Yaesu Ft847 Check Date Manufacturerfxfasr

• Yaesu Ft847 Check Date Manufacturerfxfasr Excel
• Yaesu Ft847 Check Date Manufacturerfxfasr Paste

Yeah he would have to check the serial number to see if the FT-847 has a bi-directional CAT port or not. Rigs manufactured after May 1998 have bi-directional support. Information about decoding the FT-847 serial number to determine it's date of manufacture can be found here. Yaesu Data Mode Cable for Transceivers Fitted with 6-pin mini-DIN DATA Jack; Icom CT-17 USB CI-V CAT Control Cable; Yaesu USB Programming / CAT Cable for FT-100 / 817 / 857 / 897; Memory Management Software for Yaesu FT-817, FT-818, FT-847, FT-857 and FT-897 Transceivers. If you need to know exactly when your Yaesu radio was manufactured here is the way to decode Yaesu serial numbers: Position 1 = year made Position 2 = month made C = January D = February E = March F = April G = May H = June I = July J = August K = September L = October M = November N = December Pos 3 &/or 4 = lot number(s) Pos 5-8 sequence in.

Yaesu FC-40 Remote Antenna Tuners are new, wide-range antenna couplers for all versions (original and 'D') of the FT-450, FT-857, FT-897 and FTDX-3000/1200 series of transceivers.
FC-40 ATUs make use of control circuitry inside the transceiver, allowing the operator to monitor and control operation of the FC-40, which mounts near the antenna feed point. Fully waterproof, the FC-40 may be mounted outdoors in exposed locations, and will handle 100 Watts of transmitter power.
FC-40 remote tuners are designed for operation on 7 to 54 MHz, when using an 8 ft. whip like the YAESU YA-007, or on 1.8 to 54 MHz when used with a random-length wire longer than 66 ft. Matching time is typically five seconds or less, and the required drive power is 4 to 60 Watts. The FC-40 has 200 match-setting-point memories, for instant recall of the tuning settings.
Note: For additional information, please look at the files under the 'Documentation' tab.
When you are looking for great Amateur Radio gear, consider one of these fine Yaesu products from DX Engineering!

Warrantycztuexqczaywsfwbuxacvtdsfxbea

Connected to FT991A OK

DX Engineering Verified Purchase

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Reviewer: RUSSELLfrom IN

Date: May 28, 2020

Works great as a tuner for the home

DX Engineering Verified Purchase

0 of 0 found this review helpful.

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Reviewer: RUSSELLfrom IN

Date: May 13, 2020

By Mike Foubister ZL3TIC

Firstly I would like to make clear that in no way am I tied up with Yaesu New Zealandthe following review is of my own findings.

Towards the end of May 1998 New Zealand had its shipment come though after lengthydelays with Yaesu Japan I had my FT847 on order since December 1997 ( don't you hatewaiting for something that you have ordered! )

The FT847 is very well packed comes with DC lead, spare fuses hand microphone andinstruction manual I would have to give the writer 20 out of 10 for a superb manual veryeasy to read and well illustrated and is also catered for the newcomer to Amateur radiobest manual I have ever read!.

The first impressions I had when unpacking the radio was its size, a bit bigger than Ithought but still very small for what it does a very nice looking radio.The LCD display isblue very nice appearance with 'S' meter and power meter being part of the LCD display,you can also adjust the brightness via the MENU ( 1 ) it has a 7 level adjustment.

Now lets get down to the nitty gritty, how well does the radio perform? I will startwith the Receiver but will split the performance up in frequency coverage.

Firstly the RX frequency coverage is:

• 100Khz to 76Mhz ( no gaps ) even though the instruction manual and advertising brochure has a gap between 30Mhz and 37Mhz.
• 108Mhz to 174Mhz
• 410Mhz to 512Mhz

The Selectivity of the FT847 is

• SSB/CW 2.2Khz
• AM 9Khz
• AM/N 2.2Khz
• FM 15Khz
• FM/N 9Khz

I compared the FT847 receive performance with the following:

• AOR5000
• AOR3030

TS680 with broadcast band mods done to it.

