Yaesu FT5DR and FT5DE Quick Reference

The 144 and 430 MHz C4FM handheld with the color touch screen. Keys, icons, both function menus, the digital modes, and the whole setup menu in one place. Condensed from the operating manual.

Controls and connections

Operation keys

Every one of these does a second job when held for over one second. This table is the one worth committing to memory.

While setting a DG-ID number, holding [GM/X] sets both the transmit and receive DG-ID back to 00. That shortcut is worth knowing when someone is not hearing you.

Status bar icons

Along the top of the screen, left to right in roughly this order.

Band display icons

Mode of the band

Channel and signaling marks

Communication mode

The digital modes show in red. A bar across the top of the mode icon means AMS is doing the choosing.

Function menu screens

Press [F menu] for screen 1. Touch FWD at the lower right for screen 2, and BACK to come back. [BACK] leaves the menu. Items that do not apply to the current mode will not respond.

If a guide tells you to touch something you cannot see, it is on the other screen. That is what the note "if it is not displayed, touch FWD or BACK" means throughout the manual.

First power on

1. Hold the Power switch to turn the radio on.
2. The first time only, it asks for your call sign. Press [F menu] to reach the input screen.
3. Enter it. Up to 10 characters, from 0 to 9, A to Z upper case, hyphen and slash.
4. Press PTT, or hold [F menu], to save.

To change it later: CALLSIGN in the setup menu. The APRS call sign is a separate item at APRS → 23 CALLSIGN.

Basic operation

Bands and the screen

Both bands normally show, one above the other. The one in white letters is the operating band, the gray one is the sub band. Press [A/B] to swap, or just touch the frequency you want. Hold [A/B] to drop to a single band display.

When both bands receive at once, the sub band audio mutes automatically. The amount is set at TX/RX → 3 AUDIO → 2 MUTE.

Tuning

• Small steps. Turn the DIAL knob.
• 1 MHz steps. Press [F menu] first, then turn DIAL. [BACK] to return.
• Direct entry. Touch and hold the frequency on the screen for the keypad. 145.520 MHz is 1 4 5 5 2. 430.000 MHz is 4 3 ENT.
• Band. Press [BAND] to step up. [F menu] then [BAND] steps down.
• Step size. CONFIG → 18 STEP. Leave it on AUTO unless there is a reason not to.

Bands available

Cellular is blocked in the USA version. Bands you never use can be hidden from the band key at CONFIG → 22 BAND SELECT. The Europe version starts FM broadcast at 88 MHz.

Transmit power

[F menu] then touch TXPWR, turn DIAL, press PTT to save. The level is stored per band.

Transmit long enough and the high temperature protection drops the radio to low power on its own, then forces it back to receive if you keep going.

Lock

Press the Power switch briefly. What gets locked is chosen at CONFIG → 9 LOCK, default KEY&DIAL. The MONI/T-CALL key, the SQL key and the VOL knob can never be locked.

Modes and AMS

AMS

Automatic Mode Select listens to the incoming signal and matches it. Touch MODE until the mode icon carries a bar across the top. That bar is the tell that AMS is on.

What AMS does when you transmit

Touch TX AUTO to cycle the transmit rule. Receive is automatic in all three.

To leave AMS out of it entirely and fix the mode, touch MODE to step through DN, VW, FM and back.

DG-ID

A two digit number from 00 to 99, set separately for transmit and receive, that decides who you hear and who hears you in C4FM.

Setting it

1. [F menu], then touch DG-ID. If it is not there, touch BACK to reach the other function screen.
2. Press [F menu], turn DIAL to set DG-ID TX, press [F menu] again.
3. Turn DIAL to DG-ID RX, press [F menu], turn DIAL to set it, press [F menu].
4. [BACK] or PTT to save.

Press [GM/X] to turn on the group monitor and see who with the same number is in range. Both ends need GM on. Holding [GM/X] while in the DG-ID screen resets both numbers to 00.

Repeaters

ARS sets the shift by itself when you tune into a repeater sub band. Set the output frequency, watch for the shift and tone icons to appear, and talk.

• Reverse. [F menu] then REV swaps transmit and receive so you can hear whether the other station is workable direct. The shift icon blinks while it is engaged.
• ARS off. CONFIG → 14 RPT ARS.
• Shift direction. CONFIG → 15 RPT SHIFT, simplex, minus or plus.
• Shift size. CONFIG → 16 RPT SHIFT FREQ, 0 to 150 MHz.
• Tone. SIGNALING → 12 TONE SQL FREQ, 67.0 to 254.1 Hz, default 100.0.
• 1750 Hz. Hold MONI/T-CALL on the FT5DE. On the FT5DR, reassign the key at CONFIG → 10 MONI/T-CALL first.

Memory

Each channel keeps the frequency, mode, step, power, tag, repeater shift, transmit and receive DG-ID, tone, DCS, attenuator, FM bandwidth, S meter squelch, and its skip or specified marking.

