ANGUS McKENZIE

TESTS
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YAESU FT770RH 70cm FM mobile transceiver

In the June 1985 issue of Amateur work when separate Rx and Tx frequen- can be skipped over.
Radio reviewed the 2m version of this
I
cies are stored. The rig includes a The front panel back lit green LCD
transceiver, so you can see that we have priority function for use when you are in gives frequency and all status functions
had to wait a year for YaesU to introduce the VFO mode: it monitors the selected
their 70cm version. The rig covers 430 to
that one would expect. The S-meter is in
memory channel every few seconds. the form of a series of squares which
439.9875MHz in 12.5kHz steps, a front
panel button allowing selection of 25kHz
double as power output indication on Tx
Toneburst selection and memory channel selected. On the
channelling. Maximum output power is You can either select toneburst front panel is an eight pin standard
claimed as 25W, but another front panel (1750Hz) automatically at the beginning Yaesu mic socket, an MH14AB hand mic
button can select the low power mode: of each transmission, or more desirably
2.5W as measured.
being supplied with the rig, which
you can get a toneburst to open up a includes PTT, up/down buttons and an
Frequency can be varied either on a repeater by pushing a toneburst Tx
tuning knob with click steps, on the front additional button to command the optio-
button on the panel. Note that most 70cm nal speech frequency/status read-out to
panel, or by using up and down buttons repeaters do not require repeated
on the microphone. Holding the mic
operate. On the back of the mic is a slide
toneburst access once the repeater is switch which one can throw across to
stepping button down causes the rig to on. Sub audible tonebursts are available lock the frequency, thus disabling the
scan, provided the squelch is in use. with programming if you fit an extra
Either of two scanning modes can be up/down buttons on the mic, but not the
optional board, but these are not tuning VFO knob. This facility is quite
selected by a switch underneath the normally used in the UK.
chassis: the A position resuming scan
helpful in general use.
A rocker switch button on the front
after six seconds, while the B position panel selects MHz up/down if you are in
resumes scan two seconds after the
Speech synthesizer
the VFO mode, or memory channels The optional speech synthesizer,
squelch' closes, the scan having stopped up/down in the memory mode; buttons FVS1,
on a station. can be switched to read-out
selecting memory recall and VFO A/B. whenever a frequency is changed, or just
Unfortunately, if you wish to shift MHz when the command button is pressed on
Memories quickly, but you inadvertantly go over a the mic. I have to say that the quality of
The FT770RH has ten memories, and band edge, the selected kHz are wiped
these can accept simplex or separate Rx speech is poor compared with loom and
out, so you may have to redial the kHz Trio speech read-outs. It generally gives
and Tx frequencies up to memory 8, again, which can be most annoying. A too much detail, including the selected
memories 9 and 0 being used for setting a memory write button allows you to VFO as well as the frequency, and has
programmable scan range; eg 433.0 to transfer a VFO frequency into a memory some strange pronunciation anomalies.
434.0MHz. The rig includes a simplex/ that has already been pre -selected, the
repeater negative or positive switch
'Point' comes out as a warped'woink', but
button needing to be pushed twice for what is even more amusing is that 'error'
allowing one to select repeater use from storage. A separate Tx frequency can be
the VFOs A and B, or from a simplex reproduces as 'ellar'. As delivered, the
programmed by pressing the write, read-out was painfully slow, but by
frequency memory. Thus, you can either followed by PTT and then write again. fiddling inside you can speed it up, but
store a repeater channel as a simplex Memory channels can be completely you may take a while to get used to it!
one and use the repeater shift switch, or erased by pressing write immediately The FT770RH is remarkably small,
you can select memory with built-in followed by recall. If you wish to scan
repeater shift. A reverse repeater but- measuring only 140mm wide x 40mm high
memories then you can do this inthe x 160mm deep, and weighing 1.2kg. The
ton, when pushed in, transfers the Rx and normal way, having selected the memory
Tx frequencies from VFO with repeater, miniature built-in speaker is underneath
mode. You can also programme into the rig and consequently throws sound
or from simplex memory with repeater memory a skip command, so that when
shift switched in, but reverse will not downwards; which of course is annoying
memory scanning any desired channel if you are using the rig as a home base
JULY 1986 please mention AMATEUR RADIO when replying to any advertisement 23
 :G3OSS TESTS` _-