• ICR7000
• IC551D
• IC251
• FT736R

Lets start from the bottom

100Khz to 500Khz The FT847 is a bit deaf compared to the 5000 and the3030 but the 847 is better than the TS680.

500Khz to 1.8Mhz Very impressive little or no intermod or crossmodfrom strong broadcast signals the AR5000 and AR3030 are slightly better but the 847 is farbetter than the TS680.

1.8Mhz to 30Mhz What a HOT radio very impressive runs rings around theTS680 and is Equal if not better than the AR5000 and 3030 is a pleasure to us on HF !!!

30Mhz to 50Mhz superb is all I can say one of the best receivers Ihave played with ( good for us MUF watchers ) bows the ICR7000 and TS680 out of the waterand better than the AR5000.

50Mhz to 54Mhz Being a 6m operator since 1981 this would be the bestradio I have used selectivity and sensitivity is superb, handles strong signals with noproblems there is no comparison with the TS680, ICR7000 and the IC551D the 847 is farsuperior.

54Mhz to 76Mhz Still a HOT radio although I did notice from approx68Mhz to 76Mhz the gain was dropping off a wee bit the AR5000 was better at thesefrequencies but the 847 is still better than the ICR7000. also another plus was the 847behaved its self with VERY strong signals ( we have a 100KW TV station on 62.240Mhz a goodtest for receivers!! ).

108Mhz to 144Mhz superb found not intermod from the 20 local FMbroadcast stations ( most are running 10KW plus and 6 stations running more the 50KW!!)this is a good start, allot of receivers get clobbered by the broadcast stations, the 847is equal to the AR5000 and is allot better than the ICR7000..

144Mhz to 148Mhz Best 2m radio I have ever played with , the antenna'sbeing used on 2m are two ten element yagis with masthead preamp and masthead poweramplifier, sat the 847 up against the AR5000, FT736R, ICR7000 and IC251 other than theAR5000 the 847 was far better than the others and was in parr with the AR5000 ( this issaying allot for the AR5000!! )

410Mhz to 430Mhz Very good is in parr to the AR5000 and isconsiderably better than the ICR7000.

430Mhz to 450Mhz Like the 2m band most impressive best receiver I haveever played with better than the FT736R and equal if not better than the AR5000, blows theICR7000 away!

450Mhz to 512Mhz Still very good I did notice above 470Mhz the gainwas falling of a bit but still no problems ( we here in ZL have utility stations andPolice up on 480Mhz the 847 pulls then in with no problems at all )

The above tests are not overly technical but will give you an idea of theperformance.Also the above tests where carried out with and without the internal preamp (144Mhz and 430Mhz preamp ) was quiet surprised with the out of band performance with thepreamp turned on!

DIGITAL FILTER/DIGITAL NOTCH AND DIGITAL NOISE REDUCTION.

These are a great feature with the FT847 starting with the Digital filter, there aretwo knobs low cut and high cut this can be tailored to your needs this function does takesome getting used to but once you have used it a few times it becomes quiet impressive

Also on CW the digital filter is adjustable through the Menu 10 you can select the CWband pass filter available values are 25/100/200 and 400Hz this function is amazing andworks very well..

Digital notch: best I have seen this function is fully automatic,press the D.NOTCH button and offending tone within a spit second is gone! great forcomputer birdies on 6m etc!

Digital noise reduction: this can also be adjusted via menu 11 this sets the degree ofDSP noise reduction, the scale is 0 to 15 the higher setting provides more noise reductionbut gives a slight loss of fidelity on the incoming signal this function is also veryimpressive.

The FT847 also has a noise blanker that works very well.

Other receiver features are RF gain control, RF amp on/off ( 144 and 430Mhz only ) ATTswitch for all bands, AGC fast/slow switch ( you can not turn the AGC off on the 847 ) IFshift control, Clarifier control and fast slow button for tuning speed.

Shuttle jog this takes some getting used to, the idea is for quick frequency changing,if you only move it slightly the frequency only changes slowly the more you rotate theknob the faster the frequency moves a superb idea for quick band hopping and frequencychanging.

Internal preamp can be switched to a external premamp ( turns the internal preamp offand puts 12VDC @ 300ma to the 144Mhz and 430Mhz antenna port when the RF AMP switch ispressed ) this can be adjusted separately for VHF/UHF, both internal and external preampscannot be used at the same time unless you have a separate supply rail to your preamp.

