Page 1
Winchester, Hampshire, SO23 0LB, U.K. VERTEX STANDARD HK LTD. Unit 1306-1308, 13F., Millennium City 2, 378 Kwun Tong Road, Kwun Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong VERTEX STANDARD ( AUSTRALIA ) PTY., LTD. Tally Ho Business Park, 10 Wesley Court, East Burwood, VIC, 3151...
NTRODUCTION The FT-817 is a compact, innovative multiband, multimode portable transceiver for the amateur radio MF/HF/VHF/UHF bands. Providing coverage of the 160-10 meter bands (include the 60 m band: USA version) plus the 6 m, 2 m, and 70 cm bands, the FT-817 includes operation on the SSB, CW, AM, FM, and Digital modes, yielding the most com- prehensive performance package available for portable operation.
NSTALLATION YHA-63 A ONNECTING THE UPPLIED NTENNA Your FT-817 is supplied with a three-section antenna, model YHA-63 which is designed for optimum performance on the 50 MHz, 144 MHz, and 430 MHz. It also works well on the FM broadcast and other VHF bands. This antenna is intended for connection to the front panel’s BNC-type antenna connector.
NSTALLATION ONNECTING THE ICROPHONE To connect the microphone, plug its connector (latch side UP) into the MIC jack on the right side of the transceiver. Press it gently inward until you hear the “click” of the latch. To disconnect the microphone, press gently on the “PUSH ”...
NSTALLATION LKALINE ATTERY NSTALLATION AND The FT-817 is supplied with the FBA-28 holder for Alkaline “AA” cells. A fresh set of Alkaline cells should provide approximately 5.5 hours of reception under typical conditions. 1. To install or replace the AA cells, first remove the battery cover from the bottom side of the transceiver.
NSTALLATION XTERNAL OWER ONNECTIONS The FT-817 may be connected to an external 13.8 Volt DC power source providing at least 3 Amps of continuous-duty current.. The supplied E-DC-6 DC cable may be used for DC connections. While connected to an external DC source, if you have installed the supplied FNB-85 Ni- MH Battery Pack, the E-DC-6 connection to the external DC power source will allow operation of the FT-817 while charging of the FNB-85 is in progress.
NSTALLATION FNB-85 N -MH B ATTERY NSTALLATION AND The supplied FNB-85 Ni-MH Battery Pack provides 9.6 Volts of DC power for your FT- , with a maximum capacity of 1400 mAh. Installation 1. To install the FNB-85 Ni-MH Battery Pack, first remove the battery compartment cover, as described previously.
Page 13
NSTALLATION FNB-85 N -MH B ATTERY NSTALLATION AND Charging Charging of the FNB-85 requires the use of either the supplied battery charger (NC-72B/ C or PA-48C/U), or an external 13.8 Volt (±15%) DC source. If the battery charger is used, the FT-817 must be turned off during charging;...
& S RONT ANEL ONTROL WITCHES PWR Switch Press and hold in the switch for one second to turn to the transceiver on or off. AF Knob The (inner) knob adjusts the receiver audio volume level presented to the inter- nal or external speaker.
Page 15
& S RONT ANEL ONTROL WITCHES FUNC Keys These three keys select many of the most important operating features of the trans- ceiver. When pressing the key, the current function of that key appears above each of the keys (along the bottom of the LCD); rotating the knob scrolls the display through eleven rows of functions available for use via the keys.
Page 16
& S RONT ANEL ONTROL WITCHES Press the key to switch Press and hold in the Press the key to activate between VFO-A and VFO-B for ½ second to copy the con- Split frequency operation be- on the display. tents of VFO-A into the VFO- tween VFO-A and VFO-B.
Page 17
& S RONT ANEL ONTROL WITCHES – Press the key to activate Press the key to select No function t h e r e c e i v e r ’s I F N o i s e the recovery time (F Blanker.
& C ANEL WITCH ONNECTORS MIC Jack Connect the supplied MH-31 Hand Microphone to this jack. SP/PH Jack This 3.5-mm, 2-pin jack provides variable audio output for an external speaker (4 Ω ~ 16 Ω impedance) or earphones. The audio level varies according to the setting of the front panel’s knob.
