| KC2OOS |
Rating:  |
2006-04-29 | |
| Great radio, but... |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I won't bore you with the nitty gritty of the FT-817ND. There's quite enough information about it already. I will however, point out a couple of things.
The biggest thing missing from the FT-817ND is the lack of WX band receive coverage. This alone prevents it from being my "do-it-all" portable radio, and is a grave oversight in a radio that is intended for portable operation, IMO. Expanded WFM coverage to cover TV audio is also missing.
The rechargeable battery. This should have long since been upgraded to a more powerful unit with a faster charge cycle, and the battery connector is so flimsy that it will be almost impossible not to break it at some point. I'd rather they omitted the NiMH battery and dropped the price. It doesn't have very much capacity, and it takes 8 hours to charge. You're better off just using high capacity AA rechargeables, especially considering you can now buy 2500mAh NiMH AA's with a 15 min charger at most any store. Of course, the FT-817 is not the only radio to suffer from this problem. My Icom IC-W32A is even worse in this regard.
Lack of processing. DSP noise reduction/filtering and a compressor really ought to be added to the FT-817.
Other than these issues, you just have to make piece with the fact that there are an incredible number of features stuffed into a tiny little box, so the interface is necessarily clumsy. For the price of this radio, why isn't the DTMF mic included, and why can't you do direct frequency entry even if you have it? Another minor quibble is the lack of a desk stand or flip-up feet to get the knobs off the desk (I added stick-on rubber feet, and it helps). In the field this is somewhat less of an issue. There is also no provision for mobile mounting, which would be nice to have.
Overall, though, there isn't anything else out there that can do what the FT-817 does. What it does, it does very well, if not perfectly. It also works with most external accessories that work with the FT-100, FT-857, and FT-897 radios, and since I own an FT-100, this has been helpful in reducing the burden of duplicate accessories.
I use my FT-817ND with an LDG Z-11Pro tuner with the LDG/W4RT Y-OTT connector. Since my FT-100 is mounted in my Jeep, the FT-817ND is my base station and travel radio. Except for the issues I outlined here, I love this radio, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a highly featured portable. I would even consider this unit in place of many of the high end HT's out there.
I wouldn't, however, recommend you buy it as your first radio, unless you intend to primarily work local repeaters. For your first HF radio, you'll find it far less frustrating to have 100W output. QRP requires careful setup, a good antenna, and a lot of patience, especially if you expect to work SSB at low power.
I will add that the other day I made a 60m SSB contact in the 200-300 mile range through a W3EDP antenna with my FT-817 (to a mobile unit, no less), but this is not an everyday occurance, and my signal strength was not fantastic. |
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| G0FVT |
Rating: |
2006-02-17 | |
| A little gem |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
A tremendous little radio, I run it from 2400mAh NiMh cells fitted to the dry cell holder.
My example also has the CW filter fitted.
Obviously some design compromises have to made with a set such as this, using a shunt feed on a 150 ft tower seriously upset this little radio as it also did with a colleagues 857. The HF bands filled with intermods and using the IPO function and Attenuator could not resolve it.
However it is a portable radio and realistically would not be used with a structure that large as an antenna, using more modest aerials the radio performs well. Some of the functions are a bit fiddly to use such as IF shift but then the front panel size constraints mean that the majority of the front panel controls are multi-function.
Personally I find it too fiddly to use mobile,
however as a portable rig it is excellent.
It also makes a handy monitoring receiver while working on equipment, the broadcast receive coverage is also handy for stays in hotels etc.
The radio does not perform like a full size radio, however it really is a joy to use.
On air it is surprising how many people do not notice the nearly 20dB drop in power when I switch from my FT1000D.
I have resisted the temptation to accessorise mine, there are plenty of enhancement products available for it however they significantly increase the cost of a tiny budget radio.
The above may all sound like dire criticisms, but it is one of my favourite radios, 160m-70cms all mode in such a tiny package. Yes it does have limitations but it is a very useful package a radio that I am always glad to have.
