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Reviews For: Yaesu FT-817ND

Category: QRP Radios (5 watts or less)

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Review Summary For : Yaesu FT-817ND
Reviews: 169MSRP: 589.00
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!
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
151694.8
KB3MLC Rating: 2023-03-06
I’ll Pile On.. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
So many are quick to berate this radio because “it’s getting old.” You know what? My Jaguar E-Type is getting old, too, but everyone wants one of them! As a matter of fact, my E-Type sold new for $6,700 back in the 1960’s. Now, they command prices approaching half a million dollars, because it’s a classic design.
The 817ND is a classic and is just as competitive as anything out there that’s newer. Its simple, menu-driven functionality is a breeze once you find the “F” button and get in there and snoop around a bit.
The 817ND’s weight is perfect for backpacking with an OCF dipole (or end-fed sloper) and a solar charging array. Seriously - I find it to be the perfect “zombie apocalypse” transceiver. Mine is easily charged by the sun and has proven to be extremely resilient in very inhospitable environments.

In typical operations, the stock microphone is more than sufficient. With the right antenna arrangement, you can walk across the Atlantic. (Done it.). Some are also critical of its ability to hold a frequency. (What are you people doing? Shaking the radio while transmitting?)

Prices for the 817ND still respectably hover between $550 and $800, depending on condition, completeness, and greed of the seller.
If you remain calm and bide your time, you can absolutely find an exceptional deal on a used 817ND. Its usage history speaks to its reliability and is well worth your money. This is the Colt 1911 of QRP radios. I only give it five stars because there are no more stars to give.
N4MJG Rating: 2022-07-29
Still the best radio ever ! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I still love this QRP radio so far never had any problem best rig by far ! i had this radio since 2007 the day i passed it general class lic. i was so happy i got this !






I brought this little radio back 2007 right atfer i pass my genereal lic. that made my day pass my test !!!


This year i try my 817ND made contact from NY i try so hard get anyone since it was new as i said finally made contact with this little rig !
This is reason i brought this rig !

love this rig !

73
Jackie
N4MJG

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Earlier 5-star review posted by N4MJG on 2009-12-16

I used my at camping back past june this year great rig the whole time i was using..


73
Jackie
N4MJG
WWW.N4MJG.COM
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Earlier 5-star review posted by N4MJG on 2008-03-04

Awsome rig just 1 wk will be one year old,i love this rig.soon it will warm up going to try it !!!!



73
Jackie
KG4ORX
Website http://webpages.charter.net/kg4orx/
Ham Radio Since Aug 2001
General Since March 17,2007
----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by N4MJG on 2007-04-22

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
W9MT Rating: 2021-02-17
My 2nd radio from this series... Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I bought a stock FT-817ND for a reasonable price at a Tucson AZ Estate Sale more than five years ago. It came along with a Windcamp battery. Nice.

Since then I optioned it up with a CW filter, Chinese ripoff TCXO-9 clone, cranker VFO knob, and tilt peg legs. (Just like I did with my older FT-817 "plain".) I like the ND a lot. I use it at home with a Hardrock-50 amplifier as a backup to my main rig (currently an IC-706Mk2).

This ND joined my FT-817 "plain" and was also intended to use both as a pair to "chase satellites" using an Arrow 2m/430 handheld antenna in full duplex mode using a 2m/440 MFJ duplexer. The configuration does work, but unless one programs several frequencies on each band dedicated to a specific satellite and the Doppler shift specifics of the expected pass over your location, things get busy (out of hand) very quickly. To me, this was a lot of work for passes that are viable for communications for no more than mere minutes.

So, the Arrow antenna usually sits unassembled in the garage and I don't plan to be chasing satellites unless I buy a VHF/UHF rig with more "canned" satellite chasing features. (unlikely) But, this was an excellent experiment, I proved the concept did work for me (with a lot of finagling) and I learned a lot. The old 817-plain now sleeps, awaiting the few times I operate backyard-portable with a tripod and a SuperAntenna.

What I like about the ND over the "plain":

1. 3 selectable colors to the display's backlighting: blue, purple (my favorite...easy on the eyes), and amber, as opposed to only blue/amber.

2. 60m operation already built in. (Not just the Alaska emergency frequency in the same wavelength.)

3. The design correction where the PA has upgraded transistors over the old 2SK series parts from the 817-plain's PA module, and the PA doesn't (reportedly) have the same suicidal oscillations tendencies of the older PA design when one doesn't use the radio or leave DC power to its rear jack continuously and the internal battery pack is allowed to discharge down to 6VDC or less. This self oscillation is silent and simply kills one or both 2SK devices in the 817-plain's PA module. I bought an ND PA module replacement from Yaesu parts and fixed my older radio via this replacement. But having been burned by the older radio's problem, I don't leave a hot-connected battery pack in either radio when I'm not going to use it for for days or weeks.

