Yaesu VX-8R Handheld

It's been quite some time since I posted an entry on my blog so I decided to bring you all up to date with a few things tonight :)

This is my Yaesu VX-8R handheld. I've had it for a couple of months now and have been meaning to make a posting about it. It's a 'quad band' handheld (6M, 222Mhz, 2M & 70cm), but the 222Mhz band can't legally be used in NZ for amateur use. I have managed to 'open' the radio for transmission on some of the aeronautical band too (AM transmission on 120Mhz - 135Mhz) which is handy when I'm up at the gliding club.

Unfortunately I haven't been able to open it up quite as far as I need for our main frequency (119.1Mhz), but it does cover our two 'glider chat' freqs (133.55Mhz & 133.45Mhz).

The VX-8R has an APRS TNC built in and as you can see I have purchased the optional GPS unit so I can beacon tracking information. The radio is a 'dual watch' rig meaning it has two independent VFOs and can monitor (or scan) two frequencies at the same time. You can also opt to dedicate the 'B VFO' to APRS modem use and mute it while doing so. This lets me beacon APRS packets through the local digis while monitoring the voice repeaters on the 'A VFO'.

There are also a few downsides to the VX-8R, including the complete l lack of volume and squelch knobs. Both these features have to be accessed through the menu system (ie, you temporarily put the top knob into 'volume mode' or 'squelch mode'). Another downside is the lack of direct RS-232 access to the built-in TNC and the lack of 'smart beaconing' in the APRS implementation.

All in all though it is a very feature-packed, submersible radio that does a great job in the field. I'll be holding on to this one for quite a while :)