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|
| LA1PHA |
Rating: |
2006-02-09 | |
| This is a toy I should have bought earlier! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
Having had this radio for abt. 5 months now I must say I should have bought it earlier.
I have been in qrp league for some time now so for output power I knew what I was buying. What is really fun is to hook up with state side running 5 watts on 20m into a R5 vertical and get a 57 or 55 report from a 1kw big gun. You can hear the big bang when he is falling of his chair after you told him what rig you are using.
Part from that , the + and - are:
+
I got good audio reports on my ND version.
Small
Wide usage.
Good RX
I have worked ao-51 with rubberduck on the rig.
-
The batteryholder for AA size is a joke. The springs on that holder have to big losses.
They should provide a carrying case with place for a lead acid battery off at least 2,3aH.
Or they should provide the 2300 pack with the fast charger I saw on www some time ago.
Other than that I have to give the rig a 5 because I have to turn it on at least once every day.
I have a K2/100 as base rig , but if I can work with the 817 I will.
And yes...if you are a cw op as me , you must have the 500 or narrower filter.
Tom LA1PHA
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| G8KHS |
Rating: |
2005-12-22 | |
| A good experience |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I picked up a used FT817 from a 2E1 station in Kent.
So here is my initial review.
Likes:
Compact size
Rugged construction, and solid feel.
Good quality audio rx & tx
Ability to charge battery from DC PSU
Sensitivity on all bands very good for size of radio
No signal overloading as yet
Menu functions in alphabetical order
Easy to upgrade to a larger capacity battery pack
Good keyer and menu control
User menu very comprehensive.
RF gain control option.
Filter options, plus W4RT dual filter very good idea.
Memory tagging
IF shift ok
Dis-likes:
Select control too close to front antenna socket and knob too loose
Battery cover awkward to remove
Supplied battery capacity too small, and that also includes the ND version
Current consumption on rx is too high
RJ45 mic connector, not my favourite interface.
Mic too large, I would prefer one the size of a TR2200GX mic
No user defined function facility like the TS480 pf button
Filter prices too high
No notch filter
Opinion:
I didn't expect to like this radio very much, but I'm very impressed with the overall package.
The display although small, is sharp and clear, except for icons on the bottom edge that are just a bit too tiny.
The menu system took me a little longer to understand than the TS480, but that's because the Kenwood is so simple and exceptionally well thought out.
I would like to see the abc key menu to have selectable priority over the s meter, so I could see what I have on the keys without pressing the function button.
Battery life is much improved now I'm using 2600mAh NiMh cells.
I have to give it 5/5 as it really does deserve full marks 100%
I was listening to 160m cw last night on the 817, and had a very enjoyable time!
73 John |
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| G7VOT |
Rating: |
2005-12-14 | |
| It's a 4 for me |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I was loaned the Yaesu FT-817 from a close friend, 2E0OCE Colm, for the purpose of doing this review. I really wanted to like this radio. For its size it has a lot of great features that far bigger and more expensive radios don’t have.
I will get my negatives out of the way.
For me this set is probably too small, but hey for what it’s meant to be used for (Portable QRP operation) I can live with that, but I think the 706 is small enough and any smaller is not needed.
The A B C buttons look like they are meant to be pushed down, not in.
The Blue display is awful.
On FM the squelch has to be turned up high to stop some 0 signal white noise, to the point that S5 transmissions cannot be heard.
The Select knob is loose, maybe due to use, I don’t know. Also the fact that you can push the select button only when you are inputting a name for a memory channel seems a waste. Could have had this programmable.
CLAR button has to held down to change it to the IF function. Should have just had this as push once for CLAR and again for IF and again for OFF.
RX was very prone to overload on HF using my 20mtr Delta Loop. The IPO function helped, but still got overloaded by strong stations. Filters are not an option if you want to use this radio with any serious intention of having QSO’s, they are a must have. Sure you can use the IPO and the ATT, but that’s no good if you are trying for a weak DX station and you have a strong station nearby.
Battery life is abysmal. For a radio that is supposed to be used as a portable this should have been far far better.
