Sorry seem to have lost eh first part of my initial response, so I'll start it again.....

What I use, and you can see it if you do a call sign look up on me, is a simple radio shack "Video switcher"....The one between the paddle and the k3 Keyer, I use to switch both my ker and speaker audio lines between the various rigs, and the smaller (two unit) one on the top shelf switches my THP amp Key/ALC lines between the two bigger Yaesu rigs.

Pretty simple plug & Play set up, and works fine for me.

73, Jim/k7unz

smaller (two unit) model is on the top shelf and that switches my amp between the two big Yaesu rigs for relay and ALC lines.

Works fine for me!

73, Jim/k7unz

Hi Buddy!

Well, I might be wrong ( I often am), but based on the last picture in your post, it looks like someone made their own call sign globe, using transferable letters.  If you look at the letters added over the green background, you can see the white decal base material from the letters that were applied.

They did a nice job, and I'm sure it served their need, but it doesn't look like a "store bought item" to me.

And if it is for real, putting a price on it would be almost impossible.  Whatever a "collector" is willing to spend is what it's worth, same as any other collectable item.

Should be possible to validate as the globe does have a makers ID and info, so you could try to validate it that way (if they are still in business).

73, Jim/K7UNZ

Web, think you're mixing-up two different things.

Typing a call into the call sign look up box does not give you your eham profile...it connects to the QRZ.com call sign data base.

Clicking on "profile" at the top of the page in eham gives you your eham profile data.

Jim/k7unz

Simple solution..use a cigarette lighter adapter plug for the '897.
 Yes, I know it's not the BEST way to do it, but after all it's only for a short demonstration, and MANY mobiles have been powered this way over the years.

Just make sure to turn OFF the rig, should you need to start the car.  Otherwise you take the chance of some nice spikes until the engine smooths out and the alternator is running as it should.

73, Jim/k7unz

I think KG4NEL mentioned the real first question you need to ask yourself prior to buying ANY gear.

What was it that caught your fancy about ham radio?  There must have been something that made you think, Boy, that's neat to be able to do, and that's where we need to start before anyone can tell you what equipment you will need.

73, Jim/k7unz

Alan, I feel your pain. I also have and love a FT-990, which after 20 years of faithful service is showing it's age.  The meter light went out on mine a while back, but luckily a friend (W7HD) had the ability to replace it with a led he salvaged from a led flashlight.  So once again, it sits in a prominent place on the operating table. And to be honest, I prefer using it to my FT-5000.  To me, xtal filters still beat the heck out of DSP (hi)!

But, I think it's unfair to say Yaesu decides to cancel parts for older units.  It's really a matter of suppliers not being able to provide the parts to the manufacturers, and is not limited to Yaesu, or radio manufacturers in general, but in everything out there from food mixers to your automobile.

So, the reality is that once anything gets older than about 5 years, "factory" parts/repairs  become unavailable.  I'm pretty sure Yaesu, or anyone else, would love to take in your '990 for repair if parts were still available.  Money is money, and they could still make a lot just repairing the old stuff, if it were possible to get the necessary parts.

As for filter compatibility, you could try checking on the Inrad Filter website. Sorry don't have the URL handy, but Google will turn it up for you.
73, Jim/K7UNZ

Frankly, I think you're overly concerned about a 1.9:1 SWR.

Would be nice if everything could be 1:1 but in reality this is usually not the case.
Could be any number of things that are affecting the 40 meter operation, and well, a 1.9:1 isn't such a bad thing anyway.

If your gear loads up on it, just run it and have fun.

PS: Almost ANY tuner (internal or external) will easily handle a 1.9:1 SWR.

73, Jim/k7unz

If you are considering a radio, make sure it conforms to U.S. specs.

Many of the Asian models have different freq coverage, and some different bells and whistles.

73, Jim/K7UNZ

Dan, the problem is that all you really need, as far as I can tell, to get one of those offshore calls is a good mailing address for the FCC.  You don't have to have even set foot in KL7, KH6, KH2, etc., as even a UPS store mail box will do, and your local UPS store can likely arrange that for you.

Got nothing against a guy using his Offshore call, just take a second and add the "/" or say where he is.  I have often heard Pacific DX that is way stronger than CONUS stuff on the same band and time, often appearing out of nowhere. 

Just seems a bit deceptive to me, but that's only MY opinion.


73, Jim/k7unz

I appreciate it when someone operating out of their assigned call sign area adds the "/" to their call.  Just makes it easier to know what path is open on the band at the time.

73, Jim/k7unz

It appears we have now added an amplifier into the set up, which was not mentioned earlier.

Jim/k7unz

Do not rely on the opinions you may get here on eHam.
Get a real lawyer!

I will say that it appears to me that he is holding your purchase hostage.
I don't see why he would think his personal problem has anything to do with the purchase or that you need to help fund his debt.

Jim/k7unz

He's running an FT-950.....there are no Cal, Set, Fwd, Rev, positions.

Jim/k7unz

With your '950, crank the power down to about 10 watts (in CW mode). With the meter in the SWR position, key the transmitter for a steady carrier output (cw mode).  Meter will display the SWR the Transmitter is seeing.

In SSB mode, the meter can't follow the power output peaks, and the meter reading will be useless.

The built-in tuner of the '950 is pretty much limited to matching SWR levels of 3:1, or less.  Good enough for tweeking if you're just looking to move around a band, say from the low end to the high end of 40 meters, with an antenna that has a decent SWR to begin with  (2:1 isn't bad, and the '950 tuner will work fine with that).

With something like an end fed wire, a G5RV, or other multi-band types, you would be way ahead of the game with an external wide range tuner.

Hope this helps.


Have fun....73,  Jim/k7unz
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