FT847 TRANSMITTER

The transmitter of the FT847 is 100w HF/6m and 50w 2m/70cm. there are 2 fans coolingthe transmit stage ( one fan is on all the time and when the ptt is pressed the other fanstarts up for better circulation )

Some of the great features of the 847 are:

• You can monitor your own transmission via the monitor button
• Can set up the audio frequency response via menu 92 ( USB CAR ) and menu 93 ( LSB CAR using the monitor button ) available values 10 to 15 ( x 10 ) Hz ie 100 to 150 Hz
• Has FM normal and FM narrow ( 9Khz ) on transmit
• Has separate standby outputs for HF, 6M. 2M and 70CM The maximum ratings for these connections are +24v DC at 100ma.
• Is fully Packet ready both 9600bps and 1200bps
• Adjustable CW delay 10 to 300ms ( menu 9 )
• Adjustable CW pitch ( menu 6 ) 400 to 1100Hz
• Adjustable CW sidetone ( menu 8 )
• Power output is fully adjustable on ALL modes.
• standard repeater offsets for all bands 10m to 70cm can also be tailored for a odd offset frequency 0.00 to 99.99Mhz.
• Comes standard with CTSS, DCS
• Can set the HF antenna socket for 6m as well ( menu 28 )
• Transceiver can operate cross band repeat ( menu 41 )
• FT847 can operate full cross band eg transmit on one band whilst receiving on other.will work on satellite mode.
• On air tests have been very impressive with very clean audio.

Out of band transmit mods for the FT847

WARNING! Any modification made is performed at your own risk. Modificationsmade could void your warranty.The author assume no responsibility for damage caused toyour radio .

Please check and obey your local regulations before transmitting out sidethe licensed spectrum.

Note: There are different versions to the FT847 some may NOT modify.

Yaesu Ft847 Check Date Manufacturerfxfasr Excel

The Frequency coverage of the 847 TX once modified is:

1.8Mhz to 76Mhz ( no gaps ) WARNING DO NOT TRANSMIT IN THE RANGE 32MHZ TO 37MHZ AS YOUARE TRANSMITTING INTO A LOW PASS FILTER AND COULD DO DAMAGE TO THE POWER AMPLIFIER.

137Mhz to 174 Mhz and 410Mhz to 470Mhz

The modifications are quiet simple:

Remove bottom cover you will see the backup battery, on the left hand side their are 6solder pads numbered 1 to 6 pad one already has a 0 ohm chip resistor across it, shortpads 2 and 3 with 0 ohm chip resistors or just use solder ( not as neat ).

Check pad 6 if it has a chip resistor on it remove it ( if it is not removed the radiowill not go out of band on HF and 6M )

Replace cover , reconnect radio press the fast and lock buttons together at the sametime and turn the radio on this will reset the micro ( you will loose all your memories ).

Testing this mod on a dummy load and watt meter found 1.8Mhz to 30Mhz getting a good100W right though, from 37Mhz to 50Mhz was also very close to a 100W!!

Yaesu Ft847 Check Date Manufacturerfxfasr Paste

From 54Mhz to 76Mhz the power did drop off the higher the frequency at 70Mhz gettingapprox 20W.

137Mhz to 174Mhz was pretty good with output of 50W!! found the same on 410Mhz to470Mhz !!

OTHER FUNCTIONS OF THE FT847

The FT847 has allot of additional features I will not go into all of them but will tryand go though some of them.

SCANNING The FT847's Memory system provides a wide variety of facilities which enhanceoperating efficiency and convenience. The Memory system stores frequency, operation mode,bandwidth, repeater offset and tone data, and clarifier information.

• QMB ( quick memory bank ) This is a one channel memory and is handy if you are tuning around and find something of interest you can pop it into this memory and recall it with little effort.
• MAIN MEMORY SYSTEM The main memory system consists of memory channels 1 to 99
• ( memory 1 is also the priority channel )
• ' HOME ' CHANNEL MEMORY I find this very handy, on each band you can programme a home channel ( your favourite frequency ) eg say when you are on HF you may want your HOME channel to be 28.885 USB ( the 6m DX chat frequency ) you can be anywhere on HF all you do is press the HOME button and you go straight to 28.885.

