Continuation of classic practicality first
YAESU’s FT-817 is well-known in the amateur radio industry and is almost a private treasure for senior amateur radio enthusiasts. FT-817 is widely praised by amateur radio enthusiasts for its small size, support for multiple communication frequency bands, and built-in battery power supply. In the amateur radio activities carried out in hundreds of schools across the country, almost all of the portable shortwave radio stations used are YAESU’s FT-817, which has become one of the standard radio equipment in the on-board interception project of China’s youth amateur radio competitions.
Figure 2 | FT-817 radio station in the movie
FT-817 has been on the market for nearly 18 years, with few direct competitors since its launch, making it a recognized classic generation of micro shortwave radio or micro multi band radio. In the 2016 American film “Minezone”, FT-817 became the most photogenic communication tool for the US military (see Figure 2). In 2018, Yaesu Corporation in Japan launched a new FT-818 radio to replace the old classic FT-817ND.
The FT-817 from Yaesu Corporation enjoys a high reputation in the industry, and the new FT-818 after so many years is highly anticipated. Unfortunately for many equipment enthusiasts, there doesn’t seem to be much difference between the new FT-818 and FT-817. Without the FT-818 lettering and nameplate on the casing, it’s difficult for users to distinguish between the two products based on their appearance. There is no significant difference in appearance, architecture, performance, or functionality between FT-818 and FT-817. Many new technological elements that HAM had hoped for, such as IF DSP, SDR, color LCD screen, touch screen, C4FM digital mode, and built-in antenna tuner, have disappeared from FT-818.
The obvious differences between FT-818 and FT-817 are that the maximum transmission power of FT-818 has been officially increased to 6W, it supports the newly opened 5MHz amateur frequency band (the spectrum division has been determined, but as a manufacturer, it may have to wait for the policy of the national approval center before it can be opened for sale, which may be the manufacturer’s responsibility to the user and their own product!), it comes with a built-in TCXO-9 high stability reference crystal, and the nickel hydrogen battery block provided with the package has been increased from 1400mAHh to 1900mAHh. The 500Hz and 300Hz filters that telegraph Morse code communication enthusiasts are concerned about still need to be purchased separately.
Classic Charm
The advantage of FT-818 is that it does not undergo significant changes. FT-818 continues to use the circuit and architecture of FT-817. After nearly 20 years of precipitation, FT-817 has undergone multiple versions with detailed improvements, all of which belong to a very mature and stable circuit design. Now it continues to be used on FT-818 with unquestionable reliability, and even the first batch of users do not have to worry about becoming “guinea pigs”.
The traditional secondary frequency conversion circuit is a classic receiver circuit, and FT-818 does not use more modern IF DSP architecture or even trendy SDR. From the perspective of signal reception, it has no disadvantage in sensitivity. Although it is not possible to use DSP chips to implement software filters (instead of expensive physical filters) and NR noise reduction signal processing, the narrowband filter problem can be solved by installing physical hardware filters, and speech noise reduction can also be achieved through external professional noise reduction speakers.
FT-818 does not use the SDR architecture. The greatest value of the SDR architecture for amateur radio users is the low-cost implementation of real-time spectrum display. For FT-818, which is extremely small in size and has a small display screen, even if it provides real-time spectrum display like the IC-7300 with SDR architecture, it will still be limited by the small screen. FT-818 also provides a simple spectrum display function through traditional scanning methods, and those who have used it know that it is limited by screen size, which is a feature that is better than nothing.
The greatest value of SDR technology for commercial and military users is to quickly endow radio stations with new communication standards and features through pure software updates, which has little practical significance for amateur radio users who only use conventional standards. The author believes that traditional secondary frequency conversion, IF DSP, and SDR are currently the three methods of signal reception and processing, each with its own characteristics. As the saying goes, all roads lead to Rome, and the overall reception performance is similar. The true anti-interference, receiving sensitivity, and receiving selectivity mainly rely on the front-end design of the receiving circuit. The FT-818 was originally positioned as a miniature shortwave radio station with U/V, and its shortwave reception performance is not inferior to entry-level desktop shortwave radio stations. At the same time, do not expect the small FT-818 to be comparable to high-end shortwave radio stations that are several times larger in size and price. However, users who have actually used FT-817 know that the actual reception effect of FT-817 is not much worse than that of mid to high end shortwave machines, except that the sound is louder when the signal is weak. FT-817 can basically receive signals that can be received by mid to high end radio stations. FT-818 has very similar performance to FT-817, so FT-818 is no exception.
