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Yaesu FT-847 vs old FT-726R

oldgeezer

oldgeezer

New Member
Aug 13, 2017
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I bought a used FT-726R for 2 meter & 430mHz SSB. Paid $300. Radio arrived and it did not work oin FM. It is doubtful I would ever use FM, but did not like idea of a partly broken radio. I would also have to find amps to boost signal from 10 watts to 80-100 watts. Seller refunded me.

Thinking about other problems I read about on the FT-726R, I realized the radio just is too old to be reliable. I paid $400 more and got a late model Yaesu FT-847.At 50 watts out on 2 meters & 430mHz I do not need a amplifiers. Keeping that in mind, the FT-847 with 50 watts out is not really more expensive vs the FT-726R with aftermarket amplifiers.

Being new to my area 40 miles from Detroit, MI I noticed a lot of trash on two meters from likely various transmitters in my area. I did not have that issue in northern MI years ago when I bought a FT-726R new. The FT-847 has an auto notch filter and removes any heterodynes. That alone makes the FT-847 a winner.

If you do not need 1.2gHz like available in the FT-736R, the FT-847 is a winner. Icom & Kenwood make radios capable of 1.2gHz, but they cost a lot more. The FT-847 has very sensitive receivers on VHF/UHF and does not take a backseat to any radio.

Get the later model FT-847 with the CAT interface. Earlier models have an issue with the power switch and repair is ridiculously expensive.
 

The 847 is a decent rig, my current 2 meter SSB setup is an old Yaesu FT-901dm with a transverter. For 440 and 6 meters I use a Icon 706 MKIIg. In the glory days of 2m SSB I ran a ICOM 275a feeding a set of stacked Cushcraft 17B2's at 100'. I did have the option of a full K on 2 as well. Didn't really get into 432 but was active on 6 with 4 elements at 80' running a ICOM 551d
 
New on/off switch cost me 2 bucks.
Alter the 2 decks to switch and use 12 Ohm resistor in the switched line, and theswitch will hold forever like on my now 22 year old FT847.
 
I ran an FT-847 for many years. Not my favorite rig for HF work, as many have noted the harsh white noise on receive, but it was ok enough. Just looking through old eQSL cards last night, I was reminded that I worked Russia and Australia on 10m from the east coast of the USA with the 847, so you can’t complain about that. Lots of single and double hop skip on 6m too.

The best feature for me was the separate outputs for the bands. I did run amplifiers (100w-300w) behind my 847 on HF/6/2/440, and did weak signal work with my yagis. At that time, I had the vendor CWMan on eBay make up an ALC cable for me, that would break out from the radio to the four different amps.

Did some satellite work with it too, as well as using the (sort of) crossband repeat function to work a not-so-close repeater that my HT could receive, but not hit on TX, so I crossbanded through the 847, using the higher output and external antenna on my 847, while talking through my HT.

I think the new Icom IC-9700 would be my choice for V/Uhf weak signal work today, but the 847 was one of the last good radios from Yaesu. I had an FT-991a for a while, but I didn’t care for it (too many menus and not enough antenna outputs), so it moved on to the next owner.
 

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