FT-891

[tweiss3]

To avoid taking over the other thread (more than we already did), I know a few have this radio @marcspaz @Sshannon.

 

Mine is going to be mobile in the car, using my Little Tarheel II and the Tunematic (891 pigtail is on the way) for 6m-80m. That being  said, any tricks/tips on programming and use? I picked up RTSystems for it to get it programmed more easily. I still have to look into the memory groups thing again.

[marcspaz]

 

That's awesome! You're going to have a blast.

 

I have to run into a meeting, so I will post some more a bit later today. The number one thing for me was to set the scan edges up per band, so I can scan and listen while driving. That way you don't have to watch the radio or manually adjust it. The best part is, while scanning, when you hit the top or bottom edge, it just loops back to the start of the frequencies again.

[WRQC527]

I've had mine for about 3 years now. One thing I did that really helped was to go through the TX audio settings and fine-tune them. There's lots of sources online that people have shared.

[SteveShannon]

Here’s what I can report from my personal experience:

The FT-891 works very well. It doesn’t have a sound card built in so if you’re interested in digital modes like FT-8 or VARA HF (email sans internet), you’ll need a sound card interface. I used a DigiRig and it was very easy. You end up with three cables:

1. one USB A to USB B that runs from your computer to your FT-891 for CAT control.

2. one USB A to USB C that runs from the computer to the DigiRig.  The DigiRig serves as an external sound card controlled by the ham radio software you choose. 
3. one special cable that has a 4 conductor plug (Tip Ring Ring Sleeve) on the DigiRig end and a mini-DIN that plugs into the FT-891. 

A few different YouTube channels (especially N4HNH) have really good videos about settings for the FT-891. I have a private playlist that I can make public if you like.

I don’t have mine in a vehicle. I got it to use in a bag or box for portable operations. I also don’t use scan. I’ll be very curious to hear how you like the RT Systems software.  
I loaned mine to a friend while his FT-991a is on its way to Yaesu for warranty repair. That has given me an opportunity to hear how it sounds to others. My friend lives 5 blocks away and he and I both tune in to the LSB phone Montana Sheepherders Net on MWF at 10:30 MST on 7214 kHz. It sounds good when I hear him transmitting and he has had no problem being heard by others on the net, from Washington state to Canada. He has figured out the menus well. He uses websdr to provide a full-color waterfall since the FT-891 radio doesn’t provide one. He likes that feature on the FT-991A.  I like it too on my FT-DX10.

It’s not a QRP rig. Although it can be turned down to 5 watts output, on low RF power it is not as low electrical power consumption as something designed for QRP, but at higher power output it’s just fine. 

I think you’re right to use an external speaker with it. I think it will sound better. 

[tweiss3]

@Sshannon I'm not too concerned with running digital modes while mobile. I did buy used, and it does come with a DigiRig, not sure how to set the cables up so they are accessible though. That is a spring problem.

I've used RTSystems for most all of my ham rigs (9700, 7300, 705, DJ-G7, TH-D74, VX-7, FT450D, FT3D) and its a nice simple way to program things, and copy/paste memories. 

Yaesu radios tend to have great nearby rejection and great filter sets. I would expect the 891 to be the same.

@marcspaz Already started. Unfortunately it is 1 slot short to allow for 10m FM in scan.

 

Excited to get this in my hands and get it installed.

[tweiss3]

Anyone deal with programming memories with an odd split? There is one 6m repeater that is +600kHz, but all the others are +1MHz.

[marcspaz]

Hmm. I haven't tried that, but the RT Systems software should let you program custom splits per memory channel. I'm at a customer site, but can look when I get home.

[tweiss3]

14 minutes ago, marcspaz said:

Hmm. I haven't tried that, but the RT Systems software should let you program custom splits per memory channel. I'm at a customer site, but can look when I get home.

Let me know. RT Systems software greys out transmit frequency and wants you to set via offset direction and frequency, but if you change the offset frequency, it changes all the memories.

[marcspaz]

I think you have to program it as a split, instead of an offset.  But have to check.

[tweiss3]

So I need to have 2 memories saved, and push RX to the B band and TX stays on the A band? I vaguely remember something similar on my 817, but it has been a while.

[Lscott]

12 hours ago, tweiss3 said:

Let me know. RT Systems software greys out transmit frequency and wants you to set via offset direction and frequency, but if you change the offset frequency, it changes all the memories.

That's a bummer with my TH-D74A HT. A memory channel can only be programmed for a split frequency in the SAME band, no split band. My 20 plus year old TH-G71A lets me program in different bands for TX and RX. I wonder if Kenwood fixed that on the new TH-D75A.

[marcspaz]

I can't find my cable or software, which are probably both I the radio box, which I'm sure has been thrown away by now. I'm going to head to Ham Radio Outlet in a couple hours. I need it to read and program my radio.

