Yaesu FT-891 Mode Mobile Transceiver - Radioworld

Product Information

Out of this wide array of options, I’ve only explored Digital Noise Reduction and the Narrow IF filter so far, as they offer fairly immediate gains without too much configuration.

The FT-991A is designed for the most competitive operating situations, with a suite of new features to enhance the experience. Whether you primarily operate at home, mobile or in the field, the FT-991 will provide outstanding fundamental performance plus give you easy access to the full range of exciting modes available on the ham bands today. Can get hot – When transmitting at more than 70 watts for a prolonged period of time, the radio tends to heat up quite a bit.The operating voltage should be maintained between 11.73 volts and 15.87 volts. Otherwise the radio could be damaged. Note that SLED batteries can drop below the required 11.73 volts during the operating cycle of the battery, so I only use LiFePO4 batteries to maintain a higher voltage for more of the operating voltage range of the battery. My favorite value battery at this time is the Miady LFP16AH 12V 20Ah Deep Cycle LiFePO4 (link). I also recommend using a Power Analyzer such as this one (link) while operating off of a battery. It gives indication of the voltage as you are transmitting, so it’s much easier to monitor the level.

Audio can be fine tuned using four menu options (06–01 to 06–04) to control high and low frequency cutoff, but after some experimentation I have turned these options off. I was skeptical when it was released on the market then found a mint one used in 2021 and I had to try it. Most issues that people list as problems can be worked around with tools or updating your operating skills with operation time. Integration with a computer works very well, but it would have been nicer if the audio could have been included to reduce the cable complexity. HamRadioConcepts liked the radio in his review, praising its compact size and great overall features, as well as its large selection of programmable buttons and its expandability with additional accessories. Go to the Radio tab. Select Yaesu FT-891 for the Rig. Under CAT Control, set the Serial Port to the COM number of the Enhanced COM Port number you read in device manager. Set the baud rate to the same value as you set Menu 05-06 to (4800). Data Bits – Default, Stop Bits – Default, Handshake – Default. Force Control Lines should show blanks for DTR and RTS.HamRadio 2.0 praised the large display and usability of the Yaesu FT-891, as well as its digital signal processing and filtering capabilities. He criticized the high retail price of the unit, but it’s important to note that the retail cost of this radio has decreased significantly since his initial review. Adjustable signal processing – The aforementioned DSP features can all be tweaked and adjusted, which helps you get exactly the sound you want from this radio. The 32 but high speed floating point DSP (max 3000 MIPS) provides effective cancellation/reduction (DNR) of the random noise that is frequently frustrating in the HF frequencies. Also the AUTO NOTHC (DNF) automatically eliminates the dominant beat tone. The CONTOUR and the APF are very effective receiver noise reduction tools in the HF bands operations. The YAESU original DSP QRM and noise reduction functions are provided. With this setup, we will use the computer sound card (or USB sound card) for the audio in and out of the computer, connected to the radio via the RTTY/DATA port. We will use the USB connection to the radio to initialize the PTT during transmit, and to let the software know what frequency the radio is on.

Next was enabling the awkwardly named Insertion Point Optimisation (IPO) which switches out the pre-amplifier. It’s interesting to note that this setting can be associated with a stored memory channel, which became relevant later when I used CAT control to program some favourite frequencies. I added a Behringer xm8500 mic, and a homebrew patch cable, and my audio showed dramatic improvement -- but I eventually figured out good enough settings for the hand mic that I do not bother (see my other settings article on this blog). Please pay attention to the ALC, however. Keep it peaking at midpoint. Set it too high, and your signal will appear louder on the meter, but you might splatter. The advanced manual for the FT–891 helpfully provides a section called ‘Tools for Comfortable and Effective Reception’, so I began configuring the radio using the guidance there.It takes less than 1A on RX and it seems like it's not so voltage sensitive, at least on my LiFePo4 batteries it's all fine. Settings Mode – Short presses of [F] key cycle through setting screens, exit with short [A], [B], or [C] key, or long press [F]. PTT Method should be set to RTS, and the Port changed to the COM port for the Standard COM port in device manager. I have the Tecsun PL-990x, which sounds absolutely horrible on SSB meaning ECSS is impossible, + like the 7300 the audio from the PL-990x “on SSB” is harsh on the ears and it seems to be related to DSP processing, can’t beat that analogue sound + the DSP portables have a distortion to audio on SSB which is not nice to listen to, The Tecsun PL-680 on the other hand sounds much better but best of all is the FT-891, it’s a really super radio, of course it’s not as portable as the 990x but the newer PL-330 actually sounds better than the PL-990x because the 4 Khz filter actually works, it doesn’t on the 990x,880 or S-8800 but the PL-330 still has that distortion on SSB.

FT-891 transceivers provide a stable 100 watts (25W AM) of high-power output. High reliability is assured by Yaesu's careful circuit design with efficient thermostatically controlled dual internal fans and a diecast heat-transferring chassis. Programming frustrations – It can be a challenge to program and customize the unit to your preferences, due to the small screen and some user interface quirks. You should now be ready to use FT8 with your FT-891. If you don’t know how to run FT8, there are plenty of online sources to walk you through the mode. Start with the WSJT-X guide (link), and YouTube (link). Conclusion and Thoughts No internal tuner, and Yaesu matching tuner is both expensive, and only matches 3.0 to 1. (Get LDG brand) If you want to make use of the internal voice keyer to save your voice during those POTA activations, you first have to enable the Settings Mode for REC SETTING. This is done through the menu settings. Menu 05-11 REC SETTING - Set to ENABLEA valid product review is one where you have experience or knowledge of the product that you would like to share with others. Next, comes a very odd misnomer. The FT-891 is listed as eating 2 amps on receive, in Yaesu specifications. This scared away portable buyers, and was the source of many negative posts by hams who were waiting for an updated FT-857, yet had never actually tried the new radio. I have no idea why Yaesu claims this high number on receive, because they are incorrect (scroll to the bottom of this article, or search Youtube, for actual tested current draw numbers). The FT-891 listens comfortably at 1 amp. Products to be reviewed typically should be tangible ham radio related items such as radios, antennas, towers, test equipment, feedlines, etc. If it isn’t, activate the settings menu with a long press of the F key, go to the menu option SSB BFO (11–07), select it and use the multi-function knob to change the mode away from Auto to LSB or USB.