RadioRanked verdict
Yaesu
Yaesu FTA550
A solid aviation NAV/COM handheld for pilots who want VOR and ILS in a portable. It is not an amateur radio and cannot transmit on the ham bands, so buy it for the flight line or not at all.
Decision helper
Is this radio right for you?
Yes, if you're…
- ✓Student and private pilots
- ✓Backup and standby comms in the cockpit
- ✓VOR and ILS practice on the ground
- ✓Airshow and airfield monitoring
Skip it, if you're…
- ✕Amateur radio use: it cannot transmit on the ham bands
- ✕Anyone wanting repeater or simplex FM operation
- ✕Digital modes such as DMR or APRS
- ✕Buyers who need a rechargeable pack in the box
Tradeoffs
The good and the bad
What we like
- Excellent airband reception and monitoring
- Useful VOR and ILS reception
- Durable build quality over decades
- Good clarity and reliable ground range
What we don't
- No modern digital modes (DMR/APRS)
- Outdated menu system design
- FM-only operation limitation
- Programming interface is crude
Ready to buy?
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200
Channels
410g
Weight
Extracted from the top buyer reviews we analysed
Themes from top buyer reviews
Airband reception
Provides reliable reception for aviation bands.
Overview
The Yaesu FTA550 is an aviation transceiver, not a ham radio, and that is the first thing to be clear about. It transmits on the aircraft COM band only, 118 to 136.975 MHz AM at 5 watts PEP, and it cannot transmit on 2 metres or 70 centimetres at all. If you came here looking for a handheld to work repeaters with, this is the wrong radio and no amount of programming will change that.
What it is instead is a well-built flight-line radio. The NAV band gives you VOR and ILS localizer reception, which is genuinely useful to a student or private pilot for practice and for backup navigation. There is NOAA weather receive, 200 memory channels, and a large dot-matrix display that stays readable in a cockpit. Yaesu build quality is what you would expect at this price.
Two practical notes. This configuration ships with an AA battery tray rather than a rechargeable pack, so budget for that if you want to fly with it regularly, and a headset adapter is included, which matters because using a handheld in a noisy cockpit without one is close to useless.
At $229.96 it competes with other aviation handhelds, not with ham HTs, and comparing it to a Baofeng on watts or digital modes would tell you nothing useful about either.
Specifications
| Price | $229.96 |
| Memory Channels | 200 |
| Weight | 410g |
| Display | LCD |
| FCC Authorization | Covers aviation only (Part 87) |
| FCC ID | K6650013X20 |
| FCC Rule Parts | Part 87 |
| FCC Grant Date | 2017-06-28 |
| color | Black |
| Color | Black |
| Voltage | 3 Volts |
| Tuner Type | VHF |
| Model Number | NATAL-MR-PN-8748692 |
| Built-In Media | Two Way Radios, 2 AA batteries |
| Frequency Range | 108 to 136.975 MHz |
| Mfr Part Number | FTA-550 |
| Waterproof Rating | IPX6 |
| Compatible Devices | [Inferred: Devices using the same frequency band and compatible accessories] |
| Additional Features | Portable,Waterproof |
| Number of Batteries | 2 AA batteries required. |
| Water Resistance Level | Water Resistant |
| Item Dimensions D x W x H | 8.6"D x 6.3"W x 3.2"H |
Key Features
- NAV band covers ILS and VOR navigation reception alongside standard airband COM
- VHF and UHF amateur bands supported in FM only; no digital modes
- 200 programmable memory channels with USB cable included for PC programming
- Full dot-matrix LCD display provides readable icon-driven menu navigation
- Runs on two AA batteries; no rechargeable pack included or required
- Water-resistant construction offers basic environmental protection in the field
- Headset adapter included for direct connection to standard aviation headsets
Recommended Antenna Upgrades
A better antenna is the cheapest way to extend your range. These fit the SMA-Male jack on the Yaesu FTA550.
What Customers Say
As a previous reviewer posted, there is no battery strap to help pry out the AA batteries from the tray, however, this is a very small issue in the scheme of things. Free programming software available from Yaseu online makes for easy programming and the radio was ready for use in less than 1 minut...
AA batteries are very very tight fit and need a screwdriver to remove from their pack, but that's probably not a design fault, as it appears to be built for the rechargeable pack and this AA version is a bit of an afterthought. Like so many other devices, when used with Ni-Mh batteries it reports "...
The first unit I purchased was DOA. The speaker just did not produce sound. I returned and replaced that one, and the second copy is working fine. I'm using this radio just to monitor traffic during my UAV flights, so I can't really speak to range or transmit function. For my purposes the radio ...