FT817 to LDG cat lead?

Equipment
1

Dug out my old LDG Z100 to use with my FT817 and End Fed LW. I do not have a control lead for the Z100 to FT817 so its all mic and button presses to tune :slight_smile: . I note that the Z817 comes with a cat lead and the Z817 looks like a qrp version of the Z100 so am wondering if the lead supplied with the Z817 will work. Anybody tried this firstly, and secondly anyone know an aftermarket supplier of the leads as none appear on LDG’s own website.

73

Declan

2

Hi Declan

Try this company Technofix.uk. Send them an e-mail to discuss your problem.

https://shop.technofix.uk/radio-brands/for-yaesu/cable-for-yaesu-fc-20-fc-30-atu-8-pin-mini-din-male-to-8-pin-mini-din-male-1-5m-long

73 de Allan GW4VPX

3

Declan,
If your Z100 is anything like the newer Z100Plus - the control uses a 1/8" plug 3 conductor interface.
https://ldgelectronics.com/index.php/products/accessories/cables/

However, that does not interface to the ACC DIN jack on the FT-817. The Z817 does use the DIN interface as you noted and unless you are using an amplifier is a pretty nice tuner - though not as wide range as the Z100/Z100Plus.

If you can find the pin-outs for the Z100 you could probably make a cable.

Good Luck & 73,
Howard

4

Heard it said by a couple ft817 ops using those LDG tuners that they blew the final while the tuner was searching for the best match. I like the You Kits YK1 parallel tuner You can manually centre the capacitor then find the highest band noise with the selection of inductance then set the lowest swr on the rigs meter.
Ian vk5cz.

5

For that reason I use a lower power level for tuning. The tuneup dongle (sotabeams offers one) does that nicely, I set it to use AM for tuneup. At half power the final is much more able to tolerate mismatched loads.

Manual tuners may be better than the automated type too… tune by ear first then usually it isn’t throwing a zillion reactive ohms at the radio.

2 Likes
6

I usually tune with my fingers when using a manual tuner. Not dexterous enough to do it by other appendages. (My left foot is reserved for sending CW).

73
Ron
VK3AFW

2 Likes
7

Hmm, the play by ear people say it that’s hard too, especially on a piano.

8

Thanks for the advice everybody. Actually I found an even more useful bit of kit on the sotabeams.co.uk website, the Click2Tune Dongle for the FT817 which as well as making things much more convenient will by reducing the power output on tune (in AM mode) prevent the blown finals warned about in this thread.

73

Declan