Yaesu FT-891

I got this because the IC-7300 was too chunky to be effectively transported within a rucksack. Also I feared scratches in its big display or even a broken display: so here is the Yaesu FT-891.

Excellent receiver #

I think this radio is quite similar to the IC-7300 in its receiving quality. Lots of options in the function menues help you to concentrate on the actual voice you receive.

Good filter capabilities #

The filters are good enough to filter for a specific signal, mainly using WIDTH and SHIFT and sometimes CONTOUR filters is mostly effective enough. The DNR is also quite nice and works well, although I don’t like the resulting voice that much. Way better works the autonotch filter (DNF), which is an awesome feature to have.

Record and transmit CQ calls #

The FT-891 lets you record up to 5(??) or 3? different clips that you can later transmit by a button press. That might come in handy when you are contesting – can’t refer to this much because I’m not contesting nor do I use this function so far.

Good size #

I like it’s size when it’s beeing still a 100 W transceiver. Nonetheless it drains the battery with 1 A when listening.

Digital modes #

I use the radio with a SignalinkUSB interface and I have to extend the bandwith manually with the WIDTH setting from the function menue to have this set correctly. The setting from the main settings is not applied on digital modes. Apparently Yaesu doesn’t care about that bug.

Tactical carrying system: 891escort ™ #

Made from aluminium the 891escort adds a little weight but also protection to the radio, especially for the knobs on the front panel. The addidional strap mounts can be used to attach a sling to the radio, it could be easily carried now – not that I used that once, but it is there as a feature. My focus was the additional protection when I bought them. Now, a year later, I carry the radio inside a cloth bag without the escort just to save some more grams when hiking through the mountains and I can remove the detachable head of the unit to change different microphones/headsets. When using the carrying system I would need to remove the right frame before I could detach the units head.

Some people recommend using a short LAN cable to get the socket outside, but I haven’t found a good one yet (and a short one).

Portable operation #

This radio is an excellent choice if you have enough power with you – the current draw is very high compared to a QRP radio and an amplifier (Tx-500 with PA-500 for example).