YAESUFTA-250L Handheld VHF Airband Transceiver (Comm only)

First, a fine radio in terms of reception, sound quality, and compact form factor. Second, very affordable and comes with a lot of great accessories - rechargeable battery and recharger, aviation headset adapter (nice touch that the adapter can screw in to the radio body for more security).My venerable old Sporty’s SP-400 finally had one too many issues so I’ve replaced it with a Yaesu FTA-250L and wow, what a difference in terms of improved quality, features, accessories, performance and smaller/lighter form factor. I compared it with the new Sporty's PJ2+ and it still wins hands down.A really cool feature is that the Yaesu has a digital squelch instead of an analog knob like the SP-400 and it seems much more intelligent. I’ve been listening to aircraft communicating with Charlotte approach that fly the pattern over our house and it is crystal clear. Calling for fuel on the ramp is great. It is smaller and lighter as I mentioned, which makes it easier to hold on to, but I am also impressed with the accessories. The package included an adapter for standard aviation headphones that screws on to the transceiver body to make it much more secure. No data on battery life yet but supposed to be good. Good memory functions, straightforward interface, and ability to also pick up the weather bands, just like the SP-400. Good labeling function on the memory – can spell out KEQY AWOS or CLT APP easily.Great product!

Nice handheld aviation radio. I’ve not had occasion to transmit with it yet but reception has been crystal clear. The small size fits into my flight-bag perfectly yet still feels comfortable and unobtrusive walking around holding it.It appears to have a spot to attach a wrist strap but none was included.

The Yaesu FTA-250L looks and feels like a well-made, durable unit. Using the manual I was able to easily learn its functions. Operation is simple and easy to remember. Reception and transmission are loud and clear. At first, I had difficulty making it charge in the charging cradle, but once I realized how to place it in the cradle, the indicator light is red when charging and it turns green when fully charged. This unit will be a perfect backup for the flight bag and great portable unit on the ground. I am very happy with my purchase.

I am a line mechanic at night. Our trucks do not have a VHF radio in them to be able to listen to morning wake up calls. Normally we ask pilots to flash their lights if they have issues that need to be addressed. But with all the other vehicle lights and beacons sometimes it is difficult to pay attention. Not every pilot understands to use lights either. Sometimes the call our office handset. Which does a person waiting in front of aircraft no good. I have mine Scanning four frequencies. Airport Ground, Taxi, Operations and of course Maintenance. Good battery life, volume is good inside truck with windows up. I have only used in receive mode only.

I use it as a back up to my aircraft radio. I carry with me whenever I fly. Reception is good. Transmit power seems okay too. I also use it when aircraft is not powered on, and I need to call ground (occasionally). Works good for that.

I have been a ham radio operator for over 30 years. I have had 3 different brands and 6 models of handheld radios in that time. This is the easiest one that I have had to program and use. The menu is self explanatory. 10 minutes of reading the manual was plenty of time to program and use the radio.It is very compact. It fits in the palm of your hand. Definitely worth getting a reputable brand.

So far so good, seems like a good value for the money

This is an emergency radio so it would not get much use. I was worried one day I would need it only to find it dead. I must admit I lack the discipline needed to check it before each flight..... my bad! My solution was to buy an 8 AA battery holder (12v) and wire up the correct tip to fit the radio. I can plug it in and have a working radio with a dead battery or no battery at all.I do use it to get taxi and clearance instructions on the ground BEFORE starting the engine. Nice and quiet!I made a PTT switch which is only a TR2 ( 2 pole) plug and a momentary switch. Cost was $7 so I saved $23