YAESU FT-857 REVIEW

Carl MasonGW0VSWtakes a look atthe FT-857 h.f.,v.h.f. and u.h.f.transceiver.

32 Practical Wireless, September 2003

The Yaesu FT-857...thestandard-sized pendemonstrates how smallthe transceiver is!

The World’s smallest h.f. to u.h.f. Amateur RYaesu FT-857 Tran

Why is it, that when Iwas given theopportunity to reviewone of the latesttransceivers forPractical Wireless theband conditions

become the worst they have beenfor sometime? This was the casewhen the postman arrived with asmall package containing the FT-857!

It was certainly going to beinteresting putting the newYaesu transceiver thorough itspaces and see just how well itcould cope with the poor h.f.conditions. So, it was on with thereview!

World’s Smallest?The Yaesu FT-857 is claimed bythe manufacturers to be the

world’ssmallest h.f. andv.h.f./u.h.f. multi-modemobile/portable transceiver. Itmeasures just 155 x 52 x 233mmand weighs 2.1kg.

The FT-857 is capable of100W maximum output on h.f.and 50MHz, 50W on 144MHzand 20W output on 430MHz.And I’ve no doubt that QRPenthusiasts will be pleased toknow that the power level can bedropped to as low as 5W on allbands.

Don’t let the transceiver’s sizedeceive you though...it’s packedfull of features, many of whichcan only be found on moreexpensive base station models.These include a highperformance receiver with widefrequency coverage, dual v.f.o.s,

Digital SignalProcessing (BandpassFiltering, Noise Reduction, Auto-Notch and MicrophoneEqualisation), i.f. Shift, a built-inkeyer and CTCSS to name but afew.

Die-cast ChassisThe diecast chassis is certainlybuilt to take the knocks! Thefront panel is removable and canbe unclipped to mount away fromthe main body using the YSK-857 separation kit which isavailable as an optional extra.(this kit includes a holder for thefront panel, extension cables forthe controller and speaker,

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double-sided tape and all themounting screws, nuts andwashers).

The knobs and buttons have avery positive feel, and all thecontrols can be easily reachedwith one hand. This isparticularly convenient for theoperator who is using the FT-857when mobile in a vehicle.

Underneath the body, foldedback against the bottom of thetransceiver, are two ‘feet’. Thesecan be tilted down for betterviewing of the display when therig is mounted on a flat surface.

Neat & CompactThe front panel is very neat andcompact and is home for all thetransceiver’s important maincontrols. These include thecombined a.f. Volume control(for either the internal orexternal speaker) andSquelch/RF knob which can beprogrammed by the user toadjust either the Squelch or thegain of the receiver’s r.f. and i.f.stages.

A ‘dented’ rotary switch isused for v.f.o. tuning, memoryselection and function selectionfor the A, B or C keys of the FT-857 in a similar fashion to thosefound on the smaller FT-817. AHome key allows the operator toretrieve a favourite frequencyfrom memory and below this is afurther key that activates theReceiver Clarifier.

When in use, the Select knobcan be set to offset the frequencyin use by upto ±9.99kHz withoutthe transmission frequency beingaffected. This knob also allowschannelised tuning in minimumsteps of 1kHz on c.w. and s.s.b.and 5kHz on f.m.

Additionally, if the key ispressed and held for one second,the IF Shift feature is activated.This allows you to adjust thecentre frequency of the i.f. filter’spass-band.

Pressing the Function key

momentarily lets you select thethree-multi function keys A, Band C and the various operatingfunctions they can perform. Byrotating the Select knob you canscroll the display through 17rows of functions which includevarious items such as VFO A orB or split frequency, speechprocessor, VOX, Keyer, narrowfilter, etc.

Mode KeysPressing the Mode keys enablesthe operator to scroll either up ordown the menu and choose fromeither LSB, USB, CW, CWReverse, AM, FM, Digital orPacket. Alongside these keys isthe DSP button that allowsinstant access to the d.s.p.system. (This had already beeninstalled on the review model).

If you hold the d.s.p. buttondown for one second, you activatea memory item. This permitsadjustment of the d.s.p.microphone equaliser and is afeature that I will cover a littlelater.

Main TuningThe transceiverhas an excellentmain tuning knob,similar in size tothose on my basestation rigs. Itallows a securenon-slip grip andhas a nice soft feelto it and over thereview period Ifound it to be verysmooth inoperation andpleasant to use.

