Well, if there is to be a replacement for the FT817 we are likely to hear about it this weekend at Dayton. This is the biggest amateur event in the world.
There was a rumour about this last year. If there is no announcement then I think Yaesu will have missed the boat for ever and they will not bother to replace it. I for one will be looking with interest.
What amazes me is that none of the other Japanese manufacturers has tried to beat the Yaesu FT817. ICOM?
If there was going to be a replacement announced at Dayton, it would have been hyped for weeks already, in my opinion. Instead, the build-up (such as it is) has been about their System Fusion (C4FM) mode.
ReplyDeleteThe roll-out of Fusion has been bungled, and there's a substantial amount of disillusionment with the mode. Yaesu's gambled heavily on SF, and it's turning into a mess of firmware fragmentation with repeaters/users that aren't compatible. Any replacement for the 817 will undoubtedly include SF, so it's probably best that it's delayed.
KD0TLS