[VHFcontesting] [VHF] Yaesu FT857/897 reliability

[Jim Worsham]

I have an original FT897 (not D) and never experienced or even heard of any
of the problems you mentioned.  My biggest complaint about the FT897 is that
when they first came out the manual was obviously rushed and had a lot of
mistakes in it.  Yaesu published a revised version later.  I also wish they
had provided an output for keying external amplifiers that was not part of
the CAT connector.  If you want to use the FT897 with a computer for contest
logging for example and key an amplifier you are out of luck unless you make
a special cable (what I did).  Other than that it is a great rig and I use
mine all the time mostly on 6 and 2 meters.

73
Jim, W4KXY

It doesn't matter how beautiful your theory is, it doesn't matter how smart
you are.  If it doesn't agree with experiment, it's wrong.
Richard P. Feynman
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-vhf at w6yx.stanford.edu [mailto:owner-vhf at w6yx.stanford.edu] On
Behalf Of John Geiger
Sent: Wednesday, August 12, 2009 4:03 PM
To: vhfcontesting at contesting.com; vhf at w6yx.stanford.edu;
50mhz at mailman.qth.net; 6meter at yahoogroups.com
Subject: [VHF] Yaesu FT857/897 reliability

Have the current crop of Yaesu FT897D and FT857D (within the last 2 years or
so) had all of the problems worked out of them?  I know some of the early
models had problems with RF feedback changing the hidden menus, and an
incorrect bias affecting 6m audio, things like that.  Have these been fixed?
Are there any other recurring problems showing up in these radios-or other
things that affect the reliability of them?

Either one looks like it would make a great rover radio.

73s John AA5JG
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