This is a very affordable handset designed specifically for aviation. The frequency range doesnt have other spectrums like ham radio band to allow for accidental frequency input. The only thing I find odd is the squelch can only be adjusted by first pressing a side button and the using the volume control. But then you must remember to press the side button again to resume volume adjustment. An independent squelch and volume control nob like Yaesu is known for would make much more sense. Overall excellent water resistant build quality a little heavy but defiantly built for durability and longevity

Brian Verified Purchase

YAESU VERTEX FTA 550 AA VHF HANDHELD

This was a gift to my student pilot daughter so I cannot personally give my opinion

Ken J Verified Purchase

YAESU VERTEX FTA 550 AA VHF HANDHELD

Great radio. Very clear with excellent range.

Horn A Verified Purchase

YAESU VERTEX FTA 550 AA VHF HANDHELD

Very nice product!

Stevens R Verified Purchase

YAESU VERTEX FTA 550 AA VHF HANDHELD

Great radio for the money.

John T Verified Purchase

YAESU VERTEX FTA 550 AA VHF HANDHELD

This radio just works perfect if all you need is a good handheld com. Good features, easy to navigate, and nice interface. Included headset adapter is nice also. Strong 5 star rating.

This is a great radio, good range, clear communication. Unfortunately I made the mistake of ordering the version that takes AA batteries, so now need to order a rechargeable battery. I highly recommend getting the rechargeable version. Great service from Aircraft Spruce. The radio arrived fast, and everything has been great.

After doing research and comparisons I found this to be a great value for the money. Once I had it and set it up, I was convinced that Id made the right decision. Great radio and easy to use. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a great handheld.

As usual, right product and super fast delivery. Thank you.

Great radio! Easy to use. Intuitive commands. Great value! I am impressed with the quality and the price. Cant go wrong with it. Happy with this purchase.

Love the VHF

Ready to go right out of the box. Intuitive programming . Great LOUD receive audio. Batteries last a LONG time. Lots of value for the money.

A great buy, comes with all the accessories you need so you don’t have to fork out extra.

I bought this radio to have a back up COMM to my primary radio. I also installed an external antenna. I echo the positive comments in this review section. This radio is the best “bang for the buck” that I could find as it has all the accessories - headset adapter and plug in 12V cable, etc. I found the manual was fairly straight forward but I did miss the Int/Ext Mic selector in the set up menu. This caused some confusion when testing with the headset adapter in use! I recommend to read the manual thoroughly to enjoy the full capabilities of this product. I am a very satisfied customer!

This is a very easy to use, easy to learn radio. Spend 15 minutes in the manual and it is very intuitive. WORD OF CAUTION FOR ALL DEVICES IN AN AIRPLACE, USE LITHIUM THROWAWAY BATTERIES, they last forever, and WONT LEAK. We ruined our previous Yaesu radio due to leaking alkaline cells. This radio DOES have VHF NAV functions and includes a screw mount harness for dual-plug heatsets.

I am very pleased with this high quality radio !!!

Excellent that it doesnt need charging.

Great radio! I use it for receive only as I design aircraft receive antennas. It works very well on the NAV VOR function. The CDI display is large and easy to read and has 2 methods to enter the OBS. There is a VORTAC about 16 nm away and there is no problem receiving the signal with the antenna supplied. I purchased the AA battery version as I only use it as a receiver. The radio feels robust and is easy to use with one hand.

It is a gift. The ordering and delivery were highly satifactory

I received this radio a few days ago. It was packaged well with usb cable, dc power cable, comprehensive instruction manual, and AA battery pack. The unit is heavy, which usually means well built. The controls are easy to use and once you get the hang of it, tagging frequencies with a name is quick and easy. It has great volume, a solid squelch, large easy to read display. I find this unit comfortable to hold as well. I havent used it in a plane yet, but I am very pleased with my purchase.

I was holding out for the Icom but my friend talked me into trying it. No regrets. Fantastic price and performance. The menus are intuitive and the sound is crisp and clear. Will recommend to anyone.

I’m a new RPAS pilot , thus needed an air band transceiver to support that. Quite honestly, I choose this radio because it’s the cheapest one I could find. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now. It does everything it’s supposed too, very easy to program, very easy to use. Sound quality is great. I am very happy with my purchase . I’m glad I didn’t spend more for what I’m using it for.

THIS UNIT EXCEEDED MY EXPECTATIONS --- AT AN EXCELLENT PRICE

Great lil backup radio but the instruction manual is only a 1 Star.

I bought this to use locally while my radio is being replaced. While I havent made full use of it yet (havent used the memory functions) I am pleased with the ease of use and functions.

The radio works exactly as advertised! If I had to find a complaint, the only thing I could think of is that the four batteries are a tight fit and required some muscle to install.

Great quality, easy to use. Deserves the 5 star rating. Good radio for the money spent.

I have used this little radio for about a week and so far I havent had any problems at all. I was concerned about battery life because of a review I read but it has a monitor on the screen and it hasnt budged. There is a bit of static as you get further away from the airport but with a headset some of that goes away. It seems like a great radio and there is nothing comparable in its price range.

Loaded with the most useful features and comes with the accessories unlike most of the competitors who charge extra for the accessories. It is very well made and with reasonable care should last a long time. Range is excellent, volume is more than adequate, clarity is good too and the basic functions are easy to use, however the manual should be completely read to understand some of the more advanced operations.

Outstanding transceiver at double the price - at the price point its an excellent value and you wont go wrong. I use it to listen to ATIS and get my clearance before I even start engines. It serves as my emergency back-up radio as well. Comments on the antennae being easy to remove and not use the antennae as a handle are valid. Basically, take care of your gear and dont use the antennae for a purpose for which it wasnt designed. Bottom line, great radio for a fantastic price.

Excellent radio, everything works as advertised. The manual could be better, but fortunately the controls are so straight forward that it is easy to use. The speaker volume is really loud, a good thing for my old ears. The radio is bigger than it looks in the photos, but I really like the size. I think this radio is a great value.

Still learning all the features but it seems easy to operate and works well with the headset adapter

Ken S Verified Purchase

YAESU VERTEX FTA 550 AA VHF HANDHELD

Good radio but a bit heavy.

Oleksii I Verified Purchase

YAESU VERTEX FTA 550 AA VHF HANDHELD

I like the radio. The only problem That I have found is when the headset adapters are installed this disables the speaker. This makes it inconvenient to listen ATIS before getting in the plane and then having the radio ready to use in an emergency.

it a good radio

The radio appears to work very well. As I have experienced before the instructions are not very good. The PC App that should allow for building lists of Groups of frequently used frequencies does not work. There is not one word of documentation about the app in the manual.

Ive had this product for a few years and I am extremely disappointed. I had left it with serviceable AA batteries a few months ago. Today I tried to start it and there was no indication of any battery pack power. The batteries tested poor, all at the same level 6 more batteries. Obviously there is some battery drain over that time period. Should I be removing the batteries so I can use this for a real emergency?