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write your own review of the Yaesu FT-847.
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GM4ULS
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 24, 2009 22:24
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addendum
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Just a note to G7VGG's review. I think a better option for 4m is a 100W linear amplifier. I don't have a 4m antenna up at present, but I do have a linear, with a built-in rx pre-amp. I have run this from my previous location, using a separate psu for the linear. The antenna was a very simple groundplane in the loft - worked a treat.
By the way, if anyone has an 847 which covers 7.1 to 7.2 MHz I would be interested to know how they managed the modification.
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G7VGG
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 24, 2009 13:43
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Highly recommended!
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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In UK spec, its the only Ham radio available in the UK that covers every current UK Ham band from HF to 70cms (except for the experimental 5mhz band)as standard.
To most countries use of the 4m band is seen as virtually exclusive to the UK and a few other countries in Western Europe, and therefore Japanese rig manufacturers like Yaesu dont deem the potential market large enough to be worth designing it into their new radios. Because of this the FT-847 was never originally designed to cover 4m either...Understandably there can be problems. They fluffed up the 4m PA stage for instance as in standard spec it only produces 10 watts out on 4m at a consumption of around 20 amps! Thankfully an extremely simple mod, courtesy of Marc Vlemmings (PA10), can be performed which gives a safe 85 watts out on 4m at only 16 Amps consumption, whilst reducing power consumption on 6m too. Apart from the RX being a little hard of hearing on 4m thats about the only cons I can think of...Everything else about the FT-847 is big plus and I cant imagine ever wanting to buy any other radio!
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KG4ORX
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 14, 2009 03:46
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Great Rig !
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I had mine over the years! this radio is awsome !never a problem or anything,i brought mine used from the store in Huntville, Al at gigparts store.
73
Jackie
KG4ORX
WWW.KG4ORX.COM
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NW7U
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Rating: 2/5
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Jan 4, 2009 15:39
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Satellite Radio w/ HF Afterthought
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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If you read the 5/5 reviews you'll notice something curious - nearly ALL of them have a "However" attached. No VOX, no QSK, volume that goes from "I can't hear it" to deafening in 1/4 turn. And then there's the receiver! Come on folks - 5/5 should mean perfect!
First things first - it's great fun! It's got all those different colored lights and lots of knobs and buttons and, even turned off, it looks great! And if you have the space and budget for a bunch of alien-looking antennas, the satellite side of this is well-thought-out. (Although it really should have 1.2 Ghz....)
The manual is second only to "War and Peace" in size and complexity. It was my bathroom reading for about 6 months. Every morning was an epiphany and I STILL don't pretend to know what's in there.
Where this radio falls apart is HF Receive. I've owned LOTS of radios and this has BY FAR the poorest selectivity on HF I've ever heard. This radio is absolutely unusable on a contest weekend. The front end is as wide as Montana and even your neighbors daquiri blender will overload it. With the Inrad 500 CW filter installed strong signals 40 Khz down will STILL thump in your ear.
If you ever owned an Icom 735, cranked the noise blanker to 10 and wondered why you couldn't copy anyone, you've got a limited idea of how this receiver sounds.
I guess we all accept that DC-to-Light radios have compromises. This rig is proof that "Too Much" is sometimes not a good thing. And this can be a difficult balancing act if you insist on doing everything on a minimum-wage budget.
If HF is what you're really after, go elsewhere.
In fact, let me make a recommendation - if you want all those bands but (realistically) aren't likely to make the investment in satellite antennas, get a 706 MKIIG. Considering how much is crammed in that little box, it's incredibly good, it's FAR FAR FAR better on HF than the 847 and it's several hundred bucks cheaper. (OK - I sold my 706 too, but I wish I hadn't)
[This is a "late" review - I was surprised to find I had not reviewed it much sooner. This rig was purchased new from HRO about 6 months before going out of production. It was the latest incarnation. I kept the radio almost a year before sending it off to the Middle East through an eBay sale.]
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CT2FPE
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Rating: 4/5
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Nov 18, 2008 13:04
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Very Pleased
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Well, more than 6 months passed and the 847 is still making me very pleased, I bought the SSB filter from collins and replaced the RX filter with it, I use independant auto-tuner that doesn´t need to conect to the rig so this way I can use the CAT features with the PC. This is the only thing to make reference, when you use ATU connected to the RIG, the CAT doesn´t work.
Until now the RIG is working really nice and no bad issues to point !
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PA5COR
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Rating: 5/5
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Nov 17, 2008 06:31
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Stil doing the job
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Got the chance to get a unused FT 847, new in box from the latest batch.
My first one was one of the first batches ever sold, still goes strong after 10 years of use and (abuse) countless hours fun.
