Re: [amsat-bb] Is the new FT-817 at least one solution to our problems?

[tlang@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx (Tony Langdon)]

Hello Ram#n.

18 Aug 00 16:50, you wrote to All:

 RV> Today at Yokohama+s Ham Fair 2000 I saw at the Standard-Yaesu boot a
 RV> very interesting equipment: FT-817 all mode *portable* transceiver.
 RV>
 RV> It is very small (13.5W x 3.8H x 16.5D cm) and weights only 900
 RV> grams!!!. Modes: USB, LSB, AM, FM, FM-N, and packet conecctions for
 RV> 1200 and 9600.

Interesting....... :)  I want one! :-)

 RV> It puts out 5 watts when using 13.8 volts and about 2 watts when use
 RV> with batteries (AA batteries OK).  It operates split and have VFO A/B
 RV> capabilities but since I can+t read Japanese and the explanation I
 RV> received in english was limited (on both sides) I don+t know if it can
 RV> operate cross band at least.
 RV>
 RV> It will be available in Japan in September at about +/- $US1,100 (but
 RV> radios here seems to me more expensive than in the US).  They will
 RV> start their marketing campaing in the US in October. They told me that
 RV> probably will be available in the US by December.
 RV>
 RV> If it can work cross band and 2 watts are enough would be interesting
 RV> to operate the Fujis with an Arrow and maybe RS-13 with an Arrow and
 RV> something else.

The problem may be whether it'll do full duplex.  I doubt it, but if combined
with something like a 290R, it could then make a lovely portable satellite
station.  I have an old Standard 2m all mode, which would go well alongside
this new box. :-)  Only trouble is I think I've blown my radio budget for a
while. ;-)

And yes, I am confident that 2W ia enough for the Fujis.  I have done CW tests
with the Fujis at 2W and 0.25W on the uplink.  For the downlink, I had to use
an FM receiver.

At the 2W uplink level and elevation > 20 degrees on FO-20, the downlink was
Q5, somewhat weaker than UO-14, but FM would have been perfectly copyable.  At
0.25W, the recovered carrier was noisy, but FM would have still been readable.
SSB should have worked well on both counts.

My portable station will have up to 10W, so I expect some good QSOs, and I may
have to back things off a little. :)

Tony

.. ations!!!!!
--
|Fidonet:  Tony Langdon 3:633/284.18
|Internet: tlang@freeway.apana.org.au
|
| Standard disclaimer: The views of this user are strictly his own.


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