Above themain tuning knobare two buttonsfor band selectionmarked UP andDWN and to theright of this aretwo more buttons

PPrroodduucctt

CCoommppaannyy

CCoonnttaacctt

SSuupppplliieerr

SSuupppplliieedd AAcccceessssoorriieess

PPrrooss aanndd CCoonnss

PPrriiccee

r Radio Rig?ansceiver

Yaesu FT-857

Yaesu UK Ltd,

Tel: (01962) 866667

Operating ManualDC Power CableMH-31 Hand MicrophoneMMB-82 Mounting Bracket

Pros The FT-857 is very easy to setup once you have read themanual and has a superbspecification for the price. TheFT-857 would be ideal for thebeginner or experiencedAmateur who is looking for aversatile mobile/portabletransceiver or those whorequire a compact base stationradio.

Cons It pays to spend a few hoursreading the instruction manualto fully understand whatfunctions there are...and howyou can best set them up tosuit your operating style

£849 inc. VAT

Yaesu UK Ltd,Unit 12,Sun Valley Business Park,Winnal Close,Winchester,Hampshire SO23 0LB

marked V/M and LOCK.Pushing the V/M buttonswitches frequency controlbetween the v.f.o. and memorysystems. If you press and holdthis key you can store afrequency in the transceiver’sQuick Memory Bank while thelock button prevents theaccidental changing of frequency

Rear Panel Let’s now take a look at thetransceiver’s rear panel, and I’llstart with the d.c. power supplyconnection which can be found.The supplied cable can be usedto connect the FT-857 to either acar battery or a d.c. powersupply which must be capable ofsupplying at least 22A at 13.8V.

The jack can also provide aTransmit Power ControlTerminal (TPCT) if you connectpin-3 (the battery sensor) of theterminal to the ‘ground’. The FT-857 will then automaticallyswitch to 20W (10W on 430MHz)output.

Seven other sockets areprovided. The first is an 8-pinmini DIN jack used to connectan optional external automaticantenna tuner (a.a.t.u.) such asthe FC-30, personal computer(PC), tape recorder or linearamplifier such as the Yaesu VL-1000.

There’s also a data socketwhich will accept AFSK inputfrom a TNC via a 6-pin mini jackplug. It also provides fixed levelreceiver audio output, push-to-talk (p.t.t.), squelch and groundlines.

Continued on page 36

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YAESU FT-857 REVIEW

36 Practical Wireless, September 2003

Also provided are three3.5mm jacks that allow you toconnect a key, external speakeror accessories such as a TNC.Finally, there are two antennasockets.

The first socket is an SO-239for h.f. and 50MHz. The secondis the more v.h.f./u.h.f. efficient‘N’ type for 144/430MHz. Bothare designed for use with anyantenna system providing a 50Ωimpedance, though it will copewith minor deviations. (If there’sa mis-match of more than 50%,the power amplifier’s protectioncircuitry will begin to reduce thepower output).

Main DisplayThe main liquid crystal display(l.c.d.) is very clear and has goodcontrast. There are four optionsfor illuminating it, starting withOff which disables allbackground lighting. Auto 1illuminates the l.c.d. for threeseconds when any button ispressed or if you rotate theSelect knob. Auto 2 illuminatesthe panel continuously when theFT-857 is operating on anexternal power supply. Finallythere’s On which provides backlighting continuously.

The contrast can also beadjusted, as can the displaybrightness. (These are selectedwhen the Menu Mode isactivated).

One interesting feature isthe ability to choose the displaycolour. In fact, there are 32options are available and theycan be set in a variety ofcombinations for a wide numberof operating conditions.

For example, you could havedifferent colours for each bandused, or each mode, the type ofmeter selected or for the v.f.o. inuse. I first thought the featureto be a bit of a gimmick...butfound it quiet useful when I wasable to choose a colour moresuited to operating in the brightsunlight coming through theshack window!

Digital Signal ProcessingAs I mentioned earlier, the DSP-2 d.s.p. was installed in the FT-857 and is fitted as standard onall UK models. This appeared towork extremely well...especiallywhen I was using s.s.b.

The processing feature isselected by pushing the DSPkey which then activates the A,

B, and C keys as DNR (NoiseReduction Level), DNF (AutoNotch Filter) and DBF(Receiver Band-pass Filter).Next, by holding in each key forone second you can recall theMenu Mode and use theSelect knob to adjust each levelas required.

The receiver’s selectivity canbe enhanced via the d.s.p.Band-pass Filter to suit youroperating needs. Both low-cut(High-Pass Filter) and high-cut (Low-Pass Filter) levelscan also be adjusted.

When operating in the a.m.,s.s.b. and f.m. modes you canpush the DSP button for onesecond to activate yet anothermenu mode for d.s.p.Microphone Equalisation. Byrotating the main tuning dialyou can then select severalequalisation options.

