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| Reviews Summary for FT-817ND BY YAESU |
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Reviews: 12
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Average rating: 4.5/5
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MSRP: $589.00
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Description: The world’s first self-contained, battery-powered, Multi-mode Portable Transceiver covering the HF, VHF, and UHF bands! Despite its incredibly small size (5.3" x 1.5" x 6.5"), the FT-817 delivers big performance! Its next-generagion PA puts out five watts on all HF bands, plus the 50 MHz, 144 MHz, and 430 MHz bands, on all popular operating modes: USB/LSB/CW/AM/FM/Packet/PSK-31/RTTY. Now the 817 legacy is even better with the introduction of the FT-817ND, which includes coverage of the U.S. 60-meter (5 MHz) band, and it also includes a 1400 mAh NiMH Battery pack (FNB-85) and NC-72B Charger!
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More info: http://www.yaesu.com
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write your own review of the FT-817ND BY YAESU.
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N4UED
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Rating: 5/5
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May 22, 2009 22:45
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THE BEST CW QRP CW RIG IVE OWNED.
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I MUST SAY ITS IMPOSSIBLE FOR ME TO FIND FAULT WITH THIS TRANSCEIVER.
I ADDED THE 300 CW FILTER TO MINE.
WITH THE IPO OUT AND THE IF SHIFT ALSO YOU CAN SMASH QRM.
I WORK CW MOSTLY EVERY DAY.
5 WATTS IS THE MOST POWER ANYONE NEEDS ON CW FOR A ENJOYABLE QSO.
I NO LONGER SIT ON THE QRP CALLING FREQUENCIES.
I GO TO A CLEAR SPOT WITH MY FILTER LOCKED IN AND CALL CQ.
I USE A 85 FOOT FLAT TOP 20M DOUBLE EXTENDED ZEPP FOR 40M-10M
IT ONLY TAKES A CLEAR FREQUNCY AND YOU CAN WORK ANOTHER QRP STATION,THIS IS EVEN WHEN TWO OTHER CONVERSATIONS ARE GOING ON THEIR WITH YOU.
I DID NOT BUY IT FOR SSB.
IVE GOT A IC-7000 WITH A DUST COVER OVER IT AND AN AL-1200 COLLECTING DUST.
THE NO CODE HAMS HAVE NO IDEA WHAT THEY ARE MISSING OUT ON.
AS A MATTER OF FACT IM GOING TO WORK SOME CW NOW ON MY 817ND.
IF YOU WANT A HIGHER POWER RIG THEN GO FOR IT.
IVE LEARNED THEY ARE QRM MACHINES.
BUY YOU THE FT-817ND AND HAVE FUN.
CHUCK, N4UED
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SQ1LZT
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Rating: 5/5
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Aug 7, 2008 15:02
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Great portable rig!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I am owner of the FT-817ND rig since September of 2006. It is great tiny companion on the road and quite good home station. Many PSK31 QSOs on 20m with very simple setup based on home made dipole antenna and optointerface prove that it is not a toy :) If you love QRP it is just for you!
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AA7LG
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 22, 2008 10:05
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Fantastic
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have owned one of these radios for a few years and I have used it on all modes and I feel that it works without compromise based on its intended design. On CW it is a dream with the optional Collins filter. The receiver section is as good as my FT-879D.
Some reviewers complain about battery usage, I can’t blame the radio for that nor would I mark it down for that as I don’t feel that Yaesu or anyone else has designed a battery operated radio that delivers 5 watts with lots of features that will work on 100 ma! I use the internal batteries mostly for reception. The current draw is stated in the specs, read the specs, understand the specs, don’t blame the radio for not having a larger battery only to complain about the increased size and weight. I use mine with a small AGM type motor cycle battery.
The FT-817 has been one of my favorite ham radio purchases because I can bring it with me when I travel and operate on all modes with portable antennas. I have the Budipole , TAKtenna and a Super Antenna vertical.
73, Bob AA7LG
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W6YDE
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 22, 2008 08:06
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Great little rig
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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What can I say.. The FT-817ND is a great rig. I only use mine on HF CW. It has all the correct features needed to operate, like IF shift, RIT. I have installed a 500Hz filter and it works very well. I love this little rig, I have taken it to the beach and it runs all day.
Mike/W6YDE
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KK8ZZ
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Rating: 5/5
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Jun 17, 2008 19:55
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Nothing Short of Amazing
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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OK, so it really isn't a PROII or an FT-2000 (or even a 450!) but it's a heck of a rig for the price. Admittedly, it takes a little patience to rig an antenna for QRP (I recommend any of the LDG models and a BuddiPole) -- and you won't BELIEVE what this will do with a 43 foot Zero-Five Vertical!) but the thrill of a QRP contact - 2.5 or 5 watts - from half-way around the world from your backyard is what ham radio is all about. I was lucky and got mine for $375 and for the price of a little time to repair a few simple parts. I'm having a great time with this little guy. Check out the Yahoo group for the 817 and find hundreds of guys and gals that work with this radio day in and day out and learn from them.. Cycle 24 is coming back (unless the dreaded Maunder Minimum returns, then Ham Radio really won't mean much anyway).. regardless, you can sign the final 73 with this little guy and not have any qualms about your energy consumption while the world fades away!
73... de KK8ZZ OH
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KC2RSP
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Rating: 3/5
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Mar 26, 2008 21:52
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Almost fantastic!
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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A dream come true for HF backpackers.
I had my 817nd since it came out.
The features on this radio is incredible.
Optional filters are available.
The size is great.
The speakers are OK.
