The Yaesu FT-50RD
With our situation, a portable unit was an obvious first choice. We don't hold to the "shack on a belt" idea, but with no place for a "shack" to begin with, this route provided the greatest flexibility. After some looking around and talking, we decided on a Yaesu FT50RD. It met nearly all of the specs on our combination wish and good-vs-bad points list. Of particular interest were dual-band 2 meter / 70 cm operation with ability to receive outside the ham bands, being able to use AA batteries, 5 watt output, friendliness to left-handed operation, and availability at a local dealer.
As with many people, we seem to have a gift of choosing things at just the wrong time. We bought it as a Christmas present, and early the next year, Yaesu announced the FT60 (which we review elsewhere). As have many owners, we've kept the FT50 around because it is solidly built.
There are two AA-size battery packs available for the FT50. The FBA-15 uses four cells, the FBA-21 uses six. It's our understanding that these packs also fit an aviation radio. So most amateur dealers had the -15, but we found that Universal Radio had -21's. You don't get full 5 watts with either, but you get closer with the -21. However, the -21 is harder to load. It can take a bit of juggling to get the cells to sit in place, then put the cover on, and get it into position on the radio. And it's quite possible with any of the packs to put them on and turn the radio on without fully latching the pack in place, so check it twice.
One item on our features wish list was a BNC antenna terminal. The FT50 won out over a unit that had a BNC, but fewer memory slots. Read here how we solved this problem. With the adapter in place, we added a Diamond RH-707 antenna for everyday use and an MFJ 1717 antenna for more settled or difficult-reach areas. The combination works well, although it's a bit of a challenge to stick it in a pocket or anything else and carry it around.
Overall, the radio works well. The audio is clear, and the controls are laid out well. Especially with the MFJ 1717 or a roof-mounted car antenna, it gets out well.
We've had two problems that are common in FT50's. One is that after a while, the power switch gets corroded and has to be replaced. It's an easy job; directions are available at the FT50 Yahoo group. A bigger challenge has been that the knob, which is supposed to be reversible and bi-directional, reverses on its own. So we never know quite which way it will go when we turn. Because of this, we've used it more for scanning, and have a list of the frequencies handy so we can get to it through the keypad.
After several years, we still carry the instructions around, because there are so many things it can do. Great flexibility comes at a price — it's impossible to remember it all.
There are a few things that drive one batty. As is typical of many electronic devices, it's easy to push the wrong button and wander off into some function with no idea of what you've done — and, more problematic, no idea of how to return to basic operation. The instructions sometimes lapse into the typical fractured English of imported products, and show signs of loose proofreading. You're often referred to a section that doesn't exist. I still haven't figured out how to set a non-standard offset for this reason. And there's the headset jack. An adapter is available, but it's a design that appears unique to this radio. But these are minor quibbles — only the last one would likely be resolved with a different unit!
FT50 Resources
Yaesu (this model is now discontinued)
revised 10 January 2009