| W7RUE |
Rating:      |
2011-02-04 | |
| After 2 Years; Stiill a 5 |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
After owning this one for two years now, I am still giving it a "Five". Keeping in mind what the FT-897D is designed for and comparing it to other rigs, I think it is still a great GP - general purpose (Jeep) tranceiver.
Again, I have other rigs that specialize, and are better at what they are designed for (i.e. Base rig; FT-1000 MP; FT-817ND; backpack QRP), but I haven't found a general purpose rig out there that does almost everything that is better than the 897D. Mine goes on conference trips with me quarterly and I operate "Hotel Portable"; enjoying it's great versatility.
Mine runs with a LDG AT-897 auto tuner and a built-in power supply. I usually use it with an end-fed 20 or 40 meter wire, and/or a PAC-12 vertical, and a 2/70c meter vertical antenna for VHF/UHF. The end-fed wire is a great(stealthy) choice for operating from top floor hotel windows & balconies and attached to nearby objects such as trees or lamp poles. (Mine are usually strung up at night.) Yup! My 897D is still a five! W7RUE
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Earlier 5-star review posted by W7RUE on 2010-01-20
I am new to Amateur Radio (10 months) but I have used tactical radios on a regular basis for 22 years in the army. Currently I own a total of 7 transceivers; 2 are HF; a FT-1000MP and a FT-897D. If I were forced get rid of all of my radios except for one, I would keep the 897D. It does everything that it is designed to do and it does it well. It is a great general purpose reliable radio that can be taken any where and does just about everything that you could ask of it. I have the FP-30 slide-in power supply and the LDG AT-897 attached; it tunes all of my stealth antennas. (My neighborhood is infested w/ CC&Rs and Yard Nazis!)
It is not as specialized or as nice as the FT-1000MP. Don't get me wrong, I love my 1000MP and the 897D is my backup HF rig but the 897D can do a whole lot more and is more versatile. I paid HRO $839 for mine in March'09 It has been one of the best buys I have made and I use it daily!
W7RUE |
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| SAPPHIRE |
Rating:      |
2011-02-04 | |
| Very good |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I can confirm that the receiver is actually higher than what they say, only a comparative test with other rtx can confirm. In comparison with icom ic 7000, ic 706 and 850 Kenwood, Yaesu 897d is the best result in 40 meters, only comparative test shows the difference. I could not believe it has been the reality. Yaesu 897d is important to include in the IPO button to turn the preamplifier to reduce noise, In this condition, the receiver will respond really well much higher than what it says. We should not listen but try personally. Also has a very good transmitting end protection that reduces the power in case of high SWR. The receiver sensitivity is very good except in the 430MHz is where not very good. Selectivity is adequate, but if you want to buy more of the optional SSB filter.
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| 2E1MPC |
Rating:      |
2011-01-28 | |
| ft897d |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| best bang for buck shack in a box i have ever had , simplicity itself to use, and always good reports using sure 526t desk mic , and fist mic , nice display and fair dsp , |
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| AE6GT |
Rating:      |
2011-01-08 | |
| A Radio that meets expectations |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I have owned the original FT-897 and FT-897D and am currently using the latter version. The FT897D meets my expectations for what it was intended for and excels in this regard. It performs extremely well as a portable, rugged, and versatile radio.
Its an all-band/all-mode performer that has options to tailor it for field and home use. There are few radios that accommodates both worlds as well as this radio.
I use it for on-the-go HF, VHF/UHF , and digital modes. I have a bolt on AT and PS. It has facilities for monitoring VDC and full metering (SWR/Pwr/Mod/ALC), low power consumption, 100W output capability, and all the necessary ports. I have a list of wants for the radio but it is a short list, such as I wish the F-button was next to the Selector knob.
I have learned to look past relatively noisy receiver as the compromise for versatility and capability. What other radio can do the things this radio is capable of doing? - not many, if any.
Best - AE6GT |
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| KT8DX |
Rating:      |
2011-01-06 | |
| Receiver better than one would think |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
I've had my FT-897D for a couple of years now. I have the SSB and CW filters installed in it, as well as the rechargeable batteries. The feature set is enormous and I've experimented with many of them. I'm mostly a CW op on 40 and 20 and generally like the radio.
