Yaesu FT-817ND HF VHF UHF Ultra Compact HF Amateur Transceiver

My first contact using 2.5 watts into a six foot vertical was from Michigan to Scotland right after pulling it from the box, so it works and it's use is pretty intuitive for the basics.However, you have to really be comfortable using menus to take advantage of any but the basic features of this rig. I'd suggest writing or buying a cheat sheet to stash in the travel box so that you always have quick access to the features in the field. There are just too many to memorize otherwise.I actually prefer qrp operation, so the 5W limit on this rig is perfect for me. If you are looking for a higher power portable(ish) rig, you might consider the FT-897D which does 100W out and has a few less menus.

This is a cool radio, you can listen to all the bands available to amateurs , but don't expect to get many (or any) contacts with it. I have had the radio for 2 weeks and have called CQ many many times each evening as well as tried to answer other operators cq calls and have yet to make a single contact on HF using a dipole about 30' up. This is good for listening to HF and using as a handheld alternative for 2m and 6m work using repeaters. If you are a new ham get something with more power. Also understand that the batteries will last well under an hour if you are transmitting at 5 watts.pros:-all band, all mode-small-internal batteries-comes with everything you need to get started on 6/2m-well builtcons:-5watts max-QRP is frustrating for a new ham-limited battery life-small display-no built in DSP which is a BIG help in working QRP so you can hear other QRP operators through the noise-perhaps somewhat dated with respect to the lack of DSP, a usb port would be be nice to make this more useable with computer control such as is found on some Icom models.Bottomline:This looks like a great deal price wise but if you add in an antenna tuner, powersupply(needed if you want to actually use it at 5w for any time), and dsp module you are at or above the price of competitors models with the same functions. Buy an 857 or 897 instead , you can always turn the power down to work QRP but then have 100w available to you when you just want to make a contact or two. For listening only this is a great radio though. I wish I had bought an 857/897 instead.EDIT 9-Dec-2012I just discovered psk31 and it makes this radio a wonder. In y first hour on psk31 I contacted Portugal, the Azore, France and Italy from New England USA. If you buy this radio you need to use it for psk31 to make it useful. I use a signalink usb adapter for psk31

I've owned the 817nd for about a year now and have been pretty happy with it. It's a very capable rig that will nearly fit into you pocket! I originally had CW in mind when I bought it from Gigiparts, but I've actually used it mostly for PSK31 & JT65. I've never made a phone contact with it, but only because I haven't tried.I see this as a CW and digital modes rig, and that's how I use it. While it has 2M and 70cm, I've only used it for 2M packet so couldn't comment on its performance much in VHF/UHF. I worked Bermuda on 6M CW though, and it performed very well.As another reviewer mentioned, this is a menu-intensive radio. I didn't find that to be a problem as I've been using a 706mkIIg for several years and have gotten used to the menu stacking in these small rigs. FWIW, I like Yaesu's menus better than Icom's.I've found the receiver to be pretty good, but I use a WMR Clear-speaker most of the time and that makes up somewhat for the lack of DSP onboard. I used a new TT Argonaut last weekend and found that its receiver was much better. I understand Elecraft's QRP rig is a knockout too, but I've never used one.I've found the tiny VFO knob irritating. Why couldn't they just imitate the 857 in this regard? I haven't a clue. It's so small that I've just used the Up/Down buttons on the mic most of the time. Granted, I wear an XL glove size, but this VFO knob is absurd. My cat would have a hard time using it.Aftermarket mods abound for this rig, including an inboard DSP, a VFO knob with a crank on it, all sorts of battery configurations, and so on. I think it's a fine radio and it has a great track record. I've enjoyed using it! 73 ;)

I love this little transceiver, the sound is nice a crisp, and I have had nice reports of how good the transmit quality is, and on low power, (the internal rechargeable battery, 2.5w of power), the only down side is this is a portable radio, so the buttons ans knobs are a little small for my big fingers, but I can get over that.