Mark Conrad wrote in :

I have not yet decided which way to jump as regards buying
a rig after my long 55 year absence from ham radio:

1) Completely portable (ordinary alkaline battery powered)
very low powered rig such as the Yaesu FT-817ND

2) Larger 100 watt mobile rig such as the Elecraft K3
or the Yaesu 897D

The 897 will accommodate two battery packs and (or is it _or_?) a built-in
power supply. They're on my purchase list -- after we get the tax refund or
when I win the lottery.

The Yaesu 897D certainly has impressive spec's

Enough so that I have, and use, two of them. In their price class, they are
very impressive radios. I just swapped my Yaesu FT-450AT for one yesterday,
and that rig got K7SDW on 20 m with 10W output CW yesterday afternoon,
first crack off the bat.

Presently I do not have enough smarts to make an intelligent
choice between the Yaesu 897D as compared to the more
expensive Elecraft K3, when it comes to the fine points
of both those rigs.

I suspect that the K3 is, overall, the better radio, though it doesn't do
70 cm. At least it doesn't do 70 cm _yet_; I suspect a 70cm transverter
board is in the works, though I have no hard info on that. I'll get one
when I win the lottery.

With the Elecraft, I lose the mobile capability, however
Elecraft advocates are very impressed with that fine rig.

I've certainly read rave reviews on the K3. Acquisition is dependent on
coming into a sizeable bolus of cash, though. I'd also like to have a
Flex 5000 to play with, and an Icom 7[678]00, and a KW TS-2000, and a
Yaesu FT-2000, and some W-J or Cubic receivers, and ... .

Decisions, decisions... g

Yeah, but not the kind that hurt.

--
Mike Andrews, W5EGO

Tired old sysadmin