Several small portable antennas are now available which allow you to easily get the FT-817 on the air out in the field. In my search for the ultimate portable antenna I have tried the Superantennas MP-1, the ATX Walkabout and the Miracle Whip. There are a couple of precautions to observe when transmitting. Use the 1 or 2.5w power setting as digital modes are often 100% duty cycle. And don't

FT-817/FT-818 15 things you can do with (or to) your Yaesu FT-817/FT-818

Summer can turn often dead bands into active segments with massive signals. The cause is sporadic-E propagation, a phenomenon most noted in mid summer, and, to a lesser extent, mid-winter. This FT-817ND is boxed and in great condition as it has been well looked after. The radio is unmodified and gives 4w on all transmittable bands (40m is only 7 - 7.1Mhz although RX is up to 7.2Mhz). What is not apparent from this is that the compressed transmission is narrower and cleaner. That's because without the compressor, the FT-817's ALC is providing the compression. I have done what most FT-817 owners probably do, and turned the SSB mike level up to get a louder signal, at the cost of a bit of splatter. The RF compressor cleanly reduces the peaks, as well as bringing the lower levels up, so the ALC doesn't have to work so hard. The end result is a louder but cleaner signal. Whether that's worth the cost is your decision. Working CW An FT-817/FT-818 is just the thing to take to an island to do some QRP portable. From a quiet spot you'll be able to work stations (especially other QRPers) you can't hear from home. And My portable operating sessions are typically 2 to 3 hours. Sometimes up to 4 or 5 hours if it's a field day contest. It's worth doing a power budget but generally you're looking at a 4 to 8 Ah battery capacity.

I've had good results from sealed lead acid (cheap but heavy), NiMH and, more recently, LiFePO4 battery types. Note that the latter is quite critical with charging and if you leave it for a while its voltage Certified safety – CE & ROHS certified, Grade A battery with short-circuit, overheating and overvoltage protection

Yaesu FT-817 battery pack - Amateur radio tips and how-to guides

Its five watts SSB can readily span hundreds of kilometres when communicating with well-equippped stations. The main There are three models. The early FT-817, the later FT-817ND and the much later FT-818. There's not a lot of difference between them. However the ND model isdid improve reports. Here I am working 7 MHz AM pedestrian mobile, including working another QRP portable station. This might not be what you want to hear, if you are not a fan of CW. But in my experience people who are not CW fans don't like the mode because they find it too difficult to use - because they didn't learn it properly. For years I resented the need to learn CW and never used it after I passed the test - until I got interested in QRP and realized the benefits of it. Becoming competent at CW can be hard, but it really repays the effort. If you aren't there yet, I have a couple of programs that will help you get your speed up. MorseGen is the ideal code practice generator, while if you want learning to be a bit more fun, to give you more incentive to practice regularly try MorseTest. CW filter longest-lived transceiver model. It has attracted a strong following amongst portable and QRP operators. While other This is not a strictly fair comparison, because I did not make a recording before the FT-817 microphone was modified. I think even the uncompressed audio using the electret mike is an improvement over the original. Again, there isn't a huge difference in loudness between compressor on and compressor off, due to the AGC effect. The compressed version sounds compressed, and the uncompressed audio is certainly more hi-fi. There really is no right answer to this question. Also, each and every one of us has a different requirement. So, what we really need to do first, is answer a few questions.

W4RT Electronics - WiMo

three (rather than two) screen lighting colours. The difference between the FT-817ND and FT-818 is negligible; if you already own an '817 you wouldn't buy an '818. or intermediate frequency stages. Both work well but the latter is superior when there are a lot of strong signals near the receive frequency. CW filters for several bandwidths are available for the FT-817/FT-818.

Working CW

conditions. To see how low you can go you need an RF attenuator. Try it and see what you can do with 20 milliwatts or less. My FT-817 performed well enough on SSB and CW but reports on AM were mixed. AM is already a compromise compared to SSB but stations worked reported weaker than expected modulation. It turned out that the To be sure of being able to transmit from anywhere you take the lot - transceiver, battery antenna coupler, mast and wire. But it can be fun (and lighter) to just take the rig, battery A simple modification to the FT-817/FT-818's rear panel can reduce stress on its DC power connector. There is no drilling of holes and the addition can be removed, mark-free, if required. The design calls for protected 18650s to be used. These have a circuit in them that isolates them if you try to draw current when the cell is discharged to its minimum voltage. i.e. you can’t over discharge them. It also disconnects them if the voltage applied to the cell exceeds 4.2V. With that type of 18650 and the green wire in place, the whole system looks to be fine and dandy.

Battery for Yaesu FT-817/818 - WiMo

Personally I prefer 500 Hz as I'm in Australia and the bands are fairly quiet. But those in more densely populated areas might got for a narrower (250 Hz) filter. Installation ie easy and requires no soldering. Proven quality, certified safety: Yaesu FT-817 FNB-72 replacement batteries for up to 1000 charging cycles Note that a special crimp tool is required to install the pins terminals/pins properly, but like most crimp-type connectors it may be possible to do some very careful soldering and "manual" crimping to make a reliable electrical and mechanical connection. The FT-817/FT-818 has a wide voltage range but you want to avoid a battery that gives around the extremes of this. Too low a voltage (eg 8 - 9 volts) will mean the FT-817/FT-818 won't be able to put out its full 5 watts To use CW with the FT-817 you need to install the optional CW filter. The standard filter is too wide, so you hear too many other signals and noise, making it hard to copy any other than the strongest signal in the passband.One question that sprang to mind after getting the 12V switched mode PSU was: would using a 12V supply affect the battery charging function of the FT-817? Would the batteries need to be charged for longer? Would the voltage be sufficient to charge the batteries at all?