Yaesu FT-817ND Bugout Bag Radio

[@dbrady1966]

Great location! Great radio and excellent video

[@Commsprepper]

Many thanks!

[@LivingInExile]

I struggled between the 817nd and the elecraft KX3. I think the KX3 is electronically a better radio (much better receiver + 10 watts etc..) but I ended up with the 817. The deciding factor was that the KX3 just doesn't look like it could stand up to being tossed around in my BOB, just too fragile and the connectors come out all over the place. Keep up the videos, You are presenting a lot of great ideas in a manner that is easily understood. (I totally stole you idea for a simplex dgpeater but used an ammo can) Best, Chuck WB8CEE

[@uncledoug9934]

Hi Hank, Thanks for the QSO today and recommending your CommsPrepper Channel. Looking forward to watching more of your work. Thanks and 73's! Doug

[@Commsprepper]

+Uncle Doug Thanks for the QSO. Hope you like the channel. Hank

[@orlandomonaco3475]

Thanks for the review of this mobile rig... getting my technician license next month and this is the backcountry rig for me as far as I can tell.

[@Commsprepper]

Congratulations on your Amateur license. FT-857D andFT-897D are great radios and I thought about one of those for the bugout bag. But in the end - the batteries and/or power supply would be heavy. I might have picked the FT-897D if I did not already have a 100 watt rig.

[@newtownards01]

hi,lovely little radio i have one and when the good weather comes to n.ireland,i will start to work qrp,enjoy have fun and allot of qsos,73s from n.ireland.

[@cherylynn927]

Welcome back to the states! I enjoyed this video!

[@Commsprepper]

Congratulations on pursuing you license - you won't regret it. The FT-817 is a nice little rig.

[@AppalachianFreedom]

Welcome home to the Mountain State Sir! -- Great looking setup!

[@BJPr12]

Props man, great channel! Really like all videos I've watched from you, keep up the great job.. Subbed.

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks for the feedback and watching. Respectfully - CommsPrepper

[@TexasUrbanHunter]

5 years later and this is the QRP radio that I am interested in for prepping and a bugout comm pack. Your video answered several questions that I could not find in the specs or other videos regarding external power and antenna. I thought it has a built-in auto turner. So I guess I will have to question that the auto turner doesn't support HF band.

[@Commsprepper]

This radio does not have a tuner. You need an external tuner.

[@ThePauperPrepper]

BuddiPole is an excellent antenna that is well liked and used by QRP (low power usually under 10 Watts) & Portable HAMS alike. Many ops will deploy a Buddipole when they are in a restricted antenna situation as well, such as balcony, back porch & back yard. The down side with the BuddiPole is failry the norm in our hobby, and that is PRICE. Rarely do I even see a used one for less then $325 plus shipping, very rarely. But it is a well liked ,well constructed & well rated antenna system.

[@ZivaForFreedom]

Im hoping to some day move to wv. Just need that open door. Your place is very nice, thx!

[@brucewayne-cave]

Thanks for the leg work on the hunt.

[@survivalcomms]

I dig my 817 - lots of bang for the buck. An entire DC to daylight (well almost) manpack station (antennas included !) that can fit into a SAW pouch is the cat's pajamas . Kind of a drag that even after opening it up the V & U coverage is pretty narrow. Thanks for the video !

[@Commsprepper]

SurvivalComms USNERDOC makes a great bag for this radio.

[@survivalcomms]

Thanks ! I'll check it out. I made one out of veg tan leather that the radio slides in to protect the radio itself. For HF I use an 80m doublet and a EMtech tuner / balun (ZM-2). Its a pretty light weight setup.

[@DuckingAround58]

Very interesting radio for sure, lots of flexibility. I do not have any base station radios yet but this is on my radar. Yes the power is low but you can do a little bit of everything on it and the power supply is very flexible. This just might be my first base station/ SOTA radio, plus I kind of like the challenge of QRP. If you know how to use your radio you can do a lot with 5W. Thank you very much for the review

[@budprepper3811]

check out the 12v moultrie solar trail camera charger. its a perfect match for this rig. add anderson power connectors and you have alot of power options.

[@23t22]

Thanks i'm working on getting my technician liscense so i started looking around for radios

[@RallySash]

Great review. Glad u made it home for a bit.

[@yankey4]

nice brother. I am going to look into this. God Bless.