The same thing applies to 6M ( 37 to 76Mhz ) I have 50.110 as my HOME channel on thisband.

ON 2M ( 108 to 174 Mhz ) I have 144.1Mhz on HOME channel and on 70CM ( 410 to 512Mhz )have 433.1Mhz on HOME channel.

SCANNING OPERATION The FT847 can scan the memories, what memories you don't wantscanned you can 'pass' the memory. The scan will operate with SQ open it willsit at each frequency this can be user adjustable via menu 26.

PROGRAMMABLE MEMORY SCAN The FT847 has one programmable memory scan It is very easy tooperate and works well, like the scan mode you can scan you lower to upper limit with theSQ open.

MENU SYSTEM The FT847 has a superb MENU system allows customization of many aspects oftransceiver performance by the user. the parameters adjusted via the MENU system areperformance characteristics which do not require adjustment in 'real time' bythe user but rather are 'set and forget' parameters which optimise thetransceivers setup configuration for the way you like to operate.

The MENU system is easy to activate all you do is press MENU and rotate the SUB-TUNEcontrol to select the item to be adjusted. Then rotate the MEM/VFO CH control to adjust orselect the parameter to be changed on the MENU item selected.

The FT847 also has a SERVICE MENU for alignment of the radio, I would not recommendusing this function without the service manual and proper test gear.

Connected to FT991A OK

DX Engineering Verified Purchase

1 of 1 found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful?Yes|No

If you feel that this review is inappropriate and should be removed from the site, report it to us by clicking the 'Report Abuse' button below.

Reviewer: RUSSELLfrom IN

Date: May 28, 2020

Works great as a tuner for the home

DX Engineering Verified Purchase

0 of 0 found this review helpful.

Was this review helpful?Yes|No

If you feel that this review is inappropriate and should be removed from the site, report it to us by clicking the 'Report Abuse' button below.

Reviewer: RUSSELLfrom IN

Date: May 13, 2020

By Mike Foubister ZL3TIC

Firstly I would like to make clear that in no way am I tied up with Yaesu New Zealandthe following review is of my own findings.

Towards the end of May 1998 New Zealand had its shipment come though after lengthydelays with Yaesu Japan I had my FT847 on order since December 1997 ( don't you hatewaiting for something that you have ordered! )

The FT847 is very well packed comes with DC lead, spare fuses hand microphone andinstruction manual I would have to give the writer 20 out of 10 for a superb manual veryeasy to read and well illustrated and is also catered for the newcomer to Amateur radiobest manual I have ever read!.

The first impressions I had when unpacking the radio was its size, a bit bigger than Ithought but still very small for what it does a very nice looking radio.The LCD display isblue very nice appearance with 'S' meter and power meter being part of the LCD display,you can also adjust the brightness via the MENU ( 1 ) it has a 7 level adjustment.

Now lets get down to the nitty gritty, how well does the radio perform? I will startwith the Receiver but will split the performance up in frequency coverage.

Firstly the RX frequency coverage is:

• 100Khz to 76Mhz ( no gaps ) even though the instruction manual and advertising brochure has a gap between 30Mhz and 37Mhz.
• 108Mhz to 174Mhz
• 410Mhz to 512Mhz

The Selectivity of the FT847 is

• SSB/CW 2.2Khz
• AM 9Khz
• AM/N 2.2Khz
• FM 15Khz
• FM/N 9Khz

I compared the FT847 receive performance with the following:

• AOR5000
• AOR3030

TS680 with broadcast band mods done to it.

• ICR7000
• IC551D
• IC251
• FT736R

Lets start from the bottom

100Khz to 500Khz The FT847 is a bit deaf compared to the 5000 and the3030 but the 847 is better than the TS680.

500Khz to 1.8Mhz Very impressive little or no intermod or crossmodfrom strong broadcast signals the AR5000 and AR3030 are slightly better but the 847 is farbetter than the TS680.

1.8Mhz to 30Mhz What a HOT radio very impressive runs rings around theTS680 and is Equal if not better than the AR5000 and 3030 is a pleasure to us on HF !!!

