| KB3MLC |
Rating:      |
2023-03-11 | |
| Solid, Sleek and Simple! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Solidly built, tactile, convenient and easily navigated settings arrangement. This is now my QRP/travel radio. Having received it yesterday, I quickly connected an already standing OCFD at 15m above the ground, and reached southern Florida and northern Texas with 5x9/5x7 signal reports, from Northeastern Pennsylvania with 6W and stock hand microphone. Earlier in the day, I made two 2m contacts after a just a few minutes of familiarizing myself with the menu settings for repeater operations. Take my report with a grain of salt as I’ve only owned it for a day. However, all indications are so far positive. |
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| N3TGY |
Rating:      |
2023-01-25 | |
| excellent field radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I give this radio a solid 5 rating is because , I have found these radios to be the most useful and fun rigs to me over the decades it has been on the market. I've had all of the different versions from the plain FT-817 through to my present FT-818nd , I'd sell one and then regret it and buy another.
this radio is fantastic because of it's a Swiss Army knife of the ham radio realm. no it doesn't have a fancy display, nor does it have DSP ( at least built in) . but, it's tough,and it's very efficient -running on a LIFePO4 10/AH for an incredible amount of time, add a good solar panel along with a sunny day , then it will just keep on running.
The FT-817/18nd has a menu structure that can be a bit frustrating, but once one is used to using the menu's for awhile, it becomes second nature for both the 'deep menu' and the quick menu system. the only difficulty I have is I have enormous hands and fingers, I use the erasure side of a pencil to push the small keys, and if you have the " ears " ( aftermarket encoder protectors - stand made by Windcamp) mounted on the rig, it's really tough for me to 'ride' the RF Gain control easily, but that's not the fault of the radio.
I really have to say I've had a lot fun with these little radios , they are simply 'grab and go' radios that are great for experimentation and you have all of the bands and modes right there, it doesn't need to be anything more than what they are. they get the job done, they are stout and rugged , there has been plenty of extra's to add to it. - it's really cool to open up your ruck sack and get out all sorts of your home-made or aftermarket things to go along with it, - ATU's or wire tuners, antennas , ununs & baluns, to experiment with because the rig is small and light enough that you can carry all of your extras.
it has been a truly amazing rig that I've made DX contacts and enjoyable local or NVIS contacts. and adding a laptop or a Raspberry Pi computer and then it's a perfect digital rig. it's also a very forgiving radio with your choice of power supply, mine is happy from around 8.5 volt's all the way up through 15 volts. and I don't have to worry about it bouncing around in my sling bag or camp box, as long as the tuning encoders are somewhat protected.
I wish they'd come up with something similar in the future. for an operator like me it has been the bees knees. it's my go to rig. I have the DSP rigs at home but I really don't need anything else for the picnic table or the campsite. sad to see these 'little giants discontinued' but it has been a great run, and I plan on running the wheels off of my latest FT-818nd. 73
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| W0LMS |
Rating:      |
2022-12-28 | |
| Love this radio! |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I owned the first gen FT-817, loved the radio, used it for back packing and RF driver for a 10 gig portable radio. I sold that set up during a slight financial downturn in my life. I picked up the current FT-818ND, I do POTA and SOTA, the rig is light, which is great for my backpacking and summit adventures. The performance has always been stellar for me, I like the shack in a box for QRP portable operations for the price. I heard today Yaesu is discontinuing this model, buy one now if you have ever thought about adding it to your radio lineup. |
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| K7DAA |
Rating:      |
2022-08-01 | |
| I own an FT-817ND and now an FT-818 Also |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
Yes, I'd prefer not to have the NiMH batteries as well, but that doesn't mean it's a terrible design. I appreciate the features these radios have, and decided last year to get another to use for full-duplex linear satellite operation. So now I have both an FT-817ND and an FT-818.
I miss the dual-filter board that used to be available from a W4RT--I have that one installed in my 817ND and love having both the CW and SSB filters available.
You can still buy either of these filters separately, if not from Yaesu then certainly from 3rd parties. Just google for a list. I just bought the CW filter for my 818 recently. And yes, the Collins filters are no longer produced. Too bad, but not a tragedy.
I've added foldable feet, the simple Power-Pole adapter for both radios, and the plug-in mike compressor that can be bought from SotaBeams. These accessories give some extra fun and functionality when I operate them.
I also did the simple "green wire cut" mod on my 817ND to allow the use of Sanyo EneLoop AA batteries. They hold a charge much longer than standard NiMH cells.
These 2 Yaesu rigs are not my only QRP radios, but I still really enjoy them for what they are.
