Yaesu FT-991 vs FT-897 with internal LDG YT-100 antenna tuner

My colleague Ernesto (EA1LQ) pointed out to me that Yaesu had just brought to the market a new compact radio, the FT-991, that featured a built-in antenna tuner and therefore was the natural substitute of my FT-897D in which I fitted an LDG YT-100 antenna tuner in the battery compartment. I must recognise that I was very excited and looking forward to find out more about the new radio.

When I looked it up on yaesu, the first difference was the big colour display and the impression it was bigger than the FT-897D. But I was more interested to see the specifications, and here they are:

Feature	FT-991	FT-897D with internal tuner and battery
Weight	9.5 lb (4.3 kg)	10.3 lb (4.7 kg)
Battery capacity	---	2200 mAh
Power consumption RX	1800-2200mA	600-1000mA
Impedance	16.7-150 ohms	4-800 ohms

So it seems that the FT-991 is 10 percent lighter than its competitor, which can be partly  due to the fact that it does not feature an internal battery. The consumption on receive is also between two and three times higher than on the FT-897D, which is also a handicap when operating portable on battery power. Finally, the range of the tuner is much narrower, which can be a minus when operating portable.

All in all, the conclusion is that the FT-991 seems to be a very nice radio, with a colour display, an USB port and new features, and is a welcome addition to the Yaesu line, but is designed with a different style in mind and is therefore not a direct replacement for my Yaesu FT-897D with internal tuner and battery.

FT-897D with internal LDG YT-100 antenna tuner

Tjis is a picture of my FT-897D with an internal YT-100 antenna tuner and a small LiPO battery.

I put this picture on the blog because I had posted a video of the radio with the internal tuner in action on Youtube, and there was a person who disputed the title of the video. He said that the tuner was not internal. So this picture is for him.

I also replaced the battery switch with a push-button with a led to activate and monitor the operation of the tuner.
On the picture you can also see some DC terminals coming out from the battery compartment. These are to charge the small 2200mAh battery that I also fit in the space left after adding the automatic antenna tuner.

First tests with my FT-897D trolley

On this video you can see the first tests with my FT-897D trolley.

I was using a vise grip antenna mount on an iron bench with a collapsible military whip antenna.

My new radio trolley

Here is a picture of my new radio trolley, which I am preparing for the new award programme called Beaches On The Air (more info on www.beachesontheair.com).
My father Juan (EA1AQ) has been helping me in this project.
It consists of a Yaesu FT-897D with an internal LDG YT-100 antenna tuner and a 10Ah LiFePO4 battery.
I am still working on the antenna mounts for HF and VHF-UHF. I am thinking of using a couple of mirror mounts (Nagoya RB-46).

Alto das Valiñas (SOTA EA1/LU-025)

This is an old video, unpublished so far, that I recorded on Alto das Valiñas (SOTA EA1/LU-025).

By then, I didn't use the SOTAwatch cluster. The radio is anf FT-897 manpack with internal batteries and an FC-40 antenna tuner.

SOTA activation of Breamo - Christmas 2012

This is a video of the activation of Breamo (SOTA reference EA1/CR-035) to wish merry Christmas to my SOTA friends around the world. I was using an FT-897D with an internal antenna tuner and a wire antenna.

It includes a couple of QSOs with American stations. Thanks very much to everyone and Merry Christmas to all.

Yaesu FT-897D with internal YT-100 antenna tuner

Here are a couple of pictures of my FT-897D with an LDG YT-100 antenna tuner fitted inside.

In the first picture you can see the rear top view of the radio. As you can see, I added a couple of binding posts for wire antennas and a push button to activate the tuner. I also plan on adding another UHF connector for coax-fed antennas in the near future. I am just waiting for the connectors to arrive.

In the second picture, you can see the rear bottom view, with the four phillips screws that hold the tuner board in place. The back cover is raised a couple of milimiters so that the tuner has enough room inside the battery compartment.

Yaesu FT-897D with internal antenna tuner: First test

I this video you can see the first test of my new project: a Yaesu FT-897D with an internal antenna tuner.

I intend to use this as a table-top portable radio. This is not intended as a backpack transceiver for SOTA operations in adverse conditions. For that purpose, I have opted for my FT-857 manpack, which is smaller and lighter.
Thanks to Robi and Ernesto (EA1LQ) for the help with the construction and tests.

FT-897 manpack by night

This is a video Robi recorded with his mobile phone when we were doing some tests on 40m SSB with a V dipole and a manual tuner attached to the FT-897.

The video was shot just after we applied a coat of white primer to the tuner's aluminum case.

