Yaesu FT-50R Information

My Review

Power-On Functions

There are a number of different functions shown below that involve holding one or more buttons down when powering on the radio. The Expanded Receive function sometimes works the same as Reset All function if you are already in Expanded Receive mode. To get into the Factory Settings menu, you must first set the receiver to VFO mode, set VFO A near 144, and set VFO B near 440.

Press	Function
Knob & PTT	Clone Mode
Lamp	Display Test
Lamp & PTT	Toggles Memory-Only Mode
Knob & Mon	Reset All (After Pressing F)
Knob & Lamp	Expanded Receive
Knob & PTT & Lamp	Factory Settings Menu
MR	Game Mode

Factory Settings

When you get into the Factory Settings menu, you can use the knob to select the settings shown in the table below. Some of the settings can be changed by simply twirling the knob, but some of them are set by sampling the currently received signal. Beware of changing those settings, as it can be damn hard to get back to the factory setting.

There is a BAND setting, which selects the frequency band plan as shown below, but you will not be able to modify it unless you perform the Freeband Modification. The remaining settings are split into VHF and UHF sets, which you can toggle between with the VFO key on the keypad. The power levels (HIPO, L3PO, L2PO, L1PO) are changed with the knob and should effect the RF output power of the transmitter. There is a High Power Modification that consists of cranking up the HIPO setting and making sure to feed the radio with ample 12 or 13.8 volt power.

The S1LV and S9LV settings appear to be the corresponding signal levels for the signal strength meter. I believe that you could change these levels to make the meter cover a wider range. The HISQ, THSQ and TISQ appear to affect the squelch, but I have not delved into them enough to be certain of their function.

Item	Value	Method and Range
BAND	A3--	knob (Free,F1,A1,B1,C1,D1,H1)
HSSQ	0	knob 0-255
THSQ	121	signal
TISQ	74	signal
S1LV	118	signal
S9LV	208	signal
HIPO	133	knob 0-255
L3PO	93	knob 0-255
L2PO	52	knob 0-255
L1PO	15	knob 0-255
uHSSQ	0	knob 0-255
uTHSQ	119	signal
uTISQ	72	signal
uS1LV	133	signal
uS9LV	223	signal
uHIPO	109	knob 0-255
uL3PO	76	knob 0-255
uL2PO	43	knob 0-255
uL1PO	13	knob 0-255

Frequency Band Plans

With the Freeband Modification done, you can pick from all thirteen frequency band plans. Without it, you can pick the A1 or A3 band plans. Straight out of the box, the radio should be in the A3 band plan.

Except for the special "Free" band plan, every band plan has a basic ham-band only version (A1, B1, etc.) and an expanded receive version (A3, B3, etc.).

In the "Free" band plan, the tuner is allowed to try to tune lower than possible. When this happens, the frequency display blinks. My tuner won't handle receive frequencies below about 72 MHz and transmit frequencies below about 119.56 MHz.

One important note about the band plan ranges I've shown below is that I checked these with the "MARS/CAP" modification done. Without this modification, I suspect that the transmit range would always be that of the basic band plan without expanded receive set.

Free Tx 050.0000-221.9950 222.0000-299.9875 300.0000-399.9875 400.0000-540.0000 Rx 050.0000-221.9950 222.0000-299.9875 300.0000-399.9875 400.0000-540.0000 590.0000-999.0000
F1 Tx 144.0000-146.0000 430.0000-440.0000 Rx 144.0000-146.0000 430.0000-440.0000	A1 Tx 144.0000-148.0000 430.0000-450.0000 Rx 144.0000-148.0000 430.0000-450.0000	B1 Tx 144.0000-146.0000 430.0000-440.0000 Rx 144.0000-146.0000 430.0000-440.0000
F3 Tx 120.0000-221.9875 320.0000-399.9875 400.0000-499.9995 Rx 076.0000-221.9875 222.0000-299.9875 300.0000-399.9875 400.0000-540.0000 590.0000-999.0000	A3 Tx 140.0000-174.0000 420.0000-470.0000 Rx 076.0000-199.9950 300.0000-399.9875 400.0000-540.0000 590.0000-823.9875 849.0000-868.9875 894.0000-999.0000	B3 Tx 140.0000-174.0000 420.0000-470.0000 Rx 076.0000-221.9875 222.0000-299.9875 300.0000-399.9875 400.0000-540.0000 590.0000-999.0000 .
C1 Tx 144.0000-146.0000 430.0000-440.0000 Rx 144.0000-146.0000 430.0000-440.0000	D1 Tx 144.0000-146.0000 432.0000-438.0000 Rx 144.0000-146.0000 432.0000-438.0000	H1 Tx 144.0000-148.0000 430.0000-450.0000 Rx 144.0000-148.0000 430.0000-450.0000
C3 Tx 140.0000-174.0000 420.0000-470.0000 Rx 076.0000-221.9875 222.0000-299.9875 300.0000-399.9875 400.0000-540.0000 590.0000-999.0000	D3 Tx 144.0000-146.0000 432.0000-438.0000 Rx 076.0000-221.9875 222.0000-299.9875 300.0000-399.9875 400.0000-540.0000 590.0000-999.0000	H3 Tx 144.0000-148.0000 430.0000-450.0000 Rx 076.0000-221.9875 222.0000-299.9875 300.0000-399.9875 400.0000-540.0000 590.0000-999.0000

Links to More Information

The Yaesu FT-50R Information page has pictures, modifications, and lots of information culled from the rec.radio.amateur.equipment newsgroup.

The Yaesu company site has specifications and information about the FT-50R and other ham gear as well as information about their Vertex VX-10 commercial dual-bander, which is very similar to the FT-50R.