Well that’s the negatives out of the way. Time for the positives.
Features, this radio has a wealth of features and no doubt they will never all be used.
Ease of use, for all the features offered this radio is a breeze to use. I didn’t have to look at the manual very often because it is so easy. May be if you haven’t used a menu driven radio before it may prove harder to use, but for people that have used menu driven radio’s this is as easy as they come.
Audio was surprisingly good from the little speaker. Don’t get me wrong it isn’t hi-fi quality but for the size of the speaker it is good. The sound of the RX audio can also be adjusted through the menu the RX Carrier Frequency adjustment, one for LSB and one for USB.
TX Audio is also very good and this can also be adjusted through the menu, using the TX Carrier Frequency adjustment, once again one for LSB and one for USB.
The SWR meter is great, I love the fact it can be used on all bands, unlike the 706 which only allows you to get an SWR reading on HF.
I am going to rate this radio as a 4, this is because I am giving it a 5 for it’s features but only a 3 on it’s performance which was mainly let down by the RX. Don’t expect big rig performance because you will not get it. Take this radio for what it is meant to be and you will have some fun.
If ever I got serious about QRP and SOTA operating I would not hesitate in having one of these, although I would haul my own car battery up to the summit with me due to the poor life of the internal one.
Thanks go to 2E0OCE (Colm) for the loan of the radio.
Regards
Andy (G7VOT)
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| PETEMILLIS |
Rating: |
2005-12-13 | |
| Love it |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I see people slating this rig for its small size, small display, difficult to get to buttons..but it is a small rig with a lot fitted into a small space. Once used for a few hours the fingers automatically know where to go.
Another thing, new ops buy this rig expecting to immediately work other stations. They then get downhearted when they can't get a QSO. The thing is, it is a QRP rig (here in UK foundation license holders are limited to QRP anyway) and it takes a certain skill and determination to get QSOs - AND A DECENT ANTENNA. Don't expect to work the world with an ATX Walkabout or a rubber duck!
Speaking of antennas - people moan that the front BNC socket is too weak to support their antenna. Well, it was only designed for a rubber duck, NOT something long and heavy like an ATX Walkabout.
Right, here's my take on it. I'm a new op - Foundation license holder since Sept 2005. I use the rig portable and at home, using a 44ft doublet antenna (cost £0 made from acquired speaker wire) and a homebrew W1CG 4:1 balun, and an Elecraft T1 atu. My only operating mode so far has been SSB. I have had nearly 200 QSOs, all on HF (80 thru 12), all at 5W, into Europe, Africa, Russia, Scandinavia, US, Brazil and heaps more.
It is a vary capable rig, excellent value for money, and if all you're allowed to work is QRP then it'll work for you just as well, if not better, than a lot of other QRP rigs.
As for ADD ONS - well, I toyed with the idea of fitting the W4RT One Big Punch - BUT, after altering the the carrier insertion points (to put more TX effort into the higher audio frequencies) and increasing the SSB mic gain, I have received nothing but very complementary audio reports, with a excellent readability even when the signal is in almost totally in the noise.
The manual states that you should set up the SSB mic gain so that only a couple of bars of the ALC display come on. However, this does not result in the maximum 5W PEP being achieved on voice peaks. This is probably ok on a higher powered rig, but at 5W max you really do need make that 5W work for you. After a couple of minutes of experimentation I settled on an SSM mic gain setting of 90 - as such, I get more than one or two bars of the ALC display coming on, but the result is that the output does actually hit 5W on voice peaks, and still with no distortion.
I'm perfectly happy with the TX performance. The only ADD ONs I would consider are possibly the narrow SSB filter and a DSP to help with resolving signals from stations that are very close in frequency.
As for BATTERY LIFE - I'm using 2600mAh NiMH batteries when portable. I fit these in the AA battery carrier and charge them out of the rig with a Uniross super fast charger. On the ND rigs, the AA battery carrier has a plastic shield that prevents the inner edge of the aperture in the rig from damaging the insulation on the batteries. This is absent on the earlier rigs so if using high capacity NiMH batteries it is necessary to insert a piece of plastic sheet over them to prevent damage. I have found that these batteries will last about twice as long as the standard NiMH battery pack. The only inconvenience is recharging them out of the rig, but I have 3 sets so am always ready with charged batteries in the rig.
