So, I picked up an FT-2DR this week 2016. I noticed some issues right away:
FT2DR C4FM 144/430 MHz Dual Band Digital Handheld Transceiver with 1.7" Touch Screen Display
This exciting leading edge Transceiver is designed with ease of use in mind now packing an oversized back-lit touch panel display. At 1.7-inches the high resolution touch screen display provides loads of information through an easily navigable interface, providing stress-free operability and a high level of on-screen visibility for the FT2DR operator.
The advanced FT2DR is loaded with various new features including: 700 mW of clear loud audio, Built-in High Sensitivity 66 ch GPS with antenna, 1200 bps / 9600 bps APRS® function, Dual watch (V/V, U/U/, V/U), Dual Monitor (C4FM Digital/C4FM Digital), GPS Logging/Recording capabilities, Water resistant (IPX5 Rating), microSD Card Slot, 2200mAh high capacity Li-Ion battery and Battery charger included as a standard supplied accessory.
FT2DR C4FM 144/430 MHz Dual Band Digital Handheld Transceiver with 1.7" Touch Screen Display
This exciting leading edge Transceiver is designed with ease of use in mind now packing an oversized back-lit touch panel display. At 1.7-inches the high resolution touch screen display provides loads of information through an easily navigable interface, providing stress-free operability and a high level of on-screen visibility for the FT2DR operator.
The advanced FT2DR is loaded with various new features including: 700 mW of clear loud audio, Built-in High Sensitivity 66 ch GPS with antenna, 1200 bps / 9600 bps APRS® function, Dual watch (V/V, U/U/, V/U), Dual Monitor (C4FM Digital/C4FM Digital), GPS Logging/Recording capabilities, Water resistant (IPX5 Rating), microSD Card Slot, 2200mAh high capacity Li-Ion battery and Battery charger included as a standard supplied accessory.
- Contrary to what the manual states on Page 23, when the power is off, the battery charging graph never changes. It always displays a very small progress - about the width of the letter “N” in “Now Charging.” As a matter of fact, the graph remains as it appears on page 23 and never changes.
- Contrary to what the manual states, the LED is off during charging, not on and glowing RED.
- The Operating Manual contains essentially nothing on setting up and using APRS. The manual refers one to the APRS Manual, but none is included with the radio. The online version cannot be downloaded - I’ve tried several times to download it.
- The implementation of tags is frankly abysmal and very disappointing. Few people that I know can recall specific frequencies of repeaters and prefer to be able to dial-in a town name or callsign. This cannot be done on the FT2DR. Only the frequency is displayed, and there is a VERY cumbersome and awkward procedure for displaying a tag for a particular frequency.