50.-15 IM1 the temperature exceeds a preset

dB
amount (it comes on after a minute or so
of transmission). This fan makes quite a
40 Za hissy noise, which is not too disturbing in
a mobile installation, but is rather
r- i
irritating in the shack.
00 15
Subjective tests
I used this little rig for several
evenings at home and was most
20 impressed with its performance,
although it was slightly fiddly getting to
same of the buttons.
10
The repeater switch was rather stiff,
although positive. Accessing the memor-
ies and band scanning was very simple
and sensibly designed, and the VFO knob
o_o
.10 Hz 20 50 100 200 500 1 kHz 2 5 10 20 40 0 A B C 4n had just about the right feel to it. As with
the FT2700 and the FT270, I was not
Yaesu FT770RH transmitter response chart impressed with the speech synthesizer.
RF sensitivity and selectivity seemed
station. However, a wire stand for desk bullet connectors. An extension dc 'very good in practice and the repro-
top operation is provided, but this has to power lead, also fitted with bullet duced quality was quite good, although
be fitted by the user. A mobile mount is connectors, is 3m long, and fused in both limited by the mini speaker. An external
also supplied and the rig slides in and out positive and negative lines at 10A. A speaker, however, sounded much better.
of this fairly easily. short coaxial lead (20cm) is provided with 'The transmitted quality was considered
Underneath the rig are slide switches an N -type female line connector for the by many to be at least average although a
selecting VFO dial tuning: speech on/off, antenna connection. A 3.5mm jack little coloured, and a better hand mic
scan mode A/B, toneburst on/off and socket provides interconnection for an would undoubtedly have produced
lithium battery back-up on/off. On the external speaker. superb quality judging by our measure-
back panel there is an attached dc lead Also on the back panel is the PA ments of the transmitted audio.
approximately 20cm long terminated in heatsink and a fan which comes on when Although the digital display is neces-
sarily very small, it was quite bright and
easy to read showing a clear advance.
Yaesu FT770RH Laboratory Test Results over many older rigs. rather like the
I

idea of attached power and antenna

Receiver tests leads, which makes it much easier to take
Rx sensitivity RF level for 12dB sinad the rig in and out of a mobile installation.
-
432 436 M H z -124dBm Perhaps my only real moan is that the
439.975M Hz -122dBm
use of the MHz button over a band edge
RF input intercept point -12dBm removes the kHz, and it is so easy to
make a mistake if you stab at the MHz
Selectivity 25kHz channels, wanted rocker whilst driving a car. If you go the
and unwanted channels modulated +66dB average wrong way by mistake and lose your
Selectivity 50kHz channels, wanted station after saying '4MHz up', when
and unwanted channels +72dB average actually going perhaps to the bottom end
of thé band, you have to go 8MHz up
S -meter again and fiddle the tuning for the
S1 -110dBm correct kHz. Obviously something that
S5 -99dBm would cause frustration.
S9 -95dBm
Laboratory tests
Capture ratió 3.7dB The receiver sensitivity is very good at
the bottom and centre of the band, but at
3dB limiting point -131dBm the top end (eg 439.975MHz) it was 2dB
worse, although still acceptable. The
Quieting at 12dB sinad point 16dB
front-end RF intercept point was at
approximately -12dBm, which is quite
Discriminator distortion good, although have seen a lot better.
I
1kHz deviation 1.5%
2.8% The reciprocal mixing performance was
3kHz
5kHz 1.7% audibly adequate, but not outstandingly
good. The IF selectivity is excellent for 25
Audio output power for 10% THD and 50kHz channelling, but inadequate
8 ohms ' 1.8W for 12.5kHz channelling, which in any
4 ohms 2.9W case is not even being considered yet for
amateur use (nb: some users sharing the
Transmitter tests band, however, are using 12.5kHz
RF output power high/low 26 to 28W/2.5W offsets).
Max FM deviation into clipping 6kHz 'The S-meter gave a range of only 15dB
Typical speech deviation . 4.7kHz between blobs representing S1 and 9,
Toneburst frequency 1750.2Hz the final blob requiring only an extra dB
Toneburst deviation 4.5kHz to light up!
Tx frequency accuracy after very long warm up -380Hz The S1 indication, in any case, requires
Max dc current drawn on Tx 6.4A a fairly good signal to indicate, and I

