All-band options for mobile and base station?

[zuren]

I'm doing some research around mobile, all-band "shack in a box" type radios and am hoping to get some recommendations and comments on what I have found. This will spend most of its life as a base station, but also want the flexibility of having it set up so I can grab it for mobile in a vehicle or man-packable. I'm looking at the following:

- Yaesu FT-991a - Current HF/VHF/UHF option at around $1000. It is bigger and heavier than past options, but supposedly very nice. I've read this pulls more amps as well, so maybe not a great manpackable option if you are scanning for extended periods.
- Yaesu FT-857D - This seems to have been the standard for a small mobile/manpackable HF/VHF/UHF for many years. Been discontinued for a while now and used options in decent shape sell for more than it was new. This seems to be a sore point with some HAMs (gouging people on used gear) but I guess this is supply and demand. I just watched one sell for $1300 (with extras).
- Icom IC-706 MK IIG - Also discontinued. Prices are $600-700 it seems.

There is the Yaesu FT-818ND but it has lower power output so I'm not considering it. Are there any others I should be looking at?

I'm leaning toward the FT-991a or the IC-706, unless I can find a FT-857D for a reasonable price. My other radios are a Yaesu FT-7900r (2m/70cm - discontinued) and a Yaesu VX-7R (Tri-band HT). I don't have a General license, but maybe playing around listening to HF will encourage me to do it.

Thanks for any input!

 

[wirenut]

I had a Yaesu FT-100D for a while. I ran it mobile in an 18 wheeler and then in my pick-up for a while. It had a false high SWR indication on 10 meters but otherwise was a good radio.

 

[zuren]

Thanks for the response!

So I went in a different direction. After a lot of research, I purchased a used Yaesu FT-891. Seems to get good reviews, is mobile in size, is still a current model, and is not terribly expensive (even new).....so it seemed that I could not lose. It is HF only, which is the major deviation from what I was seeking. There is a lot of advise out there to stay away from the "all in one" radios, unless you have a specific use case that needs all bands in one unit. The advise was to get a HF as one radio, then VHF/UHF in a separate mobile or HT unit. Since I already have the 7900r and the HT, it seemed to make sense.

There also seems to be some love/hate with people and all band radios .

 

[Ozarker]

My Icom 706 has won regional contests over Field Day! It's dependable, trouble free and a big bang for the buck. I have used as a base and mobile rig, with a Comet stick and a homebrew 3 element beam and the J pole. 🥰

 

[Rallyroo]

I had both a IC-706MKIIG and FT-857D before and I sold off both. They were okay and I've made HF contacts around the world, but trying to adjust settings on the fly required a lot of deep menus. I decided I much prefer operating HF at home with a base station with knobs and many buttons. Now my rig only has VHF/UHF.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I have an FT-857D. Also have an IC-7300 and a few FM mobiles and HTs.

The 857, as well as the same platform 817/818/897 or 450, 950 and a few other Yaesu of the era are fine radios but I would caution you that they are growing long in the tooth so you have to cognizant of a particular unit's history generally and test it if you can. They are an age and from a time when Japanese radios were experiencing failures of the main IF ceramic filters. The radio will seem to operate but will be deaf, not receive anything. It's hard to know this without testing it.

Also some important parts and options are no longer available new from Yaesu or aftermarket. Like Inrad and Collins filters. You can find them but what was once $50 is now $500 on eBay, like a 2 KHz SSB filter or 300 Hz CW. I think the transistors they used as the final outputs are also discontinued by the manufacturer (Mitsubishi or whoever it was). So if they go you'd have to figure out an alternative source.

I'd stick with something more current if you can swing the budget. Also, I'd suggest rethinking this. These radios are compromises on HF and FM. They are very handy, though can get pretty frustrating for a new operator, both in performance and interface. You'd be much better served with a dedicated entry level HF IMO. Having something you can set on a desk is easier. An entry HF radio isn't necessarily big, they are very portable if you want to take it with you. Just not something you will operate mobile.

I'm really happy with my IC-7300 but the venerable IC-718 is a solid choice or the FT-710, all of which will be slightly less than an FT-991. The only real thing you give up that you cannot do with a 6/HF radio and an FM mobile pair is 2/70 on CW, AM and SSB, which is a pretty specific thing. There's a little bit of that on the ground but I'd guess the biggest users of non-FM on VHF are working contests or moon bounce and satellites. I tinker with satellites with my FT-857 but to do this you'll also need to upgrade the oscillator in it to a TCXO (this is basically mandatory for JT65, too), which is also long since discontinued by Yaesu.