As for the RECEIVER OVERLOADING with strong signals, particularly on 80 and 40 metres - well, whats the point of subjecting the RX to S9+++ signals? Instead, I use the IPO (intercept point optimisation) and the ATTENUATOR functions
like what you're meant to do - and there is no problem at all.
The only time I could envisage there being a problem would be if the band was really quiet with say S1 to 2 background, and you were trying to hear an S3 station, while matey down the road was subjecting you to S9+++ further up the band. But in reality, S9+++ signals are usually around at the times that there is background noise of several S points, so the weakest stations you would expect to resolve would be several S points at least.
By using the IPO and the attenuator you cut the signal down but you still get say an S point or 2 of background, and the station you're trying to resolve is still above that, and you've also cut the strong one down to say s8 - and the receiver is happy. Provided your S meter is still showing at least S1 then you haven't lost anything.
I only have a couple of very minor gripes -
The receive audio is quite harsh. This is down to having a small speaker in a small case. Headphones make it sound so much better (but then I can't hear the wife nagging at me).
The display colours - there's a choice of 3 colours on the ND version - blue, lilac and red/orange. Why couldn't they have done it with an almost infinite choice of colours like on their car hifi systems? This would help with getting the best clarity from the display.
A stand would be nice - like the Palm PegLegs.
It would be nice if it was ruggedised (waterproofed) as well like my Panasonic Toughbook so I could go work PSK on the hill with worrying about it.
Built-in atu would be nice. But I'm not bothered - the Elecraft T1 and my balun do a sterling job.
Gee, I've written a bit much esp for a first review.
In summary - excellent rig, does what it says on the tin, great fun, great for a newbie like me to learn from, super value for money. |
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| W3DX |
Rating: |
2005-12-03 | |
| An unfinished radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
There is a lot to admire about the 817. It's about the size of a Star Trek tricorder, and packs just about as much functionality. It's impressive for packing HF/6/2/440 in a package that is not much bigger than a paperback. And despite its complexity, I find it to be reasonably user friendly. The rig is solidly built and has a nice display given its size. It has incredibly advanced features for it size, such as VFO a/b, split, spectrum scope, noise blanker, provision for CW or SSB filter, IF shift, RIT (clarifier), etc. Very advanced capabilities.
But the radio is also impressive for what it lacks, including a number of features that could have been done in firmware without requiring any additional hardware or PCB real estate. Here's my "top ten" list of what's missing from the radio:
1) Weather channel coverage. This is pretty standard for most 2 meter rigs. The 817 is billed as a search and rescue radio. For SAR work, especially in national and state parks, it can be vitally important to tune in the weather channel. How much harder is it to cover 162 MHz when you're already up to 154?
2) Antenna tuner. These are getting pretty small right now, and even the tiny KX1 by elecraft squeezed one in.
3) A higher capacity battery. The rechargeable battery is 1800 mAH and is NiMH. The standard today is Li-Ion. For that matter, the rechargeable battery rattles around in the battery compartment and has a fragile little connector that doesn't look very robust. (I put a piece of foam in the battery compartment to settle it down.) Why not use a standard Li-Ion camcorder battery with more capacity and a design that snaps into place like a camcorder?
4) Lower current draw on receive. The combination of current draw and battery capacity limits you to a few hours on internal batteries. A lot of fellas have written about this, so enough said.
5) Tilt stand. I have found the radio is uncomfortable to use without a tilt stand, and am always looking around for something to prop it up. The 817 might follow the lead of the IC-703, 706 or the Elecraft K2 here.
