There are periodic discussions on the various forums and mailing lists about the FT-817, and improvements that people would like to see in a successor radio.
This would apply to Yaesu, as well as any other manufacturers (Icom/Kenwood/Elecraft/Alinco/Ten-Tec) if they were to come out with a competing radio.
Commonly listed features include:
higher power (10w is the usual figure)
built-in auto-tuner (similar to the Elecraft T-1)
different antenna connectors
latching antenna relay
more robust power connector
built-in digital modes
USB interface
My thoughts are that some of these are useful, and some are better served by external devices,
because of increased power consumption, added weight, etc.
Here are my thoughts:
I don't think that increased power is that useful, given the limited battery size. Maybe as a clip-on amplifier, but probably not built-in.
USB is great if you are connecting to a PC, but not required or desirable if you are connecting to PIC or Arduino based hardware. A TTL level interface, and a USB-TTL interface cable is a better option.
The display is currently not big enough to be useful for digital modes. An external terminal device is more appropriate.
An auto-tuner is a great idea, but not always required. An Elecraft T-1 is small enough to toss in the pack, and not be noticed, and can be located at or near the antenna, where it may be more useful. If one is offered, it should be an option, probably as a drop-in in the battery compartment.
BNC antenna connectors on both front and rear. SO239 is big, and not a terribly great connector to begin with. BNC is much easier to deal with in the field.
Latching antenna relay (selecting the rear connector currently requires ~20ma to keep the relay energized .)
Connectors for a small HT type speaker-mic or headset, with a switch to enable/disable the speaker portion and/or the internal speaker. (I currently use a small Icom HM-46 speaker-mic with an adapter cable.)
Record output connector (stereo minijack) on rear, with buffered mic preamp on one channel, and receive audio on the other. Levels should be switchable between mic and line level. (I would like to be able to plug a pocket sized Digital Voice Recorder into the jack, and record the entire QSO, preferably with voice timestamps. Would need internal Real Time Clock, and voice synthesizer to generate the timestamp. Should be on the transmit audio channel, after PTT unkey.
A few additional logic bits (could also be a control voltage similar to Band Data) available on the back panel, under user control, for controlling transverter stacks or other external devices. (I would like to be able to call a memory, and have the display offset be set for the transverter output, logic bits set to enable the appropriate transverter chain, and power level set to the correct drive level.)
Programmable output power levels, down to the milliwatt level.
Memories should be able to save power levels, logic bit settings, and display offsets.
Programmable display offsets for use with transverters. (ie: 24.100 Mhz IF mapped to 222.100 Mhz display).
Display backlight modes should be selectable regardless of power source. (backlight is currently always on when using external power).
Increased VHF receive range up to 174Mhz for NWS and USFS monitoring.
Increased UHF transmit range down to 420Mhz for repeater link testing.
Selectable transverter mode, allowing out-of-band transmit at low (<100mw) power levels without otherwise effecting radio operation.
Slot for second Collins filter.
Upgradable firmware to allow for new bands and band changes (case in point: the 60m changes that are in the FCC pipeline.)
Built-in DSP.
Built-in speech compressor.
Better power connector, probably Power-Pole type.
222Mhz capability (for the North Americans)
70Mhz capability (for the Europeans)
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