Storing a channel

1. Set the frequency and mode.
2. Hold [V/M]. The channel number blinks.
3. Turn DIAL to pick the channel. Used channels blink in red.
4. Press [V/M]. If the channel is occupied, touch OK twice to overwrite.
5. Enter a tag if you want one, up to 16 characters, then PTT or [V/M] to finish.

Recalling

Press [V/M], turn DIAL. [F menu] then DIAL jumps 10 at a time. Press [V/M] again to return to VFO. Touch the frequency of the operating band to swap between the tag and the numbers.

MAG, the memory auto grouping

In memory mode each press of [BAND] narrows the recall to one band: ALL, AIR, 144MHz, 430MHz, AM, FM, SW, OTHER. On the B band the broadcast bands, 50 MHz and UHF 2 cannot be recalled at all.

Clearing and undoing

• Delete. Hold [V/M], select the channel, touch the arrow then M.DEL, then OK twice.
• Restore. Hold [V/M], turn DIAL to the channel, touch the arrow then M.REV.
• Channel 1, the priority channel and the home channels cannot be cleared.

Home channels

[F menu] then HOME. [BAND] moves to the home channel of another band. To change one, set the frequency, hold [V/M], touch the arrow then H.WRITE, confirm twice.

PMG

Primary Memory Group. Up to five frequencies whose signal strength shows as bar graphs on one screen. Touch a bar and you are on that frequency, ready to talk. Two or three entries is what makes it useful.

• Register. Set the frequency or recall the channel, then hold [PMG].
• Use. Press [PMG]. Touch a bar graph, or turn DIAL.
• Remove. Select it, hold [PMG]. When the last one goes, PMG turns itself off.
• Leave. [PMG] or [BACK].

Anything outside 108 to 580 MHz gets a gray bar with no real signal reading, but touching it still tunes there. Trying to add a sixth entry just sounds an error.

CAM

Channel Activity Monitor. The same bar graph idea, but built from memory channels and organized into 10 groups of 5. PMG takes VFO frequencies as well as memories; CAM takes memory channels only.

Building a group

1. [F menu] then CAM, on function screen 2.
2. Touch GROUP, turn DIAL to GROUP 01 through 10.
3. Touch EDIT, turn DIAL to the slot, touch ADD.
4. Turn DIAL to the memory channel, touch ENT. Repeat up to five. The same channel cannot go in twice.
5. [BACK] to the CAM screen.

Managing groups

• Switch group. Touch GROUP and pick another.
• Delete one channel. GROUP, EDIT, select, DEL, OK twice.
• Empty the group. GROUP, select, CLEAR, OK twice.
• Rename. GROUP, select, NAME, up to 16 characters, [F menu] to save.
• Leave. [BACK].

In both PMG and CAM, holding [V/M] in a channel list swaps between showing tags and showing frequencies.

Band scope

[F menu] then SCOPE. Your frequency sits in the middle with the channels either side of it drawn as bars. Touch a signal and the radio tunes there and recenters. Touch the channel count at the top right to choose 19, 39 or 79 channels, or set it at DISPLAY → 3 BAND SCOPE.

• The channel spacing is whatever the VFO step is.
• Between 108 and 580 MHz it shows FULL, sweeps continuously, and you still hear the audio.
• Anywhere else it shows 1Time, does one pass, and stays quiet. Touch SEARCH or move the dial for another pass.
• STOP pauses it. [BACK] leaves.

Scanning

Four kinds: VFO scan, memory scan, programmable memory scan between a PMS pair, and memory bank scan.

• Start. [F menu] then SCAN, from either VFO or memory mode.
• Stop. PTT, or touch STOP.
• Direction. Turn the DIAL knob while it runs.
• Resume from a pause. Any movement of the DIAL knob restarts it at once.

What happens when it stops

SCAN → 4 SCAN RESUME:

• 2.0 to 10.0 sec. Listens for that long, then carries on. Half second steps.
• BUSY. Listens until the signal drops, then two seconds later carries on.
• HOLD. Stays there. This is the one people forget they set.

Weather alert scan

With SIGNALING → 14 WX ALERT set ON, the radio dips into the NOAA weather channels every five seconds during a scan looking for the 1050 Hz alert tone, then goes back to what it was doing. During a weather channel scan, press PTT then turn DIAL to pick a channel by hand.

Bluetooth and VOX

Pairing a headset

1. Put the headset in pairing mode. On the SSM-BT20, hold the multi function button until the LED blinks red and blue.
2. Hold [F menu], touch OPTION, then 2 Bluetooth, then SEARCH.
3. Turn DIAL to the device, touch CONNECT. PTT to finish.

Once paired it reconnects on its own at the next power up. If it cannot find the headset the icon flashes; turning the headset on then usually connects it, and if not, power cycle both. To change headsets, touch DISCON first, then search again. 3 DEVICE LIST shows what is already registered without searching, and DEL removes one.

Transmitting on the headset

With VOX off, the call button on the headset latches transmit on, and pressing it again returns to receive. On the SSM-BT20 it is the multi function key, with a beep each way. The radio's own PTT always works and always uses the headset microphone.

