FT-70D
My first Yaesu radio. I got this because we are going to be putting up a Yaesu System Fusion repeater near my house and I wanted to try it out. I bought this radio used on Facebook marketplace. Overall, I'm very happy with this radio, but there are a few small annoyances. I dislike that you have to hold a button to adjust the volume. I wish you could swap the channel and volume functions. The battery life on this radio is also a little on the short side, but with how small the radio is, I can't really complain.
Mars Mod
The MARS mod for this radio is pretty simple, however please take your time. If you are unsure what you are doing or are not familiar with soldering, please ask someone for help. It's not worth risking damage to your radio.
The first step to this mod is to remove the battery. Once the battery is removed, you're going to see a small round rubber plug in the center of the radio. Use a small screwdriver or razor blade to gently remove this plug. The PCB inside the radio should now be exposed and you should see a solder bridge or possibly a small SMD component in the center. This bride or component needs to be removed. As always, I don't recommend just breaking it off. While this will likely work, you do risk damaging your radio by doing it this way. Instead, grab your soldering iron and a small tweezers and gently remove it. When the pads are cleared, you should probably clean them up with solder wick to prevent any shorts. After that, just reinstall the rubber plug and reconnect the battery. Your radio WILL reset after you power it on, so make sure you have a backup before you start. Congratulations, your radio should now be able to transmit from 137-174 and 420-470.