[@Commsprepper]

I understand - I waffled between the FT-817, FT-857D, and FT-897D. But in the end it was the low power (5 watts) and external battery options. 20 watt and 100 watt radios need more juice. Size for the bugout bag also played a factor. However - all the Yaesu rigs are great and you can't go wrong with them. CommsPrepper

[@Thermopylae2007]

I'm studying for my Basic (Canadian) course and examination next month and am curious about the pros and cons of getting the 817 versus the 857 or 897. The power supply options and ability to transmit/recieve out of the box up to 6m certainly makes the 817 appealing, but might it not be better for a new Ham to have more than 5 Watts (one salesmen seemed to think that the 817 satisfied a niche for those who like to use minimum power). BTW, A pass with honors in Canada allows access to all bands.

[@cwes41]

Very nice video. It was interesting all the way through. Do you have any experience with buddy pole antennas? Just curious.

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks for watching. WV is a great place ! Respectfully - CommsPrepper

[@bigguyprepper]

good to know that there are some good knowledgeable preppers right here in West Virginia 73s KD8TAE

[@ThePauperPrepper]

The FT-817nd cannot do any type of Recv- Transmit on Frequencies that utilize digital or trunking technology. (It can do digital DATA modes such as PSK etc but that is a different story ). By default this radio will do AM/ FM/CW, SSB . Also different modes & frequencies will use different power settings. On the HF side of things, the FT-817 is a VERY low power radio @ 5W on 13.8 Volts & 1.5 W AM, but on Internal Battery Power (9.6 V DC,) it is only 2.5 Watts. Beautiful Retreat CommsPrepper!!

[@SonoranDesertPrepper]

thanks for sharing i really like the battery option

[@PauliR1159]

I do like that radio it is a lot of fun to see what you can do with only five watts. In my personal kit I got a Motorola spectra with 100 watts as my main radio as I feel that 2 meter will be my most used band. I also have many handheld. And if I found out I needed other bands I would use the icon 706 MK 2 G.

[@Commsprepper]

I wish they still made the 706MKII/G. I had that radio 10 years ago and traded it (mistake).

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks. Do know off-hand what the brand is - picked it up when I was stationed in Italy.

[@bluetunder40]

Good Info Bro! Welcome Home .

[@Commsprepper]

Good to be home! Even if only for two weeks.

[@JC545X39]

As strong002 mentioned, I am also wondering where you would recommend I order all of this from.

[@skylift2]

Great vid, been looking at that radio myself. I noticed the very nice wood stove, perfect for off grid, What is the brand of the stove? Cheers VE3 VWG

[@strong002]

Nice demo. I might have to go get me one to play with. Where do you recommend ordering equipment from?

[@Garbanzo884]

I recently got one and it's great!

[@Commsprepper]

Great little radio.

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks for watching and subscribing. CommsPrepper

[@user-od6kd8ny4v]

Has your choice of radio changed in the past 6 years? What radio would you get for bugging out or SOTA?

[@Commsprepper]

Icom IC-7200

[@KurtRWarner]

Does the 817ND capable of receiving the weather stations on 162MHz.? de KA7ZDD

[@Commsprepper]

Not sure. I would have to look up the specs. I think it does have a wide-band receiver.

[@HugDeeznueces]

Nice video! Where can I get that military antenna? I need one to assimilate your set up. I am thinking of getting this radio to add to my 857D

[@Commsprepper]

Robert Fern I put that antenna together over time - getting the items off of ebay. They are too much money new (over $1,500.00).

[@robertfernandez4516]

+nr3rful I seen the buddipole but it is horribly expensive!

[@shanemarcum3232]

Just wanted to say hi and that im also from west Virginia

[@Commsprepper]

SHANE MARCUM Thanks for commenting Shane (I missed this one). West Virginia is a great state! I hope to retire there. CommsPrepper

[@MrTNBassmaster]

+Commsprepper thanks for the videos and reviews I'm also from WV great place to bug out.

[@Commsprepper]

Yes it is!

[@Commsprepper]

Are you looking for HF (high frequency) long-range communications? If so, the Icom 718 is a bear-bones HF rig.

[@drewstarr71]

A really sweet radio indeed, but it is almost $600 bones....most can't afford that right now. Any alternative for the poor prepper?

