Yaesu FTA550 Handheld VHF Transceiver

As a previous reviewer posted, there is no battery strap to help pry out the AA batteries from the tray, however, this is a very small issue in the scheme of things. Free programming software available from Yaseu online makes for easy programming and the radio was ready for use in less than 1 minute. Remember to press and hold MENU and POWER at the same time to put the radio in USB mode. Software works fine with Windows 10. I paired this radio with a KORE Aviation headset. The adapter that comes with the radio fits the plugs on the headset. Overall very pleased. I am not a pilot. I wanted this radio so that I could hear transmissions at air shows.

AA batteries are very very tight fit and need a screwdriver to remove from their pack, but that's probably not a design fault, as it appears to be built for the rechargeable pack and this AA version is a bit of an afterthought. Like so many other devices, when used with Ni-Mh batteries it reports "battery low" very quickly but then runs forever in that state. I've never let it run out, but have used it to receive consistently for at least 8hrs. Antenna doesn't have a positive -click- and likes to come loose, but overall it's great for the price, compared to other options, and I think it would be unfair to knock off a star. Probably no point in talking about range because I don't have another handheld radio to A/B it with under the same conditions, and range is all about wattage and altitude, but I cannot notice a great receive difference between it and the Garmin or King radios in the plane. Cannot comment on transmit as I haven't used it for that. It's mainly for getting ATIS/AWOS before starting and to listen to traffic at airports that don't have an outside speaker. Good, clear, and loud.

The first unit I purchased was DOA. The speaker just did not produce sound. I returned and replaced that one, and the second copy is working fine. I'm using this radio just to monitor traffic during my UAV flights, so I can't really speak to range or transmit function. For my purposes the radio works fine, although the menu system is straight out of the 1990s. You can download software which is also crude by today's standards in order to upload frequency data to the radio for storage. It worked, but only if I was able to make a connection over the USB cable within a two second open period. There's a bug in the software which forces it to timeout very quickly.I've had no trouble picking up pattern traffic when nearby an airport using the CTAF frequency. Intelligibility is fair but not great. The radio is fairly heavy with batteries installed but does have a belt clip. The weather frequencies also work, although in retrospect they aren't really that helpful. The squelch works well once you recognize how to make the adjustment. Overall this is a reasonably good radio, but the design is decades old and the manufacturing quality may be uneven. The price is high for what it is, but thsi market is small.

I bought this radio to have out in the field with when operating drones to listen to local air traffic and increase situational awareness. It feels heavy and solid and it quite larger than my ham handheld radio. Works great!

I bought this radio as a backup for the single COM radio in my airplane. I am based at a tower-controlled airport and my single radio fails, it is much more difficult to get back into the controlled airspace to land. I also wanted to be able to listen in to air show control at events like Oshkosh and other events. I only fly VFR, so I don't need it to work with ATC enroute controllers, most of whom would be located many miles away.I bought the AA version because I didn't want to mess around with a rechargeable battery - I would use this radio relatively rarely and alkaline batteries were all I needed. I also bought a 2nd battery tray for $15, so I can carry a spare set of batteries in their own tray - reviewers that pointed out the difficulty of getting batteries into the tray were correct. I didn't think it was too hard to do on the ground, but I wouldn't want to do it in the air.I also bought a PTT switch for it. I have since returned it.I have been having periodic problems with my COM radio, and it happened again today. Tower was reporting "barely readable" and was struggling to hear me. I pulled our the FTA550 and plugged it into the cigarette lighter socket I use for 12VDC in the plane. With the PTT switch, my transmissions were also nearly unreadable, which was also the case with the radio's side tone. I was using my Dave Clark 13.4s using the included headset adapter (Thanks for providing all of the accessories, Yaesu!!) and the received audio was strong and crisp. I removed the optional PTT switch (which is being returned to Amazon for a refund) and just used the PTT on the side of the radio. It worked just fine.Using the included BNC antenna, Tower was able to read me from eight miles out, but not as strong as usual. At five miles they were reading me loud and clear. It probably helps that my plane has a bubble canopy that lets the antenna transmit without being blocked by aluminum wings or fuselage, but I am still going to get and mount an external antenna, or put an A-B switch between my primary COM and the FTA550.This radio provided the redundancy that I needed at a very reasonable cost. I would not use it for IFR in less I had no other choice, and I would definitely install an external antenna if I thought I would ever have to use in for that kind of flying. I have not tried using the VOR function and don't anticipate a need for it because I also carry a backup GPS. I might try it someday to see how it works, just in case.

The unit I got was defective. The squelch would work. Tons of static. The vor function was fine. If I played with the antenna the static would go away so I'm guessing that was the issue. I have the 850L and love it. This was going to be a back up to the 850. I plan on getting another 550. I like the yaseu brand but think I just got unlucky with this one.

Student pilot here, when I get to the airport early I like to listen in and watch the planes in the pattern, the radio is very clear and easy to use, I haven’t had to replace the batteries yet and it’s been about a month I think. I keep it in my headphone case too when I fly just in case I loose the radio. It’s nice, I like it. Heavy, quality feel and nice to have as a backup/practice.