What I found very interesting, is I did a comparison listening to the same stations during a recent contest on the FT-897D, Omni D series C with filters, a Pegasus, and an IC-740, which is my "contest CW" radio. I expected the 897 to be towards the bottom of heap. Here is what I found:
Vs. the Omni D - no comparison. Heard more on the 897. Stations were muffled a bit at the higher filter settings but more readable. The Omni sounded "thin" compared to the 897.
Vs. the Pegasus - Peg was raspy and not nearly as selective. No surprises here but if the Peg is the same as the Jupiter (which costs much more than the 897) then I'm a bit disappointed in Ten-Tec.
Vs. the IC-740 with 250 and 400 hz cascaded filters. Here is the biggest surprise. The 897 heard BETTER and I was able to tune out more adjacent frequency signals than the 740! The receiver desensed less also, even thought it is a triple conversion design. To be fair, the CW note was much more pleasant and listenable at the tighter filter settings, but the 897 was a definite improvement as far as raw signal processing and readability were concerned.
What does all this mean? Not much really as its anecdotal and subjective on my part. But what it does show is that the 897 has a credible HF receiver and is perhaps higher performance than it is generally given credit for. I for one did not expect the favorable performance vs. the IC-740, which I have always considered my dream receiver.
There you have my 2 cents. YMMV.
73s all
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Earlier 5-star review posted by KT8DX on 2009-10-10
There have been lots of reviews, but from my perspective this rig represents one of the most versatile and easy to use radios I've operated in a long time. Sure - its more "difficult" to use than a Century 21, but given the myriad of features, capabilities, and fun things to play with, the rig is remarkably well thought out. CW is great, digital modes are a delight, and SSB is easy to use and set up. If I have one nit to pick with it, it is the rather high-frequency audio hiss that seems to be ever-present. There may be a setting that cures this, but I put a SCAF-1 filter in this between the rig and speaker, and now it sounds like one of my old Kenwoods with its great, mellow audio. Even contesting has been acceptable which is amazing considering the price of the rig. Spring for the collins filters in both SSB and CW - you'll be glad you did.
So - if you want a rig that can be portable, mobile, and serve as you fixed station rig, buy one. I think it says something for the rig that on ebay they go for close to what they are selling for new. |
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| RT455 |
Rating:      |
2010-12-05 | |
| V!ery happy |
Time Owned: 6 to 12 months. |
I received my Tech license in the spring and wanted a rig that I could grow into. After alot of research, reading reviews I decided on this rig. Price, reviews and capabilities really made this rig of choice. I upgraded to General in September and have really gotten to enjoy the entire capabilities of this radio. I haven't had an issue with anything. The menu system is quite vast and I have to admit I have yet to try "everything" this radio is capable of, but have not even been disappointed in the least. For a newbie to the ham world, this is one great rig. No issues, no regrets and have recommended it highly to everyone who has asked.
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| KX7P |
Rating:      |
2010-12-01 | |
| RUGGED COMPACT HF/VHF/UHF |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
The Yaesu FT-897D is a great rugged, compact, HF, VHF, UHF transciever. Yes, it has menus but it needs to for it to pack all the features it has into such a compact package. I have taken this radio on cruise ships, camping trips, in the RV and used as a base. It's a great, all around HF through UHF radio.
The FT-897D is built tough. I've had mine since 2004 and it's never had a problem. It's not a radio I would use as my primary home station (but one could without problems), but it's a great mobile/portable radio that works as it was designed.
It's a radio that will be performing well for many years to come.
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| KD8WK |
Rating:     |
2010-11-09 | |
| A quirky little rig that quickly grows on you |
Time Owned: 3 to 6 months. |
The FT-897D is a quirky little radio, but one that offers good value for the money, especially as a secondary or portable rig.
It has tons of bells and whistles mated with a nice receiver. it's a very solidly constructed rugged radio. The case stays cool even after extended transmissions.
Minor annoyances:
+ The receive audio via internal speaker is rather tinny.
+ The dual cooling fans are loud and annoying, and turn on every time the rig goes into transmit.
+ It needs a couple user-programmable buttons on front panel. (For me, "VOX" would be nice.)
+ The 60m band was added as an afterthought (it's part of the 'D' additions) and is only accessible through the memory subsystem.
+ Like most current generation rigs, this one has rigid xmit restrictions, with no documented path for upgrading to accommodate future bandplan changes. (For instance, it's at best unclear if Yaesu can provide a software upgrade should future additional 60m channels or modes be assigned.)
+ Its DSP notch filter is not very effective.