The setting OFF is selectedwhen no equalisation isrequired, LPF is for high-cutwhere lower frequencies areemphasised, HPF is for low-cutwhere the higher frequenciesare emphasised and BOTHselects high and low-cut wherethe mid range frequencies areaccentuated.

During the review, it took mea while to set MicrophoneEqualisation up for best results.I think it would be much easierto do if you have the help ofanother station...one that’spreferably a good distance away.

The Morse ModeThe FT-857 has an array offeatures for the c.w. operator.For example when operating on

the Morse mode there’s theoption of using either a straightkey, a paddle using the built-inelectronic keyer which alsoincludes weight control orcomputer keyboard.

The CW Pitch control allowsthe transmitted signal to beoffset by 400/500/600/700 or800Hz from zero beat with thereceive frequency. When thispitch control is adjusted, it alsovaries the centre frequency ofthe receiver’s pass bandtogether with the CW Sidetonepitch. This means you can usethe sidetone as a referenceduring tuning.

There’s also three-messagememory which can be used toprogramme exchanges such asthose found in contests. A‘Beacon’ mode is also providedand this can send a repetitivemessage continuously for up tofour hours. (This would beextremely useful for those withan interest inDXpeditions...particularly onthe 50MHz band.

Finally, the FT-857 has abuilt-in c.w. trainer! This helpfulfeature will send random groupsof five letters and/or numberswhich can be heard through thespeaker. (Should help to keep upyour c.w. reading skills!).

Incidentally, an optional YF-122C 500Hz Collins filter isavailable for the FT-857, and ithad been installed in the reviewmodel. Personally speaking, Iwould consider this an essentialextra if you were a keen c.w.operator....especially whenoperating on crowded bandssuch as 7MHz or when workingin contests.

Stacked VFO SystemOne menu item I did use a gooddeal was the ‘Stacked’ v.f.o.system. This controlled thev.f.o.s and was found by simplypressing the FUNC keymomentarily and rotating theselect knob to the menu A/B,A=B and SPL.

The A/B function buttonthen allows you to togglebetween the two v.f.o.s (A or B)for each band. For example, youcould have v.f.o. A set for thec.w. section of a band and v.f.o. Bset for the s.s.b. section. (This ishow I set up the transceiver asboth mode and frequencyinformation are remembereduntil they’re changed).

When you do change bandsusing either the A or B v.f.o., thetwo v.f.o.s don’t change bandstogether. This would proveuseful to those of you whooperate split bands whenworking - for instance - LowEarth Orbit (LEO) f.m.satellites. This procedure is wellcovered by the appendix in thesupplied instruction manual. Imust admit that I have nevertried this myself but have everyintention to do so in the nearfuture.

The A=B function allows youto have both v.f.o.s on the samefrequency. Here, SPL selects the‘split’ function...which was veryuseful when trying to work someof the pile-ups on severalDXpeditions heard during thereview period.

Advanced VHF/UHFFeaturesThe v.h.f./u.h.f. operator usingthe FT-857 has not beenforgotten either! The transceiverhas a host of useful featuresthat will be useful on v.h.f. andu.h.f.

For repeater use both a 50-tone CTCSS system and 104code Digital Code Squelch(DCS) encoders and decodersare already built in. The abilityto encode either CTCSS or DSCif required and a ‘Split Tone’feature has been included.

When you use the 144 or430MHz bands, the transceiverwill automatically activate yourpersonally programmedrepeater shift for the band inuse. And...you’re travelling andvisit a new location a SmartSearch system can scan inf.m./a.m. modes for any activity

Inside view of the main p.c.b. panel.

Close up view of the main tuningcontrol. This control also carries outmany other functions (see text).

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and load those frequencies intoa special memory bank.

You can also use aSpectrum Scope feature thatwill create a bar graph displayof active channels above andbelow your chosen frequency.Another interesting feature isthe Auto Range TransponderSystem that lets you know if alow power station has gone outof range. This could be usefulfor groups like RAYNET whoprovide safety cover at variousevents throughout the country.

Earth ConnectionOne item that I was surprisedto find missing was an earthconnection of some sort.However, the manual states:“Although satisfactorygrounding in most installationswill be achieved via the d.c.cable’s negative lead and theantenna systems coaxial shield,it is often recommended that youprovide a direct groundconnection to the vehicle chassisat the mounting location of thetransceiver”.

The FT-857 does actuallycome supplied with the MMB-82 Mounting Bracket...andproviding this is installed andconnected to a vehicle’s chassisyou should be okay. If you dodecide to install the transceiverin a vehicle, I would certainlyrecommend you double-checkthe installation positioncarefully, just to be sure you areactually making an earth!

While using the transceiverin my shack, I used a screw andwashers from the mounting kitsupplied, connecting my earthwire to one of the bracketmounting holes. With this set-up I experienced no problemssuch as r.f. feedback or noisepick-up during the reviewperiod.

