Yaesu FT-65E

Since successfully receiving my foundation license in February 2024, I decided it was time for me to get my first radio. After a little shopping around and some advice from some other amateur radio friends, I elected to go with the Yaesu FT-65E. The specs of the radio are as follows:

As a first radio, I am definitely impressed. I attempted a SOTA activation from the summit of Snaefell on the Isle of Man and managed to make a successful contact with Daffyd MW0CHZ in Caernarfon, 125km from my location. I did try a S2S with a caller on the summit of Snowdon at the same time, but apparently my 5W broadcast power wasn’t good enough to be readable from Snowdon. I’m still really impressed with the overall quality of the radio, using it for 5 days almost continuously at EMFCamp at Eastnor Castle without a single recharge.