[@chrisbertram579]

Does the ft817 radio receive police and fire and other public service frequencies

[@pudiful]

Greetings . This radio doesn't .

[@drewstarr71]

Thanks, will check it out.

[@MrTNBassmaster]

Hey . Can you make a video or a review on a bugout ecom station . I'm looking for a system that I can talk and receive from a few or more states away . I'm also going to power my equipment with a juicebox MK2 and a revolt G2. I'm lagging in my bugout communication department. I need a reliable, mobile, and quick setup . thanks for any help

[@Commsprepper]

+MrTNBassmaster Half of my videos show bugout communications variants. Not sure what you want me to make.

[@MrTNBassmaster]

+Commsprepper sorry I wasn't clear . you have great videos but have a lot of equipment , I'm just looking for a single system maybe a backup too. something for a person just getting into it but good equipment I like to buy great equipment you get what you payfor. thanks and sorry for the confusion

[@joenoneya2553]

can it do trunking freq ect...?

[@cbureriu]

this FT817... is it really annoying that it has no DSP noise reduction, poor selectivity, general high noise floor and lose SEL button ? Which of these are real issues getting in the way of normal field use of radio? Thanks. I appreciate your videos.

[@Commsprepper]

+Cristian Bureriu none. It’s a $600 dollar radio. Lots packed into a small box. I would take it over no radio.

[@keithcronk7980]

DAM RIGHT BROTHER ANY RADIO IS BETTER THAN NONE

[@23t22]

Thanks for your support :)

[@andrewmcgaha9629]

Could this radio work as a decent base station? Or, would it be too limited?

[@Commsprepper]

Andrew McGaha I can be a base station but the power is only 5 watts. You will need good antennas for sure. Mobile/Base units are typically 100 watts.

[@nr3rful]

No. For a little more buy a hundred watt radio and turn the power down to 5 watts.

[@Foresthillspictures]

What would be the best more affordable alternative to this radio?

[@Commsprepper]

Alternative for what? How far do you want/need to talk? All depends on what your requirement(s) is/are.

[@bgtuck492]

can i connect this radio with walkie talkies that i already have ?

[@Commsprepper]

It depends. It will work with all other Amateur walkies that you have. It will also receive FRS/GMRS radios too. However, it will not transmit outside of Amateur radio frequencies.

[@Garbanzo884]

I've found that the VHF/UHF antennas don't work all that well, especially the 6 meter setup. I used the three BNC antennas from my old FT-690/FT-290/FT-490 with much better results. FYI.

[@Commsprepper]

I have after-market antennas too.

[@KuriosPC]

Hey Commsprepper, honest question: Why did you choose a 5w radio (817), vs a 100w radio (857)? I am in the middle of deciding over the those two radios. I know that long distance contacts have been made on HF with 5w, but I would figure that having 100w would make you feel like your signal would get out more. Thanks for any reply,

[@Commsprepper]

I mostly run data and 5 watts is fine for that. If its a choice between one radio and one radio only - the go with the 857. You can always turn the power down to qrp levels for field ops.

[@deaconness4457]

How long will that radio run on the double A batteries ?

[@Commsprepper]

I don't know, I never use the AA battery adapter.

[@michaelscoofield]

Hi. It depends on the capacity if the cells but it is not long as the receiver itself consuming 310mA with SQL opened without antenna! So with sigs incoming and depends to the AF gain position it will be even more...

[@23t22]

How much does an 817 cost?

[@DriveShaftDrew]

kool

[@Commsprepper]

drvshaft drew Thank you.

[@Commsprepper]

Around 700 bucks.

[@Commsprepper]

ham radio outlet (hamradio dot com) or AESHAM dot com

[@Commsprepper]

Sorry no. I have looked at them before. However, now that I have a QRP radio I will be looking at them again.

[@stephenburgess5109]

Anyone tried lithium polymer battery pack I use a Tracer 12W 10Ah battery pack 1/4 the weight of Acid battery's expensive as much as a tuner but it's so dam light for portable work and keeps its charge longer at high power has a LED light power indicator can be recharge from the cars cigarette socket or the mains great to ditch the chunky battery at last.

[@michaelscoofield]

Do not overlook NB on your FT-817ND... kzbin.info/www/bejne/ZqvIamNnlKZ1kMU

[@Commsprepper]

Thanks.