We bought these with the intention of using them on a business project, but I forgot how powerful they are. 55W on the VHF ham band is a very handy radio. They're tough little radios with a cast chassis, so they're quite weighty. The DC cable is quite thick too, to cope with the current drain.
You can, however turn the output power down to more sensible levels. Single band VHF radios lost their place in the market when tiny dual banders came along, but we were able to get a few of these - handy for people not really interested in UHF, or digital modes. I found the old specs, and have copied them below for info. ULTRA RUGGED 55-WATT 144 MHz MOBILE.
The FT-1900R is a ruggedly-built, high-performance 55-Watt 144 MHz mobile FM transceiver with reallygood receiver performance and crisp, clean audio. 55 Watts of Power Output. The FT-1900R provides a hefty 55 Watts of power output, with "low power" settings of 25, 10, and 5 Watts, for situations where full power is not required. The large 6 digit backlit LCD on the FT-1900R ensure excellent visibility. Loud Audio with Internal Speaker.
The FT-1900R packs 3W BIG watts of Loud Audio with its own Internal Speaker for those noisy environments. The FT-1900R provides receiver coverage of 136-174 MHz, so you can listen in on a wide variety of commercial, military, public safety, and marine communications. Illuminated Microphone with Keyboard Frequency Entry. The supplied Microphone is illuminated for ease of night-time use, and you may enter operating frequencies directly from the keypad. What's more, memory channels may also be recalled directly via the keypad. 200 Memory channels with Alpha-numeric Labeling. The FT-1900's extensive memory system includes 200 regular memories, ten pairs of band-limit memories, 8 memory banks, and a one-touch "Home" channel.Memory channels store repeater offset information, as well as CTCSS or DCS data, and can have a six-character label appended, for quick channel recognition. And the memories may be allocated into as many as eight memory banks, for more efficient scanning. Four user-programmable "soft" keys are provided on the MH-48a6j microphone, allowing you to bring often-used Menu items, or front panel key functions, to your fingertips.
Built-in CTCSS and DCS Encoder/Decoder Circuits. The FT-1900R includes both CTCSS and DCS Encoder/Decoder circuitry, with Reverse CTCSS Decoding also available, to mute your receiver when a particular tone is received (instead of opening your squelch). And you can encode CTCSS and decode DCS, or vice versa, too, if your application requires it.
Adjustable Mic Gain and Wide/Narrow Deviation and RX Bandwidth. The microphone gain for the FT-1900R's transmitter is adjustable, so you can optimize it for your voice level as well as background noise in your operating location. And for operation in crowded channel environments, the TX deviation and RX bandwidth may both be reduced via the Menu.Automatic Repeater Shift (ARS), Automatic Power-Off (APO), and BCLO (Busy Channel Lock-Out). ARS: Automatically selects the typical repeater shift used in your country, based on the current operating frequency. APO: Automatically turns power off after a user-defined time period, to prevent you from running down your car battery if you forget to turn your rig off. BCLO: Prevents you from transmitting on an occupied frequency (especially valuable during Tone Squelch or DCS operation).
You can practice your Morse Code recognition, using this novel trainer that sends you five-character code groups, with variable speed and instant feedback as to the correct characters sent to you. Security Password to Prevent Unauthorized Use. A defeatable (by the owner) Security Password system is provided for the FT-1900R, so you can limit operational access to yourself and any other users (if any) informed of the password for the transceiver. Easy Access to YAESU's Renowned WiRES-IIT Internet Linking Nodes. A front panel key provides instant access to WiRES-II nodes.
This item is in the category "Mobile Phones & Communication\Radio Communication Equipment\Ham/Amateur Radio\Ham Radio Transceivers". The seller is "earsmedia" and is located in this country: GB. This item can be shipped to United Kingdom.