Those who have used the Swiss Army Knife know its diverse functions, which are indeed impressive, but I found it inconvenient to use because these functions are severely folded into a small space. This is Uncle Radio BG5WKP who bought the Swiss Army Knife product at the duty-free shop in Interlaken while attending a class reunion in Switzerland a few years ago. Today, taking it out to shoot, I feel it’s troublesome to open the knife: The Yaesu 817 radio is hailed as the Swiss Army Knife of radios, and users have mixed feelings about it. If you’re competing, it’s hard to complain, as the panel of this machine cannot be detached, and the body is very thin, so when the machine is flat on the table, looking at the screen to adjust parameters can be quite tiring. You have to keep bending down and squinting. Getting a stand is also troublesome; the stand is not expensive but hard to carry. This is another non-user-friendly aspect. Today, Thomas from SWL Post released some experiences of upgrading the Yaesu FT-817 transceiver using the G7UHN rev2 buddy board. Let’s take a look!
Last August, Andy (G7UHN) shared his DIY project with us: a universal companion control display board for the genius Yaesu FT-817 QRP transceiver.
The pain points of the Yaesu FT-817 are solved by his Nokia control display board.
Andy’s article made me nostalgic for the once-popular FT-817 transceiver. You will find that I had the first batch of FT-817 production models when I lived in the UK in 2001.
At that time, there was no product like it on the market: a very portable and efficient HF, VHF, UHF multi-mode universal coverage QRP transceiver… all priced at $670.
In 2001? Yes, Yaesu kicked it out of the amateur radio competition!
In fact, they worked so hard to eliminate it that twenty years later, amateur radios are still in production, and the upgraded FT-818 is still in high demand.
If I remember correctly, I sold my FT-817 in 2008 to raise funds to buy an Elecraft KX1. My reason? One thing I didn’t like about the FT-817 was its small front display. When used in conjunction with the embedded menu and lacking controls, it can cause frustration both at home and outdoors.
I mentioned in my previous article that I bought a second-hand FT-817ND from my friend Don in October 2020. I indeed attribute this purchase to Andy. I hereby declare it to be the FT-817 engine!
FT-817 Buddy Board
When I told Andy about my purchase of the 817ND, he asked if I wanted to help him test the FT-817 buddy board mainboard version. How could I refuse?
Andy sent me his version 2 buddy board prototype, which arrived in late November. I had to provide some information (Arduino board, Nokia display, and multi-conductor CAT cable). Andy kindly pre-installed all SMD components, so I only needed to solder the Arduino board and configure/solder the cables. I was very careful when preparing and soldering the cables to ensure there were no accidental shorts between the voltage conductors and the ground conductors.
Overall, I found that construction and programming were very simple. This was helped by Andy providing remote guidance during the programming process. Andy did an excellent job with the documentation.
I love how the development board makes it easier to read frequencies and directly access important functions without delving into embedded menus. Although nothing stops you from changing the program to suit your needs, Andy is still an excellent FT-817 user who did a great job for this.
The backlight of the Nokia display is very good, with high contrast and easy to read.
“Resistance is futile”
I mentioned on social media that the FT-817 buddy board makes my 817ND look like it was recently assimilated by the Borg.
Don’t tell any Star Trek captains, but I’m quite satisfied with it.
Andy has a rev3 circuit board, which will be a game changer for me in the contesting field: K1EL’s keying chip!
For more information about the FT-817 buddy, please visit Andy’s website
http://alloutput.com/ft-817-buddy/
At the time of publishing this news, it was not yet available, but as Andy said, “It’s coming soon!”
Many thanks to Andy for bringing this project to a new level. Without a doubt, many FT-817 users will benefit from this excellent project!
【Ham Evaluation】 The Swiss Army Knife in Radios | Using Yaesu FT-817, 817ND or 818 to Listen to Shortwave Effects
【New Product Recommendation】 Only 20 PA Amplifier Unit Modules | Perfectly Matches FT-817/818/KX3 and Other QRP Radios
【New Product Recommendation】 Price Increased by Over 1000 Yuan | Yaesu FT-817ND New Upgrade FT-818, Buy It? Also New ICOM External Speaker SP-41
