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Re: [VHFcontesting] Time for a Portable rig upgrade

To: vhfcontesting@contesting.com
Subject: Re: [VHFcontesting] Time for a Portable rig upgrade
From: John Young via VHFcontesting <vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Reply-to: nosigma@aol.com
Date: Thu, 25 Jan 2018 18:23:16 -0500
List-post: <mailto:vhfcontesting@contesting.com>
Dan,

If you plan hacking the radio to pull out an IF feed or set it up for 
tranverter use make sure before you buy that it will support it.  I know 
nothing about such things, hope to add 1296 when I start doing low power single 
op next sept but can find NOTHING on the web by any one who has done this.

It's probably easier than I think but being so new its all intimidating.

73
John
KM4KMU

Sent from AOL Mobile Mail

On Wednesday, January 24, 2018 Dan Evans via VHFcontesting 
<vhfcontesting@contesting.com> wrote:
Hi John, Thanks for your feedback! I've received a few others, and from what 
I'm seeing the 991A is definitely the way to go. I really just wanted to see if 
anyone replied with "it's deaf as a post" or something, hi hi. It will likely 
be a few more weeks before I can buy anything.  But hey, Dayton is coming soon 
:-) 73Dan -- K9ZF  Vice President, Clark County Amateur Radio Club,Amateur 
Radio Emergency Service, Clark County Indiana. EM78el The once and future K9ZF 
/R no budget Rover  ***QRP-l #1269 Check out the Rover Resource Page at:  List 
Administrator for: InHam+grid-loc+ham-books  Ask me how to join the Indiana Ham 
Mailing list! 

On Wednesday, January 24, 2018, 9:23:12 AM EST, John Young via VHFcontesting 
<vhfcontesting@contesting.com> wrote: Dan, I use an FT991A.  It's my first 
radio other than mobile dual bands so not a lot of comparative experience. The 
waterfall is a joy.  Whether spotting stations when doing S&P or tuning around 
my local FM jammer clown I find it indispensable. The menu driven amp and 
filter contols are easy to use and work well,  some are HF only but most work 
on ssb 2m & 70cm. You can program a group of software defined buttons on the 
touchscreen for quick access to your most needed contols which are then 
adjusted by a dedicated knob on the front panel.  The setting is displayed as a 
horizontal bar on the display above the waterfall. Easy to read. I keep a note 
card on the wall with my favorite software contol line numbers on it.  To 
access them you push one button and the display shows about 10 of them on the 
display.  You scroll through using a knob to the one you want, they are all 
numbered 1 through 120, push select, adjust the selected function with the same 
knob push the software generated done button and your back to the waterfall.  
It's quick and the rx still fuctions while you make the adjustment so you can 
tune it to your liking in one shot. Compared to the FT8800 and 8900 (my only 
references) the reciever is great.  I can run with no squelch on FM and dig 
weak, distant calls and grids out of the fluttering noise.  SSB RX seems very 
good and compares nicely if not better to the Kenwood I use with W4IY in June.  
Very limited experience for that comparision. There are a ton of filter 
settings I have not spent much time with so no competent assesment there. It 
has a 6m and vhf/uhf pl259's on the back.  Wish it had the N's.  I run a 
diplexer to split out 70cm from 2m to keep things simple. The N1MM set up was 
easy.  You do have to download a special USB driver from the Yeasu site but 
thats simple enough. I have not looked at tranverter set up. I enjoy doing HF 
with it between contests. Its not heavy, it is compact and is intended for both 
mobile and base use so I assume its reasonably rugged.  Mine gets jostled off 
road quit a bit and its been perfectly reliable in the year I have had it.  No 
heat problems.  The connectors on the back are stout and either seat tightly or 
positively lock so I dont worry about vibration loosening them. Hopefully you 
can find one locally to spend some time with. I am very happy but I am also 
inexperienced. 73 John KM4KMU Sent from AOL Mobile Mail On Tuesday, January 23, 
2018 Dan Evans via VHFcontesting <vhfcontesting@contesting.com> wrote: My old 
Yaesu FT897D is getting long in the tooth.  It's developing some issues that 
have me doing research on newer "DC to Daylight" rigs.  (Display is slowly 
dying, FM squelch no longer works...) Right now the front runners are the Icom 
7000, the Icom 7100, and the Yaesu FT991A.   Currently, I'm leaning toward the 
991a. Anyone care to share their experience and opinions? My use will be almost 
exclusively Rover and Field Day type portable use. Thanks,Dan -- K9ZF  Vice 
President, Clark County Amateur Radio Club,Amateur Radio Emergency 
Service, Clark County Indiana. EM78el The once and future K9ZF /R no budget 
Rover  ***QRP-l #1269 Check out the Rover Resource Page at:  List Administrator 
for: InHam+grid-loc+ham-books  Ask me how to join the Indiana Ham Mailing list! 
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