New Yaesu FT-290R

I managed to score an absolute bargain off eBay this week in the form of a Yaesu FT-290R. This 2m all mode portable radio was very popular in the 1980's and I've wanted one for a while so when I came across one on eBay for about £40 I had to grab it.

It arrived a couple of days later and is in excellent condition for its age with only minor wear on the front where a couple of the button labels have faded but this doesn't bother me at that price. Telescopic antenna is straight and corrosion free, the signal meter works a treat, the LCD screen is free from any damage and all lights and buttons work as they should. Rotary knobs all work fine and the microphone is also in great condition with a good quality cable and plug.

I opened up the box and realised that the radio doesn't have a power lead, it takes batteries or a lead that has the center pin wired to earth so the polarity is the opposite to usual. It only took a quick message to Steve, G1KXP who very kindly had one made up for me on the same day!

I plugged it into a little PSU in the shack and it powered up without any issue. I've had a listen round on 2m FM and it works fine, I also had a 5/9 report about 8-9 miles away across town which I was happy on the 2.5 watts the radio puts out.

I've got some batteries on order so I can take it up on a hill and listen in on the next 2m UKAC on SSB which I'm looking forward to.

Thanks for reading!

73's, Lewis M3HHY.

Manchester, UK.