FT-817 Mods: Battery Mod For ft-817
FT-817 Mods: Battery Mod For ft-817
FT-817 Mods: Battery Mod For ft-817
FT-817 Mods
Yaesu folks want you to buy the 9.6 vdc battery pack and do not recommend you attempt to charge batts.
from the included "stock" alkaline pack.
They have even rigged the pack so it will not charge. Poking around with a VOM I discovered that there
is a way to make the alkaline pack charge. Pull out the pack and peel the tape off of the end with the
wires.
You will find 2 red wires, 2 black wires and a green wire. cut and insulate the green wire. Put NiCad's or
NiMh Batteries in the the pack and set up the charge time circuit. I have done this with no problem. This
keeps you from breaking the bank buying alkaline cells and give you portable batt. power.
By during this mod you have now disabled the protection feature and can re-charge alkaline batts.
This could be dangerous and messy...be careful not to do that. Of course with this mod, you will have
little reason to use alkaline cells.
Enjoy. I look forward to hearing about other ft-817 mods for this nifty little rig.
When you do the "green wire mod" on the FT-817 to permit charging of internal NiMH or NiCad
batteries, it's very important to install fuse protection or you could ruin your motherboard (a VERY
expensive mistake).
Perhaps the easiest way is to install a 2-3 amp Pico fuse in line with the positive (red) wires leading to
the battery pack. Better still, put another Pico fuse in line with the negative (green) wires also.
Bill
WA6CCA
Subject: Green wire mod
There is no need to cut the green wire to get the alkaline pack to charge. Split the white connector and
then on the pack connector carefully lift the white plastic tongue that stops the green wire pulling out of
the connector. It will then pull out. This way you can push it back later and no one will ever know!
2. Look down on the back of front panel, with the VFO knob just left of center. Look at the jumper
locations just above the VFO knob on the circuit board. Solder the first four jumpers and remove
the solder at location five.
3. Reassemble the radio, and reset the cpu by pressing the HOME and the power button.
Another mod.
The following Yaesu FT-817 frequency expansion modification is identical to the version provided by
the manufacturer for MARS/CAP application.
2. Remove the 14 screws holding the top and bottom covers to the radio.
6. Carefully lift the 4 plastic tabs holding the front panel to the chassis and slightly move the front
panel forward.
7. Disconnect the ribbon cable that connects the chassis and the front panel.
9. Press and hold the "VFO/MR" key and the "F" key while turning on the radio.
Note: The manufacturer states that "this modification opens up transmit coverage for MARS/CAP
ONLY!" Other published modifications also have the user bridge the "first four jumpers". The difference
between the two modification schemes has not been tested by the author.
AA7W
Ham's Info
Subject: The BLUE numbers are correct . User comments
I tried the extended TX modification using the blue numbers in the photo ie : where jumper 1 is at the
left, and it worked. I found, tho, that you have to hold down the F and V/M buttons together whilst
powering up the FT-817 for the changes to take effect.
Subject: The BLUE numbers are correct User comments
I tried the extended TX modification using the blue numbers in the photo, where jumper 1 is at the left
it works. Reset CPU: hold down the F and V/M buttons together whilst powering up the FT-817 for the
changes to take effect. 73 Igor OM3CUG
My radio was a type BY3 (purchased in Singapore Feb. 2002). When I opened it up, jumper five
(J4005) was not soldered but position 6&8 (J4006 & J4008)were. I soldered position 7&9 (J4007 &
J4009)and checked out the rig. This mod opened up the transmit capability just as the posted mods
above stated. No negative results were noted.
This modification worked on my rig, I take no credit or blame for your results.
Subject: 817 BLUE number mod User comments
Use the BLUE numbers on the US version of the 817 for increased transmit. That is what worked for
me.
Subject: Jumper Numbers User comments
I have modified the 817 for UK 5MHz operation and have found that the RED set of numbers is
correct. This also agrees with Yaesu's own US modification sheet. For full coverage, bridge J4007, 8
and 9. If you also bridge J4006 the coverage remains the same. My 817 is a US Version and was
originally bridged 5,6 and 7.
Full TX coverage is:
1.8 - 33 Mhz
33 - 56 MHz
140 - 154 MHz
420 - 470 MHz
Subject: frequency expansion User comments
I posted my workings on the frequency expansion in the yahoo.group FT817 reflector and received
many enquiries. Perhaps, I would like to repeat here on what I did:
2.Counting from the left, I bridged all the solder pads 9,8,7 and 6;
3.Solder pads 5,4,3,2, and 1 at the right remain opened
4.After the modification, the rig was reset by holding V/M and F and powered on.
73
My question referring to the original post, Is do I unsolder 3 and 4 also along with 5 and solder 6 thru
9? Or do I need to leave 3 and 4 as they are now?
I'm sure some else has seen this config and made the mod. Suggestions???
Just push and hold A, B and C simultaneously while putting the rig on, and you're in the hidden menu
with about 57 settings.
Number 5 for the 2 meter band will increase sensitivity while increasing he numbers; Default setting /
79.
To leave the menu just push and hold the F function just as the "ignition" switch will do .
It works...
Noel - ON7XV - Belgium
FT-817 Tips
Author: Volker
ich bin seit kurzem zufriedener Besitzer eines solchen Gerätes und möchte hier ein paar Tips loswerden,
die entweder aus dem Internet stammen oder auf meiner eigenen Meinung beruhen.