[tweiss3]

@marcspaz let me know when you start messing with it again. I did put my question in the groups.io, so maybe I'm overthinking something.

[SteveShannon]

3 hours ago, marcspaz said:

I can't find my cable or software, which are probably both I the radio box, which I'm sure has been thrown away by now. I'm going to head to Ham Radio Outlet in a couple hours. I need it to read and program my radio.

There’s nothing special about the cable; it’s just a USB A to USB B cable. The software alone sells for $25. 

[marcspaz]

Looks like it's going to have to be saved as a split.  So, save the repeater output as a memory, and then program the quick-split button for the offset you want to transmit on (menu 05-13).  That way, you can just go to the memory, and then press the Split button and you are good to go.

 

Almost all of the 6m repeaters programed into my radio are -1 MHz ... but there are 2 that are -0.5 MHz and that is how I ended up setting up those two.

[SteveShannon]

1 hour ago, marcspaz said:

Looks like it's going to have to be saved as a split.  So, save the repeater output as a memory, and then program the quick-split button for the offset you want to transmit on (menu 05-13).  That way, you can just go to the memory, and then press the Split button and you are good to go.

 

Almost all of the 6m repeaters programed into my radio are -1 MHz ... but there are 2 that are -0.5 MHz and that is how I ended up setting up those two.

I don’t have mine here to test, but repeater operation is covered in the Advanced manual on page 26:

[marcspaz]

12 hours ago, Sshannon said:

I don’t have mine here to test, but repeater operation is covered in the Advanced manual on page 26:

 

The problem we are running into is, not all repeaters in our area are on the standard -1 MHz shift.  I have 7 repeaters stored and two of them are 0.5 MHz shift.  I can save them in memory, but the shift isn't variable.  Every time we change the shift, it changes for every memory in that band.

 

So, I saved 7 6m repeaters on my radio.  5 with standard offset and 2 as simplex, and just use the quick-shift feature to get the right input frequency for the non-standard offsets.

[tweiss3]

I'm not seeing like 7 different shifts. The 705/7300 don't care what the shift is, you program it per memory.

I need to probably swap this for my 7300 and actually play around with it on the air to figure out how best to program this.

 

[marcspaz]

45 minutes ago, tweiss3 said:

I'm not seeing like 7 different shifts. The 705/7300 don't care what the shift is, you program it per memory.

I need to probably swap this for my 7300 and actually play around with it on the air to figure out how best to program this.

 

 

The Quick Shift is selectable from +20 MHz to -20 MHz.  I can shoot a quick video a bit later today, if that would help?

 

[SteveShannon]

2 hours ago, marcspaz said:

The problem we are running into is, not all repeaters in our area are on the standard -1 MHz shift.  I have 7 repeaters stored and two of them are 0.5 MHz shift.  I can save them in memory, but the shift isn't variable.  Every time we change the shift, it changes for every memory in that band.

I was really hoping that the separate menu choices to change the repeater shift for 10 meters and 6 meters would help, but I see your point that whatever is set there affects all the 10 meter (or 6 meter) shifts. 

[tweiss3]

2 hours ago, marcspaz said:

 

The Quick Shift is selectable from +20 MHz to -20 MHz.  I can shoot a quick video a bit later today, if that would help?

 

I ran into a crap storm today with the kids (quick onset sickness), so I didn't get to try much. I found the quickshift setting. How to turn it on quickly is what I need to try. I just need a few free hours

[tweiss3]

Getting back into it, I can't get it to work with quick, not enough range. Quick split is in kHz, I need 240kHz:

Even 0.5Mhz isn't going to work, since quicksplit is 20kHz (0.2MHz). 

Crap. I need to work through putting a memory into VFO, then swapping it to B.

[marcspaz]

That sucks... i thought for sure that would give you the space you need. I wonder if I have more quick split space due to the MARS mod or some of the other work done.

[SteveShannon]

9 hours ago, tweiss3 said:

Even 0.5Mhz isn't going to work, since quicksplit is 20kHz (0.2MHz). 

20 kHz is 0.02 MHz.

200 kHz is 0.2 MHz.

I don’t know if that helps at all or just demonstrates my pedantic nature.

[tweiss3]

8 hours ago, marcspaz said:

That sucks... i thought for sure that would give you the space you need. I wonder if I have more quick split space due to the MARS mod or some of the other work done.

Interesting. Do you see a range wider than 20kHz in the menu? I don't have an opposition to doing the mars mod, though I don't need it for out of band, if it changes the quick offset. What firmware version do you have? I need to check what I have in the radio as well.

4 hours ago, Sshannon said:

20 kHz is 0.02 MHz.

200 kHz is 0.2 MHz.

I don’t know if that helps at all or just demonstrates my pedantic nature.

You are right. I knew that, just didn't type it correctly in my frustration.