Spring maybe. Hamlife.jp
Ahoi
Pom
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28 MHz IF poses problems with the 3rd harmonic being too close to the input signal, requiring extra lowpass filters for microwave transverters. I wouldnāt trade in my transverter for QO-100 with 432 MHz IF input.
73 Jens
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For my 2400 transverter, I use my FT-891 with a 432 MHz transverter from Transverters-store. The transverter itself has a good value for money and the housing seems rugged enough that I would take it up a summit for an activation. I thought about getting a 144 MHz version as an alternative to my FT-817, since the FT-891 and one (or 2) of these transverters still have a reasonable volume and weight to carry in a backpack. However, since the war aka āspecial operationā started, they are out of business.
I have not investigted about alternative VHF/UHF transverters yet and just hope that my FT-817 which I bought in 2001 still lasts for a while.
73 Jens
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The marketing from MLS is powerful! So tempting to āinvestā in an 818 - and possible one of those tunersā¦
However, my decision is to āstand firmā. Look after my 817, continue to use my homemade resonant HF portable antennas (which outperform the multiband options I have both in terms of QSO numbers of quality of DX) and patiently wait to see what happens with the portable rig production in the future.
It is remarkable that quarter-century-old design is still the best option (for us lot at least). I am excited and optimistic to think about what might follow in due course though.
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Buy one, leave it in the box Tom. Itās there if you need it and in some years time you can sell if you never use it. Or buy a spare 817. I had a look and there were a few for sale over Christmas for around Ā£350-400. Hell there must be a gazillion of them never used, never taken portable etc. because their owners found general purpose QRP SSB just too hard. Itās POTA/SOTA/WWFF that make people work to work our QRP signals. Thereās probably a fraction of the number of K2s available second hand because you had to build them and second hand kits are a pig in a poke. And even fewer second hand KX2s because they were so damned expensive to begin with!
As I said I had forgotten about the IC-905. I had said I was going to buy a KX2 and a 705 ābecause Iām worth itā and efforts are ongoing that direction. But I have decided that Iāll buy a 905 rather than 705 once available. What made be suddenly slacken my sporran-strings was the fact that in the last 3 years too many friends have gone SK or are seriously ill now. Time to spend and enjoy.
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Always carry a brick and an RF module instead of only one brick for 2 m / 70 cm operation? Naa!
Itās already figured. 905 plus simple antennas for 23, 13 and 6cms and my QCX for 30m with a dipole. I can work all my uWave friends around the 250-500km range from a summit and fill in the need for CW with the QCX.
If youāre only doing 2/70 then I agree.
If youāre doing several different GHz bands on an activation then it starts to make sense having it all in two boxes.
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Does nobody do CW on 6cm? 
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Here is the result of a poll to my question: Is the FT-817/8 a cw trx without the not available filter?
73 Chris
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The FT817/818 has an IF shift function that can be used to provide a narrower bandwidth without the need for another filter. Itās not as good but itās quite useful - and comes for free.
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Who are these 0.0001% HAMs who do CW on 6cm and cannot use ic-705? (itās a joke)
The other day, I received a notice of discontinuation of sales in Japan.
It is surprising that we have been able to produce for more than 20 years while the parts change with the times.
Itās just my imagination, but I donāt think there will be a successor device.
I think the origin of ft817/8 is because Yaesu acquired Standard. At the time, Standard was making mobile equipment for the v/u bands. Therefore, I think we are good at miniaturizing equipment. The ft-817 and vx3 are the combination of the two companiesā strengths.
However, people from Standard have already retired,
You can understand it by looking at Yaesuās latest handy radio.
In the future, I think it will be difficult for a robust and compact all-band machine like the ft817 to emerge.
I would like to treat my ft817 with care.
Yoshi 73
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The VX3 remains my favourite Yaesu handy. An amazing radio. As you rightly say, more recent ones are not that great in many respects.
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Funny you mention that model as I took mine out on a pair of activations yesterday just to see how far 1.5w would reach (most of my work was otherwise on HF). With a Signal Stick antenna, it did reasonably well and I could have successfully activated both summits with it alone.
It might make a good option for when the hike is long and HF is the primary intent.
Chris
Some examples:
On the main board, the part from lots 1-75 is discontinued but the one from 76+ is still in production:
The relays on the PA unit have also changed several times throughout the life of the FT817 according to the tech supplement I have.
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Thanks for the details.
I admire Yaesuās technical spirit that has maintained the specifications.
Now is the era of discrete to SDR.
In Japan, it is said that an era has come to an end.
73 Arigato
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The discontinuation ends the FT-8xx series of transceivers that covered 160m to 70cm that I have had in my collection for quite a while.
The 817 was purchased in 2007 before my very first activation on Ben More (GM/SS-001) where I naively activated and qualified it on FM with the supplied ārubber duckā aerial and internal batteries. All subsequent activations were VHF with me adding ssb with far better aerials. When Iām able to get out its still the rig I use.
2008 found me planning a European trip in a campervan to Germany and Switzerland. SOTA bug still hadnāt taken to the extent it did but still I felt I needed HF and bit more power. Hence the FT-897. Carrying that, with its internal battery and a separate SLA battery soon got me to realise that it was very impractical for the type of summits I would eventually get to do. The experience had me revert to the 817 and experiments with separate amplifiers.
Even though Iāve been tempted by the more āmodernā, portable transceivers Iāve been more than happy with a 817. It has ātravelled the worldā with me and has survived all the abuse Iāve given it. I wouldāve been far more concerned about damaging an expensive unit.
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I checked at several shops in Akihabara Tokyo yesterday and the answers are as follows.
Shop A: I hear of the news and FT-818ND here is sold out, but we have some stocks in the backyard.
Shop B: ROG of today is the last stock.
Shop C: Only āSold Out!ā without a floor sample.
I have used FT-817 since its launch in 2000, and the discontinuity of FT-818ND is shocking to me.
Jun JI1TLL
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As we come up to ARRL VHF/UHF (and microwave) contest weekend, I have yet another reason to be amazed by the 817/818.
Here I was thinking I would bring my 705 up to the summit to enjoy the benefits of a waterfall during the contestā¦.
It never occurred to me Icom didnāt consider transverters when designing the 705 and failed to put a hard keying output on the rig to key transverters and preamps! Iām not sure I want to torture my sg-labs transverters with Vox operation.
The need for a hard keying output for transverters and preamps was recognized in the design of the 817/818 20 years ago!
I donāt know of any other portable rig with 2m and 70cm all mode output that has hard keying output.
Looks like I will bring my old friend up again. That rig fits many special needs.
Tom, N2YTF
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