Bevor es ins Eingemachte geht eine wichtige Anmerkung-ein besonderer Schwachpunkt ist das
Batteriefach:
Beim Herausnehmen der Batterien ist darauf zu achten, daß diese nicht den Bodendeckel berühren.
Dieser ist an der Seite, wo die Batterien darunter verschwinden, extrem schlecht entgratet. Es gibt leicht
Kurzschlüsse nach Masse, wenn die Plastikhülle der Batterien beschädigt wird.
Dies ist besonders unangenehm bei der Bestückung mit Accus, weil diese einen "guten"
Kurzschlußstrom liefern. Ich empfehle eine starke Folie dazwischen zu legen.
Grundsätzlich sind VOR dem Öffnen des Gehäuses auf jeden Fall die Battereien zu entfernen und
eine externe Spannungsversorgung abzuklemmen!!!
Das Batteriefach kann natürlich auch mit Accus bestückt werden. Wer die Accus nicht extern, sondern
mit dem internen Timer laden möchte muß den grünen Draht, der zum Batteriefach führt irgendwo
unterbrechen und die Enden isolieren, damit ein Accu erkannt wird. Wer wegen der Garantie eine
reversible Änderung vorzieht kann im Stecker den entsprechenden Pin mit etwas Geschick und einer
Nadel herausholen.
Weil der Yaesu-Accu nur 1000mAh hat und es für weniger Geld bereits 1600mAh NiHy Accus gibt
kann ich das nur empfehlen! Beim Laden der Accus ist zu beachten, daß eine geeignete Ladezeit im
Menü gewählt wird. Der Ladestrom ist etwa 170 mA.
Nach Ladeende fließt ein Erhaltestrom von 15 mA, es dürfen also keine Trockenbatterien mehr eingelegt
werden wenn eine extere Spannungsversorgung erfolgt!!!
Hierzu ist zu sagen, daß im Internet Meinungen existieren, daß sich nicht alle FT-817 erweitern lassen-
dies scheint zumindest bei den für den japanischen Markt gebauten zu stimmen. Mein Gerät, Serien-Nr.
1C20nnnn, mit CE-Zeichen, war in der Hinsicht freundlicher.
Den Lieferzustand habe ich nicht exakt in Erinnerung, auf KW / 6m waren es die DL Amateurbereiche
und auf VHF / UHF erheblich mehr. Nach der u.a. Änderung ergab sich folgendes Bild:
TX: 33-56 MHz, 140-154 MHz, 420-470 MHz hier fällt außerhalb der USA-Amateurbänder die Leistung
ab.
Die ARS-Funktion ist außer Betrieb, was (mich) aber nicht stört- man kann den Repeaterbetrieb und die
Shift weiterhin von Hand einstellen. Der 1750 Hz Tonruf bleibt erhalten.
Wenn man schon mal die Deckel ab hat kann man auch mit einer Feile den Grat beim Batteriefach
entfernen...
Das Flachbandkabel zur Frontplatte lösen, hierzu muß dessen Verschluß an der Platine vorsichtig
hochgeklappt werden. Die Frontplatte nach vorne lösen, dazu die vier Plastikklemmen anheben.
Die Reihe mit den neun Lötbrücken ist leicht zu finden. Bei mir waren sie folgendermaßen gebrückt:
=0=0=====
Vorsicht beim Löten, etwas Erfahrung sollte man schon haben um keine unerwünschten Kurzschlüsse zu
produzieren!
Ganz wichtig- Nach dem Zusamenbau muß unbedingt der folgende Reset durchgeführt werden:
Die F und V/M Tasten gleichzeitig festhalten und den FT-817 einschalten. Dabei werden leider alle
Speicher und Einstellungen gelöscht !
