Hi Danny,
I just saw this on the Internet and thought it might interest you.
A brit did a comparison of the Yaesu Ft817 and the Icom Ic703.
This article is dated but still perhaps of interest.
Have a great holiday.
Eric
KU3I
A Comparison of the
Yaesu FT-817 and the Icom IC-703
By Malcolm Smith G0DPT
The two transceivers compared are both owned by myself, the FT-817 from new
some years ago
and the IC-703 relatively recently second hand this year from the original
owner who realised he
wanted an IC-7000 and sold it to me with only a few hours use as new. The
IC-703 was the non-
plus model (i.e. without 6M, but had the UT-106 DSP option fitted). Most
amateurs are more than
familiar with the specifications of the two transceivers, so there is little
point repeating them here,
but both manufacturers' websites quote the current specification of each.
Yaesu FT-817
When the FT-817 was announced, I knew immediately that I was going to buy
one as soon as the
dealers started having stock. When I first joined a radio club, the smallest
way to get 160m to
10m, 6m, 2m & 70cms in one Yaesu package, was in a FT101/902 series HF
transceiver and FTV-
901R transverter package weighing in at around 35Kg and being dependent upon
a mains supply
present or generator for power. The output of the FT-817, although just 5W,
is just over 1Kg by
comparison and powered internally by 8 x AA battery cells. This opened up a
new world for
lightweight QRP operators, with a transceiver that would fit in many outdoor
coat pockets and
simple wire antennas in another.
Unlike earlier examples of "portable" HF transceivers, the FT-817 is far
from a basic transceiver
and is feature rich. This comes at a price of having only a small display
screen area and few
buttons on the front panel, so operation is via sets of menus. I appreciate
why it's been done and
accept its use, but unlike most users, I have never really learnt to love
this method of using a
transceiver. I'm sure I'm one of the few. The success of this transceiver
and those which were
marketed after to compete with it probably came as a great surprise for
Yaesu, who must have
sure felt it would be a second transceiver that would get light weekend or
holiday use - as it was
portrayed in advertising. Instead, thousands saw the opportunity for a new
way of operating HF
outdoors, and many amateurs pressured for space indoors were able to sell
off older equipment
and reclaim space back within the house. A transceiver really marketed as a
second HF
transceiver rapidly became the only transceiver, replacing the mobile as
well in many cases.
The FT-817 has had some reliability issues, and I'm left wondering to some
extent if it has been
caused by its own success through amateurs seeing the diverse use it can be
put too. Certainly
the RF finals have been upgraded in later ND models, although some have had
terrific abuse and
never suffered any problems and some have been 'kid glove' treated and
failed. However, despite
some concern the model has overall proved reliable.
© Loughton & Epping Forest ARS
The FT-817 comes with an antenna, which is really not great on any frequency
apart from 2m &
70cms, so for HF operation, there are a variety of options. Almost
immediately upon launch, a
whole world of antennas and accessories for the FT-817 and those small
transceivers that followed
became commercially available. I bought an ATX walkabout for 80m to 6m, but
I found I distrusted
the internal SWR meter and the front panel BNC connection is placed under
considerable stress
with such a large antenna.
Of course, one of the cheapest and highly effective antennas is a long wire
with an ATU. The big
disadvantage is having something else to carry and connect up, but something
has to give for
space if you fit so much in one small box. I have tried a number of ATUs
over the years, and like
the Mizuho KX-3 (which is really a receiver ATU but will work well with
transceivers up to 10W
output), the MFJ-971 (watch internal build quality) but is quite large to
carry, but for matching long
wires the SGC SG-211 mini smartuner is excellent, small and runs off
batteries that will last for
years. That's the one I kept.
Icom IC-703
Icom launched the IC-703 some years later and it's clear that they listened
to the grumbles about
the FT-817. The IC-703, is almost twice the weight of the FT-817, doesn't
run on internal batteries
and the current model doesn't cover 2m or 70cms. Yet in spite of these
differences, it's very much
an alternative to the FT-817 designed from understanding the way amateurs
started to use small
HF portable transceivers.
Within moments of using it, although this transceiver is also menu driven
like the FT-817, you feel
with the large display, solid case, and superb receiver that you have a
'proper' HF transceiver and
not a portable - indeed many IC-7800 owners who have both give very
favourable reviews of the
IC-703 in comparison. The output in the shack connected to a PSU (or in a
mobile installation)
provides 10W output and drops to 5W output running on an external battery.
The biggest and
most useful feature is the internal ATU, which works extremely well.
For portable operation, the IC-703 needs an external battery. I looked at
many options, including
Icom's own (LC-156 backpack, BP-228 battery and BC-155 charger) and
eventually bought them
as a package deal from a radio shop on the other side of the world, as even
after carriage and
import duty, it was considerably cheaper than buying locally. I was somewhat
sceptical about the
backpack, but I have to say that was completely unfounded and is very well
made with the
transceiver and battery cushioned and catered for well (although there is
very little room for non-
radio needs on a walk) - and with the separation cable (like the IC-706), it
is possible to operate as
pedestrian mobile with the backpack on, a suitable aerial coming from the
back and operating the
control face - watch no one treads on your trailing counterpoise!
The Icom model has had a few failures with finals, but mainly with IC-703+
models although Icom
do appear to be swift in resolving any problems.
Summary
In conclusion, both radios are great for outdoor portable use, but they
tackle how this is achieved
in different ways. If you truly want a portable to put in your pocket and
have the VHF & UHF bands
available, there's only one choice - the FT-817. If you are only an HF
operator who is looking for
the shack transceiver outdoors and are happy with a heavier load, the IC-703
will be for you. Both
transceivers are sufficiently different to be unable to recommend one over
another; both are
competent at receiving and sending CW and SSB, so which bands you operate
and from and
where, will help you decide if this kind of low power transceiver interests
you.
73
Malcolm G0DPT
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