Yaesu FT3DR Dual-Band Radio Review

The Yaesu FT3DR fits into my large hands quite well. The angled PTT button and grippy rubber on both that button and the MicroSD/Data cover on the other side ensures the radio is not only easy to hold, but won’t slip out of your hand. That may not seem like something worth noting, unless you live in the humid Texas heat.

Buttons on the front feel great to press, although I wish they had a little bit more tactile feedback. Buttons on the side, including the PTT, have great audible feedback, but again, not much tactile. This is probably due to the thick, soft rubber covering them. I can live with that tradeoff.

The dual knobs on top are fantastic. You really need both since this radio has a ton of functions, even thought it does have a touch screen. You will note that their functions are backwards from a lot of radios in that the outer ring is volume while the inner knob is your encoder. Both have detents, with the outer ring being very subdued while the inner knob is much more pronounced. I wish they had this setup back when I bought my VX-8G.

Obviously, the first thing you notice on the Yaesu FT3DR is that big 2.4″ 320×240 TFT color touchscreen. And it is glorious to see. The vast majority of color screens today turn completely off when the timer runs out (usually called the backlight timer) so you can’t see the screen when it has been sitting there a minute. This screen, like its competitor, the Kenwood TH-D74, does not have that flaw. They do dim, but are still readable, this one even more so than the Kenwood.

One huge advantage the Yaesu FT3DR has over all of its competitors is that the screen displays the frequency in absolutely massive numbers. On my D74 the frequency is about 24mm wide, on the FT3RD it is about 36. I can’t even count how many older ham radio operators have flocked to this radio primarily for that reason alone.

Here is where I become unpopular, the touchscreen part of the radio. The idea is simply awesome, need to change a frequency? Tap on the current frequency, and it displays a number pad on the screen, tap in the frequency, and you are done. How incredible is that? Well, that depends.

On a lot of things, that is indeed just amazing. There are a couple of catches, though, starting with my fat fingers. I have large hands, and that means large fingers. I have a hard time selecting things on the screen with my big meat sticks. I can use a stylus to solve that problem, but remembering to take it and pulling it out to change things on the screen is a hassle. 

In addition, the touchscreen is just not that responsive. If you are expecting the Yaesu FT3DR to act like an iPhone with a really fast tap tap tap done, you will be disappointed. It absolutely is better than the FT2DR, but it is still a little pokey at times. This is supposedly addressed in the FT5DR.

The layout of data on the screen is amazing as well. Everything you need is right there, easy to read and color coded. They obviously put a lot of time and effort into laying out this screen with just the right amount of the right information.

Accessing the configuration on the Yaesu FT3DR is a little different but quite easy, just hold down the DISP button right in the center of the radio. If you are familiar with typical Baofeng programming, think of the DISP as your menu button and the BACK button as your back/exit button, except it is on the left instead of the right.

Once in the menu, you are presented with a grid of 12 rectangles. Each of those has a label such as display, TX/RX, memory, signal, and scan. You can either tape the rectangle you want, or you can scroll the encoder and the label will highlight in red. Press the DISP button to enter that configuration section. The rest of the options and menus work much the same way. I like that they give me the option to use the encoder instead of my fat fingers.

I thought the battery on the Yaesu FT3DR looked a lot like my 2011 VX-8G battery. I was wrong. It IS the same battery. I literally took the battery off the 2019 FT3DR, put it on my VX-8G, and powered the radio up. Works fine. I was astounded. As in my review of the VX-8G, I am not impressed with the plastic clips holding the battery on, but at least they fixed the belt clip which is extremely nice on the FT3DR (I need to get a spare FT3DR clip for my VX-8G since the clip attaches to the battery, heh).

Programming the Yaesu FT3DR from the radio is pretty straight forward, although the sheer number of options is pretty overwhelming. To make things easier you can grab CHIRP, the ADMS-11 Yaesu software, or my favorite, RT Systems software. Not only is the RT Systems software, in my opinion, substantially better than the other options, but you can get it with the special cable you will need all in one package.

In my reviews, I don’t really discuss the advanced features of the radios, but suffice to say this one has them in spades. Unlike the inexpensive radios that claim to have some of these features, the ones on the Yaesu FT3DR work flawlessly, and quickly. This radio does not mess around. Using WIRES-X is easy, and the GPS locks on fast even with a little cover over you. The screens change quickly and scrolling through options is fast as well.

Performance:

So as a basic radio, how does this thing perform? Power output is 3 watts on 2m and 4 watts on 70cm, which is about average for handheld radios, especially smaller ones like this. For comparison, the Kenwood D74 is 3.6 and 1.4 respectively.

Looking at the antenna test, the antenna that comes with the Yaesu FT3DR is, well, alright I guess. It is reasonable at 2m, but pretty poor at 70cm. It is perfectly fine for light duty if you want to keep your radio’s footprint small and nimble, but for anything even remotely serious, buy a better antenna.

The spectrum analysis for this radio is amazing, there really isn’t any more to say. Power is immediate, concentrated on frequency, and very stable. The only radio that I have tested with a better transmitted signal so far is the Kenwood TH-K20A, although both the Kenwood TH-D74 and Icom ID-52 come close.

Transmitted audio from the Yaesu FT3DR is very close to perfect as well, although it is not quite as loud as I expected. I will take clarity over volume any day of the week, and maybe I was just speaking softly that day, heh. The important thing is that you absolutely will be understood clearly with this radio.

Images:

Radio Specifics:

Test Images:

• 2m/70cm dual band
• 5w C4FM
• 320×240 full color TFT LCD touchscreen display
• 1200/9600 APRS data communications
• 4 power modes (5W/2.5W/1W/.3W)
• C4FM digital, voice, data, and conventional modes
• 700mW audio output
• True dual-band simultaneous receive
• Bluetooth
• Band scope function
• CAM (Club Channel Activity Monitor)
• System Fusion II with AMS/GI-ID, and smart navigation
• WiRES-X portable digital node compatible
• Built-in 66ch high-sensitivity GPS receiver
• Snapshot feature
• Voice recording function
• MicroSD card slot
• IPX5 water protection
• Wideband reception from .5MHz-999.90MHz

Conclusions

So would I recommend the Yaesu FT3DR? Absolutely! I would, however, highly recommend that if you have large hands and really want to use the touchscreen that you play with one before making a final decision. It is a fantastic radio in every respect and will do pretty much anything you can think of a handheld radio can do.

Would I recommend it over the FT5DR? That too depends on what you need. The FT5DR has a nicer screen, louder audio, a USB-C port for both charging and data, IPX7 waterproofing, and is supposedly more ergonomic. To my knowledge, it doesn’t do anything the FT3DR can’t. Is that worth the currently $200-$250 more? Not to me, but maybe to you.

Here are some reviews of the Yaesu FT3DR!