The Yaesu FT-817
The Yaesu FT-817 is a fine little rig and I got mine in 2002 so it's one of the
early ones. I've used it from home for PSK-31, SSB and CW and portable from Winter Hill for 'backpacker'
contests on VHF and it's travelled with me to Malta on a couple of occassions where
I have operated as 9H3BR. It's amazing what you can do with
only 5 watts. My best so far is Chile using PSK-31.
One of it's weak points is the heavy drain on the battery and the very poor battery
pack that is supplied with it. Mine came with a 900mAH pack of NiCd batteries and
frankly these are a waste of space. I did try putting some 2700mAH batteries in
the alkaline battery tray that came with it and doing the 'green wire mod' so that
they could be recharged in situ but I wasn't happy with it.
Eventually, the battery pack gave up so I looked around for a replacement. One well
known alternative is the W4RT battery pack butb this is a bit pricey at around the
£50 mark. Likewise a Yaesu original is also expensive. I did consider making my
own pack using 'industrial' tagged NiMh cells but trawling around the internet,
I came across
component-shop.co.uk
who sold a 2600mAH NiMh battery pack for radio controlled cars so I decided to buy
one and try it out.
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I carefully removed the thermal fuse from the old pack and reinstalled
it in the negative lead of the new one, making a small slit in the plastic housing
to insert the fuse and hold it in place. The negative lead was cut and each side of the thermal
fuse soldered to one leg of the negative wire. The only reason I chose the negative
wire was because of the way the wire was running in the battery pack assembly. Finally,
the soldered joints were covered with heatshrink insulation. |
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Finally, to complete the assembly I removed the leads from the old pack and soldered
them onto the leads of the new pack. Again the joints were protected with heatshrink
insulation.
A strip of insulating tape was then wrapped around the pack to hold the fuse in
place and further insulate the connections. |
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So, how has it performed. Well I haven't really used it in anger yet but my next
trip to Malta (9H) should see it called into action. However for less than a tenner,
even if it all goes wrong, I don't think I can complain !
Other FT-817 Modifications
A forthcoming trip to the USA and the granting of an additional 100kHz on the 40
metre band, made me decide to 'do' the wideband modification. This involves removing
the covers and the front panel and changing a jumper. Now you need good eyesight
for this, and as I'm getting a bit long in the tooth now, I bought an illuminated desk
magnifier which made the job a lot easier. A word of caution, be careful with removing the ribbon cable from the
main board, the connector is very delicate. I was a bit hamfisted and snapped a
bit of plastic off so be careful. For all the
information, why not join the FT-817 Yahoo Group.
The FT-817 is also renowned for 'blown finals', especially the earlier models so
I also did the 'phase reversal mod' just in case. Again this was quite straightforward
to do and the information is readily available on the internet..
FT-817 Accessories
I can recommend the 'Peg Leg' stands which lift the FT-817 at an angle making it
easier to use. I used to use a couple of rubber door wedges, then I bought the wire
frame stand however, I definitely prefer the
Palm Peg Leg. For CW, at home I use a standard
Iambic Paddle mounted on a piece of polished Malta stone. However this is a bit
heavy to carry around and it adds too much to the limited 'carry on' baggage allowance.
So I now have a Bulldog Mini-Key
which is ingeniously constructed. Takes a bit of getting used to but handles my
"QRS" Morse easily !
DISCLAIMER: I have no relationship with any of the suppliers noted
on this page, I'm just a satisfied
customer. Also, this page is for information
and guidance only and shows a repair I actually completed on my own radio. I accept
no responsibility for repairs undertaken using the method shown. Carry out modifications
at your own risk !