+ Front panel ergonomics could be improved: For instance, V/M button would be more useful if it cycled through *both* VFOs and memory rather than only flipping between the active VFO and memory.
+ The implementation of the RIT/IF-Shift controls are kludgy and engaging them for some reason disables the 1 Mhz stepper function.
+ Keying the rig will cause it to drop out of Multi-Function mode, immediately causing the MEM/VFO knob to revert back to its primary function as a Freq selector knob. This can result in the rig slewing off frequency if you were in the process of selecting one of the MF parameters at the time.
+ The amp keying line is brought out on the CAT receptacle where it interferes with computer control. Fortunately, the newer model FT-897s have an internal jumper allowing the line to be accessed from the ACC socket instead, where it logically belongs.
+ The RF power control has poor regulation, allowing the rig to momentarily overshoot a less-than-100% power setting on rapid onset voice and data bursts. Unfortunately, this is a fairly common problem with many rigs today.
+ The fixed data signal levels on the rear Data port are rather low. SignaLink USB had to be jumpered for its highest audio sensitivity, which proved barely adequate for recording the received audio.
A few suggestions for owners and potential owners:
This is one of the most menu-intensive radios I've ever owned. Don't acquire one unless you are comfortable dealing with menus.
Rather than using the F key to access the multi-function menus, consider using the DSP button instead. This always places you at menu row "p", and thus a known distance to the menu item of your choice, allowing it to quickly accessed, often without the need for any visual cues. For instance, after hitting DSP, you'll quickly learn:
+ IPO/ATT is 3 clicks CCW
+ SPOT/BK/KYR is 6 clicks CCW
+ MTR is 7 clicks CCW
+ VOX is 5 clicks CW
+ A/B/A=B/SPL is 2 clicks CW (to the beep)
Consider mating the rig with the LDG AT-897+ autotuner, which functions very well overall. One problem: It won't tune up on 60m by default because the FT-897 will not provide a carrier on that band. The workaround: Set your PO to 50W, take a deep breath, push and release the "Tune" button as you normally would, and blow a long steady whistle into the mic, allowing it to tune. Don't worry if you run out of breath; the tuner will pause and wait for you to quickly inhale and continue whistling. Works great.
If you plan to use the FT-897 as a desk rig, purchase an LDG external meter, too. You won't be sorry. You probably won't need an optional mechanical filter for voice ops, but if you operate CW, you'll find the optional CW filter worth the investment. The built-in FP-30 optional internal power supply really comes in handy. For strictly mobile use, consider the rig's little brother, the FT-857D. But this rig is hard to beat for portable operations.
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| N9SOB |
Rating:      |
2010-11-06 | |
| Excellent Radio |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| This radio is not for the technically challenged or perfectionist. It is a great radio for the price and is bullet-proof and compact. I have owned mine for 2 years without problem. The RX audio isn't great but is easily taken care of with a good quality extension speaker. TX audio with the provided hand mic is frustrating to say the least, but easily remedied by purchasing the MD-100 desk mic which I get excellent reports with. I was a bit disappointed with the power out, but quickly discovered the "hidden menu" and took care of that issue. Would I purchase this radio again? I already have. Once set up, this radio is a great performer. Oh yah, I almost forgot...purchase the Inrad 2.9 filter for this jewel. It will make more difference than you would ever imagine on the receive and transmit audio! Well worth the $150 price tag from Inrad. Again, this is not a radio for those who expect to turn on a radio straight out of the box and get $10K radio results by turning a couple of knobs. Like everything else in life, you get out of this radio what you put in. |
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| WL7UP |
Rating:      |
2010-10-29 | |
| What it was ment to be..... |
Time Owned: more than 12 months. |
| I find it hard to believe people would buy this rig and complain that it`s not a good main radio. I`ve have owned three of these and have them for mobile and back up rigs. It`s the best mobile rig going as far as i`m concerned because of the way they are set up to be used. Mobile battery use is great, i`ve had these in the bush hunting moose and at the river fishing and camping. If you really are a mobile user, this is the one you want. The 20 watts on a wire dipole is just fine , with reasonable condidtions. Costs a few bucks to get it set up, but i qso, into ca. and wash. state to friends all the time , while i`m on the river and haven`t had any issues. I do think i did buy it for what it was originally intended.It`s not my Ft-2000, but put that in a fish camp and see how it works, lol.. |
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