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Awesome setup!  Makes me want to add an FT-817 to the QRP stable!  

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there is a 817 semi-local on Craigslist for $420...guess who don't have $420

Nice rig! thanks for posting

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Nice setup! The 817 is on my short list. Maybe Santa Me will bring one for Christmas.
Getting rid of the rats nest of cabling would be easy. Basically just shorten all the cables to a bare minimum length to interconnect the units. 6 inch coax jumpers and shorten up the power wiring etc..

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What happened to all of the KX3 love???

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Awesome!

This should linked as one of the "Important Threads."

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What happened to all of the KX3 love???  

OP do yo have the narrow CW filter in your radio?

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To the second point: I do, 300hz though I oft wonder if the 500hz wouldn't have been the better choice, it can be hard to find CW signals at times with the 300 filter on. ...

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Dammit - now you have me wanting an 817.

And a LiFEPo battery.


And a tuner....


....

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ps- $250 + elbow grease... I'm pretty sure we all kind'a hate you.

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Well I feel good for contributing to your continuing like of the 817 .

However, I'm a bit surprised to hear you say you prefer the 817 to the KX3 for digi modes, it strikes me as counter-intuitive based on what I've heard about the kx3.

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This is how to QRP
Figured I’d show folks one of my QRP setups based around the FT817, I have others, but this is the most flexible setup. It basically does EVERYTHING in HAM world, and it does it for ~10lbs weight wise, it is easily portable. It covers 70cm-160m, can run up to 45W when needed, includes several different types of antennas which optimize efficiency vs speed of deployment. The only thing I'm not sure it can do is satcom, and thats only because I haven't tried it with the maldol antenna yet, it may actually be capable of doing that too, and if it can't all it needs is a better antenna. So from CW-SSB-digital it does it all, it does all the bands, its UHF,VHF, HF, multi-function, multi-role.  

So enough with the hype lets begin with the tour.
The bag is a one-tigris bag that was recommended here by a member whose name I forget, but am grateful to. It’s about the size of military butt-pack and can actually be used as such. But usually I just use the carry strap or handle to carry it around. Here is the setup all packed.

Front
<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/user/harlikwin/media/ECF928C2-DBE0-45FB-A5AA-90CFE93C2DDE_zpsspzuhxwo.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/harlikwin/ECF928C2-DBE0-45FB-A5AA-90CFE93C2DDE_zpsspzuhxwo.jpg</a>

Back
<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/user/harlikwin/media/743DEF24-2980-473F-AF56-CE6D3D999D3D_zpsectkrubu.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/harlikwin/743DEF24-2980-473F-AF56-CE6D3D999D3D_zpsectkrubu.jpg</a>

Removing the top, we find a 6-40m dipole system, logbook, and adaptors for working data.
<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/user/harlikwin/media/44A66372-AE05-42D2-9CA4-71C0962EBC45_zpskg4qmndw.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/harlikwin/44A66372-AE05-42D2-9CA4-71C0962EBC45_zpskg4qmndw.jpg</a>

The main compartment holds the radio, tuner, amp, and mic/speech processor, while the side pockets hold the external power and charging adaptors as well as the buddistick coil.
<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/user/harlikwin/media/A8913187-11A8-4472-B1D0-E70D745AF384_zps0u20tzi5.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/harlikwin/A8913187-11A8-4472-B1D0-E70D745AF384_zps0u20tzi5.jpg</a>

The front pocket holds coax, the high sierra jaws mount and and a buddistick counterpoise wire.
<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/user/harlikwin/media/438717D6-1FD5-4944-AA58-9DE3EC127E23_zpsbkyuvcge.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/harlikwin/438717D6-1FD5-4944-AA58-9DE3EC127E23_zpsbkyuvcge.jpg</a>

Now down to the nitty gritty: Starting with power, we have a battery charger for the internal windcamp LiPo battery which provides 3Ah of runtime for the radio in the 5W base configuration. We also have a wall wart PS for the 817 that will run the radio, as well as the Zippy LiFePO4 4.2Ah battery that can be used to run the amp or the radio or both all at the same time.

