This a review of a Yaesu FT-817 Solar Powered Go Pack. I built this solar powered case for my FT-817 radio so it can be used portable without the worry of power and keeping it self contained. It’s all contained in the case so it can easily be taken to a picnic, on holiday or attached to the backpack for a QRP adventure. Total cost for all the bits excluding the radio is about 0-0 (most bought off Amazon).
Video Rating: 4 / 5
cgi.ebay.com This is a bench test and on-air demo of an FT-101EE for sale on eBay.
Video Rating: 4 / 5
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The 101’s were great radios. Had a 101E and a ZD in the early 80s. Great days.
Old shcool radios Nice
Good radio! Had a 101ZD decades ago. Too bad about the shameless eBay plug…
eBay plug yes…shameless maybe, but video demos triple the bids and give the buyer confidence that he’s not buying junk.
Quite right sir,there is so much junk around when you are buying a radio from e bay,I bought five two were fabulous and the other three are nice looking doorstops fit for nothing but garden ornaments.more people should be as honest as yourself,more would get sold that way too because peoples trust in vendors would be restored.excellent work sir.
I noticed your comments about getting 105-110 watts out of the FT101EE. I once knew an Old Timer who on more than one occasion destroyed the 6146s in the output stage in his rig (Just before they went kaput, he said his power meter showed 130 watts!). Why he didn’t buy a linear, I don’t know?
I agree with your comments about using a vid to sell the radio: A buyer wants to have confidence in you and the radio.
Nice video, nothing shameless about it. Selling a radio with a vid is totally legitimate. I wish I had the 101 it is a classic. What did it sell for?
I have one of these. It was my grandfathers. I know very little about it. He mastered this thing. Thanks for sharing! I will consider uploading a video of it.
this radio is great for so many reasons,it shows that the rig is in fine condition, and also it shows that the operator is competent and respectful, you know this guy is not sitting on 11m somewhere playing music and swearing at full power all night long.
damm good radio used to own one back in 2008.
very nice Rig and beautiful !
Great rig! I have one myself and LOVE IT!There are millions of these old rigs still in daily use worldwide. That just goes to show how well made they are. I wonder how many $10,000 Icoms and Yaesus that are made now will last that long?
Not only do we share the same first name but I also am a big fan of the 101 series of radios. Great rig and they were big audio boxes when you hooked up the d104 double eagle mic. AM Commercial BOOM Box ic Mr Fantastic. I am currently looking to buy one. I want a mint one. WW2WW
my grandad has the exact one iv messed with it im going to buy a frg-7000
Add an AM filter to this rig and it will work GREAT on AM.
I WANT 1 OF THOSE RADIOS REALLY BAD!!!!
Had one of those when I got licensed in 1976…great rig.
Ahhh no fun when the station just comes back to you first time.
Good video though! And great radio. Thanks for posting.
73 from the UK,
Matt.
MW3YMY
May I ask, what do these radios do, and what is so good about them?
good video, and very nice radio.
The FT-101 series are one of the best in the world. I have a FT-101Z and i am not disapointed.
73 from Macedonia
Louis Z34GHY
Damn fine rig.
73’s
“Love that rig, but uhh….” But what?
Very Good!!! i love Yaesu. 73 from PU2MDY.
Nice package. Randy
Very cool – good job.
Very well done! Your solar videos are great. Any idea how long it would take to charge your 12v 7ah battery with the panel? Any additional details about the panel? I’ve been identifying the parts on Amazon myself but curious about your panel. Thanks!
Many thanks for your feedback.
I’ve not had the opportunity to use it out in the field yet as I’m waiting on an end fed dipole antenna. The panel can supply between 0.5-0.7 Amp depending on the charge controller and sunlight. If the 7ah battery required a full charge it would take about 10-14 hours. If the radio was being used in the field in good sunlight it probably remain almost fully charged. The panel is a 12 Watt mono-crystalline PV by HQRP; currently $59.95 on Amazon. Hope that helps.
This is really neat. Looks like there might even be space for a NUE PSK modem next to the radio.
Really great go pack ..W Solar! I am looking to do something similar .. want to switch between 12V inputs ..
Trying to gather parts .. have you had any issues with the panel your using?
Like your cooling and speaker holes but trying to decide about water proof vs cooling.
73’s
Dave
@dkaplan2005 Hi Dave, thanks for your comments.
The HQRP panels I’ve been using have been great to far.
In terms of cooling vs waterproof …I’d go waterproof if possible, this project was a pilot concept to see if a solar powered go-pack for the 817 was feasable. If I was to do it again I would use a Pelican case and a flat / flexible panel.
Cheers, Martin.
net weight ?
This is kf4cnm, Gary Jamerson. Do you live in North America? It is a Great Go Pack with Solar power for the FT-817. Do you sale the case setup for the Ft-817or the Ic-703+ minus the radio? This is what I have been looking for my Ft-817 an my Ic-703+. What I would like on my version of this case. 1. Pelican case, 2. Able two connect an( MP-1, Buddistick, AH-703 antennas, ) on top of case. It is a fantastic concept. Contact me please at kf4cnm@yahoo.com
@kf4cnm1048 Thanks for your comments, I’ll drop you an email.
What would I need to power a Yaseu RT-2900 R VHF radio max is 75 watts, medium is 25 watts.
Power Requirement 13.8Vdc at 14 Amps.
@edwardwills The RT-2900 uses about 7 times the amount of electrical power as the 817. The 817 uses about 450 mA on receive and 1.9 A on transmit. Depending on the duty cycle of transmit vs receive the 817 would last 8 hours or more on the 7 Ah battery and with the sun out the battery would almost be full.
To get reasonable usage on the RT-2900 you would want at least a 12 Ah battery and a 30 watt solar panel.
@mjlorton I want to hook the RT-2009 up to my car and run the radio without turning on the car and at the same time not drain the battery. What would I need for that then?
@edwardwills You could put a 50 watt PV (solid or flexible) on the roof of your car and feed a solar charge controller connected to your car battery.