Yaesu

Who this page is for

Operators in the Yaesu catalog: 100 W HF mobiles, the all-band 991A, classic QRP bricks, and the new FTX-1 portable SDR. Menu numbers move between firmware revisions. Verify on your radio. We do not host Yaesu manuals or front-panel photos.

Field vs shack in this family

Radio	Typical job	Power	Bands	Internal ATU	USB audio + CAT
FT-891	100 W HF tailgate / passenger seat	100 W (turn it down)	HF / 50	No	CAT only — needs a sound card for FT8
FT-991A	One-box HF + V/U + C4FM	100 W HF; V/U lower	HF / 50 / 144 / 430	Tuner option / external	Yes (USB)
FT-817ND	Classic all-band QRP	5 W	HF / 50 / 144 / 430	No	CAT fussy; audio via ACC / Digirig
FT-818ND	817 successor (6 W)	6 W	Same idea	No	Same idea as 817
FTX-1 Field	New portable SDR	QRP class on internal pack	HF / 50 / 144 / 430 (confirm current SKU)	Check current option list	USB / current Yaesu CAT path
FTX-1 Optima	Field + 100 W SPA-1 class amplifier	100 W with the amp	Same family	Amp / tuner as optioned	Same

FT-710 (100 W shack SDR) shows up portable the way a 7300 does — treat power wiring like the 891, USB like a modern Yaesu, and do not copy 891 menu numbers onto it.

Power, battery, Anderson, USB, CAT, GPS, Bluetooth

Anderson Powerpole distribution. A 100 W SSB peak on skinny leads will brown out the 891/991A and scramble CAT.
HF MAX POWER (891 and similar): drop 100 W to 25–50 W SSB on a mid-size LiFePO4. You will not notice on a decent 4WAVE or EFHW; you will notice a dead pack.
CAT: 891 typical field values — CAT RATE 38400, CAT TIME OUT 10 ms, CAT RTS OFF on a 3-wire cable. AC Log → Yaesu, same baud, correct COM.
USB audio: 991A and FTX-1 (and FT-710) have it. The 891 does not. Budget a Digirig.
GPS / Bluetooth: FTX-1 is the one in this family that behaves like a 705 (portable SDR with modern conveniences). Confirm current Bluetooth/CAT notes on Yaesu’s page — firmware is still young.
817/818 internal AA: do not run high-duty TX from alkalines. External 12 V LiFePO4.

First radio to buy in this family

FT-891 if you want 100 W HF POTA and already carry an HT for 2 m / 70 cm. Cheaper than a 991A; you will spend the difference on a Digirig and a CAT cable.

FT-991A if you want one box for HF POTA and V/U (including C4FM when you are not chasing award QSOs). USB into WSJT-X is simpler than the 891 stack.

FTX-1 Field if you are buying a new portable in this decade and want an SDR waterfall in the lid. Confirm current battery, ATU, and SPA-1 options before you compare it to a 705 — the product line is still settling.

Classic FT-818 / 817 if you already own one. Do not buy a used 817 as a first radio in 2026 unless the price is a gift.

FT-891 (100 W mobile / portable)

Menu HF max power — 25–50 W SSB in the field unless the battery and leads are sized for 100 W.
CAT as above. 3-wire CAT + Digirig audio is the usual WSJT path.
No VHF/UHF. No internal ATU. Antenna still has to be honest.

Product: Yaesu FT-891 (find current product/support PDF on yaesu.com)

FT-991A (HF + VHF + UHF)

USB codec + CAT on one cable for WSJT-X when the USB DATA mode is set per the current manual.
C4FM/Fusion is fine for local work; POTA/SOTA/WWFF credit is simplex, not a WIRES-X room.
100 W HF tailgate rules: Powerpoles, fat DC, tuner or resonant wire.

Product: Yaesu FT-991A

FT-817ND / FT-818ND (classic QRP)

Long-press PWR to cycle power. Stay at 5 W (817) / 6 W (818) for SSB/CW unless you are chasing ultra-QRP.
CAT is slower and fussier; many operators skip it and type band in Polo.
All-band brick: useful for FM sats with a handheld yagi — Satellites — and for HF with an EFHW.

These are discontinued. Manuals remain on Yaesu’s archive/support pages.

FTX-1 Field / Optima

Yaesu’s current portable SDR family: Field as the QRP-class box, Optima when you add the 100 W-class SPA-1 amplifier. Treat firmware as live — download today’s manual from Yaesu, do not copy 891 or 705 recipes onto it.

What the activation day cares about:

One radio that covers HF plus 2 m / 70 cm (confirm the SKU you actually bought).
USB / CAT path into WSJT-X as documented for that firmware.
Battery duration at the power level you will actually use, not the brochure peak.
Whether your option list includes an ATU. If it does not, you are in 705-land: resonant antenna or external tuner.

Product/support: yaesu.com

Cabling to Digirig / USB codec / WSJT-X

Radio	Typical digital path
FT-891	Digirig (or SignaLink) on the data jack plus CAT cable. Two cables.
FT-991A	Native USB. Digirig only if you want isolation or a second sound device.
FT-817 / 818	Digirig Yaesu ACC / data cable. CAT optional.
FTX-1	Native USB / current Yaesu computer-control spec — read the PDF for this firmware.
FT-710	USB like other modern Yaesu SDRs.

digirig.net — Yaesu 6-pin mini-DIN vs 8-pin CAT vs USB-C are different SKUs.

Habits / gotchas / checklist (Yaesu)

891: HF max power 25–50 W unless the pack and leads are honest. CAT 38400 / 10 ms / RTS OFF on 3-wire. Digirig plus CAT = two cables.
991A: USB-D per current manual. Fusion/WIRES-X is not a POTA QSO. Powerpoles for 100 W HF.
817/818: external LiFePO4, not alkalines on TX. CAT optional; type band in Polo.
FTX-1: today’s PDF, not a 705 clone. Confirm ATU and battery options before you compare it to a picnic 705.
Split / Fake It in WSJT-X still applies — WSJT-X.

Official manuals

yaesu.com — product support / files for your exact model. We will not host the PDFs.

Still missing a model?

FT-857/897, FT-891’s tuner recipes, FTM-500 class mobiles, and FT-710 field notes are thin on purpose until someone who packs them comments. Comment on this page.

Notes & edits

Comments and proposed markdown sit in a queue. Nothing is public until it is reviewed. How this works.