Yaesu FTM-150R Review: 55 Watts and No Digital to Learn

The short answer

Buy the FTM-150R if you want a straightforward analogue FM dual band mobile with real power, a proper speaker and a display you can read at a glance, for a car or as a first base radio. Skip it if you want C4FM or DMR digital, because this radio does not do them and no firmware will change that.

Bands: 2 m and 70 cm
Output power: 55 W on VHF, 50 W on UHF
Modes: Analogue FM
Approximate price: Around $450

A plain FM dual band mobile for people who want repeaters to work, not a project.

Simplest real mobile

Yaesu FTM-150R ASP Dual Band FM Transceiver

Around $450

Analogue FM dual band mobile transceiver producing 55 watts on 2 metres and 50 watts on 70 centimetres, with a primary memory group function that shows the receive status of up to five channels at once.

Check price on Amazon

Specifications

Bands	2 m and 70 cm
Output power	55 W on VHF, 50 W on UHF
Modes	Analogue FM
Primary memory group	Up to five VFO or memory channels monitored with a real time bar graph
PMG modes	Automatic, showing up to two received channels at once, or manual
Approximate price	Around $450

Specifications above come from Yaesu's published specifications and feature list for the FTM-150R ASP. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

Fifty five watts into a real antenna is a different experience from 5 watts into a rubber duck, and that gap is larger than any specification suggests.
The primary memory group function watches up to five channels with a live bar graph, which is genuinely useful for net and repeater monitoring.
Analogue only means no code plug, no talkgroups and nothing to configure beyond frequencies and tones.
A proper speaker and a readable display, which is where handhelds always lose.
Detachable control head arrangements make a tidy vehicle install possible.

Where it falls short

No digital modes at all. No C4FM, no DMR, no D-STAR. If your local repeaters have gone digital, this radio cannot follow them.
The radio is the cheap part of a mobile install. Antenna, mount, coax and power wiring can add as much again.
Fifty watts into a poorly mounted magnetic mount antenna is mostly wasted, and the mount is the part people skimp on.
It is FM only, so no SSB or CW weak signal work on 2 metres.

Where the performance actually comes from

Going from a handheld to a mobile is usually described as a power upgrade and it is mostly an antenna upgrade. A quarter wave or half wave whip on a metal roof, fed with real coax, is worth more than the extra watts. Check what a mount and height do on the VHF range calculator, and see what your coax run costs you on the coax loss calculator, because UHF loss in thin cable is worse than most people expect.

If you are choosing a mount, magnetic mount versus NMO lip mount covers the trade honestly. If you are still deciding what shape of station you want, read handheld versus mobile versus base. Which frequencies and power levels you may transmit on depends on your licence class and your national regulator, the FCC in the United States, not on the radio's capability.

What owners report

Published owner reports are consistent that this is a radio bought for reliability rather than features. Owners describe clear audio, easy programming and a display that is readable in a car, and the primary memory group function draws specific praise from people who monitor several repeaters or a net frequency. Nobody describes it as exciting, and that appears to be the point.

The criticism that recurs is the absence of digital modes, and it is a fair one only if your local repeaters use them. Several owners note that they bought analogue deliberately after finding that most of their traffic was on analogue repeaters anyway. Others say plainly that they should have bought a C4FM capable radio and did not check first.

Installation dominates the practical reports. Owners are unanimous that a proper NMO mount through the roof beats a magnetic mount, that power should run to the battery in heavy gauge cable with fusing at both ends, and that vehicle noise is a real project. Our mobile radio installation guide covers the order to do it in.

Who it suits

Drivers who want reliable repeater access and clear audio without a project.
New Technician class licensees whose local repeaters are analogue.
Anyone wanting a first base radio at 50 watts with a good speaker and a decent antenna.
Emergency communications volunteers who need something a stranger can operate.

Who should skip it

Anyone whose local repeaters run C4FM, DMR or D-STAR.
Operators who want SSB or CW on 2 metres for weak signal work.
Anyone who has not budgeted for a proper antenna, mount and power wiring.
Buyers who want APRS and GPS built in.

Alternatives worth considering

Cross Shop

Icom IC-2730A Dual Band VHF and UHF 50 W Mobile

Around $370

The obvious competitor at similar power, with simultaneous receive on two VHF or two UHF frequencies and a large backlit display. Also analogue only.

Check price on Amazon

Single Band Power

Yaesu FT-3185R ASP 2 m Mobile, 85 W

Around $365

Eighty five watts on 2 metres only. If everything you work is on 2 metres, this buys more power for less money than a dual band radio.

Check price on Amazon

Budget Pick

AnyTone AT-778UV Dual Band Mobile

Around $116

A quarter of the price for a basic dual band mobile. Rougher in every respect, and it still puts far more signal into a real antenna than any handheld will.

Check price on Amazon

Keep reading

This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.

Common questions

Questions people ask about this

Does the Yaesu FTM-150R do C4FM or DMR?

No. It is an analogue FM radio only, with no digital modes of any kind. That is a deliberate design choice rather than an omission, and it makes the radio simpler to programme and operate. Check what your local repeaters actually use before you buy, because a radio that cannot work the repeaters near you is the wrong radio at any price.

Is a 50 watt mobile really better than a handheld?

Substantially, and mostly for a reason that is not the power. A mobile drives a full size antenna on a metal ground plane through real coax, instead of a short rubber duck held next to your body. That antenna difference is usually worth more than the ten times power increase. The two together turn marginal repeaters into reliable ones.

What does the primary memory group function do?

It monitors up to five VFO or memory channels and shows their receive status live on a bar graph, so you can watch a net frequency, a couple of repeaters and a simplex calling frequency at once. In automatic mode it shows up to two received channels simultaneously and moves transmit to whichever is active. In manual mode transmit stays where you put it.

What antenna and mount should I use with it?

A permanent NMO mount through the roof, if you can bring yourself to drill, gives the best ground plane and the tidiest coax route. A lip mount is the usual compromise. Magnetic mounts work and are the weakest of the three, because the ground plane is smaller and the coax route usually runs through a door seal. The mount matters more than the whip.

Can I use the FTM-150R as a base station?

Yes, and many people do. It needs a 13.8 volt supply capable of the transmit current, which for 55 watts on VHF means a supply comfortably above 12 amps, plus an external antenna. A dual band vertical mounted as high as the property allows is the usual pairing, and height will do more for you than any radio setting.

Keeping your own cut lengths, SWR sweeps and exposure record? The Station Build & Antenna Planner is the paid version of these pages: 8 printable worksheets you fill in with your own numbers, plus the full PDF, $29.

Disclaimer Researched guidance for planning purposes, not professional engineering, electrical or legal advice. Antenna work, RF exposure, mast and tower work, grounding and battery handling all carry real risk that depends on your specific site and installation. Verify anything safety-critical against current FCC rules, the National Electrical Code and the manufacturer's own documentation, and hire a professional where the job calls for one. We research equipment from published specifications, regulatory documents and verified owner reviews rather than claiming hands-on testing we have not done.