Yes the menus can be more than a bother. I have two FT857D, the compact
batteryless 897.
In 55+ years of using CW, I've never learned to use a keyer well enough
to use it on the air, but I use a straight key. My dad and I built
several keyers and he used a keyer most of his life, though I could
always tell when he was, there were more errors of added dots with the
keyer. We took the Candler System code course and his straight key fist
was as impeccable as any good keyer. But one of the features I always
found with the straight key was that I could QRS instantly at least down
to 10 or 12 WPM. Now that I've worked up to sending near 30 wpm with a
fine straight key I can't send slower than 12 reliably. One time about
50 years ago, I tried to send a novice code test by hand and could only
get down to 7.5 wpm and the boy scout leader that wanted tested couldn't
copy that fast.
Even with a keyer, in theory, its possible to slow down using the
Farnsworth method, sending characters at a decent speed with more space
between that, that's set by you, not the keyer. Takes practice and can
stretch the receiving ham's capabilities. But it gives more time for
character recognition.
There is CAT software for the FT8x7 family that converts nearly all the
menu items to a phalanx of screen buttons, that array of 100 or more
that some rigs have on the front panel.
My present operating position is on a square topped stool about 13"
square. It holds 857 with external speaker and meter and the key
adequately. An Omni VI would hang over, not have continuous receive, or
VHF and UHF bands and right now those VHF and UHF antennas are all that
I have up in the air.
One of the 857 features that I really like is that with a couple menu
settings, all I have to do to go to CW while in SSB mode is to start
sending. No mode shifting, no frequency shifting, just send. That's
quite handy on VHF UHF and microwave when the path is too weak to work
on SSB and I can still receive on USB. I'd own an Omni V or VI for use
with transverters if they didn't switch to LSB for CW copying Icom. That
way they essentially prevent VHF and up mixed mode contacts. And make
switching modes difficult. It should be possible using a PIC chip
communication with the Omni VI(+) to detect key closures (or be a keyer)
and to shift the mode and frequency for transmitting to allow receiving
USB without retuning, but there probably won't be QSK with that scheme.
Studying the wiring diagrams, I think a couple changes can be applied to
the LO mixer board to change the side of the injection for 28.0 MHz at
the cost of a strong receive birdie on 28.007 MHz.
Another feature of the 857 is that its output is relatively easily
controlled and fixed so its low enough to never harm a transverter and
if the software alignment isn't messed up it doesn't spike. It also has
a low power transverter mode, where the display can be programmed to
show the transverted frequency but getting to that takes a menu
operation. And my method is safer for the transverter.
73, Jerry, K0CQ
On 4/3/2011 8:08 AM, Dave Edwards wrote:
> I had a yaesu ft897d. During a contact, the fellow asked me to QRS.
> I had to fly through the manual to figure out how to do that!
> True, you learn the rig...but I knew I wouldn't be using the rig enough to
> have it memorized!
> So...someone got a great deal on a 3 month old rig!
> Keeping my Omni VI+ !
> ...Dave
>
> Sent from my iPad
>
>
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