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FT-817ND power takes time to reach 5 Watts after powering on

 

Hello,
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My FT-817ND (bought new in 2004) takes some time to reach 5 Watts after first powering on.?
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Example: apply 12V external supply, power on rig, key down on 28.060 MHz CW.? Power is initially about 3.5-4 Watts, and current draw is about 1.6-1.7 Amps.? Keep keying down.? Current draw drifts up and power output drifts up.? After about 5-10 seconds, the rig reaches 5 Watts output at 2 Amps.? Thereafter, the rig puts out 5 Watts as long as the rig is kept powered on.
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I observe this more pronounced on a few bands, e.g. 30m and 10m.?
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If I give the rig 13.8V, the time to reach the 5 Watts output after power-on is shorter.?
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If I turn the rig on, leave it on in receive mode for a several minutes, and then key down on 28.060 CW, I get the 5 Watts at 2 Amps immediately.?
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Is this normal behavior for this rig, or is it a sign that something is aging and should be replaced??
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73
Mike N9OHW?
 

Hi Mike!

This is definitely a sign that something in the radio is getting worn out and likely will need to be replaced soon.? Based solely on the observations you've had, my initial suspect is a capacitor that is wearing out.? There was a pretty big problem with them between the late 90's and about 2007.? You can google "The capacitor plague" to read up more on that.
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If you have someone in your local club who can do some basic radio repair, it would be probably be worth it to have them take a look.? Replacing capacitors is a pretty straightforward process but can be a bit difficult in a radio this small just because everything is close together.? However a package of capacitors will run you <$30 and maybe a couple hours of your time compared to buying a new radio.
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Good luck with it!
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Ryan
NE1AM
 

You might try doing the pa install tuning. There are 2 pots on the pa board where using inline Amp meter with pa an?adjust each pot for proper current. Must do separate for each pot.?

73 Ron n9ee




On Tuesday, April 1, 2025, 2:04 PM, NE1AM - Ryan via groups.io <ryan.ruby@...> wrote:

Hi Mike!

This is definitely a sign that something in the radio is getting worn out and likely will need to be replaced soon.? Based solely on the observations you've had, my initial suspect is a capacitor that is wearing out.? There was a pretty big problem with them between the late 90's and about 2007.? You can google "The capacitor plague" to read up more on that.
?
If you have someone in your local club who can do some basic radio repair, it would be probably be worth it to have them take a look.? Replacing capacitors is a pretty straightforward process but can be a bit difficult in a radio this small just because everything is close together.? However a package of capacitors will run you <$30 and maybe a couple hours of your time compared to buying a new radio.
?
Good luck with it!
?
Ryan
NE1AM

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