Specifications

POWER SUPPLY
How can I protect my FT-817 from power supply problems?
It is noted that the FT-817 does not have 100% protection for that time when Mr. Murphy
(of Murphy's Law fame) helps you to place the negative wire from the FT-817 on the
positive side of the battery and the positive on the negative side. Examination of the circuit
diagram indicates that there will be some smoke if this happens. Remember that whenever
something loses its smoke, it's dead! An inexpensive way to protect the FT-817 from this
type of “operator error” and from overvoltage glitches is to place a 2.5-A fuse in-line with
the positive wire and install a Zener diode (such as 1N4745 or RS 276-564 ) across the
power leads. The fuse goes between the diode and the power source (external battery or
power supply). The cathode should be connected to the POSITIVE wire and the anode to
the NEGATIVE wire. Be sure to test this setup BEFORE you plug the power cable into the
FT-817. If the measured voltage at the power source and the output of the power cable are
not the same, you need to replace the diode with a good one. Reverse the leads and verify
that the fuse blows. (Sadly, first smoke cause by unprotected lead reversal was recently
reported on eHam.com.) Thanks to W4JZ and W3PM for their input.
10/02/01
POWER SUPPLY
Where can I obtain the ferrite bead for the power supply cord to mitigate the RF
pickup on 440 MHz?
Contact Yaesu Parts Department and request this part from them. It is a no-cost item. See
TOPIC - MANUALS for contact information.
05/03/01
POWER SUPPLY
Where can I get another power plug?
You can find it at many electronic supply stores. It is a coax-style plug having dimensions
of 4.0 x 1.7 mm. Radio Shack has them as part number 274-1532
05/02/01-R
POWER SUPPLY
Can I use Yaesu's E-DC-5 cord?
NO. It has been shown to have an unacceptable voltage drop.
PROGRAMMING
Where can I find information about how to program the FT-817 other than what is in
the manual?
WARNING! Messing around with this aspect of the FT-817 can lead to an unusable radio.
BEWARE! KA7OEI has sniffed around inside the FT-817 and has been able to map a
significant portion of the memory. You can find this information at
http://www.ussc.com/~turner/ft817_meow.html.
08/06/01
PROGRAMMING
Can I program the FT-817 using a program like ADMS?