Due to the close design similarity between FT-818 and FT-817, most of the modified parts developed by third parties for FT-817 in the market, including support feet, inclined brackets, lithium battery packs, power amplifiers, portable bags, whip antennas, etc., can be directly applied to FT-818 without having to wait for new product development. The large user base of FT-817 has become a powerful backing for FT-818 users.
Appearance and Design
YAESU FT-818 is designed as a miniature portable radio, with an overall appearance comparable to a general entry-level ultra short wave car intercom. The official data is 135mm × 38mm × 165mm, and the weight is about 900g (excluding antenna, battery, and microphone). After installing the battery, the FT-818 will be heavier, and holding it in your hand will make you feel that this small radio has some weight. FT-818 can easily fit into suitcases and handbags, occupying less space than a laptop or a shirt. HAM can easily take it on trips, business trips, and leisurely use it to listen to amateur radio communication signals in the air on cruise ships or hotel windows.
Figure 3 | FT-818 Panel Design
Figure 4 | Monochrome LCD Dot Matrix Screen of FT-818
The FT-818 panel design is like a miniature shortwave radio (see Figure 3), with no shortage of frequency adjustment wheels, prominent signal strength meters (displayed on a LCD screen), and a separate volume knob on traditional shortwave radios. The operating habits of desktop shortwave radios can still be continued on FT-818. Although the diameter of the frequency adjustment wave wheel of FT-818 is not as large as that of a desktop shortwave radio, the rotating feel is still charming, and it can be said to be silky smooth, much better than the step potentiometers used in some domestic small radio stations.
The FT-818 display screen adopts a monochrome LCD dot matrix screen (see Figure 4), which displays flexible content and can easily display English characters and icons, including signal intensity meters. It also displays clearly in sunlight. The display screen backlight has three colors: blue, orange red, and purple, which meet the color preferences of different users. Orange red is the iconic backlight color of Yaesu Radio, while blue and purple look more fashionable and eye-catching. By setting, FT-818 can display real-time voltage in one corner of the display screen. For experienced users, the remaining capacity of the battery can be roughly estimated by changes in voltage values.
FT-818 adopts a panel and rear dual antenna socket design. The front panel antenna port is a BNC interface, and the rear antenna port is an M-type interface. This design is suitable for both portable carrying and desktop flat work, and can also be used for input of antennas in different frequency bands. The panel antenna port and rear antenna port can be set through the menu to meet different application scenarios. The author really likes this design and knows its benefits when using it. There are many applications for the front panel antenna base. The author put the FT-818 on a strap around the neck and connected it to the machine panel antenna base with a pair of handheld Yagi antennas. Combined with the FT-818’s built-in battery power supply and excellent signal meter design, it can play wireless direction finding. The front panel antenna combined with the rod antenna is also quite good for broadcasting reception.
Figure 5 | FT-818 Original Battery
Figure 6 | FT-818 Rear
The FT-818 has a unique design with built-in batteries in such a small radio station. FT-818 can be equipped with AA batteries or nickel hydrogen battery blocks equivalent to 8 AA batteries inside. The FT-818 with built-in battery can break free from the constraints of power cords and be used just like a regular radio. It can even be placed on the bed or listened to under the covers. The FT-818 package provides both a battery holder and a battery pack for users, and users can also use 8 dry batteries to work with the battery holder in emergency situations. In addition, currently, the single AA battery capacity of major Japanese brands can reach 2550mAh. FT-818 still insists on using nickel hydrogen batteries (see Figure 5) due to the fact that nickel hydrogen batteries have better characteristics at low temperatures than lithium batteries,. Meanwhile, the safety of nickel hydrogen batteries is also higher than that of lithium batteries. Some places have restrictions on carrying lithium batteries, while nickel hydrogen nickel cadmium batteries have looser regulations.
Although there are not many FT-818 expansion interfaces, the commonly used ones are also quite comprehensive. There is a speaker/headphone output interface on one side of the body, and an external power interface, a 3.5 key socket, and mini DIN DATA and ACC interfaces on the rear of the body (see Figure 6). If users want to play some data communication, FT-818 can also handle it.