ANEL ONNECTORS Jack ( INPUT:13.8V This is the DC power supply connection for the transceiver, used when operating the transceiver with an external power supply. Use the supplied DC cable to connect this jack to the car battery or base station DC power supply, which must be capable of supplying at least 3A @ 8 ~ 16 VDC.
Hi! I’m R.F. Radio, and I’m here to guide you through the fine points of the setup and use of your new FT-817ND. I know your anxious to get on the air, but I encourage you to read the “Operation” section of this manual as thoroughly as possible, so you’ll get the most out of this fantastic new rig.
PERATION PERATING ELECTION This transceiver covers an incredibly wide fre- quency range, over which a number of different operating modes are used. Therefore, this transceiver’s frequency coverage has been di- vided into different operating bands, each of with has its own pre-set channel steps and operating modes.
“RF Gain” control, however, and it normally should be set fully clockwise. If this control is configured for “SQL” operation, the FT-817ND’s RF Gain will be set for maximum sensitivity in all modes, and the control will function solely as a Squelch control.
PERATION ETTING THE PERATING REQUENCY 1. In the “SSB/CW/DIG” modes, rotate the knob to set the frequency. Clockwise rotation of the knob increases the op- erating frequency. 2. In the “AM/FM/PKT” modes, rotate the knob to set the frequency. Clockwise rotation of the knob increases the operating frequency.
PERATION 5 MH U.S. V PERATION ON ERSION The FT-817 includes the capability for transmission and reception on the five spot fre- quencies assigned to the Amateur Service in the United States. To operate on the 5 MHz band: 1. Press the key once to enter the “Memory”...
ECEIVER CCESSORIES LARIFIER ECEIVER NCREMENTAL UNING The Clarifier (RIT) allows you to set an offset of up to ±9.99 kHz of the receive frequency relative to your transmit frequency. To achieve a wider offset than this, you may use the “Split”...
ECEIVER CCESSORIES IF SHIFT The receiver’s IF SHIFT feature is an effective interference-reduction tool, which allows you to shift the passband response higher or lower without changing the pitch of the incom- ing signal. 1. Press the switch for one second to acti- vate the IF SHIFT feature.
ECEIVER CCESSORIES AGC A UTOMATIC ONTROL The receiver recovery time constant of the AGC system may be modified to match your operating needs. 1. Press the key momentarily, then rotate the knob, as needed, until Operating Function Row 8 [ NB, AGC ] appears on the display. ( AGC ) key to toggle the AGC recovery time constant among the follow- 2.
ECEIVER CCESSORIES ATT F RONT TTENUATOR The Attenuator will reduce all signals (and noise) by 10 dB, and it may be used to make reception more pleasant under extremely noisy conditions. This feature is not available on the 144 MHz and 430 MHz. 1.
ECEIVER CCESSORIES UTOMATIC OWER EATURE The APO feature helps conserve battery life by automatically turning the transceiver off after a user-defined period of time within which there has been no dial or key activity. The available selections for the time before power-off are 1 ~ 6 hours, as well as “APO Off.” The default condition for the APO is OFF, and here is the procedure for activating it: 1.
(which are rich in high-frequency components) are frequently more important. Adjusting the Transmitter Power Output Four power levels are available on the FT-817ND: 5 Watts, 2.5 Watts, 1 Watt, and 0.5 Watt. When using Alkaline batteries or the supplied FNB-85 Ni-MH Battery Pack, the microprocessor, detecting internal battery use, automatically sets the power level to 2.5 Watts, which appears on the display as “...
RANSMITTER PERATION SSB T RANSMISSION VOX Operation The VOX system provides automatic transmit/receive switching based on voice input to the microphone. With the VOX system enabled, you do not need to press the PTT switch in order to transmit. 1. Press the key momentarily, then rotate the knob, as needed, until Operating Function Row 10 [ VOX, BK, KYR ] appears on the display.
RANSMITTER PERATION CW T RANSMISSION Operation using Straight Key/External Keying Device When using a straight key, an external electronic keyer, or a computer-generated keying device, please follow the instructions in this section. 1. Insert your key’s (three-conductor) plug into the rear-panel KEY jack. 2.