3. Like others have reported, I find that the 817ND, along with the Hardrock-50 usually works as well OTA as my 100W Icom radio. My Hardrock has the internal ATU, so I don't need to use an LDG Z-817 or similar (e.g.: Z-100) tuner, although I have both.

I use both my Icom and my ND with their audio fed into an MFJ-616 which feeds a pair of ClearSpeech DSP speakers. This is a wonderful setup, which my aging hearing immensely enjoys using, although I sometimes think I hear Sirens "singing in the distance" about IC-7300's and 7610's. (Nah...)

My honest opinion is also that the cost delta between a used ND or a new 818 versus a new Icom 705 doesn't buy double the fun unless the buyer also needs the D-Star functionality. For the other 98% of the functionality, I'd rather have the proven design of two decades of history.
WB7DND Rating: 2020-04-10
Just Plain Fun Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This is a review of the 818ND for HF CW. I won't repeat all the points other reviewers have raised.

The rig is fun, whether in your shack or on a picnic table. If you would rather spend your time operating instead of soldering, this is the rig for you. If you want something that is very portable and very capable of putting a smile on your face as you communicate over thousands of miles on 5 watts, you will enjoy this transceiver. There are several well regarded QRP kits on the market if you like to build but this is not one of them.

However, if you are interested in CW on HF, you will need about $150 in accessories to get satisfactory results.

About $25 for a power pole adapter for the external battery connection and $10 for a cable to attach the external battery to the adapter. The existing battery connector is notorious for failing.

$65 for an audio filter (or more for a mechanical filter). Otherwise, the passband is too wide, making it difficult to copy a cw signal.

$30 for a 6000 Mah Li-on battery. The internal battery is pretty pathetic. You can also pick up a 3000 Mah battery for about $25 that you can use to power the audio filter, and, in a pinch, to power the rig. (You can also power the filter with 9 volt batteries.)

$15 for a stand to prop up the front of the rig so you can read the screen.

The power pole adapter and audio filter are available from SotaBeams. Amazon sells the other items.

Enjoy.



W5APL Rating: 2020-01-17
Yaesu FT-818nd-The Best QRP rig Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Just got another FT-818ND this month. Over the years i had a FT-817, FT-817ND and now another FT-818ND. These are great rigs for both HF and 2/440 meters. They all sound better with the SOTAbeams speaker in them. I also use the SOTAbeams Speech Compressor.
VA2DV Rating: 2019-10-31
Ft-818 a total fail ??? I dont think so. Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I recently bought a new Ft-818 as a challenge to myself to operate with a qrp rig. First, I’ve never been a fan of dsp on any of my previous rigs. I am mostly an SSB guy and on very weak signals, I’ve always preferred the sound of a good analog iF chain. I even prefer a wider filter just to increase the bass and treble a little bit. I don’t do contests so selectivity is not my main concern. The 818 combined with a Collins 2.9k filter and a good external speaker give me full satisfaction in that department.

As far as sensitivity is concerned, I don’t use large antennas but I found the IPO function to be very useful on 40 and 80M for comfortable listening.

6w is 6w so in the current conditions, it can be a little frustrating to always run a that level, I recommend an outboard amplifier when not portable. While I was able to make a few transatlantic contacts at 6w, a small 45w amp brought me up to the same results as I was getting with a regular 100w radio.

I am also happy to have again 2m and 70cm all modes capability. Radios for these bands are getting scarce and expensive.

A well know reviewer quoted the Ft-818 as a total fail.
I don’t see it that way as a first-time owner. If you already own an ft-817, I don’t see any valuable upgrade in an FT-818. However, if you are starting from scratch as I do, the Ft-818 represent a very good value VS all the capabilities.

