads on the C-508. From my testing with the Q7's RF
output using ni-mh batteries have been much better, but again
output is still much better using Alkaline. I have no way to
actually measure the output, just from my own observations.
Way Above Average "Wide Band" Receiver
The main feature that I love on the IC-Q7A is of course
the very large receive range. 30 right up to 1300 MHz. Mode's are
FM, FMW (wide) and AM. More important it is not just a
advertising gimmick to get you to purchase it. It actually
receives across the entire range very well. It can really receive
signals in the 220 MHz amateur band, unlike the Yaesu VX-1R which
is as deaf as a toothpick in that area. 2 Meter area, ditto,
better on the Q7A. FM broadcast is also much better on the Q7A vs
the VX-1R. I can receive about double the amount of stations. And
to make this test fair, the same antenna's were used. This might
have something to do with the fact that the Q7A is a Triple
Conversion Receiver where is the VX-1R is only Dual ?? The C-508
actually has good sensitivity, but it's range is too limited and
does not have a FM Wide mode. And of course the Q7a lets you tune
in 6 Meter Amateur and 30 to 50 Mhz signals, Plus TV audio on
Channels 2 to 6, with the VX-1R or C-508...No cigar Charley.
Reception on 800 MHz signals on the VX-1R, VX-2R and on the VX-5R,
is about as bad as you can get (very very poor if not as all).
The Q7a is right up there with the best of them, 460 MHz area is
also excellent.
The battery situation is good on the Q7A too. It operates on two
"AA" batteries as does the C-508. They are using the
little plastic pop off latch. The batteries insert and remove
just fine just using your fingers. On the Standard C-508, you
need to grab your car keys or something to "Pry" the 2
AA's out, it's a very tight fit.
The Volume Control on the IC-Q7A
(just as it is as it it on the VX-1R and IC-P7A) is electronic ,
that is up and down buttons. These are a bit on the small side,
but you get used to this in short order. The speaker audio is
"louder" and better audio overall than the VX-1R, but
you cannot expect huge amounts of audio from a "peanut sized"
radio. It's tinny and a bit shrill sounding so don't get too
excited about ICOM's "Hype" in the brochure. However I
can get it louder than either the Icom IC-P7A, YAESU VX-1R or
Standard C-508, which all tend to break up into distortion much
sooner. It even does better than the VX-2R.
The transmitted audio quality is good . You will not have to go
inside the radio to turn it up either (at least on the 5 samples
I have used/owned over the years). It was great out of the box.
Other ICOM H-T's I have owned have had low "Transmit"
audio, and you found yourself having to go inside to turn it up
as all were going..."What's that again". Not with the
IC-Q7A. Matter of fact I have to back away from the mic a bit.
The Display is a very nice size, very easy to read and see. Good
contrast. It also shows the Mode used (on every memory channel)
without pushing any extra buttons. The meter over reads a bit.
Buttons / Super Nifty Low Battery "Beep"
As your discharge the batteries a little picture of a
battery on the LCD gets cut in half. When they are almost ready
to expire, the radio will beep a few times. When using rechargeable AA
batteries the radio will usually die right off
after it beeps. Alkaline will run for awhile, however it will
beep at you every few min's. This works quite well (not turning
on too soon).
The side mounted buttons, the "function" and "PTT"
, both push at bit hard to activate .As you put in you memory
channels, and are using the function button to get around, the
old fingers get a bit sore.
Remove those Batteries when not in use !!!
In the manual on page " ii" (actually this is
page 3) . It states " Even when the transceiver power is OFF,
a slight current still flows in the circuits. Remove the
batteries from the transceiver when not using it for a long time.
Otherwise, the installed batteries will become exhausted ".
This is very true, as from my tests..you can install a "Fresh
Brand New" set of alkaline batteries.....and in just a few
weeks with the radio OFF (not being used at
all)...it
will run them down to nothing. Weird to say the least, and with
no clock to keep running...why should you have this kind of
current being drawn ??
