Yaesu FT-818ND was real story

It was true story … Today, I found Yaesu formal release note in Akihabara Ham shop.

English article is below Japanese.

http://www.kawauchi.homeip.mydns.jp/jh0cjh/blog/2018/02/25/ft-818nd-debut/

Thanks - this ties in with what ML&S have said on their UK website. They expect stock in April 2018, so it looks like a global release.

Changes are minor - purely hardware upgrades to what is now available I suspect. By the way, there is already a thread on this topic here -

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I think we will come to need this thread - the original thread is galloping towards the cut-off number of posts!:smiley:

You beat me to the comment - the other thread is already over half way to closure…

Gigaparts has it listed on the front page, you can even reserve one.

https://www.gigaparts.com/yaesu-ft-818-transceiver.html

But why would anyone who owns one buy one?

Sell the old one get a new one for warranty?
John ve3ips

They wouldn’t.

I know some people are arranging councelling and therapy because they were expecting the second coming and it’s not happening. It’s (at this stage) a facelift.

To those people who feel cheated, just chill. The sun will rise again tomorrow morning.

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We had the net this morning and it was suggested a poll?

Now that it will cost several 100 euros in counselling does one contine to eat sushi, switch to chinese fried rice or indulge in california pizza kitchen?

Your diet will denote the radio you are buying at Dayton

I Will stick with the 817 ND and carry on with roast beef and Yorkshire Pudding Geoff

Good job I’n not going, then!

Perhaps they realised (because the 817 is just so fantastic) that in order to genuinely replace/upgrade the 817 with the things people actually wanted (10 watts, waterproof casing, improved RX filtering, 60m and 4m bands as standard etc), that they would have to price it (initially) at something like £1800. So they did the minor upgrade/renewal of components to keep the price attractive.

However, I would hazard a guess that they might have done better business overall, with an FT-818 that had all those widely-desired enhancements, even at 3X the price. Many more would have waited for the price to naturally drop, and most of us would have had one eventually some way or another. A bolder approach may well have netted many more £££s in the long run.

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I agree 100% that a full colour TFT screen would have been wrong on the FT-818. But Yaesu went for a bigger screen on the FT-891, so there seems to be some awareness on their part that the customer prefers a larger screen; not everyone is demanding full colour, waterfall etc. Of course price is an issue, but there are plenty of changes they could have made that would not have broken the bank. How about:

  • USB connector
  • i.f. out via SMA
  • PowerPole DC connector
  • speech compression
  • DSP
  • bigger LCD with better colours
  • NOAA weather RX
  • built in MCW

Things to leave out to offset cost of the above:

  • TCXO that only a handful of hams care about
  • new battery pack that no one needs

It is a bit equivocatory to keep focussing on the unrealistic nonsense some hams expected from this upgrade. I mean, not even a USB port? Come on! Yaesu had a golden opportunity to fan the flames of expectation and increase their sales. Instead, they have stamped out the fire with size 11 army boot.

    cheers Matt

It could be that Yaesu are still working on the FT-791 which would encompass - perhaps - the functions you list Tom, but in the meantime it was getting harder to get components to built the FT-817ND as it stood, hence a few component changes and we have the FT-818ND?

73 Ed.

There’s a Youtube presentation on what is known about the FT-818ND - you may agree or not agree with what the guys says:

73 Ed.

His next sales pitch is selling snow to Eskimos.

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Just spotted the FT-819 or FT-817000

Compton

Yes I agree, but as I said “one might not agree with what is said”.

It has to be clear by now, if someone has an FT-817 or FT-817ND there’s nothing gained apart from perhaps a new warrenty by buying an FT-818. But for those who are still carrying large heavy rigs to a summit, either something from Elecraft or a new FT-818ND or used FT-817ND is worth a look.

73 Ed.

already buy them over here stick with me 857 ta

karl

That’s fine Karl but it isn’t everybody that wants to cart an 857 to a summit 73 Geoff