I wish I had bought one years ago...
KB3NWU Rating: 2019-06-30
Sheer Fun Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Owned the 817nd about 4 yrs. now. Have used it as a secondary base and especially portable. In performance straight from the factory I would actually rate it a 4 but, with all the after-market accessories available and the sheer fun of working even some DX on low power, it gets a 5. So, in this review I would like to mention the accessories/mods I've used to enhance the success with this rig: MFJ switching power supply: many complain it creates noise in the receiver. Mine did also but a few loops of the power cord through a ferrite took care of it. Modified to 10W TX power: I know they say not to do it but I haven't had a problem and it does give you 1/2 an S-unit. Peg Legs: lightweight & useful. Mylar speaker replaced paper speaker: Mouser Electronics, waterproof & does sound a little bit better. Cut the green wire on the AA battery pack: convenient for recharging NiMH AA batteries. You can get NiMH AA batteries that have a lot more capacity than the factory supplied battery pack. Elecraft T1 tuner: awesome. Can't say enough about it. Get the control cable and it will follow band changes in the 817nd. Click2Tune Dongle from SOTABEAMS: 2 quick presses of the PTT throws a carrier - very convenient when using my Alexloop antenna or when using a manual tuner. Alexloop mag-loop antenna: expensive but totally portable (even walking mobile), directional, quiet, and capable of DX even indoors. And last, my 2 favorite accessories: BHI DSP: simply eliminates that fatiguing noise. A whole different experience using the 817nd with it. Funkamateur speech processor: I can go from barely being heard to "no problem copying you" by turning it on. Reports consistently say my signal goes up a full S-unit with it on (that's the equivalent of having quadrupled your TX power). I achieved the "1000 miles per watt" using it. If my 817nd died tomorrow would I buy another one (now the 818nd)? Yes, as long as they still sell the BHI DSP and Funkamateur speech processor. If not, I would probably put out for the Elecraft KX2 or KX3.
DJ7ST Rating: 2019-06-16
Great little rig Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Got mine few days ago.
It is a very nice rig.
After so many years on radio it is a new experience to work
with qrp.But 6 watts is enough to work around Europe on 20 and 40 meters.
My location is in Stuttgart 415 meters over the sea level on a hill top where I live
And it is nice to work over the local repeaters on 2 meters and 70 centimeter.
Great little rig -WOW !
KR4GT Rating: 2018-11-28
The Best Value In Amateur Radio! Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
This review is for the FT-818, as the 817ND is no longer available. If there is a better bang for the buck in ham radio than the FT-818, I have yet to find it. This is a do it all radio, at a fair price. Want to work the local 2-meter repeater? You can do that! Want to work DX on the HF bands? You can do that! How about some late-night shortwave band listening? You can do that too! I've worked contests running only 5 watts with this rig and the guy on the other end had no idea I was QRP until I told him. Use a good antenna and you'll be amazed at what this little rig can do. If you don't own one, GET ONE!
VE2TH Rating: 2018-06-20
LOVE IT!!! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
After 18 years of fun and good use of this tiny little transceiver, I think it is the time to make a review of it.

One day I needed money to buy something else, and I sold my FT-817 (non ND model) and I regret it.
After 8 years of loyal services.

So a couple of months after, I bought the ND model, so it has been 10 years now, for a total of 18 years.

It is a great little performer.
If I had to escape suddently, to somewhere and could take one radio, it would be the 817-ND. Because it is my favorite rig hands down.

Camping, backpacking, expéditions, contests, etc.. you can access to whatever you want on any bands, 160/70 centimeter, all modes. Just to have with you the right antenna and support, and Bingo!!!

I worked satellites, ISS, CW/SSB/AM/FM/REPEATERS,weak signal works, all with a ELK 5 ELEMENTS LOG PERIODIC ANTENNA.I can go horizontal or vertical polarization instantly with it.

If I go somewhere, I take with me a list of the repeaters of the area where I go, plus a list of echo link/IRLP nodes of repeaters of interest, and this way I can talk to friends I know in my area, even some who live in apartment and this directly on their computer or radio.-

I have the original microphone, and the DTMF one, believe me, it is very useful.

CW & SSB is a real fun especially on 2 meters, and 6 meters as well.

So a top a small mast I put at the top the ELK antenne 2M/70CM H or V,

Right Under I put a 2 or 3 elements 6 meters beam made of Buddipole parts, and Bingo , I'm ready for any VHF Contest.

On HF, portable operation gives the opportunity to try & experiment different kind of wire antennas, such as Inv Vee, EFHW, Loop, etc... always full size no compromise antennas.

That being said, this is the ultimate go anywhere, do anything transceiver, in terms of flexibility, versatility, and overall performance.

It is a real bargain, big deal, best buy , considering all that it does!!

I always use external battery, after using different size and makes/model of batteries, I now use the K2 BATTERY, MODEL K2B12V10EB From K2BATTERY.COM
It is a Lithium Iron Phosphate, 12.8 volts 9,6 Ah, 122,9 Whr.
And very satisfied with it.- It weight nothing compared to the same size gel cell @ 7 amps.

You want to listen to AM or FM broadcast, Aviation, VHF etc. with the touch of the bandswitch you get and ear what you want.

Think about emergency preparadness, Survival radio,camping, backpacking trips, Sota, Iota, CIsa (CDN Islands).

As accessories, I have the 500 Hz cw filter, it is a must. + the small milestone tech paddle for cw.-

The rig is very easy to travel with.

The menus are not hard to get used to, if you use the rig often, and the manual is very well written, complete, each control, each menu are very well explained. Available originally in English, but you can have it in French, and Spanish, and may be in other languages ??

By the way, I have had no issues in 18 years of intensive use of it.

But I take very good care of it, and always tune any antenna on an analyser before using it on the radio.I always monitor the SWR while transmitting to avoid issues.

Conclusion, Yaesu did a fine job and hats off to those who designed and promoted it.

72/73 Michel VE2TH, always fun QRP