73 de Volker in Hannover,
packet: DL6OBU @ DB0CEL.#NDS.DEU.EU
e-mail: DL6OBU @ QSL.NET
19.03.2001, 17:32:05 (Local Time)
Author: DL5GBL
Number;Content;Point;Declaration;
1;HF1RXG RX GAIN;1.8MHz;181;
2;HF2RXG RX GAIN;7MHz;91;
3;HF3RXG RX GAIN;21MHz;123;
4;50MRXG RX GAIN;50MHz;66;
5;VHFRXG RX GAIN;144MHz;90;
6;UHFRXG RX GAIN;430MHz;117;
7;SSB-S9 SSB S-Meter;S9;70;
8;SSB-FS SSB S-Meter;FS;59;
9;FM-S9 FM S-Meter;S9;76;
10;FM-FS FM S-Meter;FS;109;
11;DISC-L FM Center;Meter;35;
12;DISC-H FM Center;Meter;69;
13;FM-TH1 FM;Squelch;82;
14;FM-TH2 FM;Squelch;82;
15;FM-TI1 FM;Squelch;14;
16;FM-TI2 FM Squelch;14;
17;VCC Power Supply;Voltage;138;
18;HF1-IC Over-current Protection;1.8MHz;111;
19;HF2-IC Over-current Protection;7MHz;116;
20;HF3-IC Over-current Protection;21MHz;111;
21;50M-IC Over-current Protection;50MHz;113;
22;VHF-IC Over-current Protection;144MHz;126;
23;UHF-IC Over-current Protection;430MHz;113;
24;HF1-HI RF Power HI;1.8MHz;116;
25;HF1-L3 RF Power L3;1.8MHz;67;
26;HF1-L2 RF Power L2;1.8MHz;21;
27;HF1-L1 RF Power L1;1.8MHz;4;
28;HF2-HI RF Power HI;7MHz;119;
29;HF2-L3 RF Power L3;7MHz;65;
30;HF2-L2 RF Power L2;7MHz;21;
31;HF2-L1 RF Power L1;7MHz;3;
32;HF3-HI RF Power HI;21MHz;117;
33;HF3-L3 RF Power L3;21MHz;63;
34;HF3-L2 RF Power L2,21MHz,20;
35;HF3-L1 RF Power L1;21MHz;2;
36;50M-HI RF Power HI;50MHz;115;
37;50M-L3 RF Power L3;50MHz;64;
38;50M-L2 RF Power L2;50MHz;23;
39;50M-L1 RF Power L1;50MHz;1;
40;VHF-HI RF Power HI;144MHz;140;
41;VHF-L3 RF Power L3;144MHz;93;
42;VHF-L2 RF Power L2;144MHz;28;
43;VHF-L1 RF Power L1;144MHz;12;
44;UHF-HI RF Power HI;430MHz;103;
45;UHF-L3 RF Power L3;430MHz;68;
46;UHF-L2 RF Power L2;430MHz;21;
47;UHF-L1 RF Power L1;430MHz;9;
48;HF1TXG TX Gain;1.8MHz;67;
49;HF2TXG TX Gain;7MHz;62;
50;HF3TXG TX Gain;21MHz;67;
51;50MTXG TX Gain;50MHz;89;
52;VHFTXG TX Gain;144MHz;79;
53;UHFTXG TX Gain;430MHz;69;
54;HF1POM Power Meter Sensitivity;1.8MHz;71;
55;HF2POM Power Meter Sensitivity;7MHz;72;
56;HF3POM Power Meter Sensitivity;21MHz;71;
57;50MPOM Power Meter Sensitivity;50MHz;70;
58;VHFPOM Power Meter Sensitivity;144MHz;83;
59;UHFPOM Power Meter Sensitivity;430MHz;64;
60;ALC1-M ALC;Meter;204;
61;ALC-M ALC;Meter;125;
62;HF1-RV Reverse;ALC;1.8MHz;13;
63;HF2-RV Reverse;ALC;7MHz;11;
64;HF3-RV Reverse;ALC;21MHz;21;
65;50M-RV Reverse;ALC;50MHz;15;
66;VHF-RV Reverse;ALC;144MHz;7;
67;UHF-RV Reverse;ALC;430MHz;28;
68;CW-CAR Carrier;Level;CW;252;
69;AM-CAR Carrier;Level;AM;210;
70;DEV-W;FM;Modulation;211
71;DEV-N;FM;Modulation;103;
72;M-MTR;FM;Modulation;188;
73;CTCSS;FM;Modulation;151;
74;DCS;FM;Modulation;129;
75;LSB-CP;SSB;Carrier Point;-19;
76;USB-CP;SSB;Carrier Point;-20;
My 817 showed 15V @ the Input Voltage of 13,6 V. So i pushed the 3 Buttons while powering up. At
Menu Number 17 I chose 136 and Voila, 13,6 V is displayed @ 13,6 V !!! Thank you for this detailed
Service Menu Overview.
The FT-817 is a lovely rig, isn´t it? This is a radio one must have - without special reasons. But
anyway, when I got the radio one week ago, I started to test it against exciting others. (like TS-870).
Everything was quite okay, but the output in SSB is not reaching the 5W-mark, even when the CW-
tone and in FM the rig runs on specified power. I walked through the circuit-diagram and found the
reason. The capacitor C1113 on the main board is too small. This has to be changed to bigger values.
In my case it´s now 470 uF instead of former 1uF.
To find the place inside the rig .... boy! This took some time. But after locating the place, it´s now
easy to describe:
Open the upper side (where the loudspeaker fits) and locate the red jack on the rear side. Inside a flat
band-cable comes up and is connected. Right beside this cable you find C1113, but it´s not labeled.
But anyhow, look for the pictures taken and I´m sure you find the place. The new C is visible in the
lower right corner of the picture (big and black) I removed the original C from the board before - but
it´s still not necessary.
After finalizing, close the rig and test the output in SSB in comparison to FM and CW. The
throughput is now there. And believe me, you get better voice reports. And running qrp - it´s
sometimes the needed peace of junk !
Andreas
DL6EAT
Hi;
I looked into the ALC mod you posted for the FT817. You changed a 1uF cap to 470uF
I entered the circuit into a simulator and got these waveforms. It appears this mod lengthens the
ALC "release time". Check out the simulate ALC output voltage waveforms below
It appears the stock "ALC release time" is 500mSec+ It looks like the mod would increase this
alot. Does this make sense to you. I thought a short release time would raise the average power? It
works so I must be missing something....
In the schematic below V1 simulates a 500mS pulse coming from the Forward detector. The ALC
drives the dual gate VHF MOSFET to provide gain control. I set up V1 to simulate a 500mS pulse
coming from the forward detector. It repeats every 2 seconds The ALC levels at the MOSFET
gate are; 4V for maximum gain and 1V sets minimum gain.
