[Yaesu] Yaesu VX-6R, initial impressions

Thu Apr 27 10:28:10 EDT 2006

Got my VX6R in yesterday, and hope this review might help others who are interested in one, or thinking of getting one. I have had several other Yaesu HTs (VX2R, VX5R, VX7R, VX150, FT50, FT470) so I am fairly famililar with Yaesu HTs and their programming. The VX7R, in my opinion, is probably the best HT out there today, and I thought that the VX6R was just a 7R without dual receive or 6 meters, but I found that to not be the case.
The VX6R has a plastic case similar to the FT50. It seems very durable, and won't scratch or flake paint like the 5R and 7R. The HT still gets hot on high power, even with the plastic case. The waterproofing is nice also.
The programmable key is a nice addition, as I can now check battery voltage with the press of a single key. Of course you can also program it to do any menu item. Great idea!
The direct memory recall (like hypermemories) is a great function and very easy to access. The VX7R also did this but it was more difficult to get into the hypermemories. Press and hold a button on the VX6R and you are now in hypermemory mode, where pressing a key (1 to 0) immediately takes you to that memory. It is also easy to store the memories-just hold down a number key while in VFO mode.
The menus are set up very well, and are easy to use. That was one weak point of the VX7R-the menus were a mess. On the VX6R they are in alphabetical order. The keypad functions are also set up very nicely. This is a pretty easy HT to use.
The size is larger than a VX5R, but smaller than the VX7R. I like the 5R size better, but this one is fine. It is about the size of an Icom T90 (which you should avoid). The display are 8 segment digits instead of the dot matrix as on the 5R and 7R. It works fine, though, and is large and easy to read.
The surprising thing about this HT is the receiver. In some band segments it isn't as good as the VX2R, VX5R or VX7R, but in some areas it is better. Overall, it seems better than the receiver on the Kenwood TH-F6A, which I have also had. 
I miss the dual receive and the clock found on the VX7R, as well as 6 meters, but the extra power on 222 will be nice. The receive audio is excellent on the VX6R also, and it is one of the first HTs I have seen that has a mic gain control (the other being the Alinco V5T). I left mine on the default 5 setting, and got good audio reports.
Overall, Yaesu has a winner with this HT. It is a different and in some ways better HT than the VX7R, but also does a little less. I highly recommend it, though, if you don't need dual receive or 6 meters.
73s John NE0P 
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