A Couple Of Yaesu Radios I Was Considering When Looking For My First Base

  When I was looking at various Ham Radios when starting out in the hobby I had a fun time trying to decide what to choose. As I have said before I received different catalogs in the mail from Universal Radio, DX Engineering, AES Electronics, Ham Radio Outlet and R&L Electronics. I also scoured the internet looking for any information I could find. I was looking at various youtube videos on various Ham Radios. I was also going to the websites where the catalogs came from and I was looking for reviews. I was also going to Eham.net and reading all the different reviews. Checking for good or bad information.
  The few Ham Radios that I was considering were made by Yaesu. They were Ham Radios that can be used in a base situation in the Ham Shack or in a Mobile situation in the vehicle. The first one I was looking at was the Yaesu FT-897D. It is a High Frequency (HF), UHF and VHF Transceiver. It was indicating that it will put out 100 watts total power from 6 meters to 160 meters. This was a good point, because my budget did not have the room for a HF Amplifier. It carried a 4.6 out of 5 point rating on Eham.net, which is not bad at all. There was also the optional battery pack that could be used while in the field, which was another good selling point. Well my search continued at that point.



  

 

• Transmit Range on Amateur Bands from 6-160 Meters, Plus 2 Meter & 70cm!
• 100 Watts Output From 6-160M, 50W on VHF 2M, 20W on 70cm 440Mhz. (FM-SSB-CW)
• Receives 100 kHz-56 MHz; 76-154 MHz & 420-470 MHz All mode.
• Bar-Graph Meter for Output Power, ALC, SWR, Modulation, Dual VFOs, Built-in CW Electronic Keyer and Semi-Break-In, VOX & More!
• Alpha-Numeric, CTCSS/DCS, RTTY, PSK31-U, PSK31-L, APO, TOT.

 
                                   
                                  A video on the Yaesu 897D that may give an idea of the radio


 The next Ham Radio I was considering was the Yaesu FT-857D . One selling point that interested me was the fact that it was a small radio packed with unbelievable features. I was watching a number of videos on youtube and could not believe how well this radio functioned. I checked the reviews out on Eham.net and found that they were from 4.5 out of 5 points, which once again were very good. The radio itself covered all the frequencies I was interested in. I really like the fact that I could use it in a base situation and in my vehicle as mobile situation. It also put out 100 watts total and I figured that down the road when I could buy a amplifier for the ham shack or maybe an amplifier in the car it would be enough to drive it. Here is link to check it out at Yaesu FT-857D Amateur Radio Transceiver - HF, VHF, UHF All-Mode 100W .

• Receives 0.1-56Mhz, 76-108Mhz, 118-164Mhz and 420-470MHz - AM/USB/LSB/FM/CW
• Transmits The Amateur Ham Radio Bands 160 thru 2 meters, plus 70cm UHF too!
• Output is 100 Watts on 6-160M, 50W VHF & 20W UHF, FM-AM-SSB-CW (25W AM HF carrier)
• Built-In Digital signal processing, 200 memories, spectrum display, ctcss (PL).
• Includes microphone & power cable. Requires 12-13.8Vdc @ 22 Amps minimum for power. Requires Optional suitable antenna(s).

                               
                                      This will give an idea of the size of the Yaesu FT-857D

The third Ham radio I was looking at was the Yaesu 450D Base Station. This Ham Radio also fell into that Base, Mobile or Portable type of Ham radio. The price was a little higher that the previous two Ham Radios, but it was not that far away in price. The reviews at Eham.net were at 4.6 out of 5 points, which once again were not bad at all. I did watch whatever videos I could find on youtube to give me a good idea of how the radio functioned. I was actually quite impressed with this Ham radio and was giving it some good consideration. I myself although thought it was a little big to fit into a vehicle. Maybe it it was in a mobile home it would not be a bad fit. Here is some information on the Yaesu 450D below.

• Yaesu FT-450D Deluxe HF All-mode Amateur Band Transceiver with built-in DSP signal processing.
•  Features include CW beacon function, 500 memories , ctcss, & Built-in Automatic Antenna Tuner.
•  Output is 100W CW-FM-SSB, & 25W AM carrier.
•  Includes hand microphone.
•  Receives 0.30 - 54Mhz, Transmits on the Amateur radio bands between 6-160 Meters.
•  Requires 12 - 13.8Vdc at 22 Amps minimum for power hookup. Use an Optional regulated 13.8Vdc 25A or 30A Power supply for Home use.
•  Requires Optional suitable antenna.
•  Replaces FT-450AT & FT-450 models.
• Approx Size = 9" x 3.3" x 8.6" ( 229 x 85 x 218 mm ).
• Includes Hand microphone & Fused DC power cable

                                   
                                                        A video I found on the Yaesu 450D

  These three Ham radios were the radios in the Yaesu brand that I was taking into consideration in my quest for my first Ham Radio. Although I finally ended up with the Kenwood TS-2000 I am still am taking into consideration one of these as a back up radio in the future.
  Thank You for reading from Dan KC2YTI 73s.