The Zastone ZT-2R was an interesting find. One question remained: was it a poorly constructed clone, or a genuine Yaesu VX-2R under another name? As it turns out, the latter is true. The Zastone is a Yaesu VX-2R from top to bottom. Even the manual is written in the typical Yaesu style, and programming examples use the word ‘VERTEX’ on a few occasions.
First impressions
This will be a very short review; the Yaesu VX-2R has been out of production for quite a while, and there are more than enough reviews to be found online. I could still find the Yaesu VX-2R here and there for about € 175,00. The Zastone ZT-2R was € 80, which included shipping with DHL and one extra battery (Fuji NP-60 compatible).
Frequency Ranges
0.5-1.8 MHz (BC Band)
1.8-30 MHz (SW Band)
30-76 (59) MHz (50 MHz HAM)
76 (59)-108 MHz (FM)
108-137 MHz (Air Band)
137-174 MHz (144 MHz HAM)
174-222 MHz (VHF TV)
222-420 MHz (ACT1)
420-470 MHz (430 MHz HAM)
470-800 (729) MHz (UHF TV)
(757-774) MHz (UHF TV)
800-999 MHz (ACT2; USA Cellular Blocked)
TX 144-146 (148) MHz
430-440 (450) MHz
For more specifications, go here or to Yaesu.com.
Programming
Being a long time user of the Yaesu VX-170 and VX-177, I found it very easy to program this radio. That won’t be true for everyone, but once you know the logic behind Yaesu menus you’ll feel right at home.
If you don’t like manual programming, all Yaesu cables and software will work.
Harmonic suppression
I couldn’t help myself after the GT-3 and measured harmonic suppression. It was perfect.
VHF: second harmonic about 63 dBm down, no other harmonics visible
UHF: second harmonic about 60 dBm down, no other harmonics visible
Verdict:
If you love these small can-do-it-all radios, get one while you can. Don’t expect the radio to replace a quality LW/MW/SW receiver (you can overload the Yaesu/Zastone quickly), but it does the job.
On the amateur bands the radio performed as expected, no issues with RX or TX whatsoever. Well done, Yaesu Zastone.
Price: around $90 now but varies, Check AliExpress.com for current offers.
Ham Radio Blog PD0AC 
Thanks for the review. Any specific antenna recommendation to improve RX a bit?
It depends on the RX band. The same rules applying to other wide-band receivers apply here too.
For RX at home I ended up using a Diamond Discone antenna, which already proved too much on Medium Wave thanks to a MW station close by.
A bonus is that this discone has an excellent SWR on 2 meters and 70cm.
If you want to stay portable, a Nagoya NA-701 or 771 will improve range, but longer antennas look funny on this radio and impair the portability.
Thanks for the review.
Wich one do you think that will give more improvement on air band, NA-701 or NA-771?
The NA-771 will probably do better thanks to its length, which can also make a difference when listening on bands below FM broadcast. The downside is that such a long antenna on this miniature HT might look a bit, uhh, odd.
I own a Yaesu VX2 for about 7 years now. It’s housing is quality and works fine!. Mediumwave is receivable but with the supplied antenna only very local staions will be heard. If the Zastone is made of the same housing and quality as the Yaesu VX2 it will outperform most ‘made in China’ handhelds. See for more info http://pa3dlp.home.xs4all.nl/Yaesu%20VX-2.htm
Apart from the silk screening above and under the push buttons, which is more informative on the Yaesu, both radios are identical in every respect.
Is the scan speed identical too? About how many CHS a sec?
Matt
KJ6PNN
Hi Matt,
Just checked for you. It seems to be the same scan speed as my VX-170/177 radios — covering about 1 MHz in just over 5 seconds (12.5 KHz spacing).
I think, Yaesu sell to Zastone VX-2 patent after they stop prodution.
That’s what we think too.
Hi Hans, I’m surprised that there is such a small selection of TX frequencies compared to the RX available. Are there other versions of this model with a larger transmit range? Would really like to have some FRS/GMRS capabilities (462/467MHz). Thanks.
The sample I got transmitted out of band without modification. If not, you can modify the radio yourself.
That’s great news, how do I modify the TX band? Do I need to do it through a PC? Why do they list such a small TX range? Is it because of the capabilities of the stock antenna?
This is a ham radio transceiver — it is designed to transmit only within the amateur bands. You will have to look for MARS/CAP modifications for the Yaesu VX-2. The antenna is not designed to be used outside the legal bands.
If it was legal in my country, and I had the proper antenna, how easy is it to unlock the “freeband”? Can I do it through software, or do I have to physically modify the hardware? Thanks for your help Hans.
As I said earlier in the comments, the Zastone is already unlocked.
Am I the only one who can’t find this for under $350 now?
These radios pretty much disappeared from shopping sites now — at normal prices, that is.
Strange.
Pingback: A Cheap Yaesu VX-2R? Meet the Zastone ZT-2R! | Ham Radio Blog VK2ICQ
Available again, as (improved?) ZT-2R+ (plus), in ebay and Ali, starting (when on offer) from $90!!!