Yaesu 857D TCXO or not?

[KV9U]

I had earlier asked for comments between the 857D/897D and the ICOM 7000. I had the impression that the 857D did not have the TCXO option which is a must have feature for me, but now it looks like it does have this when they went to the D model. Can anyone confirm this?

Also, one other aspect of the Yaesu twins over the 7000 for portable use is that they have much lower receive current. About 0.9 amps vs. 1.6 for the ICOM. That is very significant for longer term battery operation.

I mostly plan to use the rig for mobile/portable VHF SSB and FM, and some HF SSB and digital. The only time I would need the filtering would be for the digital and could live without it. With the 857D the price difference is quite significant, but with my wife having a 7000 now,  it would be easier to only have to learn one menu. And I have found the 7000 to be reasonably understandable.

[N0NOB]

YES, the FT-857D has a slot for TCXO-9.
Understand it is most useful doing digital.
It is a option on the FT-857D and standard on
the FT-897D.

[K0BG]

There are a couple of issues which need clarification.

First, the power draw for the IC-7000 is 1.3 amps. The 1.6 figure is for full audio. The Yaesu 857D is 1 amp, and with full audio is just over 1.4 amps. The differences are all but moot.

The IC-7000 comes out of the box with a .5 ppm rating, but in reality is closer to .4 ppm. The 857D is 4 ppm, and with the OPTIONAL TCXO is .5 ppm. Specs notwithstanding, the resolution of the digital VFO in the 857D is far outside even the 4 ppm spec. Whether the TCXO is worth the $110 is costs, is also moot.

Alan, KØBG
www.k0bg.com

[KV9U]

I was going by the published received power draw, but the difference between 1.3 and 1 is not exactly moot. We are talking 30% difference which can mean several hours difference in operation from my back up battery system.

The .5 ppm is good enough, but 4 ppm is not good enough for some digital modes

The reason I brought up the TCXO is that in the November 2004 QST combined reviews of the 897D and 857D, they state that "Also included is the temperature controlled crystal oscillator stage that was optional in the previous models." They appear to be discussion both rigs, not just the 897D that does have the TCXO. This may be an error in the review. Later in the same review they talk about the TCXO as an option. So it is a big confusing.

If the TCXO is not in the 857D, then it is about the same cost as the 897D and that rig is known to work well with digital modes. I only used one for a short time at a Field Day a few years ago and was not that impressed, but that is a very difficult environment for any rig. Even the 7000 would have a difficult time, but the close in numbers are better than the Yaesu rigs, even though they are not very good compared to other higher end rigs.

I agree that an 897D rig for around $800 is not that much lower than the $1300 ICOM rig when you add in a couple of filters and other features. I am concerned about price increases that I hear are coming in June. Hopefully they are not here yet, but if I don't order it BC (before Dayton) I can see where some companies will sell out a lot of their inventory.

[K0BG]

Rick, last year the 7000 was selling for $1,099 delivered to your door, and included the remote kit. I suspect it won't be much different this year. The best price for the 857D (base, no accessaries) wasn't but $25 less than nominal street price. Why the disparity, I can't say.

What I will say is, the difference between the 857D and the 7000 is almost night and day. I'll agree the specs aren't all that different, but the 7000 uses an IF based DSP. That alone is worth the difference in price.

The current draw is peak depending on the audio level. The best way to limit that is to use phones. Of course if one was really interested in battery life, he'd be using 703 or the little Yaesu.

And speaking of audio, I wish manufactures would put decent audio amps in their products. Two or so watts just doesn't cut the mustard in my opinion.

Alan, KØBG
www.k0bg.com

[KO1D]

Long story short regardless of rig you only need the TCXO for digital work. If you are going to do voice and CW only do not sweat it.

Dan S
KO1D