The green trace is stock FT817 the blue trace is with 1000uF.
The original microphone works good, but I tested also the DTMF-microphone, which is available now. It
sounds really bad, and that wondered me, because a small electret-microphone is inside. But after
opening the mic, the reason was easealy located. The necessary DC-voltage, comes to the microphone
via a small resistor. The value of this resistor is by far too low - replace it to a value near 10 Kohms.
Now the microphone is better than the original one and has all these options like DTMF and it´s
backlighted !
The picture should help to locate the small resistor. The new one is a traditional one ( I had no SMD-
resistor )
It looks bad, but it works fine....by the way the new microphone is very sensitive now...go down to
values of 20 (original is 50 !) in the setup of the FT-817 specially in SSB.
Good luck !
Andreas
DL6EAT
Regarding the AGC (RX) of the FT817 I got some questions from some users. The dynamic of the AGC-
regulation isn´t really nice researched. If you use the rig specially on 40m and/or 80m where often high
signal strenths are present, the RX sounds like the AGC is switched completely "off". If using with small
signal amplitudes it sounds much better. This seems to be a general problem of the FT817.
To fix this is only recommened for let me call it "advanced users". The rig has to be opended on the
upper side (where the loudspeaker fits). Now you remove all connected cables from the visible main
board and all srews. After this you can remove the board.
Please turn the board to the soldered side and locate C1324, which is nearest to the connected data-cable
going to the user-interface (front panel).
Near this C you find R1305. Original values are 1 K and 2,2uF.
Please put 10 Ohms in parallel with R1305 and 10uF parallel to C1324.
In my case, I had no SMD-C available (and I didn´t want to use Tantal-C´s), therefor I connected the
10uF via cable to the upper side of the main board. It´s not looking nice, but nevertheless it´s working.
Values over 10uF (470uF) are better, but the S-meter stand still at approx. S6-7 afterwards. It´s not
recommended to go over 10uF.
Thanks for reading this and I apologize for the picture, which is not exactly focused. (I saw it too late...)
Andreas
DL6EAT
Vorweg, für Schäden die durch den Umbau verursacht werden übernehme ich keine Haftung. Bei mir
und einigen OM´s funktioniert der HF-Clipper bestens und bringt so an die 10 dB. Der Einbau in das
Mikrofongehäuse erfolgt durch Austausch der dynamischen Mikrofonkapsel. Richtet man sich nach der
unten stehenden Einbauanweisung kann nichts schief gehen, sorgfältiges löten voraus gesetzt. Das
Clippermodul eignet sich auch für den Einbau in andere Handmikrofone. Ab einer Versorgungsspannung
größer 9 Volt ist die Spannungsversorgung über einen 78L06 Spannungsregler dem Modul zu zuführen.
Der Einbau.
Mit einem Kreuzschlitzdreher wird der hintere Deckel des Mikrofons gelöst, beiseite gelegt und die
Drähte der Mikrofonkapsel abgelötet. Die Platine wird durch lösen von drei Schrauben aus dem Gehäuse
genommen, die dynamische Kapsel entfernt und gut verwahrt. In die freigewordene runde Aufnahme der
Kapsel wird die Elektret-Kapsel des HF-Clippers gelegt und das Loch mit Dämmwolle für Lautsprecher
(Boxenbau) gut bis zum oberen Rand der Mikrofonaufnahme gefüllt. Das Mikrofongehäuse legt man für
die folgende Anleitung so, dass die Kabelöffnung zum eigenem Körper zeigt. Die PTT Taste ist nun auf
der rechten Seite.
Das Clippermodul legt man mit der Lötseite nach unten über das gefüllte Aufnahmeloch, wobei der
seitlich stehende Trimmer (Pegel) des Clippermoduls nach links zeigt. Die Anschlussdrähte des Clippers
führt man durch die runde Öffnung der Platine und befestigt diese.
Nach untenstehender Zeichnung werden die Drähte des Moduls angelötet. Mit größter Sorgfalt ist der
weiße Draht (Spannungsversorgung) an PIN - 6 zu löten und möglichst mit einer Lupe auf Schluß mit den
umliegenden PIN´s zu kontrollieren. Das Clipper-Modul kommt abgeglichen. Der Einbau wäre fertig und
die Abdeckung kann aufgeschraubt werden. Möchte man Clippgrad und Sprache nach eigenen
Empfinden einstellen, lokalisiert man die einzelnen Trimmer und justiert diese. Die ALC des FT-817 ist
dabei zu beachten. Die Tendenz der Trimmer jeweils wenn diese nach rechts gedreht werden. BFO-
Trimmer erhöht dessen Frequenz ( < > 500 Hz.). Clippgradregler reduziert Clippgrad und Pegeltrimmer
minimiert.
Allgemeines
Die Funktion eines HF-Clippers habe ich bereits auf meinen Webseiten beschrieben und gehe hier auf
einige Besonderheiten des HF-Clippers für den FT-817 ein. Bei der Konstruktion war zu überlegen ob
ex- oder intern. Extern wäre kein Problem gewesen, hätte aber den Sinn und Zweck des FT-817
verfremdet. Es kam also nur eine interne Ausführung in Betracht, die dem Charakter des Transceivers
entgegenkommt. Weiter war zu überlegen wie ein Umbau ohne bleibende Veränderungen machbar ist,
der auch von jedem nicht so geschicktem OM realisiert werden kann.
