Yaesu FT-891: CW Filtering

[@yungerallenelectricalcontr6415]

I appreciate your channel. As a new ham with General these features can be a heavy load to carry.

[@n4hnhradio]

You are the person I do this for. I’m so glad you found it helpful. 73, de N4HNH

[@W4RIN]

Hey Doug, Great video. I am working on CW right now and stumbled across your video. Thanks for the info, I love my 891 as well. 73, W4RIN

[@n4hnhradio]

Hi Rin! It’s great to hear from you. Glad you found my channel. 73, Doug

[@n4hnhradio]

The FT-891 is certainly no slouch. I use one for SOTA. I normally run it at 45W but it is nice to have 100W when I need it. 73, Doug

[@spqa2004]

Thanks! I had already (accidentally) discovered the NAR filter that lets me tighten my band filter to 50 Hz but i didn't know about the other features that you showed in this video. I have had a few QSOs where your knowledge could have saved me from getting a headache from all the QRN. Thanks again!

[@joyhamradio]

Ths for video Doug! I'm just starting to learn CW, and by the way my radio is 891. Awesome features you show. All the best 73! DE R3TKT

[@jb-qu7sh]

I have this radio and I appreciate you showing me these features.

[@n4hnhradio]

I'm so glad that you found the video helpful. 73, de N4HNH

[@daviddietrich9449]

Again, thanks for posting this! This one, along with your longer CW setup video, are a big help with understanding this radio. I get it in 2019, and have only played around with it a few times due to my work schedule and all. I'm trying to get into operating it regularly now. My only complaint with this radio, and you demonstrated it in both videos, is having to know how to quickly access those features in the menus. It's one thing to play around with them when just casually receiving, but when you are trying to work someone, you'll miss a few words when you are trying to adjust everything. I'm definitely glad a lot of the "set and forget" stuff with the CW functions is buried in the deeper menu. I guess it is called get the radio set for your liking, and then go play. 73 DE KC9EHQ BT

[@n4hnhradio]

I’m glad you found the videos helpful. The FT-891 is a great little CW radio. It’s very quiet and selective. I find it advantageous to program one CW, two SSB, and one AM frequency/mode per band into memory slots. I set each up with the filtering, attenuation, IPO or not, that I will want as a default. It won’t store DNR or Width settings, but I assigned Width to the B button and DNR to the C button. So I stay in memory mode. I turn the multi-knob to select which band and mode I want to operate on. I have my favorites as the default. I can tune away to work someone on a different frequency. When I’m ready to return to memory selection, I press in on the multi-knob, which reverts to memory selection, and I cycle through the memories to another band. 73, de N4HNH

[@daviddietrich9449]

@@n4hnhradio Thank you for the info and suggestions. My FT-891 is now my go-to HF rig for field use.

[@smiffykuk]

Full use of this fine radio👍

[@n4hnhradio]

Indeed it is a fine radio, Martin. 73, Doug

[@arayboomer]

You're turning into a KZbin Elmer, Doug. I didn't understand ZIN until I saw this.

[@n4hnhradio]

Aaron, when I was looking for videos last year, while trying to decide on a new HF base station, I didn’t find many that explored the various capabilities of the radios; especially how to combine these features to pull out weaker signals. I have found that many people don’t fully understand the breadth of capabilities that are within their grasp, on their existing radio.

[@richarde735]

you mentioned, you we’re heading out for a SOTA. what battery are you using on the mountain for your 891

[@n4hnhradio]

It’s covered in the video at the link below. There is a SOTA playlist on the channel that you might find interesting. Executive Patreons and VIP Patreons can download a free copy of my SOTA Primer. It’s a type of “quick-start” guide to SOTA. kzbin.info/www/bejne/r528pp2HiKl6gKc 73, de N4HNH

[@vk5cjc]

I have removed my comments, Doug - my TRX just not react that way to ZIN and it schould, my apologies, Merry Christmas !

[@n4hnhradio]

You might have a defective radio.

