Yaesu FT-891 Initial Impressions from an Outdoor Ham Radio Operator

Well that's a bit concerning - then again we always fight interference with one another on Field Day!

 

Great Effort!!!!!
K7ewe

 

I do feel this could have been added without adding any weight or bulk to the radio. Not a deal breaker for me though. Too easy to add a small KF5INZ Easy Digi to the setup. The radio will also do digital modes with a CT-39A cable & no sound card using VOX.

 

There is a way around this, instead of doing a band change - scroll through the VFO in large increments using the menu knob and your settings will be saved, a bit annoying - I hope this is fixed in a future firmware update.

 

Well, two verticals within 15 yards of one another was probably the culprit, too... but I do find this radio "gets into" the cheap Chinese electronics in the building at my workplace more than my previous radio.

 

It's not a matter of "the setting changed or something stored is no longer stored"... it's a matter of the radio actually needing a different setting depending on band and VSWR to operate properly....

 

Is that operating into a radiating antenna or a dummy load?

 

My observation is on a Radiating antenna ... a resonant antenna at that...with very acceptable VSWR between 1.1 and 1.3:1 (not 3:1) or so as measured by internal SWR meter.
Mostly I notice this to be an SSB issue, where ALC action was very different from band to band and mic gain requiring resetting from band to band to get proper ALC action.
On 40M, my mic gain can be set to 25... but up on 20 or 17 meters, the mic gain needs to be changed to approx 35 to get proper ALC 1/4 scale deflection.
In all cases, the antennas are resonant.

 

I bought an FT-891, thinking that it would be a great little 100w HF rig. I even wrote a CAT program for it (I've since turned that project over to somebody else).

After using this rig for awhile, several things became (to me) very annoying. The biggest deal killers for me are the dumbed-down interface - i.e. no easy way to switch between USB & LSB. Terrible mode & band switching in general. And, even with the latest firmware the rig does not remember many settings from band to band as it should.

I went back to my trusty FT-817nd/amplifier combo.

 

What a great video, now i want a yaesu. LOL
Thanks for the vid Johnny..

 

Can u show me what it is like on cw. Any speed < 30wmp?

 

Yes! Stay tuned for a future video...

 

IMO. while not a deal breaker, the band/mode change is annoying. I guess you have to keep in mind this was for a mobile environment where there is not a lot of that changing going on.

 

I am loving this radio. I too was concerned about the band change difficulties if using the radio mobile but now I use the five QMB memories where I can set the frequency and settings on whatever band I choose. Using the QMB memories make this one of the easiest mobile radios I have ever used.

 

To be heard on the internet, I suggest posting text rather than YouTube videos. Text is much more efficient with storage and network resources, and less likely to be blocked by content filters. I'd love to see your post, but unfortunately I can't.

I've had an FT-891 for about two months and really like it.

As others mentioned, I often have to dive into menus to re-establish settings after changing bands and modes. That can be frustrating.

I've never had issues with USB CAT clicking interference in digital modes others have reported.

I agree that a built in USB sound card would have been nice, but frankly I don't miss it. A simple TRRS to mini DIN cable from my laptop to the FT-891 works just as well as a commercial USB sound card interface. Problem solved.

For me the pros of the FT-891 outweigh the cons. But I find myself reaching for my FT-817nd as the "easier" option more than I expected when I bought the 891.