Yaesu CD-41 Desk Rapid Charger For VX-8DR & VX-8GR Series of HandHeld Radios

It works, but be careful. If you touch the center of three terminals with your finger you are inadvertently applying an electrostatic charge to a sensitive internal MosFet electronic component, permanently disabling the charger. There is nothing protecting the internal electronic component. This is an infamous design flaw. The unit will no longer charge until the electronic component is replaced - a ship back to the factory situation that is more easily resolved by buying a new charger. Just don't touch that center pin with your finger, whether or not the charger is plugged-in to your wall outlet. The 5-Star rating applies . . . but you've been warned.

Works as it should. Works with the included charger for the FT3D.There is a weird behavior where no lights will come on when the battery is mostly charged, but the red light comes on while charging, and the green is on when fully charged.The charger completes a full charge of the 2200mah battery within 4 hours. Not rapid, but much faster than the radios self charge in 9.5 hours.

Works as advertised for my radios

I purchased this charger to compliment a Yaesu FT-2DR radio. While I love the radio, I found that if I am taking advantage of all the features it offers, the battery drains almost completely within a days usage. The normal charger does charge the radio but it seems like it takes over 6 hours to charge it fully. With this Desk Rapid Charger, I was able to fully charge my radio in about half the speed. The radio fit into the charger very snug and the indicator light makes it easy to see when it is charging and when it is done. I love that base is made of metal and not just all plastic like some other chargers found on the internet. This charger is made with high standards. While I do not have a spare battery, it does look like it would fit with no problems.

There are several negative reviews of this product pointing out DESIGN flaws. I agree that these flaws should be corrected. Yaesu is known for high quality products. Their prices reflect this. When purchasing OEM items, at OEM Retail prices, people expect the product to be free of defects.NOTE: This charger does NOT come with the wall wart power transformer. You will also need the Yaesu SAD-25B.This charger does, however, fit my FT3DR perfectly. It is heavy and does not tip over or slide around on the desk like a disposable $12 Baofeng charger. I only charge my radio while it is off. I only charge the battery while attached to the radio. When the battery gets low, I turn my radio off and place it in the charger.The LED charge indicators are great. RED for Charging, Green for Charged.DO NOT touch the magical gold battery contacts. Even if the unit is unplugged, static discharge when touching the gold contacts can blow the internal circuitry.I already knew how sensitive this otherwise indestructible device is, so I don't touch the contacts. I leave in on the counter and set my radio in the base when it needs to be charged.It works great for me (so far).

Based on a few reviews, I decided to hold off and just charge with the power cord. That got old real soon. I had no way of charging a second battery without it attached to the radio and no way to just stand up the radio, so it was just wobbling around on the counter. For the price of the FT-3D, it should have been included, but the cradle does as intended. Charge time is reduced, but rapid....definitely faster than with power cord alone, but with two batteries this was not an issue for me. The cradle definitely makes things more convenient and definitely secures the radio while otherwise vulnerable when charging. Being able to charge the second battery independently is a real plus.

I got this so I can charge my HT faster, and so I can charge my spare battery by itself while using my HT. It works great!

I ordered this for my new FT-3D and was a little worried I would need to purchase a charger separately based on the list of compatible chargers. However, I was able to use the charger that came with my radio and it works great! I'm sure it is not quick-charging with that but I do love the convenience of a drop-in charger over plugging directly into the radio. Highly recommended for anyone looking for the same convenience!