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Problems With the Yaesu FT-817

Yaesu's FT-817 self-contained, battery-powered amateur transceiver is designed for wilderness backpacking and search-and-rescue work. Although it operates at a maximum power output of 5W -- the same as a hand-held -- it includes the long-distance friendly HF bands. The FT-817 operates on the 160-10 m HF bands, plus the 6 m, 2 m and 70 cm bands. Its operating modes include SSB, CW, AM, FM, Packet and SSB-based digital modes such as PSK31. The U.S. version has an "ND" designation, which means it also covers the 60 m band. Some problems have been reported with this radio.

Freezing and Anomalies
- This radio's varied user customizations can lend themselves to problems. Settings that have been changed from the factory defaults can be hard to see due to the miniature display panel and controls. However, many FT-817 settings can be reverted back to their factory defaults by following some specific power-on routines. This is particularly useful if you've "over-programmed" the radio and lost track of your customized settings, or if you've used it on a mission with confidential frequencies and the settings need to be wiped. Pressing "Home" and "Power" when the radio is off will perform a processor reset and clear the memory and menu settings. This will also undo any freezing that this radio sometimes experiences.
Receiving and Transmitting
- One of the main problems with this radio is that it works across multiple bands, but the supplied antenna doesn't. The FT-817 is shipped with an antenna that provides optimum performance on 50 MHz, 144 MHz and 430 MHz. It works well on FM broadcasts and VHF. However, if you are working with HF and/or 50 MHZ, you should use a dipole or collapsible vertical antenna. You can buy these antennas from ham radio supply stores. Vertex (Yaesu's manufacturer) sells tunable antennas that mount on a camera tripod.
Controls
- Backpacking-oriented radios are miniaturized, which is a problem. It means the controls need to have many functions, and there's a lack of real-estate on the fascia to fully label every function. Learn the front panel controls and switches if you're having problems operating the radio. For example, the "Sel" knob, which is the knob to the left of the display, is used for tuning, memory selection and the function selections for the "A," "B" and "C" buttons. The inner "AF" knob is on the bottom right of the fascia; it controls the receiver's audio volume. The outer ring on this knob is known as the "SQL/RF" knob. It adjusts the gain of the RF and IF stages.
Power Supply
- This radio will drain batteries fast when transmitting. There is an included AA battery tray, but this will become expensive to refill over and over. However, an optional Ni-Cad battery pack is available at an extra cost. Although this pack will cost more to purchase outright, it will save you money over time. The voltage is displayed when you turn the FT-817 on. It's on the top right corner of the display, and it remains illuminated for two seconds. If the radio doesn't turn on and you don't have the Ni-Cad pack, replace the batteries.

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