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| Yaesu FT7 - a true classic |
Way back in about 1979 I owned a Yaesu
FT7. This was a 10W HF rig using a modular construction. It was a beautiful radio with a lovely, quiet receiver. It is probably the best radio I have
ever owned and used. It predates WARC bands and only covered one 500kHz part of the 10m band and the non-WARC bands from 80m-10m. Today, it looks large. It was an analogue radio - no memories, no synthesisers - just a very good HF radio transceiver. I worked all over the world with mine using QRP SSB and simple, low, wire antennas and no beams, mainly on 10m. In those days, most (all?) USA SSB was above 28.5MHz. Canadians were mainly below 28.5MHz.
My little FT817 has more bands and modes and is about 1/10th of the size.
I can thoroughly recommend the FT7, but they are
very hard to find. A later version was 50W pep and had full 10m coverage in 4 x 500kHz sections. The FT7 was a "real" radio - no gimmicks, just a truly amazing rig. Many who owned them and sold them (like me) later regretted selling them. As they say, these rigs are "keepers". If you find one you are unlikely to be disappointed. Also, the handbook was complete so you could service it and not an SMA component in sight!
See
https://sites.google.com/site/g3xbmqrp3/hf/ft7 .
5 comments:
I have the B version with the external Freq counter. Both models are now very much sort after, I am keeping mine!
73 Steve
G1KQH
Yes if I had not sold mine years ago it would be a "keeper". Excellent radios.
This was the first 'black box' radio I bought and the first 'new' item of radio kit I ever owned. It was superb and I wish I still owned it.
Tim
Tim, I know the feeling!
I went to rally once, and a trader had one under his stand. He had obviously had the first bite of the rally before anyone had got there.
Last one I seen coming through ebay the other week was well over 200 notes! I got mine for 80 complete!
The saying is correct, scarce as hens teeth! :-)
73 Steve
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