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| Reviews Summary for Yaesu FT-897 |
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Reviews: 248
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Average rating: 4.6/5
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MSRP: $1049.95
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Description: It is the world's first multi-mode high-power base/mobile transceiver designed to fitted with internal batteries (optional) for portable use. The coverage is HF 160 to 10 meters plus 50/144/430 MHz VHF/UHF. Receive is 0.1-56, 76-108, 118-164 and 420-470 MHz. 7.9x3.2x10.3 inches (200x80x263 mm).
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More info: http://www.yaesu.com/amateur/ft897.html
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You can
write your own review of the Yaesu FT-897.
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SE6M
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Rating: 5/5
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Sep 4, 2008 10:20
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Very nice transceiver
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Have had mine FT-897 for about ten months now.
Some months after I bought it, I get a malfunction in the VFO-counter inside the transceiver. Some problem with the "decoder" of the VFO, but after I returned the rig to the shop, I received it some weeks later and it works perfectly after that.
I have also bought the FP-30 interial powersupply, and it works very good.
/SE6M Mats
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N0FPE
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 30, 2008 17:19
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excellent
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Had mine for 6 years..never a miss, love it when I am camping, The one radio I will keep til it dies.
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KG4ORX
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 30, 2008 13:43
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Me Too !!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I love mine also, brought mine back in 06 dayton hamfest.that was my first dayton hamfest !
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N0MUD
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 30, 2008 12:34
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Excellent Radio
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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Well I've given my response in the past about this radio so will update what's been said before. I use the radio for Voice comms and getting it set up for digital comms. I also have the Kenwood TS-2000 which I bought for Sat work. I also have two Yaesu's FT-857d's which both work and tune exactly like the FT-897d. I am so used to using the FT-897d that I can almost do it with my eyes closed but I don't. But the radio is very user friendly and when you use it enough it is almost close your eyes friendly. Some people say the screen is too small, well if that is your only complaint then buy another Yaesu that does the same thing but with a bigger screen, I don't think you will find one at least with the same price. I like the different colors you can use, I have different colors for different bands, that's neat. If wanting a rig that does all bands all the way down to 440 you can't go wrong. But like I said the FT-857d does the same thing so if you need a mobile don't take your FT-897d out to your car/truck, it is big and it will work but unless you have one for the house I just recommend buying the FT-857d mobile because that's what it's for plus you can use a separation kit for the FT-857d. Each of my FT-857d's are in my camper and one in the P/U truck.
So if your not sure try to find a fellow ham in your area that has one and see if he will let you put your fingers on it or go to your local ham store and touch theirs because once you do you will buy your own and when you do include the antenna tuner that mounts right on the left hand side of the radio and it tunes your radio perfectly at the push of a button I like that feature when I switch antennas even tho my antennas are tuned perfectly.
73s and have a great Labor day weekend and be safe,
Mike, N0mud
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AD9Z
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 30, 2008 10:26
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I love mine!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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I bought my FT-897d at the Dayton hamvention this year. It is a great radio for the price! I bought the internal power supply for it so I can take it anywhere and just plug it in! I plan on getting a buddiepole soon so I can do some portable work. This radio has it all in one box and you can take it anywhere. Great job yaesu!
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AE5EH
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 19, 2008 18:48
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Talking straight.
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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Sans corny colloquialisms. Not talking about, bells, whistles, apples, (or any other kind of fruit). Not boiling anything down. Talking about radio transceivers made for use on the amateur radio frequencies.
That is all.
Lots of good ones out there. The FT897, and FT857 are among those. I have had both of these and have nothing bad to say about them.
Fact-All mfrs have produced a crappy radio or two.
Fact-Nothing is perfect. Notice the number system when you do a eham review. Notice that "5 - Great!" It does not read "perfect". Is that too obvious?
Fact-It is impossible for anyone to produce anything over and over and over that is 100 percent free of defects 100 percent of the time.
Fact-At least some (some, not all) of the bad reviews made by people were the result of a single experience. The whole world does not revolve around any one person, or special interest group. Just because you got a lemon (haven't we all?) does not provide a realistic basis to condemn all previous and subsequently produced models of your lemon. Take some responsibility for your decision. Don't be a cry baby. Learn from the mistake and move on. If it hurts when you poke yourself in the eye with a sharp stick, don't do it.
Sorry, maybe I'm trying to be too pragmatic.
I'm down to only one Yaesu radio. I've got a bunch of those "other radios". We won't talk about those here. I'll stick to the FT897.
Great display. Too small? Get some glasses, or another radio with A LARGE DISPLAY WITH LARGE CHARACTERS. 1 inch maybe. Mine was great in bright sunlight. Unlike those "other radios".
I have those "other radios" with IF level DSP. Yeah, they work well enough when you know how to use them. But so do the mechanical filters. Last couple of FD's I went to, there were 857's and 897's in force. The ops were happy campers, and making the contacts. Plenty of folks that have those "other radios" with IF level DSP, don't have a clue how to use them or what they do. I know some of those folks personally, and had to show them how to use them. Imagine that?
Too many people go looking for radios, but they don't define to themselves what they want to begin with. Or, much less how radios work to begin with.
The 897 is a decent radio for the price. I miss mine from time to time.
Don't believe everything you read in these reviews. Do your own research, and try to find one of whatever it is you are thinking about buying to try out, before you buy.
If you can.
Good luck!
