Yaesu FTA550 Handheld VHF Transceiver

I bought this radio as a backup for the single COM radio in my airplane. I am based at a tower-controlled airport and my single radio fails, it is much more difficult to get back into the controlled airspace to land. I also wanted to be able to listen in to air show control at events like Oshkosh and other events. I only fly VFR, so I don't need it to work with ATC enroute controllers, most of whom would be located many miles away.I bought the AA version because I didn't want to mess around with a rechargeable battery - I would use this radio relatively rarely and alkaline batteries were all I needed. I also bought a 2nd battery tray for $15, so I can carry a spare set of batteries in their own tray - reviewers that pointed out the difficulty of getting batteries into the tray were correct. I didn't think it was too hard to do on the ground, but I wouldn't want to do it in the air.I also bought a PTT switch for it. I have since returned it.I have been having periodic problems with my COM radio, and it happened again today. Tower was reporting "barely readable" and was struggling to hear me. I pulled our the FTA550 and plugged it into the cigarette lighter socket I use for 12VDC in the plane. With the PTT switch, my transmissions were also nearly unreadable, which was also the case with the radio's side tone. I was using my Dave Clark 13.4s using the included headset adapter (Thanks for providing all of the accessories, Yaesu!!) and the received audio was strong and crisp. I removed the optional PTT switch (which is being returned to Amazon for a refund) and just used the PTT on the side of the radio. It worked just fine.Using the included BNC antenna, Tower was able to read me from eight miles out, but not as strong as usual. At five miles they were reading me loud and clear. It probably helps that my plane has a bubble canopy that lets the antenna transmit without being blocked by aluminum wings or fuselage, but I am still going to get and mount an external antenna, or put an A-B switch between my primary COM and the FTA550.This radio provided the redundancy that I needed at a very reasonable cost. I would not use it for IFR in less I had no other choice, and I would definitely install an external antenna if I thought I would ever have to use in for that kind of flying. I have not tried using the VOR function and don't anticipate a need for it because I also carry a backup GPS. I might try it someday to see how it works, just in case.

I bought this radio to have out in the field with when operating drones to listen to local air traffic and increase situational awareness. It feels heavy and solid and it quite larger than my ham handheld radio. Works great!

I got this radio as an emergency back-up if the electrical system or panel radios in my airplane fail. Overall it works great. Picks up transmissions clearly and at a distance. Transmits at 5W which is quite powerful for a hand-held unit. Also has VOR and ILS! And it's a lot cheaper than the same version of this radio that comes with the rechargeable battery pack. High build quality, seems quite durable. The headset adapter works great with my headsets. It also comes with a cig lighter power plug that accepts 12 or 24 V power, so you can power it if the batteries die. Of course, that won't be useful if the reason you have this radio is for emergencies when the airplane's electrical system fails!But this radio has 2 drawbacks: when you xmit, it drains batteries fast. That's understandable; 5W from a 10V source means it draws 1/2 Amp from the batteries during xmit. Second, the battery tray is sculpted in a way that prevents some batteries from making electrical contact. Required minor surgery with an X-Acto knife to remove some of the plastic sculpted ridges in the battery tray. That's a one-time permanent fix.Note: I'm using low-discharge rechargeable AA batteries rated at around 2400 mAH, and they power this radio quite well.

This is my first hand held so I really don't have any other radio to compare it to, but with that said I been trying it out for it's reliability. On the ground I've been able to get 25 mile range picking up the bravo from my house with good clarity and probably more if I wanted to push it further . At 11 nautical miles out at 3500 ft I was able to pickup the attis and it was scatchy but readable .I then ask for a radio check from a delta atc. The signal was weak but we were able to communicate . I was also able to use the vor on the ground and it worked great 5 miles out. When I get around to it I'll try the vor in the air . This radio for me met and surpassed my expectations . I have rechargeable battery in the radio and they last pretty long even though the battery indicator is a little off. The one thing I forgot to mention is I used a base antenna instead of the original one when I was 3500 feet in the air. Don't know how the original antenna would have worked. Overall for the price it's a good investment for a backup radio.

So far a great little radio for the money.Batteries are tight, but it's not as bad as other reviews make it seem.I flipped through the manual and was able to understand the features and program the memory in less than 15 mins.I've left it scanning all day and the battery indicator hasn't changed.Lots of people have complained about battery drainage, but if you're not transmitting it shouldn't be an issue. It's 5 watts transmitting, of course it'll be a power hog.I live close to a class C airport and get great reception on nearly all frequencies.I haven't used it to transmit, and hopefully I won't need to, but 5 watts is powerful.I haven't tested the VOR or ILS funtions yet, but I look forward to.So far, this radio seems like a fine backup. I enjoy using it to just listen, and it's an added sense of security in the flight bag.