CTCSS Tone Operation That Works Right / 200 Memories
Nice touch that the IC-Q7A has CTCSS tone encode and
decode included. Even better is that is works great. When you do
a Tone Scan on a signal, it still allows you continue to listen
to the signal, instead of it going into mute (as is the case with
most other radio's). When it finds the correct frequency, it will
stop and automatically enter it into the "Tone's" in
the set mode item(s). It does not have DCS, or any alpha-tags on
the memories, Two for the VX-1R and IC-P7A (as those do both).
There is a small amount of hiss in the received signal, and a
small "pop" sound as the audio amp comes on, but no
worse than other H-T's that I have used over the last few years.
It has the usual "ICOM" PLL lock trait, that you can
here a small amount of "Ringing" for a second when you
first tune to a quiet signal in. Even my old IC-R9000 had this
little gremlin. This is not a serious drawback, as most people
never know it's there. Phase noise is a bit on the excessive side
I'm afraid.
Speaking of memories, the Q7a has 200 of them. It does allow you
to put ANY memory on ANY band, AND SCAN ALL at the same time,
without having to resort to a silly software scheme on a computer
to "TRY" and do this , as the old VX-1R was. That was
one thing that really made me "Steamed" about the VX-1R.
You cannot do that on the YAESU, unless you have the optional
ADMS-1 software, and do a weird command to allow it. So the Q7a
even works good for a scanner, however the speed is a bit slow.
If you are only going to scan, say 50 of the memory channels at a
time, this should work fine. All 200, it's going to be a slow
trip around.
You can set (to your taste) the Scan Pause Time (scan pauses for
2 to 20 seconds on a received signal or "Hold" until
the signal disappears), Scan Resume time (1 sec to 5 sec after
the signal disappears or Immediately). Memory Channels are in Two
banks of 100 each , and can scan one OR the other OR both.
Lockouts are provided. It has the usual 6 different types of scan
that ICOM usually offers. 10 scan edges (marked as P0 to P9) can
be stored. It uses memory channels for these edges.
Auto Power Off (30, 60, 90 or 120 mins), a Power Saver, 3
different priority types, are on board. You can even set up the
monitor switch so when you push it, it will keep the squelch
opened (with having to keep it pushed), or the usual way, having
to push it. A nice touch here. And the power button is easy to
push and recessed. On the VX-1R, you like had to squeeze the
power button so hard that your face turned red.
As with the VX-1R and IC-P7A , the Q7a also uses the 4-conductor
1/8" phono plug for the Speaker-Mic. Yaesu VX-2R / VX-5R /
IC-P7A "Mic" accessories with work just fine with the
IC-Q7, it's the same scheme.
ICOM felt that it was not important to include a Schematic WITH
the the RADIO, not even a lousy Block Diagram. !! Guess they want
you to shell out $ 50.00 for the service manual (NOT) ??
Little RF Noise Generator (When it's OFF) ??
I received a little note from Edward W.Brown that is
very intresting about the IC-Q7A.
"I found an interesting little quirk of the IC-Q7A. And
the really weird thing, is that this shows up when the radio is
turned off. Last night I was
doing a little pre-sleep AM BCB DX'ing on the Sangean 909, and
was also monitoring some local activity on the Q7A. Well, I
turned off the Q7A, and placed it near the 909 and the reception
suddenly got "trashed" by a barrage of noise. Yup, the
little Q7A is a white noise generator when it is turned off. It
has a range of only about a foot, but it can bury relatively
strong AM band signals if it is within a few inches of the radio's
ferrite loop antenna. Turned on, the radio doesn't do this as
nearly strongly, though there is some much weaker RFI generated,
but it is way down as compared to when the Q7A's powered off. I
have not seen this with any other scanner or radio, but some
further research is in order."
After reading this I ran over to my Q7, and grabbed my little SW
portable and sure enough..."White Noise". Weird is
right !! As Ed also said, This only affects the Medium Wave Band
and does not touch Shortwave, and this is also correct with my
sample as well. Thank's Ed for sending me this.
This is very weird to say the least, when it's off..... well it's
not really off . Microprocessor noise on a set that is supposed
to be off ?
