I think you made a typo since the Yaesu FT-2900 is a VHF only radio.
as far as accessibility, well, the knobs are large and easy to feel.  The 
radio has buttons on the front for the main user functions...vfo/memory, 
power output, reverse, menu, wires etc.  The microphone has function buttons 
on it as well for allot of stuff.
tx tones and CTCSS tones are difficult to program as they are buried in a 
menu tree like most of the other functions you might have to program.  You 
can enter memory channel numbers manually via the microphone keypad as 
well...and it has direct frequency entry via the mike keypad.

I don't know if the RT systems programming software is accessible or not.
The ft2900 is rugged and fairly well built much like the rest of the same 
family starting with the 2300M.  I used a 2800M for a while and managed to 
get around the radio with help from an online manual and trial and error.
I don't remember any of the programming steps, but I managed to program all 
the channels I wanted, and used VFO, memory, and all the scan functions and 
what not.
The 2900R is the next radio in the line from the 2800M, so they are very 
similar.
Personally I wouldn't have bought the 2900 because the kenwood TM 271 has a 
bit more accessibility built into it...like beeps and so on at menu start 
and end points, and various pitched beeps when you change functions.  And, 
that extra 10 watts doesn't make that much difference.
However, the ft2900 sounds great on tx, has a pretty decent front end, and 
like I said, is rugged.
quite a few hams around here use them both mobile and at home.

73
Colin, V A6BS
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Alonzo" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2011 11:11 AM
Subject: Yaesu ft2900


> Hello,
> I purchased a yaesu ft2900 for a base station for UHF. Can anyone comment 
> on=
> the accessibility of the radio?
>
> Alonzo
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone=