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Moving in a different direction....

Quiksilver

Quiksilver

Active Member
Oct 23, 2006
386
20
28
Washington State, USA
Well,
I've been pondering the idea of selling off all my CB/10M equipment and picking up a Yaesu FT-857D for the mobile. I have a Yaesu FT-897D for my base, and really love it. I would think 100W in the mobile would be sufficient. Not a really big AM guy, so SSB & FM would be my primary modes. And of course, I would need a screwdriver of some sort. Read that Tar Heel screwdrivers are top notch.
Thoughts???
 

I'm not a Yaesu fan but that radio should do just fine. I use a different brand of screwdriver antenna, b ut any of them can be made to work well. I think you'd be happy with your proposed set up. I also agree with you that 100 watts is certainly 'enough' for HF mobile most of the time. To really make much difference, more power has to be quite a bit more than just a couple of hundred watts more. That power increase is also a lot more bother to have and use (not to mention expensive). Oh well...
- 'Doc
 
I am not a mobile op. I prefer my windows to stay unbroken and having expensive radio equipment installed in a vehicle is inviting a person with criminal intent to help themselves.

With that said, I have worked many mobile ops using screwdriver antennas and they have good contacts. I have listened to many Dx stations working mobiles with the screwdriver type of antennas and they seem to make many DX contacts.

The proposed setup you mentioned should work well for you on the upper HF freqs, and maybe even 40 meters when the band is not to noisy.
 
You can certainly have a lot of fun with an all mode mobile. Since you like the FT-897D, you will probably like the 857D also.

Here are my issues with the 857D:

  • Screen is VERY small, which can be difficult to read in a mobile environment
  • Many of the options you need/want to activate on HF are buried in menus, making it hazardous to change while driving
  • DSP isn't all that great
The positives about this radio:

  • Small, detachable face makes it easy to find a place for it.
  • Small body can be buried under a seat
  • Rugged and durable
  • Good Value - A lot of functionality for the price

There are several screwdriver type of antennas out that are good quality. I had a two different Tarheels in the past and they were well made. I also like the Hi-Q antennas. Coming up with a good method to install these antennas can be a challenge all by itself.
 
Quiksilver said:
Well,
I've been pondering the idea of selling off all my CB/10M equipment and picking up a Yaesu FT-857D for the mobile. I have a Yaesu FT-897D for my base, and really love it. I would think 100W in the mobile would be sufficient. Not a really big AM guy, so SSB & FM would be my primary modes. And of course, I would need a screwdriver of some sort. Read that Tar Heel screwdrivers are top notch.
Thoughts???
Click to expand...

I've had a few radios mobile including the 857D and the IC-706MKIIG. By far the Icom in the radio that I would go with. The 857D was great rig but like Moleculo said, the screen was a little too small for comfortable mobile viewing and the buttons were too tiny to push on the fly without looking.

Whichever one you choose buy the seperation kit so you can pop the control head out the cradle and take it with you when not operating mobile. Place the body of the radio in the trunk. Criminals aren't going to break out a window for a empty bracket.

The Tar Heel antennas ar also a good pick or any screwdriver type antenna. Stay away from the yaesu ATAS-120A or antennas with removable loading coils. You want as much of that 100 watts to radiate as possible and not just heat up coils.

Both radios can be had for good prices used.
 
Quiksilver,
I think I wouldn't use a 'Maldol HMC-6S', those eHam reviews are not good ones. I guess it depends on which HF bands you want to be able to use and how convenient you want that use to be. If convenience is a biggy, then figure on one of the screwdriver type antennas. If you don't mind some (a lot just depending) or prepreparation, as in finding the right 'taps' for a bugcatcher type antenna, they do work very well.
HF mobile antennas from about 20 meters on down are going to be 'large', no good way around that. If you aren't interested in the lower HF bands, then mobile antennas are only 'sort of large'. From 20 meters on up, they can be reduced in size with out a lot of diminishing in performance, sort of.
Not being as patient as I once was, I figure a screwdriver antenna is how I'd rather do it not. I used a bugcatcher for a lot of years and that's the best as far as I'm concerned. They do take some prep-work though to find resonance. Count on hitting stuff with almost all HF antennas.
- 'Doc
 

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