VOX

TX/RX → 3 AUDIO → 5 VOX, then OFF, LOW or HIGH for gain, and DELAY from 0.5 to 3.0 seconds, default 0.5.

Preset receiver channels

Three fixed banks that cannot be overwritten. Set the A band as the operating band, press [F menu], touch P.RCVR, then press [BAND] to pick the bank and turn DIAL for the channel. [BACK] to leave.

WX CH, the weather channels

INTVHF, the marine channels

57 international VHF marine channels. Where a channel is duplex the base station frequency is what shows and lights up; [F menu] then REV shows the ship frequency, which blinks, 4.6 MHz below. Simplex channels have one frequency only.

SW, the shortwave broadcast channels

89 channels of international broadcasters, received in AM. VOA, CBC, BBC, France, Deutsche Welle, Italy, Turkey, Vatican, Netherlands, Czech, Portugal, Spain, Nikkei, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Israel, India, China, Korea, Japan and Australia, four or so frequencies apiece from 5.920 to 21.655 MHz.

The list dates from when the radio was built. Stations move, cut back and go off air, so treat it as a starting point and use a current frequency list for anything serious.

Recording and snapshot

Voice recording

Needs a microSD card. [F menu] then REC starts it, REC STOP ends it. Files go to the VOICE folder as .wav named YYMMDDmmhhss, so set the clock first at CONFIG → 19 DATE & TIME ADJ. Recording pauses about three seconds after the squelch closes and picks up again on the next signal, and it stops for good when the radio is switched off.

Which band, and whether your own transmit audio is included: TX/RX → 3 AUDIO → 6 RECORDING, BAND A, B or A+B, and MIC ON or OFF.

Play back at [F menu] then LOG, touch VOICE, touch a file. Touch the bar to jump, the arrows to move five seconds. Receive audio is muted during playback, and you cannot play while recording. DEL then OK deletes a file.

Snapshot

With the optional MH-85A11U camera microphone on the DATA terminal, the shutter button takes a picture, SAVE puts it on the card, and SEND or the D-TX key sends it to another compatible radio, which requires digital mode at both ends. Keep at least 50 cm from the subject. Saved pictures live under LOG then PICT. Size and quality are at OPTION → 1 USB CAMERA. Power the radio off before connecting or disconnecting the microphone.

GPS, WIRES-X and APRS

• GPS. On or off at APRS → 20 GPS POWER. It costs about 15 mA. The satellite clock can set the radio's own clock at APRS → 21 GPS TIME SET.
• WIRES-X. Hold [GM/X] to start, hold it again to leave. Node and room name, the other station's call sign, distance and direction all show on that screen.
• APRS. Uses the GPS position. Your call sign at APRS → 23 CALLSIGN and symbol at APRS → 25 MY SYMBOL have to be set before it does anything useful. Beacons go out manually or automatically at APRS → 16 BEACON TX, on the interval at 14 BEACON INTERVAL.

Yaesu publishes separate GM, WIRES-X and APRS manuals, plus an Advanced Manual covering memory banks, split memory, memory only mode, tone and DCS squelch, the EPCS pager and DP-ID. Those are all downloads from the Yaesu site, and this sheet does not attempt to replace them.

microSD card

2, 4, 8, 16 or 32 GB, microSD or microSDHC. Anything formatted elsewhere should be reformatted in the radio. Power off before inserting or removing it, and never pull it while data is being written.

Format: hold [F menu], touch SD CARD, touch 4 FORMAT, then OK twice. It wipes the card.

Setup menu tables

Hold [F menu] for the setup menu, touch a heading, touch an item, turn DIAL to change it, PTT to save and leave. On some screens PTT will not exit; press [BACK] first. Defaults below are in bold.

DISPLAY

TX/RX

MEMORY

SIGNALING

SCAN

GM and WIRES-X

CONFIG

APRS

SD CARD, OPTION and CALLSIGN

Reset

Both are done with the radio off, holding keys while turning it on.

A setup menu reset leaves a list of items untouched, among them the opening message, the bell, DCS code and inversion, DTMF memory, pager, PR frequency, S meter squelch, squelch type and tone frequency, bank link and names, memory names and skip, scan width, clock type, password, repeater shift and step, all four WIRES-X items, the Bluetooth items, the GM DP-ID list, several APRS items, and the call sign. Only an all reset clears those.

Specifications

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Condensed from the Yaesu FT5DR and FT5DE Operating Manual, EH082M201, 2406d-KS-1, YAESU MUSEN CO., LTD. This sheet is a summary and does not replace the manual; the safety, battery and RF exposure sections there should be read before use. The GM, WIRES-X and APRS functions have their own manuals, and memory banks, split memory, tone and DCS squelch, the EPCS pager and DP-ID are covered in the Advanced Manual, all available from Yaesu. Bluetooth is a registered trademark of Bluetooth SIG, Inc.