Yaesu FT-70DE vs Icom ID-50E
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Yaesu FT-70DE or Icom ID-50E? I put both radios side by side: data from the manufacturers’ spec sheets and photos at the same scale. The Yaesu FT-70DE comes out better on weight and memory channels; the Icom ID-50E wins on battery, water resistance, GPS, APRS / D-PRS and microSD card. On the digital side, the Yaesu FT-70DE uses C4FM and the Icom ID-50E uses D-STAR — these systems won’t talk to each other, so the only common language is analogue FM.
Specs side by side
| YaesuFT-70DE▲ 2 | IcomID-50E▲ 5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Bands and modes | ||
| Transmit bands | 144–146 MHz430–440 MHz | 144–146 MHz430–440 MHz |
| Receive range | 108–580 MHz | 108–174 · 375–479 MHz (A) · 137–174 · 375–479 MHz (B) · FM broadcast 76–108 MHz |
| Airband AM | ||
| Modes | FMC4FM | FMD-STAR |
| Transmitting | ||
| Maximum power | 5 W | 5 W |
| Power levels | 5 · 2 · 0.5 W | 5 · 2.5 · 1 · 0.5 · 0.1 W |
| Power | ||
| Battery | 1800 mAhSBR-24LI · 7.4 V | 2000 mAh ▲BP-272 · 7.4 V |
| Charging | SAD-11C charger (DC socket) | USB-C |
| Body | ||
| Dimensions | 60 × 98 × 33 mmW × H × D | 58 × 111 × 33 mmwidth × height × depth |
| Weight | 255 g ▲ | 300 g |
| Water resistance | IP54 | IPX7 |
| Display | monochrome LCD | monochrome dot-matrix LCD |
| Features | ||
| Dual watch | — | V+V · U+U · V+U (no DV+DV) |
| GPS | — | |
| APRS / D-PRS | — | D-PRS |
| Bluetooth | — | — |
| microSD card | — | |
| Memory channels | 900 ▲ | 500 |
| Release | 2017 | 2023 |
Data: manufacturers’ spec sheets and manuals · as of 31.10.2026
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