<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/user/harlikwin/media/9DC15EF5-C933-4FE7-96AA-E32D6DC5CD7D_zpsysybsgtd.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/harlikwin/9DC15EF5-C933-4FE7-96AA-E32D6DC5CD7D_zpsysybsgtd.jpg</a>

Next we have the antenna systems and interfaces. The buddistick with either the Sierra Jaws mount or the BP tripod provide a decent vertical on 6-20m. If some actual gain is desired and supports are available I have a ultralightweight homebrew dipole system (which can be used as an endfed too). For 2m/440/6m we have 18” maldol tribander antenna. For communication adapters we have a wolphi link for use with an Android phone for RTTY/PSK31, or if desired a set of plugs for a netbook/notebook for running other digimodes and a paper log.

<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/user/harlikwin/media/BAA83845-4384-4A21-AFC7-56E69FB40811_zpsgadjv4aw.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/harlikwin/BAA83845-4384-4A21-AFC7-56E69FB40811_zpsgadjv4aw.jpg</a>

Now for the actual radio system. We have the FT817 fitted with a windcamp 3aH Lipo battery which actually lets us run on 5W for some time. Above that a MXP-50m chinamart amplifier that is supposedly rated to 45W output, but for my uses I typically maximally run it at 25W which is plenty of power. And finally the LDG Z-817 tuner, which is rated for 20W and why I don’t usually use the amp at any higher power. Also pictured is the DYC-817 speech process which is pretty much a must if you want to any work on SSB.

<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/user/harlikwin/media/2566F380-32C3-4149-B97F-22670BCDFE3C_zpsf4161ysc.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/harlikwin/2566F380-32C3-4149-B97F-22670BCDFE3C_zpsf4161ysc.jpg</a>

Also please do note the rabid shitpile of cabling in the back, if someone has some suggestions or sources how to minimize this I’m all ears as it really really really annoys me and takes up a pile of room in the main compartment.
<a href="http://s5.photobucket.com/user/harlikwin/media/D67EFAF8-3D06-402A-BD16-9A40B8E7348C_zpsfdyoydkd.jpg.html" target="_blank">http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y158/harlikwin/D67EFAF8-3D06-402A-BD16-9A40B8E7348C_zpsfdyoydkd.jpg</a>

So there you have it 160m-70cm, .5-50W with three different antenna options. Multifunction, multirole, it can talk to any HAMhole. This is how I QRP.

Alright, I've finally had time to look this over in detail.  Please excuse me if I sound like an idiot or condescending as that is not my intent.  This kit is nearly my exact "ideal" setup but I have a few questions:

1. Why the LDG-817 vs. LDG-817Z?  The LDG-817Z is rated to take full use of your amp.  I know that it is larger but is essentially the same size as the FT-817ND and isn't much bigger than the LDG-817 and only costs $20 more.


Heh, this is actually a really complicated question.
Answer 1: Mainly due to the fact I built this kit up over time over a period of 4 years or so, so I had the 817Z first and then bought the amp.

Answer 2: In an Emergency the 817Z would probably survive the 45W out on SSB at least if the antenna it was matching was close to resonance since SSB is not a full power mode.

Answer 3: I don't really feel there is neccisarily a huge difference between 25W out and 45W when it comes to making contacts.

Answer 4: The power drain on the battery is much greater for the 45W power level (7-8amps) so the battery life would be greatly reduced for little gain.

Answer 5: I have no idea if the amp has any swr protection for its finals (probably not) so running it at a lower power level can help with that if there are any small mismatches, so its a balance.

If I were to do it again, I would either go with the 817H amp since as you say its better suited for the power of the radio, or more likely a Elecraft T1 due to its much smaller size and weight

2. How do you modulate the amp output?  Are you simply dialing down the Tx output from the radio?

Yes, its simply power level set in the radio, 5W=45W, 2.5W=25W 1W=15W etc...