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KK8ZZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 19, 2008 18:21
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Great radio -- add a filter and make it even better!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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After selling my 897D several years ago, I sprung for another one for Field Day and other park-related trips. Had this set up in the home shack since then and been using it on the 3905 CC nets on 75 and 40....
I've not turned the ProII on since this arrived.. great fun on the nets for so much less investment !
Great Radio !!!
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N4CQR
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 2, 2008 06:59
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Great Little Radio!
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Time owned: 6 to 12 months
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One of the best purchases I have made in amateur radio. I purchased the FT-897(d) to replace a Icom 706MKIIG. Frankly for my operating sytle the 897 suites me better than the 706MKIIG. The only two drawbacks, for me, is high a noise floor on HF and the Small display. And in all fairness the 706MKIIG had virtually the same noise floor. Perhaps my location? What ever the case, I give the rig a 5 for portibility, build quality and functinality. A portable shack in a box.. I am very pleased.
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N8EB
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Rating: 5/5
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Jul 2, 2008 06:12
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Does what it is suppossed to
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Time owned: 3 to 6 months
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Before I start my review, I have to say that I hate to see reviews comparing a $700 multi-purpose rig to a $6,000 HF contest rig. My review is on this rig and what it replaces in my shack.
My first HF rig was an Icom IC-718 - a very basic but capable low end starter rig. I added a TenTec 6-meter transverter for 6-meter work, but that only put out about 12 watts.
So after about 3.5 years on the Icom I assessed my needs. I wanted a rig that would handle my base needs with better control of noise, I wanted more power out on 6-meters, and since I had just acquired a 2-meter beam I wanted all-mode on VHF. Many in my local club love to go out to a local Metro Park, throw a wire up in a tree, and play radio for 5-6 hours - we call this a "Lark in the Park". So this new rig had to handle portable duties also.
I looked at several rigs - FT857D, IC-706MKIIG, Alinco DX-70TH and others, but one friend let me come over and "play" on his 897D before I made my decision. Although my Icom 718 had some menus, the 897D kind of scared me - after all there are almost 100 menus, and even less buttons or knobs!
I thought I would have to go with an HF/UHF/VHF mobile to get a rig that would handle what I wanted in a rig, but I am so glad I got to play on the 897 before making my decision!
The size/form factor of the 897 is great - I am amazed that Yaesu packs the capabilities in such a small box. The case itself is a bit smaller than the Icom, and feels very solid and sturdy. I don't think I will have any problems with damage taking it out in the field - as a matter of fact I have had it out for a "Lark in the Park" several times already, and it has done very well.
Although Yaesu and others make internal battery packs for the 897D, I chose not to buy any. I use a deep cycle marine battery which allows me to work 6-8 hours at the full 100-watts out and I barely scratch the surface of the battery's capacity. At a slightly reduced power I think I could get 24 hours for something like Field Day.
Having 100-watts out on 6-meters is a dream! While I did work states 700-1,000 miles out during a band opening with only 12-watts out, 100 watts makes a HUGE difference!
I use the 897D on 2-meters FM both on repeaters and simplex on a regular basis, and storing repeater info (freq, tones, offset) into memory is a breeze. I have tried out SSB on 2-meters, but still have some SSB nets I want to try.
HF... I have something near my house that makes a loud annoying noise on 40-meters. The DSP on the Icom had trouble knocking it down, and I called the electric company, cable company, and several club members to try and locate the source to stop it. Not much luck there.
When I put the 897D online, I can clear it up except on the very worst of days. It took me a few weeks of playing with all the features to find the best combination of DSP, Noise Blanker, and IPO to knock down the noise, but the Yaesu is FAR superior to the Icom.
I don't do that much CW - if ever. Several guys with an 897 love it's CW features, especially with an optional filter. On SSB where I do most of my work, every time I use the 897 I like it more and more. The noise floor is pretty quiet - not as quiet as a $2500+ rig, but much better than my old 718. The notch filter does an excellent job in crowded conditions, and as I said, the DSP does a great job on the noise.
So in my opinion if you compare this rig with others in it's class, it is one heck of a radio for it's price. It is jam-packed with features, and once you get used to the menu system they are easy enough to access. After you set the rig up to your liking, you don't need to use that many of the menus all too often.
So far I have only found one thing that might be considered a problem. If I use the memory to go to a 2-meter repeater, then switch back to an HF frequency, the SSB step switches from the 1Khz setting to 2.5Khz. I have heard that all 897's, 857's, and the 817 all do this. It appears to be more of a design quirk than a problem, and it certainly does NOT make the useage experience any less.
If money is an issue and you need a rig to handle many duties, choose the 897. If you need a rig to handle portable duties, choose this rig. If you have a bazillion dollars to spend on a rig and you want top of the line everything, maybe you should look at a different radio - but buy a 897 anyway as a back up!
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N0ESQ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 29, 2008 06:50
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As great as I hoped!
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Finally bit the bullet and bought this little rig for Field Day '08. Mounted it mobile with a High Sierra 1880Pro antenna at the trailer hitch on my pickup and drove through Rocky Mountain National Park. The radio matched up beautifully with the antenna and the consistent response I received from stations all over the U.S. was "Great signal for a mobile." I even parked at 12,000 feet at sunset and started announcing "CQ Field Day" on the very crowded 40m band. The radio was obviously getting out because I was getting my own pileups. Coupled with my Heil headset and a homemade pendant keyer switch, this is an easy to operate and navigate rig!
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