Page 33
RANSMITTER PERATION CW T RANSMISSION 8. You also can adjust the CW sidetone pitch using Menu #20 (CW PITCH). This adjust- ment also controls the BFO offset (actual pitch of your transmitted signal relative to your current receive frequency). To adjust the CW sidetone pitch: Press and hold in the key for one second to enter the Menu mode.
RANSMITTER PERATION CW T RANSMISSION Operation using Built-in Electronic Keyer The built-in Electronic Keyer provides a convenient method of generating CW. The Elec- tronic Keyer includes weight and speed adjustments. 1. Connect your keyer paddle’s cable to the KEY jack on the rear panel of the transceiver. 2.
RANSMITTER PERATION FM T RANSMISSION Basic Setup/Operation 1. Press the key so as to select the FM mode. 2. Press the microphone’s PTT switch, and speak into the microphone in a normal voice. 3. Release the PTT switch to return to the receive mode. 4.
Page 36
RANSMITTER PERATION FM T RANSMISSION ( TON ) key to activate the CTCSS tone encoder, which provides a subaudible 4. Press the ( TON ) key will activate the CTCSS tone repeater access tone. One press of the encoder. In this situation, you will observe the “ ”...
RANSMITTER PERATION FM T RANSMISSION Tone Search Scanning In operating situations where you don’t know the CTCSS tone being used by an- other station, you can command the radio to listen to the incoming signal and scan in search of the tone being used. To scan for the CTCSS tone in use: 1.
RANSMITTER PERATION FM T RANSMISSION DCS Operation Another form of tone access control is Digital Code Squelch, or DCS. It is a newer, more advanced tone system that is less susceptible to false triggering than CTCSS. A DCS En- coder/Decoder is built into your transceiver, and operation is very similar to that described above for CTCSS.
RANSMITTER PERATION FM T RANSMISSION ) Operation ARTS ANGE RANSPOND YSTEM The ARTS system uses DCS signaling to inform you when you and another ARTS™-equipped station are within communications range. This can be especially valuable during search-and- rescue operations, as a base station can quickly use ARTS™ to alert a field unit that it is out of range;...
RANSMITTER PERATION SSB-B AFSK IGITAL PERATION ASED The FT-817 provides extensive capability for digital mode operation on the HF, VHF, and UHF bands. The use of AFSK (Audio Frequency-Shifted Keying) configurations al- lows a wide variety of different communication modes to be utilized. The Menu provides for specific digital mode selections, which include custom BFO offsets to optimize the receive and transmit passbands for the mode selected.
RANSMITTER PERATION SSB-B AFSK IGITAL PERATION ASED 4. If the optional YF-122C 500 Hz filter has been installed, it may be used for RTTY work. Recall Operating Function Row 7 [ IPO, ATT, NAR ] then press the ( NAR ) key to engage the narrow filter.
RANSMITTER PERATION SSB-B AFSK IGITAL PERATION ASED “USER” Defined Digital Modes Also provided in the FT-817 are two convenient “USER” Digital modes, one each pro- viding USB- and LSB-side injection, which may be used for SSTV, Fax, Pactor, and other digital operating modes.
RANSMITTER PERATION 1200/9600 FM O ACKET PERATION The FT-817 is designed for operation on either 1200 bps or 9600 bps packet, and setup is similar to that described previously for SSB-based modes. A separate Data input adjust- ment is provided, allowing you to optimize the deviation on the FM Packet modes sepa- rately from the SSB-based Digital modes.
RANSMITTER PERATION AM T RANSMISSION The FT-817 utilizes low-level amplitude modulation of an early stage for transmission purposes. This capability is primarily provided for emergency use only, as low-power op- eration typically utilizes more efficient transmission/reception modes. The AM carrier level is preset to 1.5 Watts during alignment at the factory, and should not require further adjustment.
RANSMITTER PERATION IMER Most often used on FM, the transmitter’s Time-Out Timer (TOT) feature disables the trans- mitter after a user-defined period of transmission. This feature may be useful in preventing a “stuck microphone” (accidental closure of the PTT switch) from causing interference to other users, and it will also force you to keep your transmission short, thereby conserving battery power.