Electrical Performance
FT-818 is a shortwave+V/U dual-mode transceiver that supports HF/VHF/UHF multi band operation, with transmission frequencies covering the shortwave amateur band, 50MHz-54MHz, 144MHz-148MHz, and 430-440MHz. FT-818 not only has a lower transmission power, but its actual receiving and transmitting performance is not inferior to mainstream shortwave radios and V/U car intercoms. FT-818 and FT-817 are one of the best miniature devices I have used to receive SSB shortwave signals, far stronger than some broadband receivers that support SSB reception and demodulation.
The transmission power of FT-818 is not large, and it can output up to 6W power under external 13.8V power supply, belonging to the QRP radio station level. FT-818 can use SSB/CW modulation and provide precise tuning at all available frequencies, including the 144/430MHz frequency band, which is not possible with ordinary handheld walkie talkies. Therefore, FT-818 can also be used for satellite communication after work, and users do not have to purchase expensive amateur satellite dedicated radio stations. FT-818 is also a great radio receiver, covering all frequency bands of medium wave, short wave, FM radio, aviation communication, 2-meter amateur radio, maritime communication, 150MHz, 70cm amateur radio, 400MHz, and supporting commonly used analog SSB, CW, AM, FM, WFM demodulation. The sound quality of FT-818 for listening to radio is not inferior to that of a typical handheld radio, and its reception sensitivity is even better.
Figure 7 | New Version TCXO-9
The FT-818 comes standard with a built-in TCXO-9 high stability crystal, which gives it a frequency stability of ± 0.5ppm (see Figure 7). This does not seem to have much effect during SSB communication, but improves significantly during data communication.
FT-818 supports built-in batteries, but the charging management still follows the previous FT-817 strategy, resulting in a slightly slow charging speed. The built-in battery block provided by the original factory is a nickel hydrogen battery, consisting of 8 AA batteries. There are also third-party lithium battery modification components available on the market, providing higher battery capacity and charging efficiency.
The FT-818 transmission unit RF circuit filtering circuit is well-designed and does not cut corners just because it is a low-power microcomputer. It reflects the technical strength of the manufacturer’s products and their serious and responsible attitude and sincerity towards the products. FT-818 performs well in both short wave and ultra short wave clutter scattering, with indicators comparable to desktop computers.
Internal Circuit Exploration
Although FT-818 has a small size, its internal circuit has not significantly shrunk. Due to its traditional circuit architecture, there are a large number of components, and in some places, the device installation density is quite high. The overall workmanship is also excellent (see Figure 8). In order to reduce space occupation, most of the components inside FT-818 are selected as ultra small products.
Figure 8 | FT-818 motherboard
Figure 9 | FT-818 RF Unit
Figure 10 | FT-818 RF power amplifier unit
Overall, from circuit design to PCB board wiring and soldering, it is much better than many domestic products that are small in size, and it is truly a mature product of large factories. The relays used internally are all Japanese products from Omron, Panasonic, Fujitsu, and Gaojianze, ensuring a long service life and low failure rate. The FT-818 RF power amplifier circuit uses two Mitsubishi RD07MVS1 MOS FET field-effect RF power transistors (see Figure 9 and Figure 10) with typical parameters of 175MHz, 520MHz, and 7W (later versions of FT-817ND also use this power transistor, greatly reducing the probability of power amplifier unit burnout, which is also the hardware basis for some HAMs to expand FT-817ND power to 10W-15W through engineering menus). The manufacturer sets the maximum output power to 6W, and the power margin is still quite large. It can withstand high standing wave ratio safely. In terms of design, the manufacturer has specially made this amplifier unit into an independent PCB. I wonder if they have considered the convenience of maintenance and replacement. Upon closer inspection of the FT-818 and FT-817 motherboards, it can be observed that although their circuits are roughly the same, FT-818 has made improvements in many details, and the selection of components on the motherboard is more reliable.
[Operation Experience]
The FT-818 has a delicate and compact appearance, making it feel like operating a miniature shortwave radio station in practice. The FT-818 panel is not a common large flat instrument panel design, but rather has undulations that give it a more technological and aesthetically pleasing appearance, while also improving operational comfort. The arrangement of buttons and knobs on the FT-818 panel can be described as well arranged, and it can also be said that they fit in every opportunity. Although all the buttons are a bit small, they are still very functional and easy to operate.
