My Yaesu FT-891 Modular Rig Set-up

The radio

The Modular "Cubbyhole" rig

As a rookie member of the amateur radio community, and recent technician licensee, I’ve been looking to move forward in the hobby. Having contested with the PCARS/K8BF crew, I knew there was more fun ahead by investing in an HF transceiver and equipment.

 

I mastered two meters well before I even moved to Ohio and joined PCARS, so I know the real fun is in HF. I’ve had the opportunity to contest on SSB for many bands outside of my license permissions with PCARS, and I’m hooked! Not only that, but I’ve received a lot of good advice from the club members. So, the question was what HF radio to get?

 

I love the ICOM IC-7300 radios available at our club site, and I got plenty of suggestions online and from club members. However, I couldn’t find too many decent trustworthy used options with the capabilities of the ICOM IC-7300. Not only that, but the bulky frame of what I consider to be a base station transceiver takes up too much space for me. I’d like an HF radio that I can use at home, then throw in a backpack for a POTA activation on short notice. Additionally, I’d like something I can take easily with me to a new home or apartment if I decide to move.

 

My solution was the Yaesu FT-891. It’s compact, well regarded and it retails new for about $800. I couldn’t find a decent used ICOM or Yaesu for less than $600, so I figured I’d buy it new direct from the manufacturer. I follow numerous DX’ers and POTA adventurers on social media, and the FT-891 was a popular choice for portable operating, especially in the UK and Europe, so I was confident in the decision. 

End-Fed 10m Antenna

I was not disappointed. When I opened the package and set up the little rig, the settings and capabilities of the Yaesu seem to rival a larger, more-expensive, base station. It offers SSB, digital modes with CAT control, RTTY and CW, an easy menu for selecting power output and various settings -which can be saved specifically for each mode- internal tuning, noise control options, and a variety of other features. Its only drawbacks, in my mind, are that it doesn’t offer a very good scope for waterfall visuals -which can make viewing band activity difficult on a slow day-, and it does not offer UHF and VHF -which is fine for me because I have my ICOM IC-2730, which handles UHF and VHF very well for me already.

 

In about a day, I had strung up an end-fed half-wave 10 meter antenna with a 9:1 balun, and made my first SSB contact on my own rig in the UK with only 40 watts! I could hear my counterpart great, and he reported hearing me at about 57 out 59 (pretty good) in southern England. So, the FT-891 works like a charm for my needs.

 

The modular set-up

 

Earlier, I mentioned I wanted a somewhat compact rig set-up -a hybrid base station that can easily be used for portable operations when needed and wouldn’t be too much of a hassle to take with me if I move soon. So, I came up with a modular design. I bought these little metal desk-sized shelving risers from Amazon and created a four-slot “cubbyhole” shelf for the rig. On the left side, I have my VHF/UHF unit with the ICOM IC-2730 as well as my Uniden digital scanner. On the right I have my HF unit with the Yaesu FT-891, an LDG antenna tuner, Signalink box, and SWR/power meter. Each side has its own DC power supply, so even if I pull out the FT-891 and use it elsewhere, my tried-and-true UHF/VHF set-up is still operational.

 

In the back, I’ve cut and crimped all the wiring to exactly the lengths I need and also saved some pre-cut jumpers for when I need to change locations or re-organize. Each rig has its own antenna system, with grounds for both lightning-arresting and electronic noise reduction. So, again, the idea is that each “unit”, the Scanner unit, the UHF/VHF unit and the HF unit can all be pulled, taken away, and plugged back in when needed.

 

To the right of my rig, I’ve got my laptop which is obviously portable in-itself; but, it fills one important gap in my existing set-up: I use an RTL-SDR.COM V4 USB dongle along with SDR ++ to get a visual waterfall of the HF bands while using the transceiver. This makes up for the small display on the Yaesu FT-891 as well as the built-in scope, which leave a lot to be desired. So, the SDR dongle and laptop really add-in the features of a more robust base-station. I also use the laptop for digital modes on the F-891 such at FT8, and for stand-alone SDR projects, like connecting to NOAA satellites and home-made air-traffic control.  

 

3D-printed storage drawers

Lastly, a small feature, that I’m proud of none-the-less, are the three 3D-printed drawers I built to fit right into the gaps remaining in the shelving. They fit all the adapters, USB cables, and little pieces of hardware all HAM’s need to have around. Having lived in city apartments for almost 15 years, I’ve learned to really appreciate space and storage management, and if I keep going to HAM fests, I’m going to need it!