Sensitive ReceiverI found the receiver to be verysensitive and the audio qualityfrom the small speaker to beexcellent. Away from theAmateur bands I listened intoseveral broadcast stations onboth Band II v.h.f. f.m. and alsoon a.m. on medium wave, andh.f.

There’s always plenty ofactivity around the South Walescoastline...so I also monitoredseveral marine channels. TheFT-857 coped with everything itheard and the receiver showed

no signs of being overloaded atanytime.

On occasion I did need to usethe attenuator, which reducesthe received audio signal andnoise by about 10dB. It mightbe worth mentioning at thispoint, that this function doesn’toperate on the 144 or 430MHzbands.

On The AirAs I stated earlier, bandconditions were very poor forthe duration of this review andmy on the air tests! I only hadan inverted full size G5RV atmy disposal, which was fixed ina north/south direction.

To tune the antenna I usedmy MFJ-971 portable tuner asthis would allow me to work onmost bands. On the first day ofthe review I could only hearstations on 7MHz and most ofthose were based in the UK.Static noise was terrible andsignals would appear verystrong at S9+ one moment andthen fade down into the noise.

However, all was not lostand several stations did respondto my “CQ” calls, which weremade with the supplied MH-31hand microphone. I shouldmention at this point that Yaesuoffer the MH-59 RemoteMicrophone as an optional extraand this provides control of allthe major functions of thetransceiver from themicrophones keypad as well asrotary controls to adjust thefrequency or audio levels.

The first call came fromJohn G4XBL in Aspatria nearCarlisle in Cumberland whowas able to comment on the“clear audio” just before hissignal faded away. Next, VicG4KEE in Exeter then calledin...but it was very difficult tohold aconversationwith him. Healso commentedon the audioquality whichhad improvedslightly when Iswitched in thed.s.p.!

Thesedifficult QSOswere thenfollowed by a callfrom TonyG3RKL inSheffield, SouthYorkshire, whoran a Yaesu FT-

817 with a Yaesu FL-110 linearat about 60W. We were able tohold a long QSO andexperiment with gain levels onboth our microphones,sometimes with Tony runningjust 5W.

Incidentally, both JackEI7HX in Dublin and DavidG4YER in Barnsley, SouthYorkshire monitored these tests.They gave excellent signal andaudio reports to both of us! Iwas very grateful for theirassistance.

Pick of the DX for me wasBruce ZD7VC on 21MHz whowas enjoying a large pile-up athis home in Jamestown, on theIsland of St. Helena. It took awhile to work him, but hefinally heard my callsign andresponded with a 5/6 report.

Bruce was interested toknow a little more about theYaesu and we enjoyed a shortchat before he returned to thepile-up. Incidentally, this was anew country for me, so I wasmore than pleased to work him.I followed this a few days laterwith a c.w. contact with KojiJY9NX in Jordan...and his 599report gave me another newcountry on the 21MHz band.

I concentrated my operatingmainly on h.f. bands but did trythe 50, 144 and 430MHz bands.This was limited to f.m. contactsonly and included contacts withDenzil GW3CDP and BrianGW0KZK who had both beenmonitoring me during thereview period, and theyreported the audio as being“Good”.

The detached FT-857 front panel,shown in this fashion to demonstratethe relative proportions of what is avery small h.f. to u.h.f. transceiver(see text).

Superb SpecificationsIn summing up, I think thedesign engineers at Yaesuhave worked very hard toproduce a transceiver thatwould end up with superbspecifications and meet theneeds of today’s modernamateur. I’m sure that theyhave succeeded in this andhave even been able toinclude a few bells andwhistles along the way!

I think the FT-857 is verycompact, ruggedly built anddesigned to easily withstandthe abuse that it’s sure toreceive when used for eithermobile or portable work.However, the menus do takesome time to get used to andoccasionally I had problemswhen I wanted to operatesplit frequency quickly oradjust the d.s.p. settings.Despite this...it has to be saidthat regular use would makethe operator more familiarwith these controls and theiroperation would in timebecome second nature!

The FT-857 performedexceptionally well in the poorh.f. band conditions whenusing both c.w. and s.s.b. Iwould seriously consider thisas a replacement for myageing IC-706 Mark 1 as inmy opinion it is the best valuetransceiver available at thistime.

As with any new modellike this, it does pay to spenda few hours reading theinstruction manual to fullyunderstand what functionsthere are...and how you canbest set them up to suit youroperating style. The FT-857would be ideal for thebeginner or experiencedAmateur who is looking for aversatile mobile/portabletransceiver or those whorequire a compact basestation radio PW

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