LC146 Case
When the Q7 first came out the LC146 case sold at US $
39.00 for a very small piece of vinyl, and no it's not leather...that
was a sheer rip off. Later down the road Icom decided to reduce
the price to around $ 25.00. Still a bit high for what it is, but
at least better. The LC146 case was discontinued shortly before
the radio was. However if one needs a replacement, the LC146A (for
the IC-R5 scanner) will work just as well. There will just be a
hole the right for the R5's power input, which the IC-Q7A lacks (no
biggie).
Getting back to that LC-146 case, it fits fine. I do not use the
belt clips, so I just hang on to the little "stub"
where the clip goes onto, to help pull the radio out of the case.
It does not use Velcro as does the VX-1R or VX-2R's case. One
very good thing is that it does not stick to the display (as does
the VX-1R's case), so it pulls out easy. However, when you use
the case, be sure and align up a hole on the case's front for the
microphone, if you don't your audio may sound a bit muffled.
Even after many years, I still really like the IC-Q7A. ICOM had a
fantastic little QRP "Handie Talkie" here and a pity
that it's no longer in production. I have yet to see another HT
that uses a triple conversion receiver scheme after the IC-Q7A.
The newer IC-P7A is a total joke to me when compared to the much
better IC-Q7A (aside from the RF output power).
Dave N9EWO
© N9EWO, all rights reserved
ver 6.0
Note:
The IC-Q7A as well as the Standard C-508 and Yaesu VX-1R I talk
about above, are no longer sold new (all discontinued). There is always the
used market, so it's not a lost cause.
VX-2R Comments and views from others (via email direct or newsgroups)
It appears that a
nasty problem has been earthed with the VX-2R. Some have said it
did not appear until the APO (auto power off)function was used. I
have yet to have this problem, but have not used the APO or the
software either. Another person had it lock up while switching
memory channels. Here is a note via the Yahoo user group on this.
Here we go again ...lets hope this does not turn into another
nasty problem !!! But at least a cure is at hand as long as it's
not a constant gremlin. Dave N9EWO.
Update : I have never had this problem appear with my sample .
"Had the failure to power up problem yesterday for
the first time. Serial Number 3F010XXX Had unit approximately
three months, and never had any kind of problem with it before.
It is used daily for most of the day. Turned it off at night and
plugged it in for charge. Red LED came on with CRGING
message on LCD. Went to unplug it the next day, and Green LED was
on with CHGFUL message on LCD. Pushed in PWR button and nothing
happened even though there was a tactile click. Tried it
several more times with no power up. Removed battery and
reinserted it, and everything was fine after that. I have used
the Commander software dozens of times - all versions - with no
problems, and the last time I used it was over a week ago, so I
don't think it has anything to do with this problem."
Scott
WA2CHJ
Edited note via the
Yahoo user group on those NP-60 aftermarket batteries that others
have made comment to. I guess to play it safe only use the real
Yaesu FNB-82LI battery ?? Dave N9EWO.
"I
tried an after
market camera battery and it does not function properly , when I
run high power and cup my hand over the base of the antenna on 2m
the radio shuts down and the battery has to be removed to reset
the low battery circuit . Reason for this is the original battery
is probably a carbon electrode LIon battery which can source more
current while the replacement battery is a coke electrode which
has the same capacity but a slightly higher impedance
........." Howard VE2AED
A followup to the
aftermarket battery question above (via the Yahoo user group
again ). Again : If you want to avoid any probelms, don't be a
cheapskate and just purchase the proper Yaesu FNB-82LI battery.
Dave N9EWO.
"A
follow up to the
battery question...I looked up li-ion on the Cadex site to
research Howard's comment on the electrode type. I don't
see his point. The article seems to indicate that the coke
anode is not in widespread use and hasn't been since 1997, and
doesn't appear to affect the usefulness of the battery that much,
anyway. I think Howard just got a bad one or didn't charge
it properly before using. At any rate, I received my camera
battery (a "Hi Capacity" B-9583, replacement for the NP-60)
in the mail today. I charged it up in the radio and started
to use it. It works fine. I did not note the problem
Howard indicated. No drop in voltage at all in use, tested
high on hi power w/10-30 second key ups in both bands. For
$23, I think I did OK."
Gerry (KB0VOF)