FTA-450L Airband VHF Comm

My 3rd handheld over the years, this one to replace my larger and heavier Icom A24 (cockpit comm/nav backup), intended primarily for on-field comms. Choice was based on high reviews, Li-Ion batt, size, lighter weight, price, basic features. Pros: very good TX/RX voice quality, quick selection of features (eg, Wx, generous freq memory, freq scanning). Easy setup, excellent user manual; re-charges quickly. Includes convenient charging cradle, 12v vehicle accessory charger, emergency backup AA (6) batt tray. Cons: none Too early to comment on batt life, comm range, durability, etc, but put it to work out-of-the-box and nice to have a reliable handheld that doesn't feel like a cement block after carrying it all day. Purchased the optional earbud, works well for clearer voice when out in winds. This is a basic comms handheld; would expect the FTA-550L and -750L with nav and GPS would make great cockpit backups. Made in Japan.

Received my 450 today. Straight from the box, I tuned into to Atlanta Approach from my house, about 20 miles away. Delta transmissions came in loud and clear. I could not hear ATC though, but I'm 20 miles away in a dense city, at ground level. Can't fault the radio for that. Operating the radio was very simple, and I had it all setup within 5 minutes pulling it from the box. The build quality feels substantial. I let it monitor ATL Approach all day, and the battery indicator only dropped 1 bar in 8 hours. So far, this little radio gets 5 stars. I plan on using it as a primary radio in a Part103 UL. My little airport is getting busier and busier, so NORDO isn't very comfortable anymore, while lumbering about the air at 50knots. I'll update my review once I get it in the air, and use it for real comms, over the course of a few flights. I'm curious to see what the Air to Air, and Air to Ground Tx range will be.