Die einzige Möglichkeit diesen Überlegungen gerecht zu werden war der Einbau in das Handmikrofon.
Um Raum für den Einbau zu schaffen fiel die Wahl auf den Austausch der dynamischen Mikrofonkapsel.
Vor einiger Zeit hatte ich bereits einen Mini-Clipper konstruiert der von OM´s die diesen durchweg
ungeschirmt in Handmikrofone eingebaut haben, gut beurteilt wurde. Bis 100 Watt sind Probleme mit
HF-Einstrahlung nicht bekannt geworden. Diese Ausführung wurde die Basis für den FT-817 HF-
Clipper.
Der FT-817 reicht intern über die Mikofonleitung eine stabilisierte Spannung von 5 Volt durch die für
das Modul zur Verfügung steht. Einige Bauteile konnten so eingespart werden und anderen Platz
machen. Die Begrenzung des ZF-Signals wurde vom Typ PEP übernommen. Nach den ersten Versuchen
in Verbindung mit dem FT-817 stellten sich zwei Nachteile heraus die behoben wurden. Kam das
Mikrofon in die Nähe des Transceivergehäuses gab es eine akustische Rückkopplung. Im
Empfangsbetrieb wird deshalb das Mikrofon über einen Transistor, von der PTT gesteuert, stumm
geschaltet.
Lag die Elektretkapsel lose im Gehäuse war die Modulation bei abgenommener Rückseite des
Handmikrofons einwandfrei. Bei montierter Rückseite jedoch stark verfremdet. Die Einbettung der
Elektretkapsel in Lautsprecherdämmwolle schaffte Abhilfe.
User comment
Subject: Translation Please, Please, Please
Could someone with a grasp of German please translate, please, please, please? Thankyou Art
User comment
Subject: FT-817 HF-Clipper built in microphone
Hi Hams,
I have tried it, and it is far the best I have tried to increase the talk-power of the FT-817.
Loud and clear.
With an external PA of 300W, it works also fine, as long as there are no standing waves on the coax.
I have two excellent pieces of equipment, the Yaesu FT 817 and the Palm Mini-Paddle, which I have
combined into an integral unit. The Mini-Paddle comes with an optional magnetic base, however, there is
no where on the FT 817 where it can be placed and be in a comfortable operating position, so using this
paddle meant attaching it to some kind of base and operating on the desk top in the conventional manner.
The FT 817 has the option of keying the built-in keyer with the mic up and down buttons, enabled in
menu # 36. I took advantage of this feature and modified my Mini- Paddle by installing an RJ 45 plug in
the base and added an offset tongue to engage the strap bracket on the rig.
The paddle may still be retracted into the housing just as it was intended. To attach the paddle you first
engage the tongue into the slot of the strap bracket, and then swing the assembly inward to insert the
plug until the locking click is heard. This secures the paddle in an ideal operating position. The paddle
can be left attached unless the microphone is needed for phone operation, then a thin piece of whatever is
handy, can be inserted between the rig and paddle to release the locking clip on the RJ 45 plug. The
paddle may then be removed in the reverse order of attachment.
I have found that having the rig and paddle configured this way is preferable especially when operating
portable.
Attached
Detached
Original 1/19/01
Updated 4/18/01
I received my long awaited YF-122C 455KHz Collins Mechanical CW filter today. It was a snap to
install, but there are a couple of things to look out for. Here's the photos and story. Click on any of the
photos to see the full size version.
1. Removing the top cover is simple - first take off the shoulder strap brackets (4 screws) and then
remove the 5 screws in the top cover and it pops right off - don't undo the two screws nearest the
speaker grille, those hold the speaker in place on the underside of the top cover. Be sure not to
damage the speaker wires or connector. The wire from the speaker is pretty short but there's just
enough room to get to the connector to undo it if you tilt the top cover up at the rear.
3. Here's the filter correctly oriented ready to be put in. Note that the 3 pin connector is on the LHS
and the 4 pin connector on the RHS. The filter is installed writing side up as shown.
5. You can go ahead and put the top panel and shoulder strap brackets back on and turn the rig back
on. Press the "F" key and hold it for half a second to take you into menu mode. Turn the SEL dial
until you get to menu #38. It should say "OP FILTER" and "OFF" just above that. Rotate the main
tuning dial until you see "CW" (not "OFF" or "SSB"). Important note - as you go through the
"SSB" choice, you will notice that the rig switches to the newly installed CW filter - DON'T
PANIC, all is okay. This threw me for a while until I understood what was going on. Make sure
that menu #38 is set to "CW" (ignore what the receiver actually does!) and then press the "F" key
for half a second again to exit menu mode.
6. You're almost done. You will probably panic at this time (as I did!) because as you switch through
the modes from USB/LSB/CW/CWR etc., the rig seems to be stuck in SSB filter mode. There's one
more thing you have to do to get the CW filter working. Check out page 14 of your FT-817
Operating Manual - number 7 at the bottom right of the page you will see the "C-Key" setting for
"NAR". You have to set this in order for the receiver to switch to the narrow CW filter when you
switch the rig to CW or CWR modes. To do this, first put the rig into CW or CWR mode then tap
the "F" key once quickly. The FUNC Keys menu items for the A/B/C pushbuttons should appear.