30Mhz to 50Mhz superb is all I can say one of the best receivers Ihave played with ( good for us MUF watchers ) bows the ICR7000 and TS680 out of the waterand better than the AR5000.

50Mhz to 54Mhz Being a 6m operator since 1981 this would be the bestradio I have used selectivity and sensitivity is superb, handles strong signals with noproblems there is no comparison with the TS680, ICR7000 and the IC551D the 847 is farsuperior.

54Mhz to 76Mhz Still a HOT radio although I did notice from approx68Mhz to 76Mhz the gain was dropping off a wee bit the AR5000 was better at thesefrequencies but the 847 is still better than the ICR7000. also another plus was the 847behaved its self with VERY strong signals ( we have a 100KW TV station on 62.240Mhz a goodtest for receivers!! ).

108Mhz to 144Mhz superb found not intermod from the 20 local FMbroadcast stations ( most are running 10KW plus and 6 stations running more the 50KW!!)this is a good start, allot of receivers get clobbered by the broadcast stations, the 847is equal to the AR5000 and is allot better than the ICR7000..

144Mhz to 148Mhz Best 2m radio I have ever played with , the antenna'sbeing used on 2m are two ten element yagis with masthead preamp and masthead poweramplifier, sat the 847 up against the AR5000, FT736R, ICR7000 and IC251 other than theAR5000 the 847 was far better than the others and was in parr with the AR5000 ( this issaying allot for the AR5000!! )

410Mhz to 430Mhz Very good is in parr to the AR5000 and isconsiderably better than the ICR7000.

430Mhz to 450Mhz Like the 2m band most impressive best receiver I haveever played with better than the FT736R and equal if not better than the AR5000, blows theICR7000 away!

450Mhz to 512Mhz Still very good I did notice above 470Mhz the gainwas falling of a bit but still no problems ( we here in ZL have utility stations andPolice up on 480Mhz the 847 pulls then in with no problems at all )

The above tests are not overly technical but will give you an idea of theperformance.Also the above tests where carried out with and without the internal preamp (144Mhz and 430Mhz preamp ) was quiet surprised with the out of band performance with thepreamp turned on!

DIGITAL FILTER/DIGITAL NOTCH AND DIGITAL NOISE REDUCTION.

These are a great feature with the FT847 starting with the Digital filter, there aretwo knobs low cut and high cut this can be tailored to your needs this function does takesome getting used to but once you have used it a few times it becomes quiet impressive

Also on CW the digital filter is adjustable through the Menu 10 you can select the CWband pass filter available values are 25/100/200 and 400Hz this function is amazing andworks very well..

Digital notch: best I have seen this function is fully automatic,press the D.NOTCH button and offending tone within a spit second is gone! great forcomputer birdies on 6m etc!

Digital noise reduction: this can also be adjusted via menu 11 this sets the degree ofDSP noise reduction, the scale is 0 to 15 the higher setting provides more noise reductionbut gives a slight loss of fidelity on the incoming signal this function is also veryimpressive.

The FT847 also has a noise blanker that works very well.

Other receiver features are RF gain control, RF amp on/off ( 144 and 430Mhz only ) ATTswitch for all bands, AGC fast/slow switch ( you can not turn the AGC off on the 847 ) IFshift control, Clarifier control and fast slow button for tuning speed.

Shuttle jog this takes some getting used to, the idea is for quick frequency changing,if you only move it slightly the frequency only changes slowly the more you rotate theknob the faster the frequency moves a superb idea for quick band hopping and frequencychanging.

Internal preamp can be switched to a external premamp ( turns the internal preamp offand puts 12VDC @ 300ma to the 144Mhz and 430Mhz antenna port when the RF AMP switch ispressed ) this can be adjusted separately for VHF/UHF, both internal and external preampscannot be used at the same time unless you have a separate supply rail to your preamp.

