Awesome !?
I have abt? 4 or? 5?? VX6Rs.
What a great piece of RF test gear.
I can actually feed a? GE mastr II rcvr? with RF from teh VX6? directly?? using the 10mW?? TX level? and? tune the? rcvr .
Great? exciter to test? 100W? PAs? on vhf and uhf.
Wish they built it to? accept larger batteries.
I usually carry a pair of them with my Ft817 in my radio go bag.
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Many years ago I built the famous Motorola AN-762 amp that puts out 100 watts with 5 watts drive on HF through 30 MHz. I get full power out of it driving it with the FT-817 except on 10 meters, where I get maybe 50 watts out. I have also had a VX-6R for
many years. It is the best handheld I have owned. I use the receiver function for AM on medium wave and shortwave stations, and the FM reception in the 162 MHz weather band and the commercial FM band. And my home town has a 222 MHz repeater. I get to use the
VX6R on it when I'm there.
Zack W9SZ
On Fri, May 2, 2025 at 9:31?AM peter oesterle via
<phoesterle=
[email protected]> wrote:
I am on board with Zack. I have plenty of? FT817s?? to use as? IFs? or? TX? drivers? , or whatever.? They are still great for a? multitude of? ham and? non ham operations. Money is spent already.?? Its a known product? ,? legacy? RF architecture, and? draws?
little? current ,? so it can be? used in the field for a long time.
I have someone? working on carbon fibre covers? for the radio ,? to make it even more? field? friendly.
Also have a chinese?? 45W? minipA?? for it ,?? that can use its own power supply.
Its still one of the best all around?? radios to throw in a pack?? and go into the filed with.
Yaesu should have kept with the FT817?? model? ,? as there? is still demand for it.
? They still make the? VX6R? HT.? which is?? probably one of the most versatile HTs? out there today.
Seems that since Yaesu shed the? Vertex?? division,?? they went all out digital radio crazy.
I'll keep lookimng for the? older stuff.??
I also have afew FT100s. Neat radio,? gives me? 100W all mode on? HF and? 6m? for very little space in the car.
Full freq? coverage ,?? even 70 mhz .? Neat radio .
FT857 is? more ergonomically friendly?? than the FT100.?
Its tough to beat the? antenna port ? flexibility that the FT817 offers , allowing you to use a 2m? 5/8 wave? vertical for? 6m as well.
Keep an Ft857 or Ft100 in teh car .? and? carry the FT817
;)
73? pete? ve3hoh/w3
I am not going to spend anywhere near that amount for a radio now. I have been perfectly happy with the FT817ND, mainly used as a 144 and 432 MHz IF rig for microwave transverters. There are a few bells and whistles it lacks, but in my usage I don't need
them. I added the W1GHZ Panadapter mod and now I have figured out how to use a Raspberry Pi for the spectrum monitor using an RTL-SDR dongle. It's small and draws about 1/10 the current that my laptop does. That's important during portable operations using
batteries.
I also have an FT857D, which does have the DSP functions that the FT817 lacks.
Zack W9SZ
MSRP US looks like $1,700 for QRP 'Field' radio, $2,400 for 100 watt 'Optima' radio w/amp.
Ken, N2VIP
