YAESU FT-818ND 6W HF/ VHF/ UHF All Mode Portable Transceiver

Julian/OH8STN has a YouTube channel with a lot of info on it. For that niche I’m waiting for the ICOM 7500.

EDIT: I mean ICOM IC-705.
 
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Reptile said:
This radio seems to be very popular...

Any thoughts on this?

Do I need this?



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The updated FT-817, a classic rig.

More for the CW crowd, but still nice.

An FT-857 is more versatile at 100 watts, damn shame they discontinued it, but the FT891 looks sweet, which I believe was the replacement for that one and the FT897.
 
Reptile said:

I guess the FT891 is better.
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A lot of people like those (and the 857) for mobile HF, but they are great for tight spaces or a backup rig for the shack. I have mine mounted in a Tac Comm case with a YT-100 tuner so I can grab it, shove it in a pelican case and go. I have a second Tac Comm case with the power supply and rig runner gear and solar power hook ups. They stack on top of one another.


1592868659197.png
 
Bladerunner said:
A lot of people like those (and the 857) for mobile HF, but they are great for tight spaces or a backup rig for the shack. I have mine mounted in a Tac Comm case with a YT-100 tuner so I can grab it, shove it in a pelican case and go. I have a second Tac Comm case with the power supply and rig runner gear and solar power hook ups. They stack on top of one another.


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I would like to get a cool set up so a carrier is essential.
 
I've been eyeing something like this for my 857d. Yaesu FT 857d portable amateur ham radio battery packs and carrying systems They provide a link to a custom Bionenno battery that fits the portable zero carrier (I believe the carrier holds two 6 Ah batteries). I'm on my second attempt to get hooked on ham so I'm being more strategic with my purchases so I don't lay out a paycheck for a bunch of equipment I'll never use. Again.

I just ordered a Chameleon "Tactical Dipole" (yeah, so tactical) last night that I want to use for NVIS. Once I'm confident with that, I'll start looking at the batteries to get my rig portable and see how I like that. From there, start making things more compact and easier to use, maybe some solar if needed.

I think the 891 is an improvement over the 857. A couple friends have them and are quite pleased. For digital modes and rig control, it's supposedly very easy to setup and get running. I know they also use 817s and like them for their intended use, but the power is definitely limited.
 
I have a Chameleon Emcomm II (I think) end-fed in an NVIS configuration as my only 24/7 HF antenna and it works very well on 80 / 40 and pretty good on 20. I haven't really tried it on the other bands. Despite the NVIS setup (only about 12' off the ground with a single counterpoise running underneath) I managed to work all lower 48 states on FT8 while working from home this past winter. The Chameleon stuff is pretty expensive for what it is but it's well built and seems to do the trick. Good luck and 73 de N1MHD.
 
ToddDubya said:
Damn, I have a hard on for a KX2. There's one on QRZ right now that would be a nice kit. I don't think I need it, but boy do I want it.
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You dug out an old thread! I sold my KX2 for a Icom IC-705 a few years back. Both are really nice.
 
I stalled long enough that it sold. I'd probably have to part with my FT-818 if I got one, because they fill the same niche. I just pulled out my Mountain Topper to make sure the kit was still intact, and that thing is really nice and really small. It isn't an all-in-one package like the KX2, but I really enjoy using it. And by the time i put it in a little case it pretty much is all-in-one (minus the ATU).

'23 was supposed to be a year of not buying radios and I lost count how many I bought. I already have my sights on the QCX Mini that I'm going to order after Christmas.

In summary, I think I'll hold off on the KX2. If one crosses my path and has all the features I'd want for the right price, I'll probably grab it. Hint. Cash in hand. Hint.
 
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You do not want a radio that will only transmit at 6 what's. This will end up being a big disappointment in the long run. Get an all mode with at least 100 watts. Trust me.
 
I've got both. 6w is a challenge for sure, but it has its place. Smaller, lighter, can run off battery (at lower power though). But I agree; I would not get a QRP rig as my first rig unless for CW or digital only. And I wouldn't do that either.
 
I'm mostly putting this here so in five years when I can't remember how to do this I can come find it again. It looks like the FT-857D works the same, and the FT-891 uses 10 channels: five for SSB and five for CW.

After failing to get 60m working last night I did some reading in the manual and some testing. I think the radio requires you to use the 601-605 memory locations ONLY. The problem I had was that I was using memories that I made myself, where I separated SSB and CW to make sure I was using the correct part of each channel. But I think there's some magic with the 601-605 memory locations where it knows to center CW and actually has a negative offset for SSB. I tested it into a dummy load and watched on my waterfall to confirm.

I set it on the 5.332 channel and CW was perfectly centered on 5.332. Then I tried SSB and it's offset down by 1.4KHz (half of the 2.8KHz limit). Even though it says you're transmitting on 5.332, you're actually below that.

So even if you setup your own memories using the correct frequencies for the five channels, the radio won't transmit. It looks like you need to use the factory memories.

I know the FCC is looking to eliminate/change the 60m privileges. I doubt Yaesu will offer a FW update, so if it changes I'll still be limited to these five exact frequencies. Oh well, I've been on 60m two times in 10 years.

For reference:

1730987330195.png

60m, why are you so dumb?

1730987534410.png
 

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