Rx current 280mA cannot see that the S -meter, therefore,

Tx audio distortion below 4.5kHz deviation less than 1.1%
is of much practical use, other

24 please mention AMATEUR RADIO when replying to any advertisement JULY 1986
 G3OSS".:TÉSTS
than to indicate the presence of a signal
which is at least fairly strong, but which is .10
normally audible anyway.
17771 1'f
The FM capture ratio measured very
well, showing that the rig discriminates a
strong signal from a weaker one on the
same channel very well indeed. Distor-
tion around the discriminator was about
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1.5%, but it was rather odd that the t.. _
highest distortion of 2.75% was noted at
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3kHz deviation of 1kHz audio, while

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above this deviation the distortion fell i

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again up to the point where it started i '

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hitting the edges of the IF bandwidth.

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The maximum audio output power into 8 -I

-20
ohms was slightly low, but there was a
very useful improvement into 4 ohms.
-
FM limiting action was excellent, the
recovered audio output level being
virtually constant way below the input
sensitivity level. The receive frequency
accuracy was within 500Hz at worst, for
-30
63
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125
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250
500
tlii lk
2k
4k

sensitivity only improved very marginally

indeed when the generator was off -set Frºquºncy (Hz)
by this amount. Yaesu FT770RH FM received audio response (750i LS pre -emphasis)

Audio response
The reproduced audio response, published plot shows that the transmit- be tucked almost anywhere under a
charted with 750µsec pre -emphasis in ted response is within 6dB or so from dashboard. In the context of operation
the transmitted modulation, showed 6dB 200Hz to 4kHz, and is thus appreciably on the 70cm band, I feel that it can be
down points at 200Hz and 2.3kHz; the wider than the receive response. feel I
recommended highly, although you will
response curtailing quite rapidly above this is about right in practice for the UK need to watch that there is adequate
2.5kHz. might have preferred a slightly
I market, although inappropriate for ventilation space behind it. would like I
wider response on a 70cm rig, although 12.5kHz chanelling. We noted only 1% to thank Amcomm ARE Ltd for the loan of
this response would be about ideal on a THD at 4.5kHz deviation and this is the review sample, and Roy Brooker, for
2m rig where 12.5kHz channelling is now excellent, the transmitted signal-to- helping me with all the tests. Another
in regular use. noise ratio being very good. most useful Yaesu product.
The transmitting sectiorf produced
26W output from a 13.8V dc supply from Conclusion Reference
low to mid -band, but an increase to 28W It is remarkable how rigs have got Amcomm ARE Ltd,
was noted at the top end. The rig typically smaller and smaller over the years, while 373 Uxbridge Road,
gave 2.5W in the low power position. Tx output powers have usefully gone up. London W3 9RN
Maximum dc current drawn was 6.4A, the This little rig worked very well and could Tel: 01-992 5765/6
receiver drawing around 280mA unless
the volume is turned well up.
A brief check for RF harmonics showed
that both the second and third were
below -70dB ref the fundamental, which rd - -
.....z....,

shows excellent PA filtering. The onset

of audio clipping was at 5kHz deviation
and absolute maximum deviation, when
provoked, was 6kHz. Normal speech
peaked at around 4.7kHz, showing the
mic gain as well as deviation to be
optimally set. The toneburst was set to
4.5kHz deviation and its frequency was
only 0.2Hz in error; one of the most
accurate we have yet seen.

Transmitted frequency 4
The transmitted frequency accuracy
was originally only 170Hz out, but as the
rig warmed up the error rose to around
280Hz. After an extremely long over, the I;

i'
- -r,
maximum error was 380Hz; the repeater
.

-
shift however being extremely accurate. í f(!
Any frequency errors noted are of no real
.
significance, and it can be seen that the
internal crystal is within one part in 106,
even when coping with a large tempera-
ture change.
We checked the transmitted frequency
response from the input of the mic
socket to the output carrier, which was
subject to 75012,sec de -emphasis in the
Marconi 2305 modulation test set. The

JULY 1986 please mention AMATEUR RADIO when replying to any advertisement 25