3. For the price of the radio, tuner, speech compressor and amp (running at approx 20w), you are close to more than a KX3.  While the KX3 has a far better display, the 817 is an all-band.  Once you figure in a Elecraft tuner and 2M module, it does cost more than your setup but your still running the same power (KX3 vs. 817+amp).  Not really a question in this, just an observation.

Well it really depends on how you look at it, The KX3 can output ~12W max (with external PS) while my setup can put out double or quadruple that in a pinch if needed. Cost wise, I paid 250 for my 817 as I mentioned, 120 for the tuner, and 150 or so for the amp, 40 bucks for the speech compressor so price wise for all that I'm still ~$450 under a base config KX3 in my case for a more capable and durable radio system

4. You mentioned cleaning up the rat's nest.  With the radio, amp and tuner stacked, do you have heat issues?  While other have mentioned simply shortening the cables, I'm curious if the subsequent vertical stack would cause other issues (heat buildup).

No heat issues at all, just messy wires

5. The bag looks looks like a perfect fit for everything but have you tried a Versapak?  

No, but If you want to send me one I will take pics for you, and if I like it I won't send it back .

6. How does the 817 handle digital modes?  This is something I'd like to get into as well such as JT65, fldigi, etc.  This is especially important as I'm still, at a painfully slow pace, learning CW.

Works great digital, in fact almost all of my digi contacts are on the 817, Using the wolphi link I can just use my cellphone for PSK31 and RTTY, and if I connect up a netbook I can use FLdigi or HRD for other modes

7. For the price of the 817 and amp, you could find a 897 that'll still run more power.  Beyond the obvious that the 817 is smaller and lighter weight, does the 817 have other advantages?

I actually have an 897 setup that I use when I want or feel like more power is necessary, the 817 is entirely a size/weight thing vs the 897 also the 817 based setup is far more flexible if I want to ditch weight/bulk, the 897 is all or nothing

My winter project will be to get my Extra ticket and get my HF setup done by spring.  The primary use(s) would be field days, camping (at least monthly), similar camping-like travels, and base station until finances allow for a proper base station setup.  The only thing I'd probably add to your kit would be a 12" laptop for digimodes which is why I asked about the Versapak.

My 817 started as a camping rig, and kinda grew from there. The main advantage of the whole setup is that I can ruthlessly cut it down to just what I need in terms of antennas and power requirements. For camping I'd likely take the base radio, a CW key, and my dipole antenna and leave everything else. And IIRC that weighs under 4 lbs (I have cheat sheet with all the weights of components somewhere) or more likely these days I'd take my CW only KX1 rig which weighs ~1lb, maybe I should do a post on that one of these days

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My winter project will be to get my Extra ticket and get my HF setup done by spring.  The primary use(s) would be field days, camping (at least monthly), similar camping-like travels, and base station until finances allow for a proper base station setup.  The only thing I'd probably add to your kit would be a 12" laptop for digimodes which is why I asked about the Versapak.

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The FT-897 has the option of using an internal battery as well or installing an internal AC p/s. Plenty of other first radio choices too. I think the IC-718 is a popular first radio around here. The bonus with the FT-8x7 is you get 6m, 2m, & 440 all in the same box.

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Just a quick update, on the rig. I just logged a pile of SSB DX from the international DX contest today using anywhere between 5W and 20W and simple 20M dipole. Even got into Ireland with 5W SSB...

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I've GOT to figure out what's up with my location/gear/antenna.... The furthest I've made it with 100w is from GA to NJ.  

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I've GOT to figure out what's up with my location/gear/antenna.... The furthest I've made it with 100w is from GA to NJ.  

I hear about feats like yours and wonder what dark magic is being invoked for those results.

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Are you HEARING plenty of signals ?