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Pros and Cons for keeping my FT 817ND
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Scott McDonald
¿ªÔÆÌåÓýHi Andrew. ?I share your inability to part with old friends.My 20 year old FT817 was retired for a while but later very happily repurposed as half of a pair of 817s for satellite work. And my KX3 has been at Elecraft for repair for 3 months so far with the end not yet in sight. If you had to have one spare 160 meter to 440 Swiss Army knife radio, it would be hard to have anything better than an old 817. 72 Scott ka9p Make something good happen! On Apr 4, 2022, at 12:50 PM, Andrew Bounds <abounds5@...> wrote:
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I've had two FT-817s for many years. I bought them when they first came out. I installed mech filters (500 Hz) in both and operated mostly CW. I carried at least one on business trips around the world (engineer on a global team) and found them to be really rugged and easy to get through security and customs of several countries. But, given new technologies I decided to sell both of them and they sold really fast. I lived with their pros and cons and never had blown finals. Now, I feel naked without those familiar radios. The replacement for both is an Icom IC-705. I wanted to get into more DSP, D-Star, frequency agility and a larger display. Also, I wanted to play with remote operation. Given all that I find that old habits die hard. Last week, I found myself working JAs on 15M CW just as I did with the 817s. I still use my little Palm Paddle for the keyer except its magnet won't stick to the plastic case of the '705. I haven't yet got into D-Star or portable operation. I haven't cancelled out of this group either. I'm not sure I did the right thing but I've moved on. |
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The 817 is still the best 2m and 70cm rig I own.? If only for that, I would keep it.? Batteries are a pain, but actually easier than most of my other HT which are more manufacture specific.? It can be powered externally, which is rare.? The HF performance has always been great, but limited by 5w.? Yeah, my 100w rigs go further, but if I had to carry a rig with me¡ ? Grab the 817. ? Bernard ke7feq? On Mon, Apr 4, 2022 at 12:34 Larry Ryan <llryan@...> wrote:
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Hi Larry,? Glad to hear your 817s also had their original finals! Well I think all of us have regrets about selling equipment, in my case, a yaesu FRG7 in original box, the best analogue receiver ever, oh well. But you still have your palm paddle, I missed ordering one before the factory ceased production.? Very exciting about JA's on 15m, I've got some antenna work ahead of me! Vy 73, Rick VE1RNM On Mon., Apr. 4, 2022, 5:26 p.m. Bernard Littau, <bernard.littau@...> wrote:
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I feel like a yo-yo.? I agree with one suggesting I sell and then another suggesting I should not get rid of my old friend. What I like about these older rigs is, to a degree, my familiarity with how they work.? My fingers just automatically reach out and push the right button. Still trying to get that relationship with my KX3.? I guess teaching an old dog new tricks is a little slower as we (I) age. Thanks to everyone who has responded even if you got rid of your 817 but can't seem to let go of this forum (grin). Andrew? On Mon, Apr 4, 2022 at 3:26 PM Bernard Littau <bernard.littau@...> wrote:
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¿ªÔÆÌåÓýSo Andrew, the commentary thus far has been from those who only activate on HF or maybe FM with their 2m HTs. Without a very expensive optional transverter the Elecraft radios don¡¯t do 2m (and definitely don¡¯t do 70cm) ¨C some may say they have their HT¡¯s, but there are no current HTs that I am aware of that do 2m SSB or CW. The use of 2m and higher bands for SSB/CW seems to vary significantly depending on where you are ¨C here in VK there is quite a bit of 2m SSB activity within a couple of hundred km of decent sized population centres (although in the deep outback of little if any use). When I was in the UK I noticed that there was quite a bit of activity on 2m and 70cm as well ¨C like anything it depends on what people are wanting to play with ¨C we have a number of very keen VHF and up activators amongst our local SOTA ops and as a result, lots of activity there. ? It truly is amazing what can be done with an 817 and a small 2 or 3 element collapsible yagi ¨C the numerous blog articles by VK1AD (VK1NAM) cover numerous SOTA activations and are but one example of what an activator can achieve. The 857 obviously gives better power out but at the expense of more weight and increased battery requirements. ? Many people have sold their 817¡¯s ¨C a large number have then realised they still want one and buy another one ¨C unless you need to sell, keep it unless you know you are not going to need its capabilities. ? ? Matt VK1MA ? From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of Andrew Bounds
