Yaesu FT-817ND reviews

A superb all singing all dancing radio.The best QRP rig on the market.Built to last in bullet proof case.Its been around for a long time and it will be around for a long time to come.If there was a worldwide vote by radio hams as to which is the all time best radio the FT 817 would win hands down.

Great for beginning ham operators as well as those looking to get more advanced. The things I am most satisfied with about this radio, are quality of the engineering, the power abilities, versatility, and just overall a great radio. The drawbacks are the interface, pretty lousy stock antenna and the limited size of the controls.

This radio is perfect for the mobile pedestrian, and is built like a tank, yet light enough to hold and not make your arms tired. I bring it with me mountain biking safely secured in my backpack. The wow factor with this radio is it can pump out up to 5 watts of power output TX with the stock battery pack. This is great for a mobile unit.

The controls are too small for larger fingers, but since it is a nice little compact unit, it's not too much of a bother. The stock antenna that comes with it is useless, and it is highly recommended you purchase a mobile antenna that has better levels of gain.