EMORY PERATION QMB C HANNEL QMB Channel Storage 1. Tune in the desired frequency and set the operating mode and bandwidth. If this is an FM channel, set up any required CTCSS/DCS and repeater shift configurations. 2. Press and hold in the key until a double “beep”...
EMORY PERATION “R •EM EMORY PERATION ON EGULAR EMORY HANNELS Normal Memory Storage 1. Tune in the desired frequency, and set the operating mode and bandwidth. If this is an FM channel, set up any required CTCSS/DCS and repeater shift configurations. Stan- dard (default) repeater shifts do not require you to utilize the “split”...
EMORY PERATION “R ” M EMORY PERATION ON EGULAR EMORY HANNELS Memory Channel Recall 1. If you currently are in the VFO tuning mode, press the key once to enter the “Memory” mode (a memory channel number “M- ” will appear on the display in she space previously occupied by “VFOa”...
EMORY PERATION “R ” M EMORY PERATION ON EGULAR EMORY HANNELS Masking Memory Frequency data stored on a memory channel can be deleted, if desired, from any memory channel except channel “1.” The deletion process is not a “hard” erasure, so if you erase a channel by mistake using this procedure, the memory channel contents can be recovered.
EMORY PERATION “HOME” C EMORY PERATION ON HANNEL EMORIES Four Special one-touch “Home” channels are available, for special frequencies you use often. Either “simplex” or “split” frequency/mode data may be stored in the “Home” chan- nel locations. Special “Home” channels are available for HF (any frequency between 1.8 and 29.7 MHz), 50 MHz, 144 MHz, and 430 MHz.
EMORY PERATION ABELING EMORIES You may wish to append an alpha-numeric “Tag” (label) to a memory or memories, to aid in recollection of the channel’s intended use (such as a club name, etc.). This is easily accom- plished using the Menu mode. 1.
PECTRUM COPE ONITOR PERATION The Spectrum Scope Monitor allows viewing of operating activity on 5 channels above and 5 channels below the current operating channel in the VFO mode. When the Spectrum Scope Monitor is activated, the display indi- cates the relative signal strength on channels immediately adja- cent to the current operating frequency.
™ O MART EARCH PERATION The Smart Search feature automatically stores frequencies where activity is encountered on the current band. When Smart Search is engaged, the transceiver quickly searches above your current frequency, storing active frequencies as it goes (without stopping on them even momentarily).
CANNING PERATION This transceiver contains a wide variety of scanning capabilities. Whether you are in the VFO mode or one of the memory modes, scanning operation is fundamentally identical in all configurations, but with the following differences: In the VFO mode, scanning causes the transceiver to sweep up or down the band, pausing or halting on any signal encountered;...
Page 55
CANNING PERATION Scan Skip Programming (Memory Mode Only) Among the memories you have programmed, there may be some stations which you do not wish to scan. For example, broadcast signals (which are transmitted continuously) will cause the scanner to stop, and such channels may be skipped so as to avoid this inconve- nience.
CANNING PERATION Programmable Memory Scan (PMS) Operation To limit scanning (or tuning) within a particular frequency range, you can use the Program- mable Memory Scanning (PMS) feature, which utilizes special-purpose memory pair (“M- PL” and “M-PU”). The PMS feature is especially useful in helping you to observe any operating sub-band limits which apply to your Amateur license class.
Page 57
CANNING PERATION Note The frequency resolution for these sub-band limits is 100 kHz, although the channel resolution of the sub-band limit memories in whatever you have selected as the current step size. As a result, the frequencies stored in these special memories (M-PL and M-PU) are both rounded down to the nearest 100 kHz for their roles as sub-band limits.
ATCH PERATION Dual Watch is similar, in some respects, to scanning. In Dual Watch, however, the trans- ceiver monitors (squelched) on the VFO-A frequency while periodically checking VFO-B for activity (or vice-versa). A typical example might be for you to set VFO-A to 50.110 MHz, watching for DX stations who might call CQ on that frequency, while periodically checking 28.885 MHz for stations reporting band openings on 6 meters.
( U.S. V : 5167.5 PERATION ON LASKA MERGENCY REQUENCY ERSION Section 97.401(d) of the regulations governing amateur radio in the United States permit emergency amateur communications on the spot frequency of 5167.5 kHz by stations in (or within 92.6 km of) the state of Alaska. This frequency is only to be used when the immedi- ate safety of human life and/or property are threatened, and is never to be used for routine communications.
