[Yaesu] FT-857 question

[Clark Savage Turner]

Any 857 owners (or 897 owners) know much about the current drain at 20 
watts on HF for these rigs?  I see nowhere any claims that the 897 is 
optimized for low power battery operation.  Otherwise, it really looks 
like the 857 is very much the same as the 897 though smaller without 
internal battery space.

My dilemma is to buy the 897 or the 857 ($100 less!)  I like mobile and 
portable operation but can carry my own 5 or 10 amp / hour SLA batteries 
to save a few dollars.  However, if there is a real operating advantage 
to the 897 with portable operation, I would happily pay the extra.

Any tips?  Eham reviews and the Yahoo groups don't discuss these points.

Clark
WA3JPG