6)Tune button. Incredibly, I have not discovered a way to tune the radio to drive an external antenna tuner without a hand key. There is no tune button. Also, the hand mic can work as a keying paddle, but you cannot select an option (to the best of my knowledge) to use one of the mic buttons to get a steady carrier. This could probably have been done in firmware (perhaps by setting keying speed to "Tune", it's currently limited to 4 WPM.) It really seems like a waste for an SSB operator to have to drag a hand key into the field just to tune up an ATU. I'm not aware of another radio in its class that doesn't have this feature (see Elecraft K1, K2, KX1.)
7) Cross band repeat. Again, this would be a great feature for search and rescue work, and is found in many dual band mobile rigs.
8) A laminated quick reference card would have been a nice touch.
9) The Clarifier button might be labeled "Clar/IF" to make it easier to remember the IF features are accessed through the knob.
10) The auto/off button probably should be selectable in minutes (10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60) rather than hours (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). After all, the rig only lasts 5.5 hours (according to the documentation) on a fresh set of alkaline batteries. It seems like a mistake to have an option to leave the radio on for 6 hours before it times out.
Again, there is a lot to admire about the 817. But it really seems to me that the engineering department a) didn't talk to enough real ham radio operators when they designed the rig or b) didn't have enough time to finish it. I think the 817 is particularly disappointing because it really has the potential (and really has the basic structure in place) to be a great radio, but just falls short. It gives you 2 M but doesn't give you weather frequencies, it gives you small size but has no tilt stand, it gives you mic keying but doesn't let you hold the key down to get a steady carrier, it gives you 2M and 440 but not cross band repeat and it lacks the all important antenna tuner.
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| ZR1PJA |
Rating: |
2005-11-07 | |
| Fantastic for its size |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
I must agree with G7TOK to some extent, but mine has NimH batteries being the 817ND model. It is an incredible toy for the collection and have had some success to date but I do blame myself for not as yet getting a decent field/portable antenna for HF for it yet. THOSE KNOBS ARE FOR 2 YEAR OLDS WITH FINGERS THAT CAN DIG A SNARLY OUT OF THEIR NOSES. They are rediculous and when working the rig flat (belly down) you need a G-Clamp to hold it in place. Not the most practical. I still think that it is a very special rig in my collection. I do think that the IC-703 may have been a better option with its built in atu for out-door use.
Brgds
Paul
ZR1PJA |
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| G7TOK |
Rating: |
2005-11-07 | |
| Average |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Receiver suffers from synthesizer noise a little too much for my liking, and the in close performance is not too hot when strong stations are nearby.
Front panel is a disaster, buttons that are often used are in the wrong place and far too small.
Display is way way to small.
power consumption is poor considering the feature set.
Ni-Cads !!!!! what where yaesu thinking, even ni-mh would have been better or better still the same technology they used in the VX-5 would be the obvious choice (li-on).
It tries to be too much at once, they should have concentrated on HF and left the VHF/UHF to its well developed handy division.
its a mish-mash, poorly executed.
If true QRP operation is required, go Elecraft or build your own.
For low power portable, go IC-703.
For small all-band operation go 706mk2g or IC-7000.
If you get one really cheap, fair enough, but otherwise, keep your pennies. |
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| AK2B |
Rating: |
2005-10-24 | |
| Be careful what you wish for! |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
I’ve always dreamed of having a small portable rig that covers all bands and all modes that you could take with you where-ever you go. Who could ask for more?
Then why does this radio drive me nuts? Well, I’m getting close to 60 and my eyes and my brain aren’t what they used to be. Because of its size the FT-817 has a tiny little display and many of the useful functions are only available through menu selections – lots of them. I have a little yellow book for quick reference but, who wants to keep looking up every little item again after only a few days of non-use. An intuitive radio it is not.
I gave it a high score because I find no reason to fault Yaesu because of my senility. After all, it does what it’s supposed to do and in the hands of someone with decent eyesight and a functional short-term memory, it is quite a capable radio. If I were a younger ham, I would think this radio was the best thing since sliced bread.
I did figure out how to work low orbit satellites with it and at the moment I’m having a great time. If I push the wrong button or twist the wrong knob though, it’s back to the little yellow book.
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