Ft-8900

[KE4OSL]

Ok guys I have seen this posted before but it seemed kinda old so I figured I would try and see what people think now.

I am looking into getting a mobile rig and I'm a big fan of yaesu. I saw that they have the ft-8900r which has 6m and 10m and thought that maybe I should get it. Now I don't have much experience with 6m and due to my current license I can't use 10m. I would like to know if it is worth the money for me to get the radio to use on 6m and eventually on 10m even though it only permits fm operation. What are the odds that I will be able to DX from the truck using a diamon 8900 quad band antenna on 6m??? If the 6m isnt gonna be much use with a quad band antenna then I should probably not even spend the money for it.

Thanks in advance.

73, Kimon

[KC9EOG]

I would want an all mode rig for use on 6 and 10 Meters. Openings tend to be in SSB or CW as opposed to FM.

[KI4CBS]

For moblie operation like that, I'd say just get an icom 718 myself that's what I got. Most of the 6 and 10 meter bands aren't open most of the time anyways. I'd get an antenna and use 20,40 meters during the daytime and 75/80 at night and let it be. 2 meters isn't worth it as its mostly local and you need tones and mess and 6 and 10 are dead a majority of the time. The yaesu equivelent to a 718 is the ft-840 but the icom has a bigger display, and easy to understand operation. It's simple which would definitely come in handy on the road like that. Anyways, that's only my opinion to it and I checked things out for a long time before I got my 718. Cw is awesome to on it and being able to turn it down from 100 to .5 watts is a great thing AC to a battery in no time. 73's mike

[NH2BV]

I went through this exact decision a year ago. I had it narrowed down to the 8900 and the 8800. Because of limited 6M use and the fact the unit only transmitted FM on 10, I went for the savings of the 8800. I really wanted cross band repeat, and this radio (8800) has that as well as the 8900. I hope this helps.

NH2BV

[WA4QVZ]

I owned a FT-8900 for awhile, installed in one of my vehicles, (then recently replaced it with a FT-857D). I'd occasionally hear DX on 10 (29.6mhz simplex or 10 meter repeaters) on the 8900, but during the few months I owned my 8900 I didn't work any DX on 6. I was able to work through several local FM repeaters though. Being that we're at the low end of the 11-year sun spot cycle 10 and 6 meter DX is kinda rare; (although it does happen on occasion).

As for deciding between the 8800 and 8900, don't sell yourself short! Consider upgrading as soon as possible. Line-of-site communications is ok, but you'll want longer distance qso's sooner or later.

As for the 8900. It's a good rig. Keep the manual handy though. I've locked the damn thing up a time or two by accidently pushing the wrong button and found myself hunting around for the manual to clear it.

Which ever rig you choose, get the programming software from G4HFQ (www.g4hfq.com). It's far superior to other programming software.

Good luck!

Butch KF4HR

[KE4RWS]

I know this is an old post but I wanted to reply nonetheless . . .

I had two FT-8900's at one time. One was my base station, the other in my car. I too am a Technician licensee and have no desire to upgrade for HF operation so this was a good radio for me. It's true that most 6-meter contacts are on SSB but this is an issue that relates to where you live. At the time I oe=wned my 8900's I lived in an area that had several 6-meter repeaters, which as we all know are strictly FM. There were also several of us locally that would talk on 52.525 simplex, which was a lot of fun as well.

I think the decision to buy the 8900 vs. the 8800 really depends on how much you think you might use 6-meters FM. To determine this I would first ask (or listen on a scanner) if there are any 6-meter repeaters within a 50 or so mile radius from where you live. Of course, when conditions are right line of sight won't make any difference. I've made many a FM simplex contact when conditions permitted. But it is very true that SSB sees much more activity when the band is open. I would also ask around the amateur community to find out if anyone really uses 6-meters in your area. As in my case at the time, we had lots of simplex stuff happening. There's absolutely zero 6-meter activity where I now live, otherwise I'd still own my 8900's.

The FT-8900 is a feature-rich mobile and will require studying the manual to realize it's full potential. One such feature I really loved on the 8900 was cross band repeat. It was so great to be able to talk to folks across the country on 6-meters (when the band was open) using my small UHF portable with 50 mw output. Of course, cross band repeat also works great from UHF to VHF and visa-versa. That was truly a neat feature that came in handy many, many times http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

Putting an all-mode rig in your truck will be more costly but would be worth it if you can go the extra bucks for a better rig. It definitely opens up more potential for furture operating should you decide to upgrade your license for HF operation. That's where the 8900 falls short. It's an FM-only mobile that might as well no even have 10-meters because it too is FM-only. Unless your really into 29 MHz FM simplex or repeater operating that band is useless. Although popular with many, the vast majority of those on 10-meters are either SSB or CW operators (there's even many who enjoy AM operation, which the 8900 is capable of receiving by tuning the lower 29 MHz range and manually selecting AM - It ONLY trnsmits in FM though).

Since this is an old thread you've likely already purchased the radio of your choice. I wanted to reply though in case others who are considering a dilema like yours and are looking for someone elses input here.

The FT-8900R is a great rig that does an awful lot. It doesn't have SSB though so the 10-meter band is rendered virtually useless, which is a huge factor for some folks. But if the 8900 works for you as it did in my operating setup then it would make an excellent mobile or base station http://www.qrz.com/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif

The 8900 is already an awsome radio system, but imagine if it DID have SSB. This thing would be the bomb!!