FT-817nd QRP 1W: QSO with EA8JK

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.

Versatile backpack frame on eBay

I just found this interestng backpack idea on eBay. It looks very versatile.
It is made of stainless steel and weighs 1360 grams.
Here is the link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Ham-Radio-station-Antenna-Tuner-backpack-frame-for-YAESU-FT-817-LDG-Z11-LDG-Z100-/331198564376?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4d1cf90818
What do you think about it?

Greece on 12m (SV3AQR)

Testing my Yaesu FT-897D with an internal LDG YT-100 antenna tuner and an internal LiPO battery, using 20W into a random wire on 12m SSB.

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.