FT-817: 3 mods will make this legendary radio great again! 

It's a pitty, really!

Great, thanks for watching! The FT-710 is a fantastic rig, one of my favorits, especially the price vs quality aspect :) And the FT-817/818 is still available at the ralies etc. Have fun! 73! Linas LY2H

Excellent! Thanks for sharing this Michael! It seems, like there is strong, and growing, community of fans of this time-proven little radio! 73! Linas LY2H

I have also the 300 Hz Collins filter so can comment on that. The sound with the 300 Hz filter is excellent - no ringing and no problem tuning around. I keep it engaged all the time. I have read somewhere that people who use digital modes prefer 500 Hz.@@goinghomesomeday1

Cool set-up you've got! CU on the bands! 73! Linas LY2H

Thanks for watching! Yes, the new Lithium battery is a "must-do" thing. Good luck! 73! Linas LY2H

Thanks for sharing your mods Bill! Your One-crystal CW filter mod sounds very interesting! Would you consider to share more technical details on it? It could be attractive for many people , having in mind the current deficit ( and price) of original YF-122 series or Inrad filters. So far, I only knew about a filter-replacement idea reviewed in an excellent article by Thomas K4SWL in his Qrper.com blog. Please let us know if you have already an article on your mod published somewhere! 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H Hi Linas, It was an xtal I bought over 40 years ago and never did anything with it, I don't know if that frequency can be obtained now as I can't find any. I didn't like the price of the available filters. I put a short video on YT but I took it off as it wasn't very good and intended doing another. I'll have to remember how I did it. It always went to G4GHB Bushcraft first. There is a photo of it inside the 817 and a short article in Practical Wireless, December 2019. 73, G4GHB.

@@bill-2018 Thanks for replying Bill. I'd love to see that video! I'll try to find the PW too. 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H Yes okay, I'll try to remember what I did to upload one again.

Very nice, tailor-made mods! 73! Linas LY2H

Yes a very nice, versatile little rig! I should clarify though that I have the 818, as I'm not sure the earlier models also have the higher charging capacity capability for charging Eneloop cells internally. I was also lucky enough to snag a couple of the filters for it for CW and SSB from Japan. That, and I have the wincamp pterosaur face side guards and folding legs installed. 73

Thanks for your comment! The same is here with the eye-sight, so the reading glasses is my best friend! And the big magnifying glass on top of the reading glasses when I need to solder something smd ... Well , but, on the other hand, the letters on my big-screen iPhone are still some 2 times smaller than the signs on my tiny FT-817 display :) So, not much choice- either we use spectacles, or we get a surgery, or both :) In any way, we stick to the hobby, right? 73! Linas LY2H

@@Linas_LY2H Lol! I have a pair of reading glasses everywhere I park my ass! Although I'm not a big fan of QRP, I still love my FT817ND!

Thanks, ačiū for watching! There is a variety of 45-50W amps on the market, they will pop-up if searched for. I, personnaly like the MiNiPA-50 and the MicroPA-50, these two are the ones I actually have :). The Mini was originally designed to use specifically with the FT-817, mainly because of possibillity to automatically follow the bands switch on the radio via the ACC cable. It's a nice tiny PA , fine for light use in SSB mode. For more havy CW use, it takes a heatsink mod. One if the ways hiw to do it is elsewhere on my channel. The MicroPA-50 ( and MicroPA-50+ since recently) is more sofisticated , full of protective features PA, also automatic band detection/switching based on RF sensor etc. With the latest firmware installed, it has got most of the bugs fixed and is my favorite at the moment. It goes nicely together with most other QRP rigs too, like KX2, IC-705 etc. I have yet to test it in a more harsh field conditions when the wx conditions get back to decent :). HTH, 73! Linas LY2H

Thank you for this information! It seems to me it's a mechanical problem, not the electronics conflict, as the dsp unit is designed for the low-level audio path. I've just red this on their website: "Unlike the previous NEDP1061-KBD DSP nosie cancelling module, this new direct replacement will only fit in the front position of the Yaesu FT-817/818. If you have extra filters installed in your FT-817/818 then you cannot fit the NEDSP1901-KBD module inside your radio. In this case might consider the new compact NES10-2MK4 DSP noise cancelling speaker." Sounds a bit weird. I thought the replacement is of similar size to the old one. As I don't have the new unit myself, so it would be interesting to know what other fellows think about it, is there a trick still, probably, on how to fit it in? 73! Linas LY2H

I'm sure Yaesu is listening ! May be they will come up with something new, digital, small, good and cheap. Let's hope for this! 73! Linas LY2H

Fantastic, thanks for sharing your experience! 72! Linas LY2H

Well, its a bit of a tough road to hoe to get the g90 on 2M or 70cm SSB.. So, while the G90 has a few nice features, its missing the features i bought the 817/818 's for. As it stands now, there are no "small" multimode VHF/UHF rigs that were in the price range of those radios when they were discontinued.

@@arnoldgrubbs2005 Not really....For what you pay for the G90 you can get a Transverter for vhf-uhf and still have spare money.

@@charlieoscar09 Could you please share brand name for Transverter which sufficient on transmit. BTW, G90 firmware is still buggy and that is why I sold it =)

I would rather have a 817 any day over a Xiegu.

@@charlieoscar09 Humm.. you can buy 2 transverters for under $200? thats good. I paid about $650 for my 817 when I got it new about the 2nd year they were out. Got a 2nd one as a repack (guess thats called B stock now) a few years later for $525. Still have them both. I use them for portable satellite communications. I think that they would still be selling well now, if not for the semiconductors no longer in production.