A few years ago there was a rumor going around that a new version of the Yaesu ft-817 would come on the market “pretty soon”. This new model would be called the Yaesu FT-818.
The FT-817nd has been the favorite of many radio amateurs for as long as it exists, which is now about 10 years. For years the HAM radio community is hoping for a new version to update and refresh the FT-817nd.
So when rumors appeared that a new version would come on the market, every radio amateur jumped on it.
The specifications of the FT-818 were quite impressive;
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All mode, all bands 1.8-1296MHz with 5MHz and 70MHz
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5W RF (2W 1296MHz)
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3.5AHr Li-Ion battery pack (2hr charging)
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Built in random wire and whip auto-ATU
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Full color OLED display
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Multi-function DSP noise reduction
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RF Speech processor
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QSK in CW
The pictures of the FT-818 that were circulating clearly show a Photoshopped mix of the FT-817nd and an Icom 7000! ;-) But it made the hearts beat quicker of a lot of HAM radio enthusiasts!
Hopefully there will be a new model coming up of the FT-817nd or another type of QRP rig from Yaesu but I wouldn’t hold my breath.
I guess radio enthousiasts that want a bit more updated technology will have to look elsewhere. Maybe the Elecraft KX3?