Rotate the SEL control until you see "IPO ATT NAR" over the A/B/C buttons. Then press the "C'
pushbutton once to set the filter to Narrow. A small right-pointing arrow should appear and the rig
should switch to the CW filter - you should hear a marked difference in the receiver noise "tone".
7. That's it. You can swap between the SSB and CW filters anytime by revisiting the FUNC Key
menu and toggling the NAR function.
I did some preliminary tests with my HP8642B signal generator - the receiver is very sensitive indeed.
The CW filter is an ABSOLUTE JOY to behold....it has a superb frequency response - very very sharp
skirts - great stopband. WOW!!!! I'm blown away by it....I'll have some real measurements to back up my
first impressions for y'all sometime soon. It's late, so I tried it on the bottom end of 40m - sounds REAL
NICE!!
Folks, if you are going to do CW seriously with the FT-817, you will simply HAVE to get the YF-122C
filter option. It's a must have IMO.
This modification can also be found on http://www.cooltechstuff.com/FT817_CWfilterinstall.html
While I had the top off, I thought I may as well disrobe the rig completely and see what make her tick.
Here are some photos of the underneath and front panel etc. The first picture shows the NICAD pack in
place.
Notice that there's a small amount of space that could be used for mods or add-ons (hmmm, what else
does this rig need though?). Here's a blow up of the mod space.
I went searching for other mod space - there's some between the front panel assembly and the diecast
chassis...
...and some more between the CW filter and the chassis in the top compartment:
Here's the PA/Filter board (sorry about the focus). Real small PA (bottom of photo). Very neat.
I also took the front panel off for a look - it simply clips onto the chassis over four little "pips" next to
the screws that hold the front edges of the top and bottom panels in place. If you take it apart please be
VERY careful not to damage the front panel connector ribbon or connectors - they look fairly delicate!
Lastly, you may notice something a bit odd about the speaker mounting. If you look carefully, you will
see that there are several grille holes that the speaker doesn't actually cover. The general concensus is
that this improves the audio quality of the RX. A quick test I did to move it shows that it DOES sound
better mounted like this.
Author: AA1QG
By removing a resistor on the back of the front panel you can save approx. 12-15 mA on receive. On long
backpacking expeditions this may result in significant power savings.
Disassemble the transceiver, remove the front panel whilst taking care to carefully disconnect the cable
between the front panel and the body of the radio.
Remove the rubber band on the VFO knob, and remove this knob as well as the locker underneath.
Then remove the sel knob by pulling it off. Subsequently remove the screw holding the front panel print
and carefully pull out the print card.
The LED is located on the front of the print card, above the hole for the VFO knob. It looks like a small
plastic rectangle with 4 connections. You will find two resistors just to the left of the LED.
Remove the resistor which is closest to the VFO hole; not the resistor closest to the top edge.
y p p g g , g p
before.
These pictures describe the region settings given by the various internal jumper positions in this radio's
front panel.
For example, this makes it possible to expand the Tx coverage of a European FT817 so it will work if
travelling to the USA but to retain the correct Euro repeater shifts. It should also take away some of the
mystery regarding these link settings. Precise information is given of the frequency coverage on each
band after modification.
This is untested by me so far. Modify at your own risk. Transmit on designated amateur frequencies
only. The warranty may be invalidated by these changes.
Author: LA9MGA
FT-817 er ikke enkel å betjene når den ligger på et bord. Det er umulig å få fingeren under for å dreie på
vfo knappen. Etter å ha sett på publiserte artikler hvordan de har prøvd å løse dette problemet, bl.a AR 2,
2002, valgte jeg selv å prøve å finne på noe enklere. Kravet mitt var at den ikke skulle bygge ut noe når
den ikke var i bruk, og skulle være på apparatet hele tiden jeg ønsket det.
Jeg valgte å benytte meg av festet for skulder reima. For det første var det jo der allerede, og for det
andre befinner det seg nært fronten. Etter å ha undersøkt i garasjen etter noe hensiktsmessig "skrot", fant
jeg noen plastdeler som ofte blir til overs når du monterer nytt vinduspusserblad på bilen. Disse ble
tilpasset målene på figur. Tykkelsen på plastdelen er ikke oppgitt på fig., men den skal være 2.90 mm.
Du kan jo selv måle avstanden mellom skulderreim festet og huset. Plastdelen bør gi litt friksjon mellom
hus og skulder reim feste slik at den ikke glir ned av seg selv når den er helt oppe og ikke i bruk. Trekk
fra tykkelsen for en evt. beskyttelses tape.
Videre fant jeg en plastpropp som holder det hele på plass. Hullet på 4.20 mm må selvfølgelig tilpasses
denne plastproppen og bredden på sporet til reima som jeg har målt til 4,8mm..
Plastproppen gjør at jeg enkelt kan ta bort løftanordningen når jeg vil benytte skulder reima.
