Considering a Yaesu FT-897D, any input?

[waltel]

Yaseau 857

For my firts entry into Ham I am close to a decision between 857D and 897D having passed over 817D for too little power.

What is the best option for an antenna and can I assume a beginner wants an antenna with a tuner?

Anything else I should buy with radio to get started listening. Will get Technician lic in a month or so...

Thanks

Waltel

 

[Corey]

Get a duplexer and the Yaesu ATAS 120 antenna like I have.
It is made for these units.

 

[762X39]

What is the best option for an antenna and can I assume a beginner wants an antenna with a tuner

The radio is a great choice and beginner or not, an antenna tuner is a good idea, needed in fact.Enjoy!

 

[1911]

For my firts entry into Ham I am close to a decision between 857D and 897D having passed over 817D for too little power.

The 857 and the 897 are electronically identical; one is packaged more for mobile use and the other more for base station use but plenty of folks use either one for both of those uses. Great all-band radios in any event.

What is the best option for an antenna and can I assume a beginner wants an antenna with a tuner?

You'll need more than one antenna to fully utilize either of those radios; at the very least you'll want a dual-band 2m/70cm antenna for those bands and an adjustable multi-band antenna for HF like a Tarheel or the ATAS-120, but you could save some money by having a few ham sticks for different HF bands and just change them out on the same mount as needed. Tuners are handy for adjustable multi-band HF antennas but not required for fixed-length antennas that you can tune once when you install them.

If you're set on having a tuner, then the Kenwood TS-480SAT radio is another option that has a built-in tuner. I have this radio and like it a lot. However, it is only an HF radio so you would need a second 2m radio for trail commo, APRS, etc.

Anything else I should buy with radio to get started listening. Will get Technician lic in a month or so...

Thanks

Waltel

I find the Nifty! mini-manuals to be a useful thing to carry with me instead of the entire manufacturer's instruction/operators manual for a given radio:

http://www.niftyaccessories.com/

Good luck on your test! Recommend that you study for and take the General Class test soon after you pass the Technician, while you still remember the basic stuff.

 

[HillbillyfromAL]

Also don't forget even with the Tech license there are plenty of freqs available to you. ARRL has a chart of them. I am going to start studying for the general too, but I'm not in any hurry as I can use all the bands my FT8900r operates on.

 

[cruiserlarry]

I use the Yaesu FT857D / ATAS-120A combination in my FJ Cruiser, and have made contacts all over the world without issue. While some hams consider this a "compromise" system, they are amazed when I go head to head with larger units in the field - many times my FT 857D and ATAS 120A smoke the larger, more complex systems. I would choose the 857 over the 897, as the 857 has a better display and a much smaller, lighter footprint. The only advantage to the 897 is it's ability to work with internal battery packs - not a factor in a vehicle mounted situation.

 

[Corey]

That is great to know Larry since that is my exact same setup too.

 

[gary in ohio]

The ATS-120 is fine as long as your not planning a lot of 40/80m contacts.. If you do a lot of 40/80 work then look at a bigger screw drivers antenna or tuned whip system.

 

[SP Jon M3]

The ATS-120 is fine as long as your not planning a lot of 40/80m contacts.. If you do a lot of 40/80 work then look at a bigger screw drivers antenna or tuned whip system.

The ATAS-120 only goes down to 40m, it's not designed to operate on 80m. I also have to echo Larry's statement. I've been very happy with the 857/ATAS-120 combo. I've made contacts as far as Tazmania with this setup, even through the small pileup.

 

[chris snell]

I have a gorgeous FT-897D with lots of accessories for sale here:

http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/74081-Yaesu-FT-897D-HF-VHF-UHF-Transceiver

If you're interested, send me a PM. It's a great radio.

 

[AA1PR]

I got burnt by yeasu's customer service/repair dept a while back

I would say look for an older Icom706MKIIG

I run an 706MKIIG with a LDG autotuner & a 12' whip, with it I can tune from 40m to 6m

 

[xtatik]

I got burnt by yeasu's customer service/repair dept a while back

I would say look for an older Icom706MKIIG

I run an 706MKIIG with a LDG autotuner & a 12' whip, with it I can tune from 40m to 6m

Thanks for sharing your opinion.

 

[KevinMLee]

So I have a quick question for you guys, I, too, am considering HF primarily for safety because of it's range. before I dive in, heres a bit of my background and why I'm looking for a solution.

I'm a photographer that needs to communicate with my assistants so I have iCOM commercial radios (the BC-100 from BearCom). These are analog UHF radios. They work great for what they are, but was considering the iCOM 6061 which is a commercial mobile. However, I haven't made the plunge yet and am considering... if all possible, a unit that does have HF and commercial UHF. This will cut down on dashboard real estate with one radio.

So my question is, if I invest in a Yaesu radio that does have HF/VHF/UHF, will I be able to program it to operate on commercial narrow band UHF frequencies/bands? or am I outta luck?

Thanks guys

 

[gary in ohio]

switch out that LDG tuner with a SGC tuner and you can add 80m to the mix and improve your 40-6m signals.

 

[gary in ohio]

The 897 and or the smaller packaged 857 are very popular radio's.