Although FT-818 is small in size, it has a wide operating frequency range and can work in amateur bands from shortwave to 430MHz. It also has broadband receiver functions. Its frequency switching mechanism provides BAND band switching through dedicated panel buttons, allowing for quick selection of bands. The SEL knob provides larger frequency step adjustment in the KkHz range, and the SEL down operation provides ultra large frequency step adjustment in 1MHz units. The main frequency wheel provides fine adjustment. So FT-818 switching frequency band frequency settings, although there is no keyboard frequency direct input function, the actual switching is still very convenient. The commonly used frequencies of users can also be stored in the storage channel for quick retrieval. The frequency wave wheel of FT-818 has a smooth feel and high sensitivity. In order to prevent the frequency wave wheel from misoperation, the machine is specially designed with a LOCK lock key, which can be controlled in multiple ways. In the menu, the wave wheel can also be set to not work in FM/AM mode, and the frequency can be adjusted only through the SEL stepper knob. The design of these details fully reflects the designer’s meticulous attention to detail.
Although the display area of FT-818 is not large, it is a dot matrix screen, so the displayed content is rich. The real-time display voltage can be set on the screen, which is extremely helpful for experienced users to determine the remaining battery capacity. The FT-818 signal meter has clear and dynamic display, and with the IPO and ATT functions of the machine, it has a wide indication range. Therefore, FT-818 can be taken out to play wireless direction finding with an external attenuator like the previous FT-817. The author played wireless direction finding with FT-818 and Yagi antenna, giving a feeling similar to playing direction finding with R&S EB200 on his back before, but the overall weight of FT-818 is much lighter.
FT-818 has excellent reception performance, whether it is shortwave or ultra shortwave, it can be used as a fixed desktop computer in addition to being portable. FT-818 has a small volume and takes up almost no space, making it particularly suitable for users with small living spaces such as dormitories and apartments. It can even be placed on pillows or bedside shelves. The transmission power of FT-818 does not belong to the QRP level, but it can be increased to the level of a desktop radio from 20W to 100W through an external power amplifier. Although YAESU does not have a power amplifier specifically designed for FT-818, there are many HAM made power amplifiers and general-purpose power amplifiers in China that are equally suitable for FT-818. The FT-818, combined with a power amplifier, has a comprehensive transmission and reception performance comparable to desktop radios such as FT-450. The FT-818 audio amplifier has a power level of 1W, and with a relatively small speaker (equivalent to the aperture of the car’s ultra short wave walkie talkie speaker), the volume is sufficient indoors. High demand users can also connect professional communication noise cancelling speakers externally during regular use, further improving the audio signal-to-noise ratio and compensating for the lack of NR function in the equipment. The author used FT-818 in conjunction with BHI’s DSP noise cancelling speaker, and the effect was excellent.
Figure 11 | FT-818 standby current (including charging)
FT-818 has excellent portability and multi band operating characteristics, making it a powerful tool for outdoor radio stations and portable radios for business trips and travel. The FT-818 has a built-in battery that does not require an independent power source, which is highly praised by many users. When using the original rechargeable battery with an external 12V-13.8V DC power supply (see Figure 11), the actual current is about 0.3A. When turned on, the actual current is about 0.63A (including charging). Therefore, when we go out for a long time, we only need to bring a small 12V1A switch power supply to meet the charging and listening needs (when we need short-term transmission, we can disconnect the charging power supply and use the built-in battery to provide the large current energy required for transmission). Many devices’ charger power supplies meet this requirement, as long as the power plug specifications are the same. Many Yaesu handheld walkie talkies have charging adapters that meet the required voltage and current standards, and the plug and connector specifications are also the same, so they can be used directly. The FT-818 comes with a power cord with a plug in the packaging for connecting to an external power source. With this cord, we can also modify other 12V power sources to be used as FT-818 exclusive power sources. When FT-818 is connected to an external 12V power supply, the maximum emission current required is about 2.7A (HF emission maximum current is 2.3A, UHF emission maximum current is 2.7A), so a power adapter with a current of 12V 3A or higher is needed to make a power supply that supports emission applications for FT-818. Switching power adapters of this specification are easily available in the electronic market and are not expensive.
Overall, FT-818 is a very good multi-functional miniature radio that inherits the classic. Although it is no longer technologically advanced, it is still very practical and reliable. Buying new electronic products instead of old ones, FT-818 is still a very worthwhile radio station to have. It can be used as HAM’s second radio station, bedside radio station, backup radio station, portable radio station, and satellite communication entry-level equipment.