Railfan Technology > Yaesu FT-250R vs. FT-270R

For railroad monitoring is there any noticeable difference between the Yaesu FT-250R and the FT-270R?

I see a lot of posts about the 250R but little lately about the 270R. Does one have an advantage over the other for scanning, sensitivity, etc? It does appear based on specs the 270 might have a little better audio output but not by much and the 270 has a larger viewing screen, making it easier for an "old fart" to see.

Get the FT-250R.

Like the 170 it replaced, the FT-270R is noticeably less sensitive. The swivel belt clip on the 170/270 is really a nuisance, particularly if you misplace the part which attaches to your belt. The 250R has much better squelch control.

I wouldn't be discouraged by the slightly lower audio output on the 250R. The audio is so loud on the 270R that if you're using it inside a closed environment (i.e. in a car) with the volume turned all the way up, it literally hurts your eardrums.

There are several differences.

The 150-250 series do not have memory "banks." The 170-270 series have 10 memory "banks." "Banks" permit you to have an accessible, limited number of memory channels available. For example, in my 170, I've got memory channels 07 through 97 filled with the complete US AAR RR frequency allocation. "Bank 01" has AAR CH 07 through 97.
Let's assume you have 4 locations you frequent. You could select AAR channels to cover only the channels used in Alphaville and place them in "bank 02." Select other AAR channels for Betaville and place them in "bank 03." Gammaville would be covered in "bank 04." Thetaville would be "bank 05" and so on. Placing only a few memory channels in a bank makes for much more rapid scanning and you will not hear unwanted channels that may be nearby.

The 150-250 series have a conventional squelch, the 170-270 series have 2 separate, programmable squelch functions.

The 150-250 series do not have a weather alert function. The 170-270 series do have this function which may save you from an unintended trip to "OZ" should you be out in the Great Plains during tornado season.

I've a pair of the VX-170 units and they have given me good service.

I'd spring "for a few dollars more" and get the '270.

If the RR channels eventually do go all-digital, there is a secondary market (ham radio) for the 150-250-170-270 series and the fancier units (170-270) will retain a greater percentage of their purchase price.

If you choose the 270, you can save yourself several hours of tedium by buying the RT Systems programming kit. Once you have programmed your radio, you can resell the kit as it is not serial number specific.

Again, I will beat the drum in recommending the purchase of a genuine Yaesu-branded battery CASE accessory which you should fill with AA alkaline batteries (except Ray-O-Vac...which leak) for the time when the supplied, rechargable battery PACK quits. 3rd party battery CASEs may not fit properly. Also, I've measured, with instruments, a significant reception improvement on the RR frequencies with a MFJ 1717S antenna. Be sure to mention the "S" suffix which will indicate to the order taker that this antenna needs a "SMA" connector. The catch being that the antenna is about 16" long and will slap you in the side as you walk with the radio on your hip. I find it easy to contain my enthusiasm for "Smiley" antennas. Another MFJ product you may wish to consider is a "speaker-mike." This thing clips onto your collar and you need only tilt your head to more clearly hear the radio rather than pulling the entire radio off your hip and placing the speaker next to your ear. I use the MFJ 285 with good results. mfjenterprises.com

If you choose to get a programming kit, get it directly from RT Systems. They are really good people.

Be Well,

Tim Colbert K3HX

EDIT: Yaesu is running a "Field Day" discount coupon promotion. See my post: "Yaesu Discount coupon promotion on the Railfan Technology forum



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/10/11 19:20 by K3HX.

I have had the 150, 170, 250. The 170 (270) is a great radio but think you miss some with the squelch set up it has, So I think the 250 would work best if a lot trains are fare away.

