[Yaesu] FT-847 audio / headset

[Jerry Lofstead]

Frank,

Unless you have really bad hearing, the audio from the FT847
is sufficient to drive you out of the room with a standard 8"
8 ohm speaker with a 5 pound magnet.  Most people try to use a
dinky magnet speaker an blame the audio source.  Usually the
problem is the very small magnet on the speaker.  If you want
good audio from a radio, just put a decent speaker on it.  The
FT817 has phenominal audio with a proper speaker on it also. 
A great FM music radio when the band is out.

There have been several mods to move the audio control up to
about 10 o'clock.  The headset jack has resistors in series to
eliminate too loud audio and eliminate legal suits on ear
damage...

Jerry
W3CDE

A10382 wrote:
> 
> I've had an FT-847 for almost a year now (purchased new), and have been a bit disappointed with the radio's audio.  ALL radios have some strengths and some weaknesses, and audio output always seemed to be an issue with the -847.
> 
> It's no surprise to anyone that has an -847 is that the digital audio control goes from too low to too loud when using the radio's built in speaker.  Radios just should not have speakers, but that's a separate subject.
> 
> I had tried a variety of speaker and headphone arrangements.  The radio seems to lack adequate audio drive to handle a large external speaker.  And my old aviation headset (with the typically high impedance speakers) would not work at all on the -847.  This despite the fact that is does work on my other radios.
> 
> I've finally settled on a solution that seems to solve most of the ills.
> 
> I've been using an old Motorola metal-case mobile speaker -- 4 ohms -- plugged into the rear speaker jack.
> 
> I just added a headset, with boom mike, that came with the 8pin mic plug, a 1/4" phone jack (front panel phone jack) and a hand held PTT switch wired to the 8-pin mic plug.  There is also a component or two (cap and resistor, I believe) wired inside the mic plug to compensate for the 847's audio peccadilloes.
> 
> For ME, this seems to have at least alleviated the issues I was having.  Both the 4ohm speaker (and the headset speakers do real well with the volume  setting on the 8 o'clock.  Unplugging just the 1/4" phones plug automatically enables the speaker.  With the phone plug in, I can operate without annoying the non-radio folks in the house....

> 73, Frank
> ._._.
>