The Yaesu FT-891.

[gil]

Hello,

I looked at the specs, until I saw: Current draw on receive: 2A.
TWO AMPS!
No need to look at the next line after that...

Now, the 891 might be an excellent radio for a shack or a car, rather a truck, with a large battery. For prepping or portable operations, useless.

I'll keep shouting it on rooftops, forget about output power and features, look at current draw. All those fancy features you can't learn without a phonebook-size manual do burn electricity, lots of it. Manufacturers and users forget the amateur radio motto: "When all else fails." That includes grid power and gasoline generators guys.

Here is a comparison just for kicks:

• FT-891: 2A.
• IC-7300: 900mA.
• FT-817nd: 450mA.
• RT-320: 175mA.
• KX2: 150mA.
• Weber MTR 4b/5b: 15mA.

On a battery drained by the FT-891 in one hour the Weber MTR5b, a five-band transceiver, will last five-and-a-half days non-stop... Even the RT-320, which has a 30W output, will last more than eleven hours on the same battery. We are talking receive current here, no transmit.

Before buying a radio for portable operations, look at current draw first, it might save you some reading time..

Gil.

[KK0G]

Yeah, what Gil said. :-)

None of the "big three" -Yeacomwood - make anything that I would consider suitable for low power portable work, as Gil said, all those bells and whistles suck up huge amounts of current before you've even had a chance to transmit. I'll stick with my Elecrafts and my MTR that both sip electrons at an infinitesimally tiny rate compared to anything from the big three.

[gil]

Hi Chris, thanks. I feel like an old man repeating myself, LOL. When I saw 2A on receive I just about choked. What are they thinking? I mean, with the little dinky cars we have here in France, you plug in one of those radios and it'll make your headlights dim :o We ain't got them big batteries here ;D You forget the radio on, go get a coffee, you're going nowhere ::) It's a mobile rig! In a shack, who cares, you have your 30A power supply and you can always tell your wife she uses her hair dryer too much to explain the bill... In a car, it's another story. Better leave the engine on idle while listening to HF...

Gil.

[KK0G]

What are they thinking?

They're just catering to what their customers want. Hams like us that trek beyond the park bench are in the minority, most of them are not concerned at all with the ability to operate truly portable for more than a few hours at most before heading back to the shack....... fancy bells and whistles sell lots of radios, low current draw sells far fewer radios.

[gil]

They're just catering to what their customers want.

Certainly, but do they know?

Remember the camo-painted IC-7200s... Remember the SGC-2020? Try buying one on Ebay... Try buying a PRC-2000... Even the RT-320 is getting more expensive while the British Pound is going down. Have you seen the "manpack" milled cases for the FT-817nd? Not to mention the numerous pseudo-military antennas out there, and some manufacturers are making a lot of money selling crappy home-depot-material antennas with "military" buzzword advertising. Some almost get it right and make good stuff, but others, and I am thinking of one particular offender, oh boy! Talk about crap... I am convinced there is a large market just waiting...

Gil.

[KK0G]

They're just catering to what their customers want.

Certainly, but do they know?

Remember the camo-painted IC-7200s... Remember the SGC-2020? Try buying one on Ebay... Try buying a PRC-2000... Even the RT-320 is getting more expensive while the British Pound is going down. Have you seen the "manpack" milled cases for the FT-817nd? Not to mention the numerous pseudo-military antennas out there, and some manufacturers are making a lot of money selling crappy home-depot-material antennas with "military" buzzword advertising. Some almost get it right and make good stuff, but others, and I am thinking of one particular offender, oh boy! Talk about crap... I am convinced there is a large market just waiting...

Gil.

But you have a distorted and/or biased view of this potential market because you hang out with, communicate with, and seek out other like minded individuals, the big three are large corporations and will see things quite differently than you and I. They know that their potential customers are already limited simply because amateur radio operators are already a tiny fraction of the total population, folks like you and I are an even smaller fraction of that tiny fraction, they're going to put their efforts, marketing, and research where the money is. Besides, we have WAY better products to choose from in Elecraft, MTR series etc, the other guys can have their Yecomwoods. LOL

[gil]

True, it certainly is a smaller subgroup... I do hope however that a smaller manufacturer will think about this... Even Elecraft now is too big for us.