The controls are comfortable considering how small it is.
Dual antenna connectors with menu control is great when connecting it to two antennas.
The battery compartment can hold a small automatic tuner!
The mic connector is a standard RJ45!
The most amazing portable HF rig on the market.
The ability to do vhf and uhf is great! (I use it for uhf, vhf and 50 mhz)
So why did I give it a 3?
Because, its a bit of a power hog.
I had to get a external lithium ion battery pack.
About $60.
It worked great as a portable after that.
I also have a portable 20 watt solar panel!
So I can now use the 817nd up in a mountain and not worry much about running out of power.
The panel should last for about 10 years.
The litium battery should last about 3 years.
Best part.
The solar panel, lithium ion battery, 817nd and a wire antenna all fit in a small nap sack! With plenty of room to spare.
Its small enough to squeeze into my backpack already stuffed with my camping gear (as long as I stay practical).
Laptops now are not much bugger then a men's hand. So another nice addition is a small palm sized computer. I have one that runs Vista.
The only reason now to come down from the mountain is because I run out of food.
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IZ0JGH
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Rating: 2/5
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Jun 27, 2007 10:30
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Real improvements??
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I have the FT 817 (not the ND version) , I used it for quite sometime and seems to me that after some years Yaesu should put some real improvement in this RTX.
1- factory available bases for two collins filters could be a nice improvement;
2- now LI-ION batteries 12V 6A are available at about 80$ each, YAESU could offer an "add on" (an "add below" i might say) container having the same shape of the 817 and lockable to the RTX base by some small device, this container could store one or two 6A batteries, a small circuit to stabilze the voltage and allow battery/ies charge and it could also have room for additional batteries or some small item like a little CW key;
3- RJ mike plug should be reinforced with a small additional retain device that improves the microphone lock to the RTX body;
4- to have some factory RTX "tropicalization" would also be nice.
The above mentioned improvements would really cost cents with the exception of the external battery pack, following there are some other improvements wich are more expensive but also very usefull.
Intermodulation continues to be the worst side of the FT817, I hope YAESU has used these years to study some improvement.
The success of small HF amplifiers is quite a demonstration that sometimes more power is really needed, this improvement would need the adoption of a serious external battery pack but a 20W FT817 would be very interesting.
A reverse polarity protection would be nice.
73
Joe Rotellini
IZ0JGH
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XE1VE3OQC
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 24, 2007 07:22
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Update on a Great radio
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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Well it has been almost three months with this radio and have found that it works fb.I have used it while in the backyard scanning the 6 meter beacons and the ears that this radio has with a 1/4 wave whip attached is really nice.Extremely nice audio from such a small package.I used it on 17 meters when the band was open and with my TSS mic it rated quite well in the audio output,granted some punch is required especially on SSB but when I am portable I use a Military Sonetronics handset with a modified mic (the standard mic element is only 150 ohms,too low for the radio)and this gives it the necessary audio output.
I have absolutely no quirks about this radio,if you know what you are buying then you obviously won´t have a problem with this rig.
The spinner type vfo would have been a nice addition on Yaesu´s behalf,then again I really don´t need it.
73´s
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WP4DQK
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Rating: 4/5
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Apr 22, 2007 17:48
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The most rewarding radio...
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Time owned: more than 12 months
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I can not speak about this radio without realizing how much I do like it. I have my one for more than a year and all the experiences are very good. I am a qrp digital modes operator, PSK and RTTY are the modes preferred. I fabricate the K40 CW Keyer with RTTY module and connect it via PTT in AFSK. You can not believe how funny is making DX's with a good dipole with this configuration on battery. For PSK31 I use Ham Radio Deluxe and for CW and SSB I use a 500kc original filter and just the original Mic on setting number 2 respectively. The audio modulation sound like a more (big) expensive radio even on SSB, AM or FM.
But all of this is not what that I like more, try listening Short Wave Stations around the world with a random wire or your local FM stations and you can discover another dimension of it. Of course you can use the G5RV or your regular Ham Radio antennas for this, but I carry an end Fed (no ground needed) of 25f long into my back pack just to hang it at the office window for listening SW. Use a good headphone for this and you will understand me better.
Few menus can make it a little tricky to fully master its operation, but as you can keep using it, easier to remember all of them.
The only reason for the (4) Good rating is for the battery consumption. If you want to work portable for long time (say 3 or 5 hours) you need an external battery. The radio does not put the 5 watts on its rechargeable and the time of operation is really short, even just listening.
The good news is that you can find whatever kind of accessories for it. I will recommend PowerPack pouch and external battery, W4RT filters and West Mountain Radio interfaces. Antennas, ok I try MFJ, Opek, and homebrew verticals, JPoles and dipoles. The best reports are always for the full size 40m dipole feed via 300 ohms television balance line via 4:1 balun and ATU. This one mounted on a 31f fiberglass pole in inverted V configuration. Near round radiation pattern, as vertical antenna, and very balance circuit. It covers 40m up bands without any problem. On 6m, VHF and UHF, JPoles are the easy way. JPoles fabricated with 300 ohms television balance line too.
At last, if I need to sell all the radios and just keep one of them, sure it will be the FT-817nd by the way, the only one that I always carry on the back pack.
If you need more specific info about battery consumption or modifications just make your search on Google.
Best 73, Milton
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N4MJG
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Rating: 5/5
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Apr 22, 2007 16:55
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Great Rig !
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Time owned: 0 to 3 months
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i love this Rig so much i love doing the qrp ! this rig is a keeper.i'll use mine for backpack for hfpack !
73
Jackie
KG4ORX
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