PERATION The Menu System allows you to customize a wide variety of transceiver performance as- pects and operating characteristics. Once you have gone through the various Menu customization procedures initially, you will find that you will not have to resort to them frequently during everyday operation.
Page 61
PERATION Menu Item Function Available Values Default CW PADDLE Select the keyer paddle's wiring configuration NORMAL/REVERSE NORMAL CW PITCH Setting of the pitch of the CW sidetone, BFO offset, 300 ~ 1000 Hz 700 Hz and CW filter center frequencies CW SPEED Set the sending speed for the built-in Electronic keyer 4wpm ~ 60 wpm/...
Page 62
PERATION Menu Item 01 [ 144 ARS ] Function: Activate/deactivate the Automatic Repeater Shift when operating on the 144 MHz band. Available Values: OFF/ON Default: ON (depending on transceiver version) Menu Item 02 [ 430 ARS ] Function: Activate/deactivate the Automatic Repeater Shift when operating on the 430 MHz band.
Page 63
PERATION Menu Item 09 [ ARTS BEEP ] Function: Select the ARTS beep mode. Available Values: OFF/RANGE/ALL Default: RANGE OFF: No alert beeps sound; you must look at the display to determine current ARTS status. RANGE: A high tone beep will sound when the transceiver first detects that you are within range, and a low beep will sound when the other station goes out of range.
Page 64
PERATION Menu Item 15 [ COLOR ] Function: Select the illumination color for the LCD illumination. Available Values: COLOR1 (Blue)/COLOR2 (Amber)/COLOR3 (Violet) Default: COLOR1(Blue) Menu Item 16 [ CONTRAST ] Function: Setting of the display contrast level. Available Values: 1 ~ 12 Default: 5 Menu Item 17 [ CW DELAY ] Function: Set the receiver recovery time during pseudo-VOX CW semi-break-in opera-...
Page 65
PERATION Menu Item 21 [ CW SPEED ] Function: Set the sending speed for the built-in Electronic keyer. Available Values: 4wpm ~ 60 wpm/20cpm ~ 300 cpm Default: 12 wpm (60 cpm) You can set the sending speed according to either of two units of speed (wpm: words per minute;...
Page 66
PERATION Menu Item 27 [ DIG SHIFT ] Function: Define the carrier frequency offset during DIG (USER-L or USER-U) mode operation. Available Values: –3000 ~ +3000 Hz Default: 0 Hz Menu Item 28 [ EMERGENCY ] : USA Version only Function: Enable Tx/Rx operation on the Alaska Emergency Channel, 5167.5 kHz.
Page 67
PERATION Menu Item 32 [ LOCK MODE ] Function: Select the operation of the front panel’s key. Available Values: DIAL/FREQ/PANEL Default: DIAL DIAL: Locks knob only FREQ: Locks front panel keys and knobs related to frequency control (such as ( A/B ) key., etc.) key, PANEL: Locks all front keys and knobs (except key and...
Page 68
PERATION Menu Item 36 [ MIC KEY ] Function: Enable/disable CW keying by the microphone’s [ UP ] / [ DWN ] keys. Available Values: OFF/ON Default: OFF When this Menu Item is set to “ON,” press the microphone’s [ UP ] key to send a “dot,” and press the microphone’s [ DWN ] key to send a “dash”...
Page 69
PERATION Menu Item 43 [ SCOPE ] Function: Select the Spectrum Scope mode. Available Values: CONT/CHK Default: CONT CONT: The Spectrum Scope sweeps continuously. CHK: The Spectrum Scope sweeps one cycle every 10 seconds. Menu Item 44 [ SIDETONE ] Function: Adjust the CW sidetone volume level.
Page 70
PERATION Menu Item 51 [ VOX GAIN ] Function: Set the gain of the VOX circuitry’s input audio detector. Available Values: 1 ~ 100 Default: 50 Menu Item 52 [ EXTEND ] Function: Enable/disable the extended Menu Items (#53 ~ #57). Available Values: OFF/ON Default: OFF Menu Item 53 [ DCS INV ]...