Collins filters will be added, the mods done on the first 847, like TXCO, temperature controled fans, headphone and audio mod, improve grounding of main and dsp boards (birdies) roofing filter will be done the next month(s).
After that it will replace the older one, wich then can be fully serviced and checked.
Yes, there are better radio's out there, this new one was just 900 Euro's never used new in box though.
And i'm used to the 847, wich if you know the transciever will do all i need, specially on 50 MHz and higher.
For HF after the mods it will be good enough to be a very decent radio.
73,
Cor
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K8YZK
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Rating: 4/5
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Aug 30, 2008 05:56
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Nice Radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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This is my second FT-847, first was fresh from the factory no options and it was ok. This one comes completely filtered with Inrad and Collins filters and is outstanding. Only reason I didn't give it a 5 is don' care for the control layout, which I am getting use to, and the af control. Otherwise a great radio. If I could give it a 4.5 then I would.
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VE2EZD
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 10, 2008 15:10
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Excellent when applying some mods
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I bought mine used more than a year ago. It became "excellent" after I adressed some of its well known problems.
First, I added two Inrad crystal filters (#703 CW 400Hz and #702 SSB 2.1kHz). They cost a little bit more than the mechanical ones but they are just excellent! Inrad did also a great job in designing a very clever way to install those big filters in this rather small radio.
Next I wanted to adress the jumping audio level problem where Yaesu did a very poor job. I did the KB2LJJ mod of disconnecting the volume potentiometer from the output of the final audio amplifier and rerouting it to its input. Believe me, my FT-847 just came to life with now amazingly clear and crisp audio at a level that can be as low as I wish. CW during an HF contest is now a pleasure to listen to. I also addressed the low headphone audio level problem with... another mod.
This radio is amazingly rugged and versatile (and easy to modify). I wish Yaesu had corrected its problems before putting it into production but that was not the case. My FT-847/Inrad/KB2LJJ version really deserves a 5!
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K5RCR
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Rating: 4/5
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Jul 23, 2008 20:49
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Nice general purpose radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I purchased this radio specifically for operating satellites and it performed extremely well on AO40, the Fuji birds, and many others. While AO40 was active, it was no problem working stations all over the hemispheric footprint. It was a thrill to hear the noticeably delayed echo coming back thru the crossband receiver when the bird was at apogee. I have moved on and now enjoy what this rig can do on 6 meters.
I have also used the radio quite a bit on 20-10, especially PSK31 and RTTY and it does very well. The performance on 40-160 is acceptable. It drives my ancient Hallicrafters amplifier with no problem.
The rig has performed perfectly with no failures of any kind.
It was a good investment.
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G1KFB
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 1, 2008 07:38
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Great VHF rig, OK HF rig
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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I use this rig for upper HF and VHF/UHF. Sensitivity is very good indeed and selectivity is not really an issue on these bands.
For 80/40/20/17 I use two old Kenwoods, a TS530S and a TS830S which are far superior when it comes to handling large signals on crowded bands.
On the 847 I have a Collins SSB filter fitted which makes quite a difference when the bands are busy. You can't switch it out however so the comparison is from memory. I have a friend who has the INRAD filter fitted and in my opinion, the INRAD is the better option.
The AF DSP works well if you are patient and know what you are doing. It provides extra selectivity and some noise reduction, which is what you would want. The auto notch is flawless.
On VHF it can resolve moonbounce sigs without a preamp and a single yagi, no problem. It has a fair noise figure but is not quite as good as a mutek'd FT225RD or similar. With JT65 and other weak signal modes, it is more than enough and can dig those waterfalls from the noise. It has a very healthy 50W on 144 and 432 and 100W on 50 which is excellent. It can provide a 12V supply through the coax for your masthead preamp.
The CAT interface works OK but is basic. You can't use the auto ATU and the CAT at the same time.
If you are used to one of the better old tube rigs or have had your hands on an FT1000, then this rig will be a bit of a comedown on the lower HF bands. It isn't really meant to compete with that class of radio, although it does well enough to allow operation on all of the bands.
On the upper HF bands, it is a fine performer in my opinion, very sensitive and producing 105-110W barefoot with 13.8V supplied from a solid PSU. The inbuilt preamp introduces a little noise but gives a good boost to the signal increasing readability. The stock microphone is good enough but I use a broadcast mic and mixer which also allows use of digital modes.
All in all, I would say this is a good rig for 15m upwards. It is very good indeed at VHF/UHF.
If you are a frequent user of the lower HF bands, then this is no one-stop-shop for you. It would complement a no-compromise HF rig or even a classic tube rig such as one of my Kenwoods.
Well done Yaesu, this radio has got me back into VHF and upper HF and helped me dip my toe in the water with satellite operation.
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