=  NOW 40 WPM  =  
ALSO INCLUDES A 1,200/9,600 BAUD PACKET MODEM AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT.
WHEN OPERATING APRS, THE FTM 300DR WILL USE ITS OWN SCREEN TO
DISPLAY INFORMATION, BUT IT ALSO MAKES THE AXR25 PACKET DATA
AVAILABLE AT THE REAR PANEL DATA PORT.  THIS MEANS YOU CAN ATTACH A
COMPUTER AND USE YOUR OWN APRS SOFTWARE OR GRAB THE MODEM DATA FOR
OTHER APPLICATIONS.  TO ACTIVATE THE APRS FUNCTION, YOU MUST FIRST
GO INTO THE MENU SYSTEM AND TURN ON THE MODEM.  YOU ALSO MUST INPUT
YOUR APRS CA PRODUCT REVIEW YAESU FTM 300DR DUAL BAND FM/DIGITAL
MOBILE TRANSCEIVER REVIEWED BY STEVE FORD, WB8IMY THE LATEST ENTRY
IN THE YAESU SYSTEM FUSION LINEUP BOASTS TWO COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT
RECEIVERS.  WITH THE FTM 300DR, YOU CAN MONITOR TWO SEPARATE VHF
FREQUENCIES, TWO UHF FREQUENCIES, OR WHATEVER COMBINATION YOU LIKE.
THIS INCLUDES THE ABILITY TO MONITOR TWO C4FM DIGITAL SIGNALS
SIMULTANEOUSLY, OR LISTEN TO AN ANALOG FM SIGNAL WITH ONE RECEIVER
AND A C4FM SIGNAL WITH THE OTHER.  EXTENDED RECEIVE COVERAGE IS
SPLIT AMONG SEVERAL BANDS FROM 108 MHZ TO 999R99 MHZ.  YAESU PACKS
ALL THIS FUNCTIONALITY INTO A COMPACT PACKAGE.  THE CONTROL HEAD IS
DETACHABLE SO THAT YOU CAN INSTALL THE BODY OF THE TRANSCEIVER OUT
OF SIGHT.  IN FACT, THE RADIO INCLUDES A 20 FOOT CABLE TO CONNECT
THE TWO UNITS.  THE TRANSCEIVER BODY HOUSES THE TOP FIRING SPEAKER,
SO IF YOU PLACE IT IN A LOCATION WHERE YOU CANT HEAR IT, YOULL NEED
TO ATTACH AN EXTERNAL SPEAKER THAT YOU CAN MOUNT NEAR YOUR OPERATING
POSITION.  UNLESS YOU ARE USING A WIRELESS HEADSET, YOU WILL ALSO
NEED TO ATTACH AN EXTENSION CABLE, SUCH AS THE 10 FOOT YAESU MEK 2,
BETWEEN THE MICROPHONE AND THE TRANSCEIVER BODY.  THE REAR PANEL
SPORTS A SINGLE ANTENNA JACK WITH AN SO 239 CONNECTOR, TWO EXTERNAL
SPEAKER JACKS ONE FOR EACH RECEIVER, A DATA JACK FOR REMOTE
OPERATION OR CONNECTION TO OTHER DEVICES, AND AN EXTREMELY QUIET
FAN.  THE CONTROL HEAD OFFERS A 2 INCH COLOR TFT DISPLAY THAT CAN BE
READ EVEN IN BRIGHT DAYLIGHT SEE FIGURE 1.  AT EITHER SIDE OF THE
SCREEN ARE SEPARATE AUDIO AND FREQUENCY CONTROLS FOR EACH RECEIVER.
THERE ISNT A DEDICATED SQUELCH KNOB, BUT THIS ADJUSTMENT IS EASY.
YOU SIMPLY TAP THE SQL BUTTON AND THE TWO RIGHT HAND KNOBS BECOME
SQUELCH CONTROLS FOR THE INDIVIDUAL RECEIVERS.  WITHIN A COUPLE OF
SECONDS AFTER YOUVE MADE YOUR ADJUSTMENTS, THEY REVERT TO BEING
FREQUENCY CONTROLS AGAIN.  WITH A MAXIMUM 50 W OUTPUT POWER, THE FTM
300DR IS IDEAL FOR EITHER MOBILE OR FIXED STATION APPLICATIONS.  AND
LIKE ALL YAESU SYSTEM FUSION RADIOS, THE FTM 300DR WILL
AUTOMATICALLY SWITCH FROM ANALOG FM TO DIGITAL C4FM ACCORDING TO THE
NATURE OF THE RECEIVED SIGNAL THANKS TO ITS AUTOMATIC MODE SELECTION
AMS FUNCTION.  YOU CAN ALSO ELECT TO OPERATE ANALOG OR C4FM
EXCLUSIVELY WITH A PUSH OF A BUTTON.  AN ABUNDANCE OF STANDARD
FEATURES THE FTM 300DR COMES WITH SO MANY STANDARD FEATURES, SEVERAL
OF WHICH ARE OPTIONAL ON OTHER PIECES OF EQUIPMENT, THAT IT ISNT
PRACTICAL TO DISCUSS THEM ALL IN A SINGLE REVIEW.  INSTEAD, ILL
TOUCH UPON THE ONES I FOUND PARTICULARLY INTRIGUING.
=  END OF 40 WPM TEXT  =  QST DE W1AW  <