Yaesu VX-6R Review
A sturdy and reliable subcompact analog dualband radio. The lack of digital makes it limited as a primary radio, but it’s great for outdoor activities.
There’s a reason why a product would be in the market and in production for so long. In the ham radio community, such longevity usually means a product is class-defining or has stood the test of time.
Such is the case for one of my favorites, the Yaesu FT-60R, which I have written about several times here. I have also recently acquired a Yaesu VX-6R, a submersible sub-compact portable that provides increased flexibility and ruggedness.
Launched in 2005, the Yaesu VX-6R is a dual-band single-receiver radio with JIS7 water ingress protection. It is marketed as “submersible” meaning it can be submerged up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes without water ingress issues.
The Yaesu website lists the VX-6R as a current model — the same as the FT-60R. Yes, the model has been current for at least 15 years. Even the VX-7R and VX-8 series have been officially discontinued (having been superseded by other models). The VX-6R still has a viable market and production base.
Locally (in the Philippines), the VX-6R sells for PhP 9,500. It is priced at $275 on Amazon (affiliate link) and probably cheaper at HRO or other ham specialty stores.
Built and form factor
I’m no stranger to this sub-compact submersible form factor. I used to own a VX-7R, which I purchased cheap and restored — VX-7R review here. Both radios come in alloy housings and a similar front panel layout.
The VX-6R comes with more modern-looking dials and speaker/mic jack cover, however. This is similar to the notched dials of the FT-250R and FT-270R. In contrast, the FT-60R, VX-7R, and VX-150 have rounded dials.
The volume controls are analog, but the dial clicks into 15 preset positions. The selector knob is situated in the outer ring. They are not interchangeable (like with the FT-2DR, FT-3DR, or Icom IC-T70A, for comparison). There is no hardware power switch, as powering up and down is done via a button in front. Powering it “off’ does not completely kill the current flow. More on this later with the WAKEUP feature.
What I like about the VX-6R compared with the VX-7R is the clip. VX-7 uses a swivel-type clip similar to the FT-270R. The VX-6 uses a fixed non-alligator type belt clip. I do believe the clips may be interchangeable, being secured by single-screw.
Ruggedness and ingress protection
While I don’t think there will be viable applications that will require a radio operator to communicate while underwater in normal circumstances, such ingress protection will be useful in harsh weather conditions, such as operating outdoors while camping, hunting, boating, in heavy rains, etc.
The VX-6R is small but heavy for its size. This heft adds to the radio’s sturdy feel. The battery latches on to the radio in a tight fit to ensure protection against water ingress. The rubber gasket for the DC-in jack is thicker and larger than with other radios.
The earpiece jack is threaded, and it can take the MH-73A4B or other similar speaker-mics with threaded plugs.
The clip is made of thick plastic. I would have preferred the metallic clip like the one found on the Kenwood TH-7E, although the VX-6R’s clip is situated high enough in the radio to result in a low center of gravity whilst clipped onto your belt.
Performance
The VX-6R is a dualband single-receiver radio, although some versions are marketed as triband, with 2 meter, 70 cm and 1.25 meter transmit and receive operation.
The radio’s receiver is wide, from 500 Khz to 999 MHz. This means you can receive broadcast AM, broadcast FM, and other signals across this broad spectrum. However, AM receive performance is not as good as other portable radios like the Kenwood TH-F7E and Yaesu FT1XD, which reportedly have bar antennas built into their casing (reviews of those radios coming soon). You’ll need a good antenna to ensure adequate receiver performance.
Also, it does not have SSB filters, so you cannot listen in to QSOs on HF bands which are usually done on LSB or USB.
I got my radio freebanded already, which means it can transmit on ANY of the frequencies it is programmed to receive. It’s like the MARS/CAP mod, but wider. However, the problem is that the radio shuts down when I transmit on certain frequencies (to protect its transmitter, I guess). It can only power back on once I plug into DC, after which all is back to normal.
The radio performs similarly to the FT-60R in terms of transmit and receive, with the added feature of having four power settings: L1, L2, L3 and Hi:
- Hi: 5W
- Low 3: 2.5W
- Low 2: 1W
- Low 1: 300mW
I get all-day battery life with the 1,500 mAh SBR-80Li with power saving set to default (1:1 RX save and no 5/5/90 duty cycle on 5W transmit).
Battery saving with the WAKEUP feature
What I like about the VX-6R is that you can enable its WAKEUP feature, which essentially puts the radio to sleep mode when you power it down or after the APO kicks in. As long as WAKEUP is active, the radio powers up at certain intervals (5, 10, 20, or 30 seconds). You can also manually set your radio to WAKEUP mode by holding the power button to put it to sleep. Pressing the power button again powers it down.