I don't own the FT-250 or FT-270, but I have years of experience with their older cousins, the VX-150 and VX-170. The VX-150's main deficiency was somewhat weaker audio output than the VX-170. That was one of the main things that was addressed with the FT-250. As noted, the VX-170 and FT-270 have very loud audio output, but I always found the VX-170 to have somewhat less sensitivity than the VX-150. If that comparison holds true with the 250 and 270--and what I've read here and elsewhere indicated that it has--then I would prefer the FT-250 over the FT-270. A major advantage of the VX-150/FT-250 is knob-adjustable squelch. Either version of the 150/250 or 170/270 is light-years better than most any scanner available on the market, and the FT-250 and FT-270 offer about the best "bang for the buck" hand-held radio for railfanning out there right now. About the only handheld that I've found that will beat the 150/170's I own is my commercial Kenwood TK-290 handheld, but it costs about 4 times as much once one gets a charger, etc., plus having to have it professionally programmed or spending more money for the programming software (and the programming software is an ancient DOS-based software that's a real pain to use on Windows XP or newer computers) and cable. The unfortunate thing is that all of the current amateur and non-NXDN commercial radios will become useless for railfanning once the railroads go digital within a few years.

I currently have an Icom IC-F3161 analog/digital handheld radio on order right now. I'll be interested to see how it compares with my current radios. Other than the Kenwood NX series radios, the Icom IC-F3161 is the only handheld that uses the NXDN digital technology that the railroads will be going to within a few years. I generally prefer Kenwood radios over Icom (I've had both), but some good reviews of the 3161 and the fact that I could buy it with all of the things I needed--rapid-charger, speaker mike, programming cable and software--for about about the same price for the radio only from Kenwood made me decide to give the Icom a try.

WW Wrote:
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>
> I currently have an Icom IC-F3161 analog/digital
> handheld radio on order right now.

I've had a F3161 for over a year with no complaints. I went a step further and purchased a F5061 for the truck. Nice as the same programming software does both. Only gotcha is a different cloning (programming) cable, OPC-1122U.

daniel

I will probably look at the 5061 mobile if I'm satisfied with the 3161 handheld. Though I think the railroads are still aways from adopting full digital, I think our trashing of the dollar is going to mean that imported electronics like these radios are going to be costing A LOT more within a year or two, so at least getting one to get used to seems to make sense to me. I've gotten over a decade of use out of my Kenwood commercial and my VX-150 is 9 years old this year--so they are getting a little long of tooth, though both still work fine and are great radios.

Thank you for all the great information; now I have to decide what to get.

The ft270 is awesome. It's cheaper and works better.
http://www.universal-radio.com/catalog/ht/5270.html


---Nick

I have the RT systems software for my 270. I don't plan to sell the software because I use it to create profiles for different areas of the country. Granted, you could just program all the AAR frequencies and be done with it, but by setting up profiles for different parts of the country you can pre-program locked-out channels, those you want with delay or not, etc. And once you build a profile and save it, it probably takes me all of about 2 minutes to hook up the cable, select the profile I want, and download it to the radio. Then I'm good to go for railfanning in a different location.

A few additional thoughts on the 250/270 debate.

1. The FT-250R comes with a desktop drop-in charger. They say a fully drained battery can be recharged in 3 hours. The FT-270R does *NOT* come with a desktop charger. You get the standard plug-in wall charger that requires 10 hours for a full charge.
2. The 270 is larger and heavier than the 250.
3. The screen on the 270, while larger, is aligned vertically. The 150/250 screen is at a 45° angle, which may or may not be preferable depending on the person.
4. The 150/250 radios use an attached spring-loaded belt clip which is much better IMHO than the swivel clip on the 170/270. The swivel clip uses a separate plastic clip that is very easy to lose. I'd show you a picture of the plastic clip, but I lost mine a long time ago.

Note: The photos show a 150 / 270 comparison. The 150 is nearly identical to the 250. Appearance-wise they changed the plastic molding a little, but that's it.

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My hands are about average for an adult male. I prefer to hold the 150/250 radios with my index and middle fingers underneath the belt clip. This allows you a much better grip on the radio, particularly when walking or standing up. Since the 270 doesn't have the belt clip, you have to grip the radio a lot tighter to avoid dropping it, which is another reason I dislike it...your hand becomes sore after awhile.

In the second photo, my fingers are positioned exactly the same way. As long as I'm careful about it, I can relax my other fingers without dropping it.

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