Sent: Tuesday, 5 April 2022 3:50 AM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [ft817] Pros and Cons for keeping my FT 817ND ? Thanks Chip.? The key takeaway I found interesting from your comments was the one saying:? I can¡¯t see what operating capabilities you would lose sellin¡¯ the 817.And your right about 2 meters in the car and I have two handhelds covering two meters as well.? My biggest problem is that I, unfortunately, get attached to my equipment and find it difficult to give up.? I know I will sell the IC 718 but I'm not sure about the others.? ? Which is why I posted the?question.? Looking for reasons, like yours, to help push me in the right direction.? Thanks again for your input. ? Andrew KD5CQ ? |
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I use my FT-817ND mostly as an IF rig for VHF and microwave operation. I use it directly on 50, 144 and 432 MHz CW/SSB; as a 28 MHz IF for 222; as a 144 MHz IF for 902, 1296, 2304, 3456, 5760, 10368 and 47088 MHz; and as a 432 MHz IF for 24192 and 76032 MHz. Power levels to my transverters on transmit vary per unit; most want 0 dBm but some want other power levels., So I have to use attenuators, but the 0.5 watt position of the FT-817 gives a convenient level that doesn't waste too much power. I find its performance in these uses to be excellent. A lot of people are raving about the new IC-705 as a microwave IF rig. That one is out of my price range right now. Even if I did get one of those, I'd keep the FT-817. You can't find a much smaller rig. I did the W1GHZ panadaptor mod for the FT-817 and use it with a FUNCube Dongle. So I do have a spectrum display with the radio. There actually is an HT on the market that does all modes. I forget the brand or model number , though. It wasn't one of the Big Three. But I don't think I'd like the shape of it in IF radio use. It would be difficult to use mounted to a base somewhere and I wouldn't want to use it handheld with several cables going from it. I use a wire from the TX GND on the ACC jack to key my transverters. 73, Zack W9SZ On Tue, Apr 5, 2022 at 3:37 AM VK1MA Matt <doormatt@...> wrote:
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Joe W4HH NAQCC #3938
My wife is a hand quilter.? That is, according to her and a few of her associates, if a machine has touched it, it's not a quilt.? EVERY SINGLE piece of fabric is cut by hand.? EVERY SINGLE stitch is put in by hand -- piecing, binding, and quilting -- which is why our home hobby room is dominated by three -- not 1, not 2, but THREE -- maple quilting frames each with a quilt installed currently undergoing quilting.? They gather 2-3 days a week to stitch and bitch.
In the world of hand quilters, the one who dies with the most fabric wins.? My wife may not yet be in the Fabric Championship Game, but she damn well is in the Final Four. Hope this helps. -- -------- Joe W4HH |
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My grandmother use to have quilting get to-gathers.? Her and a few women would meet and quilt every year.? I have one she made around 1960. She being not so financially well off, lived on a farm for over 50 years, used whatever pieces of fabric she could get, no fancy designs, just basic material.? She did make a good quilt that was nice to have during the cold months. 73, ron, n9ee/r Ron Wright, N9EE/R Hernando Co ARES EC BSEE Micro Computer Concepts Spring Hill, Florida 146.64 repeater, 1100 ft HAAT 352-835-5610 also n9ee55@...
On Wednesday, April 6, 2022, 07:58:46 PM EDT, Joe W4HH NAQCC #3938 <lecontejoe@...> wrote:
My wife is a hand quilter.? That is, according to her and a few of her associates, if a machine has touched it, it's not a quilt.? EVERY SINGLE piece of fabric is cut by hand.? EVERY SINGLE stitch is put in by hand -- piecing, binding, and quilting -- which is why our home hobby room is dominated by three -- not 1, not 2, but THREE -- maple quilting frames each with a quilt installed currently undergoing quilting.? They gather 2-3 days a week to stitch and bitch. In the world of hand quilters, the one who dies with the most fabric wins.? My wife may not yet be in the Fabric Championship Game, but she damn well is in the Final Four. Hope this helps. -- -------- Joe W4HH |
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I had a KX3 and sold that, I still have an FT-817ND. The price difference meant I could achieve my next purchase more easily by selling the KX3. My main gripe with the KX3 with the poor speaker volume, I like to remain unencumbered by headphones where possible on a summit. I could never understand why Elecraft hadn't addressed the issue, it must be a very easy fix. So a pro for the FT-817 has to be the great speaker and ample volume. The sound that sometimes comes out that little speaker is nothing short than amazing at times. I have an ICOM 705 now - a truly amazing rig. However, on a recent trip to Austria, knowing that I would potentially be operating in the mountains and harsh conditions I took the FT-817. Regards, Mark. On Thu, 7 Apr 2022 at 01:45, Ron Wright via <lt_wright_flg=[email protected]> wrote:
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Joe -
My wife is NOT a hand-quilter. She uses machines to cut (AccuQuilt), sew (BabyLock and Janome) and quilt (a BabyLock mid-arm Tiara--fortunately not a long-arm yet). She describes herself as more of a "piecer", as she loves to assemble the quilts, and is less fond of the actual quilting. Of course, her use of machines has meant that we've spent more on her hobby in the past few years than on mine. And I can assure you that there are a lot more in the Championship than hand-quilters. She may not be in the Final Four, but she's ranked somewhere in the brackets! Steve W3HF |
Mark Wickens M0NOM #admin