FT847 TRANSMITTER

The transmitter of the FT847 is 100w HF/6m and 50w 2m/70cm. there are 2 fans coolingthe transmit stage ( one fan is on all the time and when the ptt is pressed the other fanstarts up for better circulation )

Some of the great features of the 847 are:

• You can monitor your own transmission via the monitor button
• Can set up the audio frequency response via menu 92 ( USB CAR ) and menu 93 ( LSB CAR using the monitor button ) available values 10 to 15 ( x 10 ) Hz ie 100 to 150 Hz
• Has FM normal and FM narrow ( 9Khz ) on transmit
• Has separate standby outputs for HF, 6M. 2M and 70CM The maximum ratings for these connections are +24v DC at 100ma.
• Is fully Packet ready both 9600bps and 1200bps
• Adjustable CW delay 10 to 300ms ( menu 9 )
• Adjustable CW pitch ( menu 6 ) 400 to 1100Hz
• Adjustable CW sidetone ( menu 8 )
• Power output is fully adjustable on ALL modes.
• standard repeater offsets for all bands 10m to 70cm can also be tailored for a odd offset frequency 0.00 to 99.99Mhz.
• Comes standard with CTSS, DCS
• Can set the HF antenna socket for 6m as well ( menu 28 )
• Transceiver can operate cross band repeat ( menu 41 )
• FT847 can operate full cross band eg transmit on one band whilst receiving on other.will work on satellite mode.
• On air tests have been very impressive with very clean audio.

Out of band transmit mods for the FT847

WARNING! Any modification made is performed at your own risk. Modificationsmade could void your warranty.The author assume no responsibility for damage caused toyour radio .

Please check and obey your local regulations before transmitting out sidethe licensed spectrum.

Note: There are different versions to the FT847 some may NOT modify.

Yaesu Ft847 Check Date Manufacturerfxfasr Excel

The Frequency coverage of the 847 TX once modified is:

1.8Mhz to 76Mhz ( no gaps ) WARNING DO NOT TRANSMIT IN THE RANGE 32MHZ TO 37MHZ AS YOUARE TRANSMITTING INTO A LOW PASS FILTER AND COULD DO DAMAGE TO THE POWER AMPLIFIER.

137Mhz to 174 Mhz and 410Mhz to 470Mhz

The modifications are quiet simple:

Remove bottom cover you will see the backup battery, on the left hand side their are 6solder pads numbered 1 to 6 pad one already has a 0 ohm chip resistor across it, shortpads 2 and 3 with 0 ohm chip resistors or just use solder ( not as neat ).

Check pad 6 if it has a chip resistor on it remove it ( if it is not removed the radiowill not go out of band on HF and 6M )

Replace cover , reconnect radio press the fast and lock buttons together at the sametime and turn the radio on this will reset the micro ( you will loose all your memories ).

Testing this mod on a dummy load and watt meter found 1.8Mhz to 30Mhz getting a good100W right though, from 37Mhz to 50Mhz was also very close to a 100W!!

Yaesu Ft847 Check Date Manufacturerfxfasr Paste

From 54Mhz to 76Mhz the power did drop off the higher the frequency at 70Mhz gettingapprox 20W.

137Mhz to 174Mhz was pretty good with output of 50W!! found the same on 410Mhz to470Mhz !!

OTHER FUNCTIONS OF THE FT847

The FT847 has allot of additional features I will not go into all of them but will tryand go though some of them.

SCANNING The FT847's Memory system provides a wide variety of facilities which enhanceoperating efficiency and convenience. The Memory system stores frequency, operation mode,bandwidth, repeater offset and tone data, and clarifier information.

• QMB ( quick memory bank ) This is a one channel memory and is handy if you are tuning around and find something of interest you can pop it into this memory and recall it with little effort.
• MAIN MEMORY SYSTEM The main memory system consists of memory channels 1 to 99
• ( memory 1 is also the priority channel )
• ' HOME ' CHANNEL MEMORY I find this very handy, on each band you can programme a home channel ( your favourite frequency ) eg say when you are on HF you may want your HOME channel to be 28.885 USB ( the 6m DX chat frequency ) you can be anywhere on HF all you do is press the HOME button and you go straight to 28.885.

The same thing applies to 6M ( 37 to 76Mhz ) I have 50.110 as my HOME channel on thisband.

ON 2M ( 108 to 174 Mhz ) I have 144.1Mhz on HOME channel and on 70CM ( 410 to 512Mhz )have 433.1Mhz on HOME channel.