Løfteanordningen skyves helt opp i sporet til reima når den ikke er i bruk, og den er dermed nesten helt
skjult. Hvis du benytter målene på tegningen, vil dette gi et løft i front som gir en distanse på ca. 2 cm
under vfo knapp. Jeg har videre brukt en tape under skulderreim festet (mot huset) for å ikke få mekanisk
slitasje og oppskraping av lakk når du beveger løfteanordningen opp/ned. Smurte og på et flytende
friksjons stoff på den delen av løfteanordningen som hviler på bordplaten. Plastdelen monteres først
under skulder reim festet. Deretter trykker du plastproppen på plass fra yttersiden slik at den går
igjennom hullet, men stopper på skulder reim festet. Når du skal bruke festet, drar du plastproppen helt
ned til den stopper. Plastdelen vil da følge med. Deretter bøyer du plastdelen forover til den stopper (ca.
25 grader forover), og plasserer riggen på underlaget. Den vil nå stå av seg selv i denne posisjonen. Se
ellers figur og bilder. Det er meget enkelt å lage denne anordningen, og du vil fort sette pris på den når du
bruker Ft-817 på et bord. Du må selvfølgelig lage en løfteanordning til hver side.
En annen svakhet med den mekaniske konstruksjonen av FT-817 er at anordningene til batteridekslet på
undersiden stikker så langt ut at den skraper opp det du plasserer den på. Jeg valgte å benytte meg av 4
runde, småe (ca. 8 mm i diameter og ca. 2.2 mm høye) og gjennomsiktige "gummiføtter" med
dobbelsidig tape i hvert hjørne av apparatet. Disse gir også god friksjon så apparatet ikke glir så lett på
bordet og passer meget bra tilsammen med overnevnte løfteanordning.
Dette er plastdelene
The FT-817 comes with only one slot for additional filters but there is sufficient space to mount both SSB
and CW if you remove the PCBs of the filters and wire them directly to the MAIN UNIT.
The original filter CF4 will be removed and replace by the YF-122S SSB filter. The YF-122C CW filter
will be directly wired to the mounting pins go the optional filter socket.
There is no need to work on SMD components, but you should be very familiar with the tiny circuits and
have the right equipment, if not ask a experienced OM to help you.
2. Remove the PCB MAIN UNIT, watch on the battery connector and the 3 pin connector in the
middle of the board. Remember or mark the position of the 2 coax-connectors.
3. Desolder and remove the original ceramic SSB filter, see picture
5. Connect the SSB Filter with 3 short wires instead of the ceramic filter, see picture
6. Connect the CW filter with 3 short wires to the pins of the optional filter connector, see picture
8. Reassemble the Main Unit, look carefully to the battery connector and the 3 pin connection in the
center of the board
Vy 73 de Lutz, W4/DH7LK
CW filter wired:
Ready:
There are suggestions to set the FT817 to get the maximum possible output of 15 Watts from an FT817,
but I consider this similar to believing in Santa Claus – do you really believe that Yaesu would over
design the Filters, Relays and Power feeds to cope with THREE times as much power as they advertise
the unit for ?
The 15 watt mod also totally disables the DC current limiting. Expect to see charred coils, DC filters and
PC board next time you look inside your rig – a fan on the heat sink won’t stop this. For a rig that has no
over-temperature indication or protection of any sort, tripling the power level is designing for disaster.
This procedure here will increase power to 10 watts on HF bands only, but ensures that the DC Over-
current protection will reduce power into abnormal loads that the SWR detector cannot detect. SWR
bridges are a only a compromise at detecting reflected power – that’s why Yaesu went to the effort of
building in DC Over-current protection as well as high-SWR protection.
Here is the recommended procedure, you will need a Dummy Load and a Wattmeter or RF Voltmeter.
Make a note of your original calibration settings so you can go back to the standard setting later – the
easiest way to do this is to use FT817 Commander freeware. It is also easy to accidentally change a value
by bumping the Dial knob, and you need to be able to get back to the original setting.
If you have a Key connected, set the VFO to CW on 1.8, 7 and 21 MHz bands – if you don’t have a Key,
then set them to PKT and you will be able to get full carrier using Mic PTT but with no modulation going
out.
Turn the radio off. Press and hold the three A, B, C buttons and press the PWR button. To change to a
different Menu item turn the small SEL knob. To change the value of the item, turn the large Dial knob.
Be careful not to bump the Dial knob so you don’t accidentally change settings..
2. Increase HF1-HI for an output of 14 watts - you will need at least 12 volts input.
You could also change HF1-L3 to 5 watts to save battery drain when 10 watts isn’t needed.
If you are using an RF Voltmeter the readings are 0.5W=5v 1W=7v 2.5W=11v 5W=16v 10W=22v
12W=24v 14=26v.
To avoid de-calibrating the Voltmeter, set your supply to 13.8 volts – otherwise if you just flick over the
DC volts position (Item 17 - VCC) you will recalibrate it.
To save these changed settings, hold the F button for two seconds when finished.
User comment
Subject: blown finals and 10 W modification
Hi OM,
This topic is very hot in the world wide FT817 discussion groups.
I think we have to strike the balance of getting 10 watt output and risk of blown finals. Increasing
the output power is definitely not an original design parameter. Otherwise, Yaesu should promote
the rig as 10 watt output and sell for higher price.
Based on this rationale, I keep the variations to the original values in the hidden menu #18-53 as
few as possible. My rig is the Lot 58 production and my observations are:
1.The gain of the finals at VHF and UHF regions is well less than that in HF region so that there
is not much room for increased output. For example, the difference between 7 watt output and
the original 5 watt is merely 1.46 dB. Therefore, why border to make any variations to the
original values.
