As you say, a joke, though the batteries supplied with the early model were even worse. However, you can put eight 2500 mAh NiMH batteries in the battery box that is supplied with the rig, and if you cut and tape the green lead to the battery box then you can even recharge the batteries in the rig with the supplied charger. This is enough power for a couple of hours of normal operation. In my opinion this is a better option than an external battery as the power socket at the back of the rig can become intermittent with frequent use and it is not an easy job to replace it, so wear and tear on the socket will be reduced by taking the individual cells out and charging them in an external charger between activations.
JP3PPL described the 817 as âthe âVictorinoxâ of radiosâ and this is very true, it can be used as a signal generator, you can use it to track down the sources of local interference, it can be used as a driver for microwaves, it is a very useful little box to have in the shack - and considering the small size of the speaker it performs creditably on the broadcast bands for getting weather forecasts and entertainment in the tent at the end of a long day of SOTAing!
FT817 is a very good choice. All of my activations are SSB or FM. I made my first 500 activations with an FT817 and almost from the start used an external LiFePO4 battery. Carried simple 20m and 40m resonant inverted-V dipoles and a handheld (VX7) for back-up. Also used 6m, 10m and 12m resonant dipoles for the âchallengesâ but not many QSOs resulted.
More recently I bought a KX2. Eyewatering price but I do like the inbuilt ATU. The 3 cell LiFePO4 battery often gives a low voltage warning from the KX2 so I have a 3 cell Lipoly and can use the LiFePO4 as back-up, which is rarely needed.
Bizarrely I often take both the KX2 and the FT817 on activations, just for back-up! I have had a few problems with the KX2, microphone faults(?) so I now also carry a spare mike for the KX2. The FT817 is still working perfectly. For SSB on HF the 5watts output of the FT817 seems to work OK. For the price I recommend the FT817.
I have a PLB for safety. This would be just for SOTA activations. Some of the mountains Iâm on are probably pretty lean for 2m and 70cm activations due to the landscape and other summits in the area.
Thanks for all the info, everyone! Iâm less than two weeks in and am thoroughly enjoying the hobby. Originally my ticket was obtained specifically to be able to do SAR work with the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club, but as I get into it more and more, Iâm becoming intrigued with all the intricacies of the hobby. Looking forward to attending some club meetings and learning more.
My FT817 is 18.5 years old - itâs had the PA board replaced due to failure of the devices whilst the unit was switched off and charging the internal battery. Apart from that well known, and long corrected issue, the radio has performed beautifully. The VFO knob is very shiny now but despite the high cost (ÂŁ799!), I think Iâve had my moneyâs worth. I use my rig with an external 3S Lipo and I havenât had any issue at all with the power socket. I must admit that my radio has been treated like a baby from day one though, but it has good mountain climbing credentials!
Had my FT817 on the air from the Yorkshire Dales shack this evening.
I have two of them. I have worked ssb from Australia to Germany on 20m ssb without compressor or amplifier. And on cw many contacts into europe. But that was in better propagation conditions. Even in current poor conditions i have found 5w is quite sufficient to qualify SOTA summits within VK/ZL and generally have very successful contacts on almost every band the radio can do, plus i have transverters for higher bands that the 817 is ideal for as an IF radio.
I do have other radios at similar power levels and they are often my preferred radios for certain types of operation. But as a first multi band/mode radio for SOTA use it certainly is hard to beat at second hand prices. Both of mine were bought second hand.
If money is no object, other options will become available. Like in every other aspect of life. But there is no âbestâ radio because every operator is different and their preferences are different.
The ft817/818 It is a very good choice as a SOTA radio.
I use the FT817ND but there is no need for an ATU or LDG baluns. You can make your own resonant aerials or an EFHW much more cheaply. I wouldnât recommend the 10m mast for SOTA as it is too heavy and cumbersome. I have used a very lightweight 4m fishing pole for HF with great success. I also use normal AA NiMH cells.
G4TGC, sure, the important thing here is to operate as each of us feels comfortable doing it.
The 10 mt mast from Sotabeams is about 1.3 kg in weight, I use a small tripod bag that allows me to carry in a very comfortable way in my shoulder or back or attached to the radio bag. When folded is only 67 cms long (26.4 inches). In my personal case it allows me to use linked dipoles, endfeds, and other wire antennas in different configurations with lots of versatility. I can even mount an arrow II antenna for 2m SSB in the first sections of the mast. This mast allows me to setup a wire antenna almost anywhere, I have summits with trees and summits with absolutely nothing to mount antennas from.
I donât use the T1 tuner and baluns all of the time, it is part of the arsenal and is there when I need it.
The WHOLE station including, radio tuner, 3000mAmp LiPo battery wire antennas (several), baluns (3), coaxial adapters, 5m RG8 mini coax, coax jumpers, paracord, pegs fits in a waist bag and weights no more than 5 kg in total.
As I said before, the important thing here is that everyone operates in the way that he feels confortable doing it.
Hola Ruben. Estoy ahorrando para dentro de un futuro algo lejano, comprar un 817/818 y en varios sitios vi como muchos usan la bateria Windcamp 3000mA. CuĂĄl es tu opiniĂłn con respecto a la misma?
73, JP3PPL
Esta baterĂa me ha funcionado MUY MUY bien en el FT817ND, tengo varios años con ella (al menos 3 años) y aun me funciona muy bien para operaciones de 3 o 4 horas de transmisiĂłn/recepciĂłn. Tengo dos, una instalada y la otra en la maleta, NUNCA he tenido que cambiar de baterĂa en campo. Te la recomiendo mucho.
Solo un tip, cĂłmprala en ebay, pero NO la compres al vendedor ârfpartsâ, cĂłmprala con el vendedor âwindcampâ, tuve malas experiencias con el vendedor ârfpartsâ, me mandĂł una baterĂa dañada del control de carga y no me la reemplazĂł, me envĂo el controlador equivocado y sin instruccionesâŠ