Gil

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

[RadioRay]

Reminds me of this quote, about military equipment --- (click to make it larger)

Or like the guys who's self-worth is tied to what he can buy.  They REALLY get ticked-off when you are boomin in on a tiny QRP rig and a piece of wire for an antenna , or a mag-loop made from common materials.  Personally, I've love a basic, very low power drain CW rig with general coverage receiver that BEGINS at 80 meters.  DX is fun , once or twice, but communication begins with NVIS.

[gil]

DX is fun , once or twice, but communication begins with NVIS.

I am realizing this more and more... I know I can reach distant countries and it is still exciting to bag a new one, but then what? I love it too when a guy tells me he uses 500W and I reply I have 5W into a 19ft wire ;D Ray I hope we can make contact... It is so much nicer to talk to friends anyway. I think I will make that super-gain 40m NVIS antenna I posted about recently. No idea where I'll set it up, but it is fairly portable. I also found out that while 80m portable is a pain, it is quite possible and I have done it with a 135ft HWEF and the W3EDP. An NVIS configuration  is much easier than trying to get the wire as vertical as you can. With regional contacts you can repeat the feat and get to know people. One guy even called me from my own town, just across the border in Belgium only maybe a mile away! NVIS can also mean a few hundred miles, not just local...

Gil.

[cockpitbob]

Yikes!  2A for a mobile rig is nuts.  Just sitting there it's got 28Watts to get rid of.  The fan must run all the time.  That's really surprising to me.  Every year digital logic and processors get faster yet use less power.  I can't imagine what they are doing with 2A during Rx. 

I still like my old FT-857.  0.75A on Rx and 100W out with HF+50 +2M +70cm.  It lacks many of the new digital/internet bells and whistles, but I'm fine with that.  Then there's my 3 QRP rigs and 2 unbuilt QRP kits lol.

Hams like us that trek beyond the park bench are in the minority,...

No kidding!  I went to the big ham convention in Boxboro, MA last year.  Looking at the average ham there reminded me I really need to refresh my 20 year old CPR training.  I'm surprised the ambulances weren't stacked up in the parking lot like taxis at the airport.  The obesity rate must have been above 50% and the average age well above 50.  On average, grooming didn't seem to be a high priority either.  This is the one disappointing aspect of the hobby for me.  I'd be more involved if there were more active and energetic hams.

[KK0G]

No kidding!  I went to the big ham convention in Boxboro, MA last year.  Looking at the average ham there reminded me I really need to refresh my 20 year old CPR training.  I'm surprised the ambulances weren't stacked up in the parking lot like taxis at the airport.  The obesity rate must have been above 50% and the average age well above 50.  On average, grooming didn't seem to be a high priority either.  This is the one disappointing aspect of the hobby for me.  I'd be more involved if there were more active and energetic hams.

The obesity rate of hams is likely close to the same rate as the rest of the country, we're probably the fattest country on the planet but I won't shame them for being fat, hell I'm not the same lean, mean, machine I was when I was 20 years old. What I will shame people for is filthy, disgusting, no, make that non existent grooming, that is inexcusable. If you can afford amateur radio gear you can afford soap, water, and non piss stained clothes. I have zero remorse for shaming people in that way either, shame is an emotion that evolved in humans tens of thousands of years ago for good reason, it's a powerful tool that helps shape a healthy and productive society.


And now that we're completely off topic........  ;D

[RadioRay]

Hygiene is a survival skill.

[gil]

Some OMs are in the hobby because they lack social skills... Social skills would be extremely important in a survival situation. You can hide behind a radio, but not from reality. Being fat in itself might not be the worst, if one is mobile and healthy, but it does show a lack of will. Those who can survive would not remain fat very long. It might even help them survive, but if they can't walk long distances, move quickly and defend themselves, their chances are reduced. Their carrying capacity is reduced too, so they couldn't carry the battery for their FT-891..

Gil

Sent from my SM-G928F using Tapatalk

[KK0G]

Their carrying capacity is reduced too, so they couldn't carry the battery for their FT-891..

Gil

At 2 amps current draw on receive, an Olympic athlete couldn't carry enough battery to make an FT-891 last more than a few days!  8)

[ve3ips]

It actually draws 1a on receive and paired with a Bioenno 9a or 12a battery it works fine