7-Sept-2017, 2217 Hours PDT Hello, all. I only purchase Motorola and Yaesu transceivers. I've interacted with many transceivers; and, in my experiences, Land, Sea, and Air, Motorola and Yaesu satisfy my RF needs: - Land: Motorola XPR 7550e - Air: Yaesu FTA-450L - Sea: Motorola CP200 I own several Yaesu products; and, I have been extremely pleased with their products: FT-857D, VX-6R, and FT1XDR. (LEGEND: transceiver = aviation hand-held transceiver within the scope of this product review.) Today, 7-September-2017, I ordered and received my aviation transceiver produced my Yaesu: FTA-450L. My fellow aviators use other brands; and, I had the chance of using those other brands; and, I was not impressed. Also, I WAS NOT interested in an aviation transceiver that had any navigation features -- I ONLY wanted a transceiver that had COMM. My flight instructor told me, "don't waste your money with hand-held aviation transceivers that have navigation features in them -- you will seldom, if ever, use those features -- stick with a transceiver that only has the communications feature." In my experiences, my flight instructor was correct -- all my fellow aviators have transceivers with built-in navigation features, and none of my aviator acquaintances ever used those navigation features built into their transceivers; hence, I purchased the Yaesu FTA-450L; and, I really dig this hand-held aviation transceiver. I downloaded the programming software from Yaesu's website. I entered all the frequencies I use, and I wrote it onto my FTA-450L, and I tested my code at SFO and at my San Francisco home. SFO RF Test (Ground): 5-Stars: At SFO, the RX and TX to my ground crew were crystal clear. My ground crew at SFO indicated my TX signal strength and modulation were clear and strong: S-9. This test performed as expected and no surprise with this result of my testing given the close proximity between me and my ground crew -- within 1.5 miles. Air-to-SFO ATC: 5-Stars As of today, 9-Sept-2017, @ 1300 Hours PDT, my PIC tested the FTA-450L in the air with SFO, SQL, and OAK ATCs, and the FTA-450L excelled in its performance. It was loud and clear without the head-set during ground ops; and, worked well with the head-set in the air. The air distance overage was well over 15 nautical miles, and the RX and TX modulation and signal strength were strong and crystal clear. My PIC passed my transceiver with flying colors! RF from my home in SF to SFO (Ground): 5-Stars: RX Test From My Home: my home is about ~15 miles North West of SFO. Notwithstanding the distance and buildings, I could clearly hear SFO's ATC directing aircraft in the Bay Area airspace. I could also hear the aviators on the runway waiting for take-off. I was outside of my penthouse, which is ~470 ASL with good LOS to the North, East, and South. TX Test From My Home To SFO (Ground Crew): (Rating Not Applicable because this test result originates from the physics of RF and not the transceiver): my TX to my ground crew from my home was weak as expected: S-1 to S-2. My modulation was weak and couldn't consistently overcome some of the fuzz due to the ground distance and building structures between my home and SFO -- this test result was not a surprise and was expected -- given the ground distance and buildings between my home and SFO -- also, I was using the stock antenna. TX Test From My Home in San Francisco to PIC 10,000 Ft AGL: 5-Stars: PIC indicated my TX was "loud and clear." Ten thousand feet AGL is just under 2 miles (1.89 miles) from ground to air. In-box Accessories: 5-Stars: Yaesu is generous with their in-box accessories: 6x AA battery tray as an additional power source, 12-v vehicle charger, desktop charging cradle, USB programming cable, programming software (at the Yaesu website), belt clip, 1800 mAh Li-ion battery, and head-set cable adapters. Battery Power: 5-Stars: The Li-ion battery lasts a long time and has good sustaining power. I used the transceiver on the ground, RX only, for 13 hours; and, the battery, at the 13th hour, showed one bar left on the battery display; I don't know the percentage of the battery drained for that one bar decrease; because, the transceiver doesn't provide that information. My PIC, on 9-Sept-2017, took my transceiver up of a 40-minute flight; and, did TX & RX in the air; and, the battery display still showed a full charge. When I used the AA battery tray for 8 hours on the ground, the battery display showed one bar of battery power left, which is the reason I do not recommend the FTA-550 (AA battery version) -- AAs do not have the sustaining power for RX, TX, and scanning like the Li-ion batteries. The AA battery tray is definitely a good back-up option, but I would not want it to be my one and only power source. Battery Display Indicator: 1-Star: The battery should have a discharge indicator indicating the percentage of charge left in the battery. Battery Cradle Charger: 1-Star: The battery cradle CANNOT independently charge the LI-ion battery pack -- it needs to be attached to the transceiver's body. To me, this is not an efficient nor effective use of time and use of my transceiver; because, I can't use the transceiver with my spare charged Li-ion battery pack while charging my drained LI-ion battery pack. The battery cradle should have been designed to cradle the LI-ion battery pack without having to be attached to the transceiver's body. Programming: 5-Stars: The Programming Software is Easy-to-use; and, it comes with the driver to activate the programming USB cable. Quality: 5-stars: This transceiver is made with quality, and it feels like it too -- there is nothing cheap-feeling or cheap-looking about this transceiver. In the hand, it has heft and feels heavy duty. Antenna: 5-Stars: One of the things I always do when I get a Yaesu hand-held transceiver, is change out the stock antenna and replace it with a better after-market antenna; because, stock Yaesu antennas that come with their hand-held transceivers, always suck. Not with this transceiver -- the FTA 450L's antenna actually works well on RX and TX operations. Also, I didn't experience any antenna installation problems as mentioned by other owners. The stock antenna perfectly locked in -- read the manual regarding the proper way to install the antenna. Speaker: 5-Stars: It can be adjusted to overcome any competing background noises. The sound quality has a slight imbalance of high notes to bass -- favoring the high notes; I understand this is part of the AM-nature; notwithstanding the AM RF nature, it isn't detrimental to the quality aspects of communications. Modulation is clear and understandable. I guess, after using Motorola hand-held transceivers, I'm spoiled by Motorola's rich, robust, and balanced sound qualities in their hand-held transceivers. Controls: 3-Stars: Easy to control; but, the transceiver's onboard software menu needs some adjustments -- especially, setting up the scanning function; I eventually figured it out in the manual -- that section could have been written better. Front Panel Display: 4-Stars: Greyscale images are ugly and dull -- why not color? Notwithstanding my dislike of the greyscale display, it is functional and easy to read; it is a nice feature compared to other aviation transceivers that don't have the FTA-450L's front panel display. Reliability: Pending: I just took possession and custody of this transceiver today, 7-September-2017; so, I still have to evaluate it against time and wear; I believe it will be reliable in any arena and will wear well with time -- after all, my other Yaesu HAM transceivers, mentioned herein, supra, have not failed on me to date. Customer Support: 5-Stars: Yaesu's customer support is awesome -- Hi, Endaf, Scott, and Dave -- you guys rock! Conclusion: For my aviation use, this is the perfect transceiver for me. If you are unlike me, and want and use the navigation features in a hand-held aviation transceiver, then go with the FTA-550L or the FTA-750L. I would not purchase the FTA-550, which only uses the AA batteries -- you can't use a Li-ion battery with that model according to Yaesu. The battery tray is a great back-up; but, I definitely would not want it as my one and only power source -- scanning and TX will quickly drain power in those AAs. Check 6 and CaVU! /s/ Alfonso Faustino

