You have just a few days left to buy a FT-817ND and claim back the £40 rebate from Yaesu (I think ends 30th Sept 2016). So that would make it just £409.95
73 Andrew G4AFI
As an FT-817ND owner for a few years now, I highly recommend it. On the SSB side, the one addition, I made was an RF compressor board, which mounts in the Microphone. The one I have has doubled in price since I bought it as the company changed hands but there are other alternatives, including one which simply goes in the microphone lead. Bringing the average audio level up on a small QRP rig can be very effective. If you could find a good second hand one (as I did) they can be great value for money, however as Andrew G4AFI notes, if the Yaesu pay-back scheme is still active, you should be able to buy a new unit through Amazon and then apply to Yaesu UK to get your £40 back.
I wonder if any of the dealers have special prices at the National Hamfest next weekend?
Of course, if Yaesu do release an FT-791 and stop production of the FT-817ND there will be some bargains to be had. It’s a matter of how long you want to wait to see if this happens.
In your position, I’d buy the FT-817ND now - but that’s only my opinion.
73 Ed DD5LP.
I’m coming to that conclusion myself, for a number of reasons.
- If they bring an ft791 out it will probably be in the same league as the kx3 which is out of my price range and it’s only real direct opposition.
- The ft857 is not much different to my ts-480 it’s just lighter and similar priced so can’t really justify the purchase for such a similar rig for weight saving.
- The ft817 is very different to my ts-480 in weight, specs and is a dedicated /p rig.
- The ft817 is cheapest all mode SSB rig by a main manufacturer and can afford it before cash back ends.
- You lot can’t stop recommending it to me lol.
Only had 1 in stock so bought it before someone else did before cash back closure date of 30th September.
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Great choice Anthony you want be disappointed, I use an rf/hf clipper from DF4ZS cost about 60-70 euros.
73
Graeme
Good move! Don’t forget to buy a key too, so you can use the rigs most useful features 
QRP QSOs are easy!
73, Colin
Anthony, as the others say, you wont be disappointed.
Graeme - That’s the one I was referring to. Only when I bought it 4 years ago it was about €35 I think. Works well though, no question. I wonder if the new company owners also supply a free fitting service as DF4ZS himself used to?
Not sure why Colin has fitted a lock and needs a key HI.
73 Ed.
I’ve wanted to learn morse for years. I try the Koch method and can get to about 5 characters then either it gets too hard or I don’t keep the time up. It’s on my to do list but I don’t think I’ll get round to it yet.
Off topic comment, sorry.
If like most of us you struggle to do the practice on a strict timetable on your own then you will be forever falling by the wayside. You need a partner so you can egg each other on or, even better, you should go to a Club’s training course.
The hard bit is pushing yourself to turn up and do the practice and keep on with it. Those who travel by public transport to work have a great opportunity to use an app on their mobile phone to learn CW. I wasted my time reading the newspaper in the morning and technical papers on the way home.
73
Ron
VK3AFW
Don’t think any local clubs do Morse training. A friend or someone else learning it may help. Ill try to give it another shot sometime but use a mixture of Farnsworth and koch instead of just koch. I remember reading a topic on Morse on here a while back and it had a good idea I was going to follow up on. Ill have to search for it and find it again.
Essential in my view. Learn morse in tandem with a friend. Get together and compare notes regularly - the mutual support and friendly competition will soon have you both up to a decent standard. At least you don’t have the nerve-wracking test to look forward to nowadays!
Well done on purchasing the 817 - you won’t regret it. My first recommendation is to install some form of strain relief by way of a cable clamp on the power cable to avoid any issues with damage to the socket and PCB. Read up on the internet about any other issues, but generally you’ll find there are few.
FT-791 - could be change for the sake of change. Now ain’t that just life!
73, Gerald G4OIG
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I found that short, daily sessions using the website lcwo.net and the program Morserunner enabled me to get up to the ability to do contest type exchanges at 18-22wpm (call, report, some numbers/data). I cannot ragchew but don’t practice at it. My CW skills do me fine for SOTA.
In general, the advice is to do daily short periods of practice and you should see your speed improve in jumps and spurts. But you have to do a little every day without fail.
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My FT817 has a February 2001 date code, so far the power socket has been fine. I once fixed an FT817 (not mine) that was deaf, the centre pin from the SO-239 had become detached from the PCB. It’s important that the centre pin of the PL-259 hasn’t got any solder where it shouldn’t be.
Generally, as with all gear, treat the rig with care and it will give good service.
A 3S LiPo or LiFePo would also be a great addition, an FT817 doesn’t need a lot of voltage to produce 5 watts. A common misconception is that you can only run 2.5W from internal batteries or other low voltage source, this is incorrect. The rig will default to 2.5W when it detects a low input voltage but it is possible to override the default and set the power back to 5 watts. If the rig detects a low voltage, the power output indicator will flash whilst set to full output, whereas with high voltage, there will be no indication on the display.
73, Colin
I already have a 4200mah lifepo4 battery that would power my ts-480 so it will power the ft817 in its sleep.
My FT817 has arrived 
. Omg it’s so tiny!
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Tiny? LOL, I think they’re big!
An MTR is more my size 
Enjoy your new toy, welcome to the FT817 club!
Now you don’t have the TS-480 in your bag you can carry a huge amount of chocolate and cake instead
Or more antenna options. The ts-480 is huge compared to the ft817. I’ve saved around 3kg or more and loads of space. The detachable head if the Kenwood made it a pain to pack both parts and take em out again. I never trusted keeping the rig in the rucksack when operating it.
Ill have to try to master cw before I can use those tiny rigs.
Operating the rig in the backpack has been a mandatory requirement for quite a number of the activations that I have carried out. I learnt fairly early on that the 817 is not waterproof, so bear that in mind. At the time, the rig was in my backpack, but swirling wind and rain infiltrated for just a few seconds and that resulted in an expensive trip down to ML&S. Nowadays the 817 rarely comes out of the backpack (sun required, which is usually in short supply when I am activating) and it sits permanently ensconced in a plastic box along with the auto-ATU and battery housing.
Maybe the FT-791 will be better weatherproofed… then again, maybe not.
73, Gerald G4OIG