Yaesu FTA550 Handheld VHF Transceiver
$196.74
Price: $196.74
(as of Nov 05, 2025 00:25:07 UTC – Details)
The YAESU FTA-550 is packed with features, yet very affordable. Boasting an oversize full dot matrix LCD display, the FTA-550 Airband Transceiver provides full communication on the Aircraft communications Band and additionally provides VOR and ILS navigation features on the “NAV” band. The FTA-550 includes NOAA weather band monitoring and the capability of programming up to 200 memory channels with a quick and easy channel recall feature. The brand new easy to operate menu system is icon driven making it simple to navigate through all of the powerful features this transceiver has to offer. Additionally the FTA-550 can easily be reprogrammed in minutes using the optional PC Programming software and the supplied USB programming cable. Unit comes with a AA battery pack and NOT a rechargeable battery.
Is Discontinued By Manufacturer : No
Product Dimensions : 8.6 x 6.3 x 3.2 inches; 1.81 Pounds
Item model number : NATAL-MR-PN-8748692
Batteries : 2 AA batteries required.
Date First Available : April 3, 2014
Manufacturer : Yaesu
ASIN : B00JFJU5Y8
Customer Reviews: 4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 373 ratings var dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction; P.when(‘A’, ‘ready’).execute(function(A) { if (dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction !== true) { dpAcrHasRegisteredArcLinkClickAction = true; A.declarative( ‘acrLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault”: true }, function (event) { if (window.ue) { ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrLinkClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } } ); } }); P.when(‘A’, ‘cf’).execute(function(A) { A.declarative(‘acrStarsLink-click-metrics’, ‘click’, { “allowLinkDefault” : true }, function(event){ if(window.ue) { ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”, (ue.count(“acrStarsLinkWithPopoverClickCount”) || 0) + 1); } }); });
NAV/COM with ILS and VOR Navigation
Aviation Airband
AA Battery Tray only
Comes with Headset Adapter
NO Rechargeable Battery
Customers say
Customers find this two-way radio to be an excellent aircraft transmitter/receiver that works well, particularly as a backup unit, with easy programming without a PC interface and solid build quality. They consider it good value for money and appreciate its reception range, though some report poor transmit power. The battery life receives mixed reviews, with several customers noting it drains quickly.
Amazon Customer –
Perfect back up radio in or out of the cockpit
Perfect toy for new pilots in their new journey or retired ones who still enjoy atc jargon in their mature years!For the price this is the best value 🙏P.s. bought an icom for about four times as much as this one,more than forty years ago and still have that piece and intend to donate it to a museum!
Cabot Bennett –
Works great for what I need it to do.
I bought this radio as a backup for the single COM radio in my airplane. I am based at a tower-controlled airport and my single radio fails, it is much more difficult to get back into the controlled airspace to land. I also wanted to be able to listen in to air show control at events like Oshkosh and other events. I only fly VFR, so I don’t need it to work with ATC enroute controllers, most of whom would be located many miles away.I bought the AA version because I didn’t want to mess around with a rechargeable battery – I would use this radio relatively rarely and alkaline batteries were all I needed. I also bought a 2nd battery tray for $15, so I can carry a spare set of batteries in their own tray – reviewers that pointed out the difficulty of getting batteries into the tray were correct. I didn’t think it was too hard to do on the ground, but I wouldn’t want to do it in the air.I also bought a PTT switch for it. I have since returned it.I have been having periodic problems with my COM radio, and it happened again today. Tower was reporting “barely readable” and was struggling to hear me. I pulled our the FTA550 and plugged it into the cigarette lighter socket I use for 12VDC in the plane. With the PTT switch, my transmissions were also nearly unreadable, which was also the case with the radio’s side tone. I was using my Dave Clark 13.4s using the included headset adapter (Thanks for providing all of the accessories, Yaesu!!) and the received audio was strong and crisp. I removed the optional PTT switch (which is being returned to Amazon for a refund) and just used the PTT on the side of the radio. It worked just fine.Using the included BNC antenna, Tower was able to read me from eight miles out, but not as strong as usual. At five miles they were reading me loud and clear. It probably helps that my plane has a bubble canopy that lets the antenna transmit without being blocked by aluminum wings or fuselage, but I am still going to get and mount an external antenna, or put an A-B switch between my primary COM and the FTA550.This radio provided the redundancy that I needed at a very reasonable cost. I would not use it for IFR in less I had no other choice, and I would definitely install an external antenna if I thought I would ever have to use in for that kind of flying. I have not tried using the VOR function and don’t anticipate a need for it because I also carry a backup GPS. I might try it someday to see how it works, just in case.
Michael –
Good radio, but hard to change the batteries without damaging them a bit
Great radio, easy to punch in frequencies and recall up to a few previous ones. reception range is excellent (i picked up an ATIS from almost 50NM away), and tower said they read me 5 during a radio check in the vicinity of the airport. VOR works too. The only downside is that you have to force the batteries out of their carrier with something flat and sturdy, which for rechargable batteries will damage them a bit with every removal. Haven’t tested battery life fully, but there’s a handy battery meter in the top right corner of the screen (i use rechargables so their lower voltage kind of screws with the indication though)I use it as a backup radio, as well as to monitor my student’s solosFor the price it punches up at more expensive radios with fewer features. Might get my hands on a lithium battery for it at some point if i use it often enough, but those are hard to find standalone so buy the FTA550L if you know you’ll need it.
Woody –
On the ground I’ve been able to get 25 mile range picking up the bravo from my house with good clarity and probably more if I wa
This is my first hand held so I really don’t have any other radio to compare it to, but with that said I been trying it out for it’s reliability. On the ground I’ve been able to get 25 mile range picking up the bravo from my house with good clarity and probably more if I wanted to push it further . At 11 nautical miles out at 3500 ft I was able to pickup the attis and it was scatchy but readable .I then ask for a radio check from a delta atc. The signal was weak but we were able to communicate . I was also able to use the vor on the ground and it worked great 5 miles out. When I get around to it I’ll try the vor in the air . This radio for me met and surpassed my expectations . I have rechargeable battery in the radio and they last pretty long even though the battery indicator is a little off. The one thing I forgot to mention is I used a base antenna instead of the original one when I was 3500 feet in the air. Don’t know how the original antenna would have worked. Overall for the price it’s a good investment for a backup radio.
CubeMaster –
Like so many other devices
AA batteries are very very tight fit and need a screwdriver to remove from their pack, but that’s probably not a design fault, as it appears to be built for the rechargeable pack and this AA version is a bit of an afterthought. Like so many other devices, when used with Ni-Mh batteries it reports “battery low” very quickly but then runs forever in that state. I’ve never let it run out, but have used it to receive consistently for at least 8hrs. Antenna doesn’t have a positive -click- and likes to come loose, but overall it’s great for the price, compared to other options, and I think it would be unfair to knock off a star. Probably no point in talking about range because I don’t have another handheld radio to A/B it with under the same conditions, and range is all about wattage and altitude, but I cannot notice a great receive difference between it and the Garmin or King radios in the plane. Cannot comment on transmit as I haven’t used it for that. It’s mainly for getting ATIS/AWOS before starting and to listen to traffic at airports that don’t have an outside speaker. Good, clear, and loud.
ANIBAL SANTOS HERNANDEZ –
Supero mi expectativa, es posible transmitir en las frecuencias aereas, pero como sabes, si no eres piloto no hay que hacerlo, trae la opcion de bloqueo el ppt