I am so glad that I bought this handheld radio. My first uses of the radio was just for merely listening to ATC and getting an idea of the communication flow in and around an airport's airspace. The reception from my home in The Bahamas was really good for the Tower and the Departure/Approach frequencies considering that I live roughly 8-10 miles from the airport. Now that I have started flight training I carry it with me on flights to have as a backup and also to use it to save time when it comes to getting my weather information from the controllers before a flight. I have already had to use it once during a flight because I encountered some difficulty with the Push-To-Talk switch in the airplane. This radio is a great backup to have with you in the airplane! It is one more added safety feature so why not have it? You never know when things can go wrong. From that moment on I knew that this radio was a good buy. There are other radios out there that come with a whole lot of other features like Navigation and VOR's, but for me those are totally unnecessary. This radio suits my needs perfectly, a good, BASIC communication radio without any extra bells and whistles. The battery life on this handheld lasts VERY long, considering that I don't use it much other than for getting the ATIS and listening to traffic in my spare time. If for some reason I had to purchase one again whether it be for me or a fellow aviator I would definitely do so.

Holding Menu + Power from OFF to access USB mode on a computer makes programming a breeze this tip will save anyone a headache if their software isn’t reading or transferring correctly. The software itself is easy to use and much faster than manually entering frequencies on the radio. I’m a drone pilot, and I use this to monitor surrounding airspace and Air Traffic Control. The signal is excellent with the stock antenna you don’t need any upgrades, and I don’t think there are any third-party antenna options anyway. I was torn between this radio and the Uniden BC125AT / FTA-550, which was recommended. In the end, the FTA-450L won. The FTA-550 comes with NAV/COM, ILS, and VOR navigation features, which I didn’t need since im ground only, so no reason to pay extra. The Uniden BC125AT is solid as an all-around scanner, but it doesn’t really shine on Aviation Airband frequencies, which is exactly what I needed. The FTA-450L is a perfect fit: reliable, focused on the frequencies I need, and reasonably priced without unnecessary extras. I hear ya loud and clear over.

This is a great radio. Battery life is good. I used it to listen to the busy tower at Triple Tree for 3 hours and the battery status never moved. I fly a small aircraft and this radio is used for communication in it as well. The only downside is the PC programming instructions are lacking. The software is easy to use, but pushing the programming to the radio is a bear the first time due to the instructions leaving out how to put the radio into programming mode. A quick internet search fixed that and I was able to program everything I could possibly need into the radio. I'm very pleased with the radio.

