Monday, April 26, 2010

Preparing the FT-897 for portable operations

This weekend I have been preparing the Yaesu FT-897D for portable operations, with the help of my friend Robi, who has also taken some pictures with his new mobile phone.
We built two handles out of some square aluminum bar and attached them to the FT-897 with the screws that are normally used for the mobile mounting bracket. The screws on the picture are provisional because we did not have any of the right length.
This is the third prototype so far, after having tried other configurations made of steel.
The result is promising, because it is rugged, compact, light and looks good. But we still have to find a solution for an antenna base.
This is part of a collaborative project with Alex (ON4FB) to build a custom manpack transceiver on the basis of amateur equipment.

6 comments:

  1. Tiene muy buena pinta !! Parece que nos hemos puesto deacuerdo, jejejeje yo este finde he estado trabajando en colocar una PRC320 en mi willys, ya te pasare fotos !! 73's

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  2. very nice indeed, impressive, especially if u paint them black, they look like more professional, 73s de Malta

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  3. I know this article is a bit dated, but can you post some details on the bar stock you used and how you bent it? Want ears for my 897 before I take it camping next month. Thanks. KK4YBC

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    Replies
    1. It is 8mm square aluminum bar. I used a vise to hold it in place and a square steel tube to bend it. The aluminum bar would break when I tried to bend it 90 degrees. The solution was to bend it 45 degrees and again another 45 degrees half an inch apart.

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  4. Hello,

    Are you making the FT-897D side stand-off rails?

    I am interested in buying 3 - 4 sets.

    Please advise.

    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hello,

    Are you making the FT-897D side stand-off rails?

    I am interested in buying 3 - 4 sets.

    Please advise.

    Thank you.

    ReplyDelete