11m rig dilemma

Evening all , after tonight I'm going to have to retire the stalker 9fdx which is pretty rough and not worth repairing .

I also am a licenced ham and have a yaesu ft891 and a ft818. I'm one to do portable operations ( on hills and mountains . I'm tempted to wide band the 818 which would be 6w . On a hill of 2000ft asl or more would work pretty well as long not a pile up. I could use a linear when in the car lower ground / use the 891 (100w ) or do I buy a small rig like a alinco dr135uk ?


Views on this please

73 , Matt

Considering that the dr135dx isnt that expensive, programmable for both 11and 10m, it may be worth thinking about. But on the other hand the overall performance of the 818 is better (including better frequency stability than the 135 as it's a bit of a drifter) and a lot more flexible in operation, which in that case better off having a small amp. The only advantages I can see in having the 135 is that it's much better on AM TX than the 818. 135 having high level AM compared the low level re-injected carrier AM of the 818. If you don't use AM, that's not a problem.

Speaking from experience of having both the 817 and a 135.

The ft818 is more stable than the ft817 I have read and the filtering , audio it's great and it's pretty quiet on ssb . Yes your right I have heard the dr135 can drift and not be as stable. I was looking at other modern multimodes like the grand 2 and the Lincoln 2 but from all accounts they have there issues and the ssb audio does sound pretty naff ! I did also look at the super star 9900 but it's just a bit too plasticky looking for me .

I dont want to go too big a size of a rig due to carrying in in my bag . Going back tk the ft818 I know you can buy some dedicated hf linears for them . Not big output but if needed on a hill may be an option .

73 , Matt

From reading all the reports about the 9900, it does seem the best bang for the buck as "export" radios go.

May be one of them RM KL203 would be cost effective amp. People do seem to overdrive them and I wouldn't myself run one at full output, but with the 818 and its power settings, you can get the best of RF power vs power consumption vs spectral emissions.

I also use hf a fair bit portable too so a hf linear may be best , already have a rm 100w linear .

https://www.ebay.co.uk/p/Mx-p50m-HF-Power-Ham-Radio-Amplifier-Cables-for-Ft-817-YASEU-Ic-703-Elecraft-Kx3/22018032289?iid=263758916662&chn=ps&norover=1&mkevt=1&mkrid=710-134428-41853-0&mkcid=2&itemid=263758916662&targetid=595627782193&device=m&adtype=pla&googleloc=9045594&poi=&campaignid=1701291960&adgroupid=66589449352&rlsatarget=pla-595627782193&abcId=1140496&merchantid=10082954&gclid=CjwKCAjw9dboBRBUEiwA7VrrzS4FUtaBkmEF80AysEHBzEGaFCqSZ5kU1lpYqHMvR9c3XnfIQNCwyRoCkHsQAvD_BwE

That's the little linears for 817/818 . But if operating from the car and needed more power I could always get a bigger 11m linear but generally I dont find I need alot of power up high ... unless a net with other stations using 100w plus .

Surprisingly that MX-P50M amp you linked too Matt has half reasonable switched band filtering, I had one for a while. You have to be careful not to drive it too hard.

Some reviewers say that they are fine, others say they are nasty!

VK3BL makes some useful comments-

I dont think you can drive it too hard with 6w from a ft818

I will watch the video later , cheers

Just watched the video and does seems to be pretty good .... think may be an option as good thing I can run at 6w or less but think ifcran at 2.5w or 5w you be fine.

I bet alot cheaner than a RM amplifier!

Get a nice 11m radio here are plenty out there