2.For HF and 50Mhz, an increased output to around 10 watt can be obtained by simply only
changed the values at #24,28,32 and #36 i.e. HF1-HI, HF2-HI, HF3-HI and 50M-HI. Therefore,
the changes to the original design parameter are kept to minimal. In other words, there is no
change in values for the parameters such as overcurrent protection and TX gain. Although in
some bands, you may only get an output of 8-9 watt, the on-air difference is minimal.
3.Once you make the modifications, I would strongly suggest you strictly limit your operation to
light duty cycle mode such as SSB when running 10 watt.
4.The theoretical absolute maximum power the pair of finals is 8 watt x 2. Therefore, you should
not aim at running the rig at 15 watt !!!!
The above is my own observation to my rig. Please don't hold me liable for any damage to your
rigs. Good luck!
73
Dit interface is bedoeld om een Yaesu FT-817 te besturen via de PC. Het kan worden gebruikt om
modes, frequenties of geheugenkanalen aan te passen met verschillende programma's zoals: MixW,
RATS FT-817, TRX Manager, FT-basic enz.
Yeasu verkoopt volgens mij een dergelijke kabel onder de naam CT-62, maar die heb ik zelf nog niet
gezien.
Het IC, de MAX232 is veelgebruikt om RS232 signalen om te zetten naar TTL, maar omdat niet
iedereen hem kent heb ik er onderstaand schema bij gemaakt. Let op, ik heb het zelf gebouwd, en het
werkt goed, maar als je zelf gaat knutselen is het natuurlijk voor eigen risico.
Oh ja, let wel op dat je de juiste "CAT rate" insteld, anders kan de set verkeerde dingen gaan doen,
zoals zenden op de verkeerde band of zo.
Uitschakelen gaat dan slecht, helemaal als ook de accu er nog in zit!
Rev.1
Rev.2
Het heeft even geduurd maar hier is dan eindelijk ook een lay-out bij de interface. Voor deze lay-out
heb ik de 2 andere poorten van de MAX232 gebruikt, dus dit schema ziet er iets anders uit als de
vorige.
Ik had zelf het geheel al eens op de swhh methode in een 9-pins sub-d connector gemonteerd, maar
binnenkort hoop ik hier ook een SMD lay-out te kunnen plaatsen die geschikt is om in een 9pins
connector te monteren.
De lay-out voor de interface is een BMP bestand, helaas gaat printen dan wat onhandig, maar met
bijvoorbeeld Irfanview kun je het afdrukformaat mooi verschalen. Ik gebruik versie 3.17 en als ik het
plaatje afdruk op 1.05x dan is het formaat precies goed. (ik zal proberen dit binnenkort in een PDF
bestand te zetten of zoiets).
De maten van de print zijn 69 x 42,5mm, de steek van alle condensatoren is 5mm. Irfanview kunt u
vinden op http://www.irfanview.com/ of bijvoorbeeld via TUCOWS .
ENGLISH TRANSLATION:
It took a while, but here is the layout for the interface. I made a modification to the "original" circuit
because the second set of ports in the MAX232 are better for making a nice PCB.
I hope I can present a second PCB within a few weeks that can fit in a 9 pin sub-d connector,
For an exact print of the PCB you should use this PDF file of the PCB.
Software for using the CAT interface can you find on this links:
Author: Tom
I am posting the following as a service to all 817 owners. Even if you do not experience these 70cm
transmit problems, I would not be surprised to find out that this fix also improves receive by making the
radio quite a bit more quiet---here is my story
Recently I found that my 817 occasionally did not put out any power on 440 transmit when using a duck
on the front BNC.
Further examination showed that when set to low power and the antenna was flexed just so the power
meter would peak but actual output power disappeared.
Some experimentation showed that grounding the big covered can on the main board solved the problem.
A bit more investigating showed the bottom of the main board is not well grounded.
A little search work produced the official Yaesu fix document (the actual document used at Yaesu) along
with part numbers needed to implement the fix (available from Yaesu, or you can send the rig to them
and wait for them to repair it). Yaesu will fix the rig for free if it is under warrantee. If not you will have
to order the fix part (the part# is in the attached tiff file), don't worry it only costs .22 USD (22 US cents).
This is not a lot specific problem (according to Yaesu), and rigs as recent as a year 2001 lot 44 rig has the
problem (A rig produced around the end of 2001).
PLEASE NOTE, CONTRARY TO THE OFFICIAL YAESU FIX SHEET, THIS PROBLEM WILL
AFFECT THE 817 EVEN IF IT IS USING THE INTERNAL BATTERY PACK!!!
The Yaesu FT-817 is an extremely portable HF through UHF all-mode transceiver, capable of operation
on all amateur bands from 160 meters through 70 cm (excluding, unfortunately, 222 MHz.) It is also
considered to be a QRP transceiver - being capable of only 5 watts output maximum. In addition to
transceive operation on these amateur bands, it also is a capable general-coverage receiver providing
continuous coverage on all modes from 100 KHz through 56 MHz, 108 through 154 MHz, and 420
through 470 MHz. It also provides "Wide FM" receive coverage from 76 through 108 MHz.
This link is divided into several several sections to make digesting the material more manageable:
ATTENTION
The KB2LJJ takes no responsibility for any damage during the modification or for any wrong information
made on this modification.