Frequencies and Legals: The RX/TX frequency range of this radio is 118.000 to 136.975 MHz with RX weather bands from 161.65 to 163.275. Be advised, the airband frequencies used by this radio are restricted for Aviation use only. Interfering with Air Traffic Control or critical Aviation Ops is a violation of US federal law. For Pilots: I **DO NOT** advise programming, naming and saving new frequencies into the radio’s address book while acting as a PIC or Co-Pilot. Do this on the ground during pre-flight, debrief, or your own free time. Obviously you’ll want to consider this handheld as a backup for use in the event that primary comms go down since it doesn’t have the TX power of your plane. That said, this radio is a very nice fallback to have. It’s fairly light, comes with adapters to rig up headsets, battery life is great with the L-Ion (obviously shorter if you talk a lot), and it’s a very nice unit overall. Frequencies are EASY to change thanks to the buttons, and I see no issue keeping up with frequency change requests from ATC while using this radio. This radio is COMMS Only and cannot receive or display VOR or GPS navigation data. This is a non-issue for me, and I have yet to encounter a pilot who tells me they‘ve used the NAV features on handheld radios while in flight. The only thing you’re going to miss out on by purchasing a comms only radio is an unnecessary $200-400 expense, especially if you’re already running an iPad with ForeFlight on the flight deck. For everyone: The radio body has a rugged feel to it, and all the gaskets covering the ports are nice and hefty. I don’t foresee any issue with the unit getting splashed or using it in light rain if necessary. Squelch is easy to adjust with a button just below the PTT that, when pressed, allows you to quickly adjust the Squelch with the selector knob. Range is great from ground to air; I can easily receive from planes up to 50 nautical miles away. Naturally, this is a handheld unit so TX range is much shorter. Don’t expect them to hear you just because you can hear them. Menus are easy enough to navigate, though I wouldn’t want to be fumbling around through them while operating as a PIC. Configure the radio during pre-flight for best experience there. The only semi-complaint I have with the radio itself is the size of the buttons as they’re a little on the small side. I suppose this is a trade-off for the screen size, but this isn’t a make-or-break issue. Regarding the Programming Software. Editing the address book manually via the menus on your radio is cumbersome and requires a LOT of abuse to the selector knob. To make things easier, Yaesu has programming software called YCE01 available on their website. This software is very simple, both in aesthetics and in use. It is the easiest way, by far, to program lots of named frequencies into your radio’s memory book. With that said, the software looks and feels very, very outdated and can be temperamental in communicating with the radio. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, for a variety of reasons. Comm port errors, time-out errors, etc. will have you playing the unplug-replug game with the radio from time to time, restarting the software, and sometimes rebooting your whole computer. I suspect it’s a driver issue, but it’s hard to say. If you’re running a Mac? You’re out of luck; their software is only available for Windows. Running Linux? You can *try* using WINE, but with the issues this software has with native Windows, you’re kind of on your own there. Attempt at your own risk. Overall, the radio itself is great. The programming software? Not so much. It works, usually, but it’s not impressive.

The Yaesu FTA-450L Airband VHF Comm is a versatile and reliable communication tool that has found its place both in my airshow-watching adventures and as a dependable backup radio in my flight bag. Its performance and functionality make it a top choice for aviation enthusiasts and pilots alike. Using this radio during airshows is a real treat. Its VHF airband communication capabilities ensure that I can easily tune in to air traffic control frequencies, capturing the thrilling conversations between pilots and air traffic controllers. The clarity and reception are exceptional, allowing me to stay engaged and informed while enjoying the aerial displays. The ease of use and intuitive interface make it a breeze to switch frequencies and access important aviation channels on the fly. As a backup radio in my flight bag, the Yaesu FTA-450L provides peace of mind. Its compact and rugged design ensures it can withstand the demands of aviation use, even in less-than-ideal conditions. Having a reliable backup radio is crucial for safety and communication during flights, and this device ticks all the boxes for functionality and durability. Whether I'm tracking aircraft during airshows or ensuring I have a reliable communication device while flying, the Yaesu FTA-450L Airband VHF Comm consistently proves itself as a dependable and valuable asset in my aviation pursuits. It's a must-have for aviation enthusiasts and professionals alike.