SCANNING OPERATION The FT847 can scan the memories, what memories you don't wantscanned you can 'pass' the memory. The scan will operate with SQ open it willsit at each frequency this can be user adjustable via menu 26.

PROGRAMMABLE MEMORY SCAN The FT847 has one programmable memory scan It is very easy tooperate and works well, like the scan mode you can scan you lower to upper limit with theSQ open.

MENU SYSTEM The FT847 has a superb MENU system allows customization of many aspects oftransceiver performance by the user. the parameters adjusted via the MENU system areperformance characteristics which do not require adjustment in 'real time' bythe user but rather are 'set and forget' parameters which optimise thetransceivers setup configuration for the way you like to operate.

The MENU system is easy to activate all you do is press MENU and rotate the SUB-TUNEcontrol to select the item to be adjusted. Then rotate the MEM/VFO CH control to adjust orselect the parameter to be changed on the MENU item selected.

The FT847 also has a SERVICE MENU for alignment of the radio, I would not recommendusing this function without the service manual and proper test gear.

to access the ALIGNMENT MENU turn radio off press the UP, DWN and FAST keys on themicrophone together while turning the radio on again, the alignment parameter is selectedby rotating the SUB-TUNE dial and the alignment is performed by pressing the MCK/W key.

DOWN SIDES OF THE FT847

Like all radios there are down sides ( you can't please everyone! ) the following aresome of the functions and faults I do not like.

VOLUME CONTROL The problem here is at low volume lets say scale 0 to10 ( 10 being the loudest ) between 2 and 3 there is a sudden jump, the volume goes from alow volume setting to a much higher setting with little or no adjustment ( goes from a 2to a 5 ) .there has been allot of talk on the internet regarding this problem, one of thefixes is to remove bottom cover, on the right hand side at the back there is the audio ic, pin 1 of the ic ( closest to the back ) is cut and a 47k 1/4W resistor is put in serieswith pin 1. I have tried this modification and have found all this is doing is hiding thefault not fixing it ( all the mod is doing is cutting the audio down so the volume has tobe turned up a bit more for the same affect ).

CROSS BAND REPEAT Yaesu missed the boat a bit here, the FT847 doeshave cross band repeat but one way only, this is a big down fall this means if you sayhave 50.150Mhz in one VFO and say 438.840Mhz in the other VFO, when the SQ opens the 847will transmit on 438.840 but you can not then transmit on 438.840 remotely so the FT847transmits on 50.150Mhz!

The other downside of the cross band repeat is you cannot scan the RX while in thismode, this would have been a good feature eg TX on 438.840 and RX scanning say 28.885,50.100, 50.110, 50.125, 50.200, 144.100, and 144.200Mhz etc.

MEMORY SCAN On memory scan the 847 will not scan in banks, Yaesu couldhave had say the 100 memories split up into 10 lots of 10 memories you could then jointhem all together to have the 100 memories but you can have the choice of spitting themup.

If you want to only scan certain memories only you have to 'pass' all theothers this makes memory scanning not user friendly.

PROGRAMMABLE MEMORY SCAN ( LIMIT SCAN ) The FT847 only has one limitscan

I do not think this is enough, Yaesu could have had say a limit scan for each band (one for HF only, one for 6m, one for 2m, and one for 70cm etc ).

FAN Allot of the FT847 owners have complained about the noisy fan (one fan runs all the time and when you transmit the second fan starts up ) I personally donot have a problem with this lets face it most powersupplies have fans and what aboutcomputers they have fans running all the time too!

DUAL RECEIVE The 847 does not have dual receive function but thepriority function does work very well

VOX There is no VOX function on the 847

DTMF ON TRANSCEIVER The FT847 does not have DTMF unless you purchasethe DTMF microphone.

CONCLUSION

If you are looking around for a multimode multiband transceiver with superb receiveperformance and compact enough to be used for mobile applications look no further theFT847 has it all, I think Yaesu has pulled one out of the bag!. It would be by far thebest transceiver I have ever owned, anyone purchasing this radio I am sure would not lookback on there investment.

The FT847 would also be a great choice for the newcomer to Amateur radio everything youwould want all in one well worth considering.

73's Mike Foubister ZL3TIC