This enables the radio to save power and extend its standby time for days, only waking up every few seconds to see if there is an ongoing QSO. If it receives a signal upon wakeup, it will remain awake until a few seconds after the transmission ends. It’s like extending the RX power save to 30 seconds.
Update 2022–06–20: I discovered a bug in the WAKEUP feature of the VX-6R. When you are using CTCSS or any other tone/code squelch functionality, the radio will wakeup at the given interval, but will not remain powered on even if there is a signal received with the correct tone. I tried playing around with the settings, and this can only be resolved when the SAVE option is turned off within the WAKEUP menu, as described on page 78 of the VX-6R manual. I have not been able to test just how much the effect on battery life is.
I don’t think any other Yaesu radio has this WAKEUP feature.
Observations
Pros
- Very compact and good as an EDC radio. You can keep it on your belt, satchel, or bag without added bulk. It is a bit heavy for its size, but it is not very obtrusive for a rugged radio like the Yaesu FT270R.
- Sturdy and solid build quality
- Wide receiver
- Has pre-set AM and shortwave frequencies saved for easy access
- Adjustable backlighting brightness
- Relatively fast scanning
- Easy access to common functions with keypad shortcuts. There is also a “DMR” feature, which basically just recalls quick memory settings assigned to the numeric keys (no it’s not Digital Mobile Radio).
- Similar programming sequence as with most Yaesu handhelds (except for FT-65R and FT-4X).
- Battery latch seems well-built.
- Clip attaches to radio and not the battery. This is a plus point in my book.
- WAKEUP feature extends standby time to several days or even more than a week.
- Can be charged via DC jack or optional rapid-charging cradle.
- Bright indicator LED at the front
- Has a “frequency counter” which is basically a very fast scan with attenuator turned on.
- Compatible with VX5 and VX7 batteries and other accessories
- 12 different backlight brightness levels
- 9 mic gain settings
- Lots of memories and memory banks — more than you’ll ever need
- Adjustable keypad beep levels
- Power on timer, from 10 minutes to 24 hours
- Supports packet, with compatible audio cable
Cons
- Very low power output when using the FBA-23 dry cell case
- Rapid charging cradle is not included in the package. It is an optional purchase.
- Single receiver only. Single monitor also (you can use a bank scan if you want to monitor more than one channel).
- AM broadcast receiver performs poorly due to lack of an internal antenna (perhaps a factor of its metallic construction also)
- Only one user-programmable keypad shortcut
- No APRS (this only came about two succeeding models after the VX-6R with the VX-8)
- Requires threaded cable for programming. Your generic cables won’t work here unless you shave off some part of the plastic to fit inside the recessed audio jack.
The FBA-23 dry cell case only supports two AA batteries, meaning you can only transmit at low power (50mW, maximum of 300 mW) with two Alkaline AA cells. I have tried using NiMH batteries, and it will work. I have even used Li-Ion 14500 cells with the dry cell case, and the two cells supply the sam 7.2V nominal charge of the stock battery. The problem with using unprotected Li-Ion is that they can get deep-discharged or undervolted, which is not good for the batteries and can harm the radio. At any rate, these are essential for emergency power — it’s good to have and not need rather than need but not have.
Conclusion
The Yaesu VX-6R is a capable handheld radio that has stood the test of time. It comes in a compact and rugged construction, providing water resistance, which is a plus for those into outdoor activities.
Dualband (and triband for US models) capability gives you flexibility in terms of making contacts on VHF or UHF repeaters or simplex. Don’t expect dual receiver capability nor even dual standby. It’s only a single-screen and single-receiver radio, unlike its successor, the VX-7R which has dual receivers.
The price point may be the concern here. It’s priced in the same range as the Yaesu FT-70DR, which already provides Fusion capability (although targeted at an entry-level market).
If you ask me whether I would buy an FT70DR or a VX-6R — between the two, my answer would be YES (I would get both, but that’s just me).
The only thing keeping me from using the VX-6R as my primary HT is our club’s Fusion repeater. I make digital contacts and send APRS messages on a daily basis, and I mostly use either FT-2DR or FT-1XD.
Thus, my VX-6R is relegated to being my go-bag radio. I keep it in my EDC bag along with an FBA-23 loaded with fresh batteries for emergency power. It’s compact enough, and given its wide receiver and water resistance, it’s the perfect radio for emergency comms in case of disaster like storms or floods.
Some more photos
I will keep this review updated as I make more observations and discoveries.