[@vk5cjc]

ZIN has to be kept pressed until you get ZERO beat agaist receiving signal + + and it is used to zero your radio's RX into e.g WWV using menu 05-17 REF FRequency adjustment , then once APF in turned on it tunes automaticaly into your CWPitch settings- you must adjust your tunning manualy to your pitch , while observing ZIN LED . There you go my friend!

[@n4hnhradio]

If you long press ZIN, it produces a spot tone, for manual adjustment of the VFO for zero beat. Tap ZIN for automatic spot.

[@vk5cjc]

IPO must stays On on especialy on 7MC to prevent overdrive of your front end! Full stop

[@n4hnhradio]

Intercept Point Optimization means that you disable the RF amplifier. I usually run IPO for 40 meters and lower, especially for SSB. But the Attenuator is before the RF amplifier, so it makes sense to first use attenuation when trying to limit noise. I sometimes use both ATT and IPO.

[@inferno7654]

I am sorry, but you don't know how to use "Contour" and how much could be useful know it. Give another read to the manual and experiment on the radio.

[@n4hnhradio]

If you have a better use, share it.

[@inferno7654]

@@n4hnhradio Yes, i will try to make a video. Anyway, look at the manual, you will see there two functions for the Countour, one to substract the audio part you don't want and one to amplify an audio part that you want. Using the amplify function and finding the portion of audio where there is the cw pitch you set, you will discover how much can be improved the audio and volume of the CW signal you are listening. Try it.

[@n4hnhradio]

That is the job of the APF and APF has a much better Q. I think you didn’t pay close attention to the video. While the Contour could be used to boost a region of the audio spectrum, that is not its intended function. It is a low-Q filter, acting more like a wider version of manual notch. Therefore it can knock down interference that is affecting a broader portion of the audio spectrum. With sideband, it has made the difference in hearing my signal report or not. I generally find that for SSB, somewhere between 1700Hz and 2100Hz helps clear enough hash from the received audio to make a weak station intelligible. Contour is primarily intended for SSB, but, as I show in the video, it can be useful for CW. Again, APF is the feature you would use to focus in on a very narrow portion of the audio spectrum, to accentuate the CW tone and provide some separation between it and the noise floor.

[@inferno7654]

@@n4hnhradio Contour is primarily intended SSB, but, as I show in the video, it can be useful for CW. -> This is what i said, could be useful in CW, i agree with you that is intended for ssb first. APF is great, but sometimes on very weak signal an audio boost could be useful and here comes the Contour. APF is a DSP filter, Contour an audio DSP elaboration. Contour is intend to boost or cut the portion of audio you want. Is not intended for a primary function of boost or cut, just do both and you choose what you need. Is just another DSP help. Nothing more. And nothing personal, it is just an opinion and as such questionable by anyone .

[@n4hnhradio]

Indeed I have experimented with the boost option, a year or two ago. But I find cutting offending noise or other artifacts to be the most beneficial use of Contour, and I prefer APF, set to narrow, for CW. If you read the advanced manual, Yaesu explains the Contour as a cutting filter, the way I described. But if you find that you like boosting instead, that’s fine too. Yaesu probably would not have given the option to boost if they didn’t want to allow it. It might be interesting to note that the FTdx5000MP only allows APF or Contour for CW, not both simultaneously, like with the FT-891. Have fun!

[@vk5cjc]

IPO stands 4 Intercept Point Optimier , APF automaticaly reduce your DSP filter bandwith to minimum of 50 Hz .. there is a lot of misinformation due to lack of you understanding this radio's function. You do not understand what you're doing! vk Ham with 44 yrs presence on ham radio bands.. Just remove this video!

[@n4hnhradio]

I think you have some sort of problem.

[@joekrepps]

Always grateful for your 891 videos! I’m 75/100 towards Mobile DXCC, SSB (so far) with mine. It’s not getting any easier so I appreciate your insight! 73 de WB3CFN/m

[@n4hnhradio]

Well, I can’t think of a better transceiver for mobile DX work. I worked Bulgaria and Ukraine driving from my daughter’s house to mine; a 40-minute drive. FT-891 into the ATAS-120A.