Formigueiros (SOTA EA1/LU-002): DG7LAL

This is a video of a QSO with German station DG7LAL (op Rainer) from the summit of Formigueiros (1639m) on 20m SSB.

Rainer was one of the first phone QSOs I made with my Clansman PRC-320 when I still had problems with my handset's microphone, and he made a voice recording for me at that time that you can see here:

Thank you Rainer!

From SOTA EA1/LU-025 to IOTA EU-031 (Procida Island)

This is a video of a QSO with Italian station IC8ATA (operator Raul) from Procida island (IOTA reference EU-031).

Procida is one of the Phlegrean islands off the coast of Naples in southern Italy. The island is between Cape Miseno and the island of Ischia. With its tiny satellite island of Vivara, it is a comune of the province of Naples, in the region of Campania. The population is about ten thousand.
Procida has been chosen as a film set for numerous films, mainly for its panoramas and its typical Mediterranean architecture. The most famous are Il Postino and The Talented Mr. Ripley.

Alto das Valiñas (SOTA EA1/LU-025): IZ6TGS

This is a video of a QSO on 20m SSB with Italian station IZ6TGS from Alto das Valiñas on the day of New Year's Eve, SOTA reference EA1/LU-025.

This summit awards 4 points plus a seasonal bonus of 3 points in winter.
Adrio was born in 1974 in San Benedetto del Tronto where he currently lives. His passion for radio began in 1990 but it was not until 2010 that he became a radio amateur.
On the right you can see his very nice QSL card featuring a military-style backpack transceiver.

Alto do Moradal (EA1/LU-024)

This is a video of an activation of Alto do Moradal (SOTA ref. EA1/LU-024) that I made on Christmas day.

It was a total of 6 QSOs using my FT-897 manpack with a 2.9m whip, all of them on 17m SSB.

EA1/LU-016 - Pico de Santa Irene (IT9BDW)

This is a video of a QSO with Italian station IT9BDW during my SOTA activation of Pico de Santa Irene (SOTA ref. EA1/LU-016).

Thanks to Joseph for the nice QSO.

O Teso (EA1/LU-029)

These are some videos of my activation of the summit O Teso, SOTA reference EA1/LU-029. My first QSO was on 17m SSb with the United States immediately after I switched on the station before I had time to start the vide recording. My second QSO was with an avid SOTA chaser, Quique, EA1DFP, on 17m also.

It was getting dark so I tried the 40m band. The result was a QSO with Patrick (OM1XQ) from Bratislava, on 40m SSB.

My next QSO was with Fred, CS7/PD0HNL, from Algarve on 20m.

Here is the nice eQSL I got, which means my 72nd country confirme for my eDX award.

Before leaving I made some repeater QSOs on 2m FM with Julio (EA1UP) and Juan (EA1AQ).

By then it was completely dark.

Pico de Santa Irene: IZ7FLP/P

This is a video of a QSO with portable Italian station IZ7FLP/P from Pico de Santa Irene (1202m), SOTA ref. EA1/LU-016, 6 points plus a seasonal bonus of 3 points.

Giovanni is very active in the diploma of Italian castles (DCI) and Italian municipalities (DMI). You can follow his adventures at http://iz7flp.jimdo.com/.

Alto das Valiñas (EA1/LU-025)

This is a video of a QSO with station MM/PA1SVM from Scotland on 20m SSB on Christmas Eve.

Alto das Valiñas (SOTA ref. EA1/LU-025) has an altitude of 1104m and a value of 4 points, with a seasonal bonus of 3 points.

Pico de Santa Irene: EA1/LU-016 (G4ZSY)

This is a video of a QSO from Pico de Santa Irene (SOTA ref. EA1/LU-016) with English station G4ZSY.

This peak gives 6 points plus a seasonal bonus of 3 points. There is a trigpoint and a telephone station at the summit.

IZ2LRT/QRPp: 0.9 Watts

On Christmas Eve I went to the country to make some adjustments in my manpack radio. I resetted the memory of my antenna tuner and recorded new memories for the 2.9m whip I am currently using. This is the test QSO I made, on 20m SSB.

Before this QSO I had never heard of QRPp and later I realized it means lower power than QRP, with power outputs up to 1 Watt máximum. On this video, IZ2LRT is using only 0.9W. Outstanding!

Pico Ribón II (EA1 LU-028)

On Christmas Day I went with EA1AQ to activate Pico Ribón (1051m) and I made 17 QSOs on 17m SSB. On this video you can see a sample.

As you can see, it was a very productive activation. Overall, I am very satisfied with the performance of my manpack.
Special thanks to HA7UG, DL3JPN, and all the other colleagues who are always ready to help with an activation.