LONING You can transfer all data stored in one transceiver to another set by utilizing the handy “Cloning” feature. This requires a user-constructed cloning cable which connects the ACC jacks on the two transceivers as shown below. To clone from one transceiver to another, use the following procedure: 1.
ACC jack to the serial port of your computer, without the need for an external RS-232C level converter box. Vertex Standard does not produce CAT System operating software, due to the wide vari- ety of personal computers, operating systems, and applications in use today. However, the...
Page 73
CAT S YSTEM ROGRAMMING CAT Data Protocol All commands sent from the computer to the transceiver consist of five-byte blocks, with up to 200 ms between each byte. The last byte in each block is the instruction opcode, while the first four bytes of each block are arguments (either parameters for that instruction, or dummy values required to pad the block out to five bytes).
Page 74
CAT S YSTEM ROGRAMMING PCODE OMMAND HART Command Title Parameter Notes LOCK ON/OFF CMD = 00: LOCK ON CMD = 80: LOCK OFF PTT ON/OFF CMD = 08: PTT ON CMD = 88: PTT OFF Set Frequency P1 ~ P4 Frequency Digits 01, 42, 34, 56, [ 01 ] = 14.23456 MHz Operating Mode P1 = 00: LSB, P1 = 01: USB,...
NSTALLATION OF PTIONAL CCESSORIES YF-122S/YF-122C/YF-122CN PTIONAL ILTERS 1. Turn the transceiver’s power off by pressing and holding in the switch for 1/2 second, then remove the FBA-28 Battery Case or FNB-85 Ni-MH Battery Pack from the transceiver. Additionally, disconnect the DC cable from the INPUT: 13.8V jack on the rear panel of the transceiver, when operating the FT-817 with a DC power...
NSTALLATION OF PTIONAL CCESSORIES TCXO-9 PTIONAL TABILITY EFERENCE SCILLATOR The TCXO-9 provides high stability over a wide range of ambient temperatures, so as to enhance digital-mode operating. 1. Turn the transceiver’s power off by pressing and holding in the switch for 1/2 second, then remove the FBA-28 Battery Case or FNB-85 Ni-MH Battery Pack from the transceiver.
OWER ICROPROCESSOR ESET ROCEDURE Some or all transceiver settings can be reset to their factory-default states using one of the following power-on routines: + POWER on: Reset all memories and following menu setting to factory-default. Menu #06 (AM STEP), 23 (DCS CODE), 30 (FM STEP), 35 (MEM TAG), 42 (RPT SHIFT), 47 (SSB STEP), and 48 (TONE FREQ).
PPENDIX LEO FM S ETUP OF EMORIES FOR ARTH RBIT ATELLITE PERATION Although the FT-817 is not capable of “full duplex” operation (simultaneous transmis- sion and reception), its flexible memory system is ideal for configuring a set of memories for LEO satellite work. The example at the right is designed around CH # the popular satellite UO-14, but the same...
Page 80
PPENDIX LEO FM S ETUP OF EMORIES FOR ARTH RBIT ATELLITE PERATION Press the key momentarily, then rotate the knob one click counter-clockwise to re-select Operating Function Row 1 [ A/B, A=B, SPL ] . Press the ( A/B ) key to select VFOb (145.970 MHz).
Page 81
PPENDIX LEO FM S ETUP OF EMORIES FOR ARTH RBIT ATELLITE PERATION A complete set of frequencies may be stored for each LEO satellite you wish to utilize, and once configured, the FT-817 provides a flexible and easy-to-use earth station capability for these popular satellites.
PPENDIX BAND DATA FORMAT The FT-817 BAND DATA Format (available on the ACC jack) is presented below. The BAND DATA line provides a stepped voltage, which denotes the current operating band. This data may be interpreted by an external device (such as an antenna switch or amplifier)to provide automatic band switching.
Page 83
1. Changes or modifications to this device not expressly approved by VERTEX STANDARD could void the user’s authorization to operate this device. 2. This device complies with part 15 of the FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions; (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference including received, interference that may cause undesired operation.
Page 84
No portion of this manual Copyright 2011 may be reproduced VERTEX STANDARD CO., LTD. without the permission of All rights reserved. VERTEX STANDARD CO., LTD. Printed in Japan...