Specifications
From May 2008 QST © ARRL
PRODUCT REVIEW
Mark J. Wilson, K1RO
Product Review Editor
k1ro@arrl.org
Bottom Line
Key Measurements
Summary
Reviewed by Howard Robins, W1HSR
ARRL Contributing Editor
The FTM-10R is a rugged, weatherproof
addition to the Yaesu VHF/UHF mobile
product line. According to the ads, it’s aimed
at outdoor motorsports enthusiasts. The water-
proof control head can be separated from the
main radio unit and is shown mounted on mo-
torcycle handlebars (see sidebar). The main
unit, which is not waterproof, could be stored
in a saddle bag or mounted under a seat.
The radio has many features, includ-
ing some that distinguish it from the pack.
For starters, it has a built-in AM and FM
broadcast band receiver, wideband receiver
coverage, weather band with alert, and
500 memory channels. Transmitter power
is 50/20/5 W on 2 meters and 40/20/5 W on
70 cm. (The FTM-10SR is similar, but
with 10 W on 2 meters and 7 W on 70 cm.)
There’s a microphone built into the control
panel, and it can be PTT or VOX activated.
The FTM-10R is the first mobile radio I’m
aware of that can work with Bluetooth wireless
headsets. There’s also an intercom feature that
lets two Bluetooth headset users talk to each
other. I will get into detail about many of the
special features later in this review.
Good Things Come in Small
Packages
The radio body is compact, measuring
about 1.5 × 4.25 × 5.5 inches (height, width,
Yaesu FTM-10R Dual Band
Mobile Transceiver
depth), and the detachable control panel is
just over 1 inch deep. The body serves as a
massive cast aluminum heat sink, so there is
no cooling fan. The FTM-10R comes with
hardware to support several mounting ar-
rangements and a 3-meter-long separation
cable. (An optional 20 foot separation cable
is available for those bigger vehicles.)
The control panel has a built-in mic, so
a traditional hand mic is not necessary and
not included with the radio. Yaesu offers two
optional hand mics, one with a 16-key DTMF
(dual-tone, multi-frequency) keypad, and one
without. You can connect the microphone
to the rear panel of the main unit or to the
control panel with an optional adapter that
connects to the bottom edge. (Note that the
FTM-10R uses a special microphone connec-
tor, so you’ll need one of the optional Yaesu
mics or adapters if you don’t want to use the
built-in microphone.)
The front of the control panel is fairly
simple, with four push buttons, one twist-
knob and a brilliant, easy-to-read blue LCD.
There are five additional push buttons on
top. All push buttons are back-lit for easy
visibility in the dark and are large and well-
spaced for easier access by gloved fingers. I
will get into how these buttons are used later
in this review.
The radio body has an RJ-45 jack on the
front for connection to the control panel.
The rear panel has an SO-239 RF connector,
Weatherproof, compact and rug-
ged, Yaesu’s FTM-10R offers a num-
ber of features for motorcyclists and
other nontraditional mobile operators.
With VOX and Bluetooth capability, it
brings hands-free mobile operation
to the amateur marketplace.
1 4
Snd
4.2
†
Audio Output (mW)
2 M
70 cm
* Measurement noise limited at
value shown.
Key:
† Off Scale
60 120
Img
Image Rejection (dB)
60
135
IF
40
70
,
Rx
,
Rx
ChRej
50
90
59
Adjacent Channel Rejection (dB)
0.25
0.14
59@20 kHz
*
79@10 MHz
105
70
0.1
SINAD
Receiver Sensitivity (12 dB SINAD, µV)
60
90
Receiver 3rd-Order Dynamic Range (dB)
Receiver 3rd-Order Dynamic Range (dB)
IF Rejection (dB)
pr031
136*
†
97
62
62@20 kHz*
96@10 MHz
†
0.16