For those that are willing to make a few mods and add simple accessories, the "fun factor" of these radios can be easily increased. I've never had a bit of trouble with either radio. |
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| N9ABC |
Rating:    |
2022-07-30 | |
| Ok radio but |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| Nice radio but for older guy found the display too small. Also found that external tuner substantially increases the bulk to carry. An internal tuner Option from Yaesu and a larger screen would make this a much better choice. |
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| N2DAY |
Rating:      |
2022-07-13 | |
| I really like this radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I really wanted to buy a new ft818 to find out any site I visited no longer was a cw filter offered I bet 80% of owners do cw I can't understand why they stopped production of this item |
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| VK4JJY |
Rating:  |
2022-06-13 | |
| Unreliable |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
| I received mine in the mail Mid Feb 2022, and it was intermittently broken by May 2022, and went into the bin in June after looking inside it. Had to hit it or throw it on carpeted floor to get it to work. Suspect one of the relays on the filter board, or antenna socket relay. I don’t do the warranty thing because it’s then molested anyway, and tainted forever in my view (never considered reliable again). Was sort of nice while it lasted. Unusual form factor. broadcast radio sounded great, which is what I mainly used it for. It only went outside once for once HF session. |
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| KG6BRG |
Rating:      |
2021-09-19 | |
| Best bang for an all band QRP radio |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
Considering, that these radios are still just $649.00 US, it can't be beat for dollar vs performance. I had an 817ND for a few years and sold it, but I really missed having a highly portable all bander, so I thought before they aren't being made anymore I'll by another one, and a used one wasn't much less money than a new one with a 3 year warranty.
No complaints, like my 817ND, it works as I expected and the only thing I added was a MH-67 mic, it's a condenser mic that is a vast improvement over the supplied MH-31. I use the same mic on my FT-450 with also much improved audio. It drives the audio much better than the MH-31 and increases the average talk power. Highly recommended change. Interestingly, the MH-67 was the Yaesu supplied mic with the original FT-450's, before they switched to the MH-31. Just an easy FYI for much better audio. Crisp and clear and they are still available, some are branded Motorola and some are branded Vertex Standard (V/S), the unbranded ones might be a crapshoot but I suspect are probably okay too. I have a Motorola branded one and the original V/S, and both are good sounding mics. Cheers. |
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| WD4INS |
Rating:      |
2021-04-28 | |
| I love mine! |
Time Owned: 0 to 3 months. |
| I’ve had my 818 for a few months now and love it. It’s turned a few heads when My friends that like to use amps see me make contact after contact with 5 watts or less. I’ve always liked doing the most with the least for years with my other hobby shooting so qrp is right up my alley. |
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| OZ1DTF |
Rating:    |
2021-04-01 | |
| Quite nice QRP rig |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I fully agree with all the previous reviewers and below just my personal supplementary comments. This is a time proven design but still fine.
I purchased the FT-818ND just to have some radio fun in the garden or in the parks without spending a fortune. I am primarily a CW/shortwave guy.
My first try with this radio was without any extra filters. Then I connected my external passive CW audio filter (W3NQN/W4ENE design with 490 Hz fixed center frequency). You can easily change the sidetone/CW pitch frequency in 50 Hz steps to match the filter. Well, it would also be nice if the beep tones could pass thru the filter. This can only be selected to either 440 Hz or 880 Hz. The 440 Hz selection was OK. The improvement with the AF filter was fantastic. But it is almost as big as the radio so I do not bring it to the parks.
When working from home I have a terrible problem with local electrical noise. There is no noise reducing feature. However, I added the 300 Hz IF filter and that helps both regarding QRM and somewhat regarding local noise.
So far my CW operating sessions have not been so long that I have experienced that the built-in NiMH battery is a limitation even with the maximum power level selected.
With the FT-818ND you can add a lot of accessories. This was not my intention to do, but so far I have in addition to the mentioned 300 Hz IF filter, added the PowerPole connector, W4RT stand and the LDG Z-817 automatic ATU. They are all fine and if I should pick one as the most important for me this is the automatic ATU. I also bring a Field Strength meter. This helps me toggle between the power levels as the display and ergonomics on the FT-818ND is far from user friendly.
Notice that the manual has errors inherited from the previous (FT-817) editions. For new users confusing and despite feedback to Yaesu Tech Support 2 years ago the errors are still in the online manual(s). Example: Regarding the display: page 23, 26, 27, 29 states that the triangle appears to the right of the parameter (IPO, ATT, KYR…). Correct is that the triangle appears to the left of the parameter.
Summary: The FT-818ND meets all my needs, and more, for a QRP rig. Today, I would probably look for an old ICOM IC-703 with a built-in ATU to minimize boxes and interconnections.
Have fun!
73 Klas OZ1DTF |
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