Yes, there are some shortcomings for the FT817/818, but I think the advantages make up for those. It is one of the ideal radios to use as a microwave transverter IF (on 144/432 MHz), and for years, was the rig that most microwavers used for an IF rig. The size is the big advantage. The other is the low power levels. Microwave transverters usually only need 0 to?+3 dBm of drive on transmit, and it's easy to attenuate the FT817 output to that level. The IC-705 is kind of taking over now for those who can afford it. (I can't at this time.) So I'll stick with the FT817 for now. The display size was easily corrected by me by just getting a pair of glasses or magnifying headset. I don't use internal batteries, so charging them isn't an issue for me. I have the menus pretty much set up the way I want them, so I just turn on the radio when I operate portable on microwave operations. I did have a problem develop once where the tuning somehow went into the "fast" mode, and the mic I had was not the one that was supposed to go with the FT817. It had no "FST" button. I had to open up the mic and momentarily short one of the leads to get it out of "FST" mode. But later I got the correct mic for the unit.
I also installed the W1GHZ spectrum monitor adaptor and put an SMA connector on the rear for the output for that.
I've been very happy with it for this use.
73., Zack W9SZ
I've been a member of this group since I bought an FT-817 from an SK estate maybe 8 years ago. I was curious about the radio's popularity and on paper it seemed a great value. Shortly after I started using the radio I found several issues with the radio: QRP wasn't really for me (I was struggling with compromise antennas and felt 100w would help), I wasn't a fan of the menu system, the internal battery charging procedure was fairly complicated, and the tiny display wasn't compatible with my middle-age eyes. I'll concede most of those issues could be addressed by spending money on various items (an amp, an ext CAT display, external batteries, etc), but I soon sold off the radio to someone better suited to the things the radio offered.
Time went on, the FT-817nd was cancelled, and soon Yaesu had released the FT-818. It retained all the issues I had with the original FT-817, but soon I found myself buying a new FT-818 - I thought maybe I was missing something, since the radio had come back. My second look at the FT-818 showed me nothing had changed, and soon my FT-818 found a new home.
Fast-forward to today. Now, having twice owned and twice sold my FT-817/818 radios, I would not be likely to buy a third FT-817/818, but the reports that Yaesu may not be repairing 20+ year-old FT-817 is going to have a serious impact on future potential buyers of this classic radio. (Has anyone reached out to John Kruk for a definitive answer to the FT-817 repair question and the availability of RF/Transistor boards for sale to do-it-yourself repairs?)
It used to be that new hams bought FT-817/818 radios based on price and capabilities (it got them on local repeaters AND hf, it included VHF/UHF antennas AND a power source), but today those new hams are snapping up Chinese radios at very low prices and are not really looking at the FT-817/818 family of radios.
Owner complaints can shape the resale market, and I would caution current owners to think hard about deciding to post their frustrations with the given situation regarding original FT-817 radios.
When Ten-Rec was sold to a new owner, and the new owner announced that in-house repairs were going to be made at market rates, not the previous discounted rates, people that previously bought and owned Ten-Tec radios started complaining far and wide about the new policy, convincing nearly every ham that Ten-Tec radios were 'unrepairable' and therefore should be avoided on the resale market... What made this even more amazing to me, was that prior to the company changing hands, the reputation Ten-Tec radios had was one of quality and the ease of home repairs since the designs used conventional parts! Owner complaints had changed the reputation of a quality, easy-to-fix line of radios into a pariah and something to be scoffed at when found on Hamfest tables.
Another example was the display issue on the Icom IC-7610. Shortly after releasing the radio, some owners found their displays were developing issues. It wasn't consistent across all radios, but it was becoming a fairly common issue. Owners started complaining about the failures publicly and repeatedly, and soon Icom (as I recall) isolated the issue to production issues at a supplier for some displays, but there was no easy correlation to serial number or manufacture date. Icom addressed the problem and has publicly stated that any IC-7610 displays that exhibit this issue will be replaced at no cost to the owner without time limits. Yet, today, a quick google of the IC-7610 turns up countless references to the display issue from several years ago. People today considering an IC-7610 still ask if the display problem continues, others won't even consider the radio because "there's a problem with the display"...
Then there's the Kenwood TS-590s (or was it the TS-590sg?) where the exhaust fans were installed backwards, or the brief run of TS-2000 that were 'dead' due to faulty filters from the factory. Both issues impacted a very small percentage of radios, both were easily overcome/repaired, but still those issues linger around those radios (TS-590 owners went so far as to devote a website to tracking the serial numbers of faulty radios as I recall).
My point is, internet postings are forever, and if everyone starts posting about the potential situation where original FT-817 radios are 'unrepairable' the market will become concerned about not only the 20+ year-old FT-817, but by association the FT-817nd and FT-818, and these fine radios will soon be avoided by hams that vaguely remember something they read about them being unfixable if they break...
At some point a 20+ year-old radio loses factory repair support, it's perfectly normal and everyone accepts it, but if we continue to dwell on the issue, we will soon find the prices on all these radios (FT-817, FT-817nd, and FT-818) dropping as our fellow hams start avoiding them at hamfests.
You may not be overly concerned about market value, but by driving down the reputation of the radio you start to lose peripheral suppliers as they move on to more active markets supporting the latest Chinese QRP radios.
The new reality is that the Original FT-817 may be EOL now, and if/when they start to fail, they may not be fixable. And if you feel the need to publicly complain about that possibility/probability go ahead, but I encourage you to be specific in your complaint and understand whatever you share on the internet will very likely be around for a very long time.
Anyway, those are my thoughts, sorry it sorta got away from me,
Ken, N2VIP
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