If you’re looking for your first ham radio the Yaesu FT60r is a great choice. As my first radio, this thing has been though it all. I purchased my radio along with 2 of my friends back in 2015 when we decided that ham radios would be the best way to communicate at our hunting camp.
Our search was for a radio that would; survive the outdoors, have decent battery life, cover both VHF and UHF, ability to program on the fly, and not break the bank.
The Yaesu FT60 not only checked all of these boxes, but it also has had really good reviews dating back to its launch in 2004. It also added some other features that I have come to like. This device has 5 watts of power, allows for adequate coverage on both 144/430 MHz, it has great audio quality, one battery will last a full day with average usage (hunting), and it stores 1000 memory channels.
If you are considering purchasing this radio I would also recommend ditching the stock rubber duck for the Diamond SRH-77ca antenna. It will extend your range big time!
The FT60r sells for around $150.00 (189.00 2023)
The SRH-77ca sells for $24.00
Learn more about the Yaesu FT60
FT60 Highlights
• CTCSS and DCS Encode/Decode, with Split Tone and DCS Encode-only Capability
• One-Touch NOAA Weather Access
• NOAA Severe Weather Alert with Alert Scan
• Nine DTMF Auto-Dialer Memories
• Two Front Panel Programmable Keys
• Convenient Access Key for Vertex Standard’s WIRES™ (Wide-coverage Internet Repeater Enhancement System)
• RF Squelch (only passes signals exceeding programmed level)
• Mono-band and Memory-only Operating Modes
• Rugged Die-cast, Water-resistant Case Construction
• Huge LCD Display
• Transmit Time-Out Timer (TOT) and Automatic Power-Off (APO)
• Automatic Repeater Shift (ARS)
• YAESU’s exclusive ARTS™ (Auto-Range Transponder System) which “beeps” to alert the user when out of communications range
