I was able, in between everything else, to do a detailed examination and perform a basic burn in test/freq test. I went ahead and transmitted into a dummy load as well.
Results of basic exam:
Seems I was right to be upset about how the unit was packed for shipment. The box from MFJ (China) had the radio and the six band modules. The MFJ box was then placed in a shipping box by the vendor, with a single layer wrap of bubble pack and a handful of packing 'peanuts'. This arrangement allowed the radio to slam back and forth within the box holding the modules. So, I place any blame on both MFJ and the Vendor for the situation - and damage.
Fortunately, the only damage was to one band module which had the header pins bent. I was able to straighten them out with a pin tool I happen to have left over from my days installing telephone/network equipment. I could have easily broken the header pins, so then it would have been on me.
Check any shipped equipment for damage as soon as possible and report it to shipper/vendor.
NOTE – it may help to 'ask' the vendor shipping to either separate the modules & radio and ship in separate boxes or open the MFJ box, fill it with peanuts & pack the outer box full to stop any movement. USPS to Alaska is the least cost and they do a pretty good job, other than using small packages for football practice...
I plugged in a power cord – after confirming the polarity, even though the input is diode protected. The battery was reading right at 13 VDC – fully charged. The headphones used were a no-name set leftover from a CD player. The antenna was terminated at the unit with a 50 ohm dummy load. I installed the 20 Meter band module. I left the volume control all of the way 'off' and applied power. More on this in a bit. Hoo-ray, no smoke.
Now, if you'll look at this photo
You'll see the module mounts 'upside-down' (solder side out). What isn't really visible (I'll post some images later) is the bottom of the module sits right at the level of the back panel. I was uncomfortable enough with this situation to go ahead and add a strip of heavy plastic shipping tape to the back cover. This was done to insulate the area under (or over, depending on your viewpoint) the installed module for when, not if, I don't get a module fully seated and apply power.... Having performed radio repair for over two decades, I've learned that smoke prevention is always a good first step...
The display lit up, nice and bright and the text was easy to read. Owners of FT-817s will enjoy the display being 'on top' and large enough to read without a magnifying glass
The radio gave a MORSE charter of "A" letting me know the radio was in iambic keyer mode. When I powered off, then on again, this time with a non-stereo plug in the KEY jack, the radio gave me a "M".
Using my old J-37 key, it had no problem with 'high-speed' keying. Later, I'll check for clicks on a second receiver, but reviews to date have not indicated clicks (keying waveform issue) to be a problem.
The power out @ 12.8 VDC indicated was 9 watts! This is one hot rig.
After heating my dummy load, I'll have to figure out how to set the sidetone level – I suspect a headphone set with an in-line 'volume' control will be needed...and a PITA. Otherwise, I'll just use the rig's volume control, since this isn't going to be a main station rig, I can live with this while in the field.
On the receive side, I hooked up a resonate vertical antenna and set the VFO for 15.0 MHz to check against WWV. I was able to hear WWV and WWV-H both, not bad. The rig is close enough to being on frequency for this check, I'm happy.
I need to align all the modules – well, peak them anyway, for the band segment of most interest to me. Tuning is easy to figure out, but you will quickly learn to appreciate the 8 memory locations and how easy it is to add/read memory.
The one thing I see on this rig as a potential issue is the encoder – which is also a push button. I suspect that the encoder is likely going to be the first thing to fail – IF you tend to be a dial twirler. To be fair, if you use an FT-817, it has an encoder that also makes me nervous. What can I say, I was brought up on a Collins KWM-1 and later, a KWM-2A. If you use the rig to establish a contact then QSY a few Khz, this won't be an issue. The RIT allows enough spilt to work those pesky high-volume stations – or at least try. With 8 or 9 watts, you aren't going to bust too many pileups.
What's left? I need to go to the local e-store and pick up a new set of alignment tools, mine seem to have evaporated. Once I have those in hand, I can do a detailed RX evaluation. I'll also check frequency stability (drift) over time.
One last note. The band modules fit a 35mm plastic film can as if they were made for such. A bit of foam at each end and you'll have a pretty bomb-proof storage/transport container. Address labels on the film cans will make ID'ing the modules in the field/dark much easier.
Glue a good quality magnet to your station log clipboard – you'll need it to keep track of the cover screws. Once those become available, I'm buying a dozen or so. I suspect these screws will be the first thing you lose in the field. I've wrapped the rig in a Sham-wow, so when I do any band changing in the field, it will be while sitting on a large blue 'cloth' and that way I'll hopefully catch anything falling – before it gets lost in the weeds.
This week I'll be heading for Exit Glacier, outside of Seward AK – It will be interesting to see how much traffic I can attract. I'll be using my ATS-909 as a spotting receiver, as it is pretty accurate on RX frequency. I won't be QRP (5 watts) until the battery drops a bit, but it should be great fun. After all, isn't ham radio all about having fun?
Any questions?
By comparison the FT-857 draws only 550 mA when squelched. Since I run of batteries and solar panels all the time; 1.8 A makes a difference. I am seriously thinking of picking up a used 857 to try out. The lower power consumption may be enough to overcome any issues I might have with the layout of the radio. I haven't ever used one, so it may not be an issue. The biggest issue I see is that the mic connector is the behind the face place. I don't like the idea of having to remove the face plate every time I want to unplug the mic. I love my 706, but I am not in love with it's power consumption.
