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FT-891...anyone try this mod?
- Thread starter Mudfoot
- Start date
I chickened out, Mudfoot.
As gigaparts does this mod I went that route. Amazingly, it’s due here today with the “free shipping” option. Not complaining.
Excited, but I think have an uphill battle with learning the menus/programming and figuring out how to make it switch my amplifier.
As gigaparts does this mod I went that route. Amazingly, it’s due here today with the “free shipping” option. Not complaining.
Excited, but I think have an uphill battle with learning the menus/programming and figuring out how to make it switch my amplifier.
Nice!
You can buy a keying cable. They include a DIN plug to make your own. Menu takes little effort.
Enjoy!
You can buy a keying cable. They include a DIN plug to make your own. Menu takes little effort.
Enjoy!
Hey Dan, I have a few comments on this rig:
It's a real pain to flip between USB and LSB on-the-fly (really, it's only an issue if used on 11m), and heavily menu driven. I'm not a fan of how to switch bands with it. The noise blanker has adjustable levels but as you increase the value it distorts the incoming signal enough to be annoying. In the vehicle it seems to get RF feedback issues, no more/less than other Yaesu's though, and a few RF chokes solve that. It's easy to remote mount the body/head for slick installations.
The easiest method for mobile use is to program as much as you can within the memory limitations. Where it really shines is in the digital filtering. No more 300/1500/2.3 kc restrictions - no matter how packed some frequencies can get you can dial that filter up or down as much as you please to remove a lot of side-channel interference.
Current pricing is meh.. before Covid they were constantly on sale for about $550, but the new normal is just over $600 (still less than when it first came out), and around $450 used. While I've been tempted to sell mine several times, I still have it / use it, but I moved it back in the shack and put the Lincoln II+ back in the vehicle.
Oops...I wrote all of this then continued on with the thread and saw that you bought one already. I'll be curious to see what you think of it after you've had a few months of use under your belt!
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11 meter SSB can be easier by saving frequency and mode in memory. Once main menu modes are set, there's little menu changes in normal operation. I believe Yaesu made the rig cheap, because of lack of firmware updates. I think they've abandoned and future updates to it. Shame!
Mine was already done but didnt resemble the online pics. I had to extensively repair mine. The ipo and attenuator didnt work. Blown surface mount resistor. Also burnt up trace on amp keying circuit. Guy hooked a sb200 to it directly. No soft key.
I did that because it sure is a pain to switch to lsb on the upper bands. Otherwise a decent rig. I have really used it on 11m except to listen so far. but like all my radios to be able to. I have however used my 7300 on there and its
So I have an 891 and I preformed this mod with the liquid solder which was easy to use. When I restart it the radio transmits from 1.8Mhz to 29.99Mhz and 50 to 53.99Mhz. I was really hoping to be able to transmit in the lowband VHF as it is darn near impossible to find low band radios anymore. Have I done the mod wrong? Can anyone confirm transmit in the 30-50mhz range? Thank you
Removing the speaker makes this much easier. The speaker magnet housing is held by a rubber gasket (the speaker just pulls out) and then unplugs from the main board. I just did the mod with a fine tip soldering iron and flux pen. A little flux between the pads and then solder on the tip of the iron joined the pads cleanly. I did the pads closer to the edge of the case first because the space is a little tighter and I didn't want to do the easier pads and then possibly mess that joint up bridging the other.
The 891 was my first HF rig and I still love it after 3+ years.
The 891 was my first HF rig and I still love it after 3+ years.
Tried this mod and it works turned off the radio and back on and works then unplugged from the power source the back on and works (it works) it's a little bit fiddly doing this by yourself but if you get someone to reset the radio while you hold the screwdrivers this would be easier.