Dressing Up A Yaesu FT-817 to Make It An Even Better Radio

[@michaelrogers3078]

Great video. I like the way you present the information.

[@aa3konthego]

Thank you for the kind comment and watching!

[@WR3ND]

I was lucky enough to snag an 818ND about a year ago while supplies lasted at HRO as well as the Collins CW and SSB filters from sellers in Japan. It's a great little radio. I remember drooling over it a couple decades ago when I first took an interest in ham radio, but long before I actually got my ticket.

[@aa3konthego]

I don't run stations like I do with my 7300 but I can get a steady stream of customers on CW with 5 Watts.

[@stevemcnaughton-kb3jc96]

Nice video! I'm a 817/818 fan also. My 818 is tricked almost the same as yours, I did put in the Windcamp battery, which is greate btw, and I bought a LDG z-817 tuner to go along with the radio, although I usually use some sort of resonent antenna. I counldn't find a 500 hz filter, but did get a 300 hz cw filter, it works fine also. And like you, I'm not any sort of a speed demon on CW, I'm comfortable at about 18 wpm. For the CW keyer, I picked the picokeyer from HamGadgets, it works very well. If (when?) winter every ends up here in NW PA, my wife and I will start going back out to do POTA - we have an arrangement, I do radio for a bit in a park, and then we go have a nice meal and do some antique shopping, it works great! 73 KB3JC

[@aa3konthego]

I too usually use a resonant EFHW. But I also have a Z-Match manual tuner for times when it's just a long wire or a speaker wire dipole. More info on those when I do a "What I Carry for QRP" video. Also I'm jealous, 300 Hz filter! Just what the doctor ordered.

[@WR3ND]

I run Eneloop AA Cells in mine and pulled the green wire from the battery tray holder to enable me to charge them in the radio from either the wall wart or car jack. They run great, hold a charge for years when not in use, last thousands of cycles if treated properly.

[@frasermderry]

Hi, Mark. Good review. I also added a bunch of stuff to my FT-817nd that I bought at a hamfest. I got the Portable Zero rails, the Windcamp battery and powerpole adapter, an Inrad ssb mechanical filter, and also a TCXO. The TCXO is available on ebay. Just today I received the Sotabeams speech compressor. I like the ft-817nd so much that I bought an Ft-818nd when they announced that it was being discontinued. Good luck with yours. Best and 73, Marc (N1QGM)

[@dovetomarc]

Get the WIndcamp Battery. You will not regret it!

[@aa3konthego]

You drive a hard bargain! I did a thing!

[@WR3ND]

That intro itself was worth a like and a sub. 👍

[@marvinhanson6942]

Don't quote me on this but I've heard the 817 finals board is actually the preamp board for some of there larger higher power radios so the boards may be around for a while,

[@la7yka]

That's correct. Both FT-891 and 991A use these final transistors (not board) as drivers for the PA. That said, the finals in the 817ND and 818. Not the non ND 817. The finals are MOSFETs of the type RD07MVS1 in QFN- package (horrible to hand solder).

[@nr3rful]

Searcch Ebay for the TB Box for the 817. Geat add on. Power suply and tuner all in one.

[@aa3konthego]

I'll check it out.

[@aa3konthego]

Interesting device, tuner and battery pack. Definitely designed with the 817 family in mind.

[@larryjanson4011]

dump the extra long screw for the power plug. get some threaded rod, or a much longer screw. and a number of washers and nuts. pase as eeded to give support underand then lock them in on the out side of the power conecter making a very solid mount. but still enough screw os you can attach a ground wire there.

[@aa3konthego]

I'll have to look into that. I put the PowerPole adapter on not long after I got the radio and other than an occasional loosening for a ground or counterpoise wire, haven't touched it.

[@m7trsradio]

Great video mine is very similar to your just minus the cw side and filter 73

[@nr3rful]

can you tell me where you got the adapter to go from 817 power plug to power poles

[@aa3konthego]

I have the one sold by SOTABeams.com. www.sotabeams.co.uk/ft817-818-powerpole-adapter/ You may be able to find it on DXENGINEERING.com If you search eBay for Windcamp FT-817 you should be able to find their version.

[@CallJimRice]

do you use a 3d printer to accessorize your ft817?

[@aa3konthego]

I do not. However the SOTAbeams PowerPole adapter is a 3D print.

[@carl-gunnarhillefors7612]

HOW ABOUT MOUNTED CW OR PHONE FILTERS?

[@aa3konthego]

Do you mean internal or external?

[@nine7295]

I don't think there is a FT-818 (non ND)? Only FT-818ND after FT-817ND and therefore only 3 models in this series. (Not counting regional variance). (I own the 818ND, and my friends own the other 2 models.)

[@aa3konthego]

I've found references to a FT-818ND and a note of an interview with a Yaesu rep where it was said Yaesu wanted to keep the simple FT-818 model name but there were enough changes to require a new designation.

[@carl-gunnarhillefors7612]

A WELLBUILT HF VHF UHF RXTX!

[@joewoodchuck3824]

Skip the first ~7 minutes for the meat of the video.