I am going to buy a radio that I hope will last me many years. I want
to start with a mobile that will also serve as a base station.I am
looking at a YAESU FT-857D.

Any comments on the pros or cons of this as a beginner radio that can
stay with me as I develop my skills?

I personally love my FT-857. Mine is the original model, not the "D"
model, but I modified it for full transmit (I use it with transverters I
build to get on other bands...right now I have transverters for 222 and
902) so it should work on the newer 60M band but I haven't tried it there.

It is a very small rig with pretty big features! When I ordered mine,
they threw in the DSP board. I've never had a rig with DSP, but it sure
does work nice!

I don't think you'd do much better for an all around rig (starter or
advanced) for the money! Hopefully, others will chime in here as well.

You didn't mention what license class you have, but the rig would be
great for any class. It has 100 Watts out on HF and 6M, 50W on 2M and
20W on 430. My only wish is that they would have built 222 in as well,
but I built a really simple transverter for 222 (designed by W1GHZ...
http://www.w1ghz.org)...I use mine at home, portable and mobile. No
problems and I've had it for about 3 years now.

Happy hammin' !!!

Scott
N0EDV

Ed Byars wrote:
I am going to buy a radio that I hope will last me many years. I want
to start with a mobile that will also serve as a base station.I am
looking at a YAESU FT-857D.

Any comments on the pros or cons of this as a beginner radio that can
stay with me as I develop my skills?

On 5 Oct 2006 18:39:12 -0700, Ed Byars wrote in .com:
I am going to buy a radio that I hope will last me many years. I want
to start with a mobile that will also serve as a base station.I am
looking at a YAESU FT-857D.

Any comments on the pros or cons of this as a beginner radio that can
stay with me as I develop my skills?

I really like my FT-857, and would buy another to put in the other car if
I had the cash to spare. Be sure to buy the separation kit and put the
control panel where you can see it without having to divert your eyes from
the road, and give *serious* thought to the fancy handmike with all the
controls on it except Squelch.

The 857's big brother, the FT-857, makes a good shack rig, too, and the two
radios use the same programming software, so that you can have the same
memory settings on both.

The 857 has a nice, sensitive receiver, and I've worked Italy, Germany,
Hong Kong and Taiwan mobile from central Oklahoma. It should really shine
when the sunspot cycle gets a bit farther away from the minimum.

But it's not really homebrew.

--
Mike Andrews, W5EGO

Tired old sysadmin

On 5 Oct 2006 18:39:12 -0700, Ed Byars wrote in .com:
I am going to buy a radio that I hope will last me many years. I want
to start with a mobile that will also serve as a base station.I am
looking at a YAESU FT-857D.

Any comments on the pros or cons of this as a beginner radio that can
stay with me as I develop my skills?

I really like my FT-857, and would buy another to put in the other car if
I had the cash to spare. Be sure to buy the separation kit and put the
control panel where you can see it without having to divert your eyes from
the road, and give *serious* thought to the fancy handmike with all the
controls on it except Squelch.

The 857's big brother, the FT-897, makes a good shack rig, too, and the two
radios use the same programming software, so that you can have the same
memory settings on both.

The 857 has a nice, sensitive receiver, and I've worked Italy, Germany,
Hong Kong and Taiwan mobile from central Oklahoma. It should really shine
when the sunspot cycle gets a bit farther away from the minimum.

But it's not really homebrew.

--
Mike Andrews, W5EGO

Tired old sysadmin

See e-ham reviews:
http://www.eham.net/reviews/detail/3046

Has 187 reviews on the FT-857 series

CL


"Ed Byars" wrote in message
oups.com...
I am going to buy a radio that I hope will last me many years. I want
to start with a mobile that will also serve as a base station.I am
looking at a YAESU FT-857D.

Any comments on the pros or cons of this as a beginner radio that can
stay with me as I develop my skills?

On Thu, 05 Oct 2006 18:39:12 -0700, Ed Byars wrote:

I am going to buy a radio that I hope will last me many years. I want
to start with a mobile that will also serve as a base station.I am
looking at a YAESU FT-857D.

Any comments on the pros or cons of this as a beginner radio that can
stay with me as I develop my skills?

It is hard to go wrong with any Yaesu or Icom radio. If you find you
prefer something else, there will be no problem trading or selling it,
assuming you will lose a bit of money after it has been used. Chances are
very good you will not want to part with it...I wish I still had my first
radio...