Hi, folks...
HOOoooooo-YAH!!!!!!
Just got a call today from HRO/Sunnyvale that my FT817 had arrived,
along with four others (*all* of which are reserved for other prepaid
customers.) HRO/Oakland, which handles the Pacificon orders, is
apparently still waiting for their big batch of rigs. Seems the 1st
batch is here in VERY limited quantities. Picked it up at lunchtime -
manual looks better than the initial documents posted here.
May do a battery pack using those Maha hi-capacity NiMH batts...
I am *GLAD* that the mike is a reasonably sized one and not something
that disappears into my palm (like an HT mike). I wish it had keypad
control (and DTMF!) of various rig features beyond mere Up/Down.
From the mic connector pinout, it doesn't appear that any control
"data" other than Up/Down/Fast (and of course T/R) can be sent to the
mic jack. (So a DTMF keypad mike will need a DTMF generator inside
of it.) Of course, possibility does exist (will investigate) that
control info might be transferred via varying voltage levels on some
of these Up/Down lines. [Several Yaesu mics send keystrokes to rig by
sending a unique voltage to represent a depressed key.] Possibly
this is a "hidden" feature: we'll see.
Rig's smaller than I thought. It is, in fact, "cute". Many mobile
2m FM rigs are larger!
Rig feels "built" and has a quality, fairly rugged feel. [But IMHO
doesn't feel quite as "in-your-face" rugged as my FT1500 or VX150.]
However it feels less flimsy/"plasticky" than FT90 or FT100. I wish
the battery door were more robust - it's plastic, and IMO should be a
stamped metal plate. It'll prob be OK with batteries in there though.
Besides the usual manual & papers, my 817 came w/ a mic, a DC cord
terminated with tinned wires, a shoulder strap, and a 3-section
"duck" antenna. Gotta figure out which section combos go with which
(6m/2m/70cm) bands.
Wish list (for the time being):
- a padded ballistic nylon carry bag designed for the rig,
similiar to those for the FT90/IC706/FT100, etc. - w/room
for a gel cell or a bunch of "D" rechargeables (and maybe
room for a little Emtech-style tuner too??)
- DTMF mike;
- Loaded whip (BNC) for 10M/12M use;
- PSK31 adapter for PalmPilot ;-) [fat chance!!]
-
Gonna play with it tonite, study the schematic and see what other
wonders may be hidden within...
73, Bill N6AOT
San Mateo, CA
wiese@...
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William M. Wiese Jr.
Staff Application Engineer
Philips Semiconductors
SIIG: Storage & Imaging Infrastructure Group
440 N. Wolfe Rd MS-79
Sunnyvale, CA 94088
408/991-2667
william.wiese@...
"The opinions expressed herein are mine entirely,
and are not necessarily representative of those
of my employer or my colleagues."
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