Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

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Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by n3jfw »

I got mine used from kc8yhk over 6 months ago, and I love it.

In recent history I used Kenwood 731/732/733 and icom 2720


The 8800 is by far the best radio of all of them. It rejection in a high intermod area compored to that of my commercial gear.

Excellent receive quality and transmit audio as well. I'd put it up against a Motorola anyday-that's saying quite a bit for an addict like me.

My only complaint is the mic jack on the head only. Why have a detachable head if I can't re-route the mic from the body?
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Post by grem467 »

my buddy has one of those, he needs a new mic because of that stupid "mount to the head" thing.. then again, im not a big fan of the telephone connectors for mics.


other than that, seems to be a solid rig
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Post by KC8RYW »

grem467 wrote:then again, im not a big fan of the telephone connectors for mics.
I take it you don't like most of the /\/\otorola mobile models then. :-P
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Post by grem467 »

let me qualify that statement.

"that fall off"

lol, kenwood commercial mobiles (TK-930) used to be bad too
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Post by Ihatewhackers »

grem467 wrote:my buddy has one of those, he needs a new mic because of that stupid "mount to the head" thing.. then again, im not a big fan of the telephone connectors for mics.


other than that, seems to be a solid rig
Guess I'll revive an old thread. Had to mount the head of the radio (yeah, I know...I said head) to the top of my console in truck that houses switchboxes and siren. I do NOT like the damned mic having to connect to the side, as it causes some problems. I've only had it in operation for a few weeks and already thinking of replacing it. :soap: Dunno if I'll go back to a Kenwood or if I'll go commercial. Are there any commercial mobile rigs that allow dual band capability, preferably Motorola?
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Post by Tango_Sierra »

Ihatewhackers wrote:Are there any commercial mobile rigs that allow dual band capability, preferably Motorola?
In one unit? No. Best bet is a Kenwood 790 paired with an 890 and connected to a single head. I don't recall you being able to scan across both radios at the same time FYI.
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Post by Ihatewhackers »

Thanks for helping out a new guy. I just renewed my ticket and tried hopping back into ham a few months ago. I've missed a lot since taking a break from it. I'm debating on a bunch of things right now conerning the setup. Just dunno if I want to go through the hassle of getting another dual bander.
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Post by va3wxm »

You can also pair a Kenwood TK-730 and 830 but that line is getting a little long in the tooth and finding parts is getting tougher.

I have a 790/890 dual-band single-head set up in my car (recently completed the install) and it works great. The other thing the 790/890 will do is crossband repeat.
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by KJ4CYM »

I hate to raise a twice-dead thread again, but I am really thinking about an FT-8800 and I really found this info helpful.
Is there anything more that could be seen as a con for this unit?
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by Mong »

RayRay wrote:I just bought a FT-1802 last week at AES, and for $120 bucks it's a really decent radio. It's on par with a TK-xxx mobile.

So that means it's better than the current sub-$1000 mobiles from /\/\ :baby:


I have a 8800, need to program it for listen since it puts out miliwatts. I did get it for $20 though, so I"m happy it RXs well. It'll likely be a dual-band scanner for my truck, remote mounted yo :baby:
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by goondaddy »

I've always been a fan of Yaesu products, even through thier "Hard" times, I'm presently using a 7800 as a mobile, another close friend of mine chose the 8800, and we've both had quite a bit of experience with it, it's rejection of intermod is very high, higher than that of the 7800 (figures...), but in our locale, we are some of the loudest (within deviation limits), and 3 out of 4 of our group have purchased Yaesu's, the fella that bought Icom did so more as a mounting convienience in his new truck, it has a small head unit, and the microphone is actually attached to the main unit.

As for the Yaesu cons, the microphone jack and connector style is the only complaint I have, why is it on the right hand side? Why is it connected with a cheesy-ass jack? Why is there no strain relief on the mic cord? The only other shortcoming (not p.e.) is that the 7800 and the 8800 have 50 watts on 2-meter, but on the 70cm band, the 7800 has 40 watts, and the 8800 has 35, I know it's not a grand problem, but it seems to matter enough that I've heard it mentioned a time or two....

I believe that the 8800 is a good radio for the money...
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by XTS3000 »

The 8800 does a excellent job at crossbanding - only reason I got one a few years ago :mjban:

I think they got it right with the 8800!
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by Mong »

XTS3000 wrote:The 8800 does a excellent job at crossbanding - only reason I got one a few years ago :mjban:

I'm 99% that's why I got one for $20, it was used to crossband a little to much and burnt up :anus:
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by va3wxm »

Only thing missing for crossbanding is remote control.

If Kenwood can do it, why hot Yaesu? :bnypancake:
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by CRM-114 »

It would be cool to have the APRS ID act as an ID in crossband mode.
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by KC9UZB »

Mong wrote:
XTS3000 wrote:The 8800 does a excellent job at crossbanding - only reason I got one a few years ago :mjban:

I'm 99% that's why I got one for $20, it was used to crossband a little to much and burnt up :anus:
Send it back to Yaesu and pretend you still have it under warranty.

you may get lucky.

burnt finals are a common problem with this rig - someone comes up on the FT8800 yahoo list almost every week saying: zomg my 8800 doesnt xmit any more.
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by KD6NIG »

Mong wrote:
XTS3000 wrote:The 8800 does a excellent job at crossbanding - only reason I got one a few years ago :mjban:

I'm 99% that's why I got one for $20, it was used to crossband a little to much and burnt up :anus:
If you're going to crossband with more than a 20% duty cycle, strap another fan on the heatsink. I've done this for quite a while with no issues, though I don't crossband as much anymore. When I do, I do it "one way" using it to help get the HT into the machine only. I can usually hear the machine itself so I don't use it to crossband back to my HT. That eliminates the need to wait for the repeater to drop and the radio to stop transmitting to the HT so I can start talking again also.

I've got 3 of them-one in each vehicle and one right here on the desk.
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Post by BlakJak »

grem467 wrote:my buddy has one of those, he needs a new mic because of that stupid "mount to the head" thing.. then again, im not a big fan of the telephone connectors for mics.


other than that, seems to be a solid rig
Need to agree with the phone-jack thing. Mine's broken (clip broke) and wedged into the radio with a wad of paper at the moment.

Most frustrating. I have an 8900, though, and find it very reliable.
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by KC9UZB »

RJ-11 crimp tool ftw!
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by ka8ypy »

M3ECM wrote:RJ-11 crimp tool ftw!
Do you use those over there??? :baby:
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by BlakJak »

I'm actually more worried about trying to get those damn fine wires back into a replacement jack should I try to replace it myself...
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by vxo »

I have the 7800R and am considering a modification to eliminate that stupid RJ jack. Thanks for reminding me... I just went ahead and exploited Neutrik's sample program to get an 8 pin Neutricon and jack to get around that crap. I've always liked the way the nice little three jawed chuck inside Neutrik's connectors works - it's like a drill chuck. That cable is NOT going to tear out.
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by goondaddy »

We have two of these radios in our group now, would like more info about what you're doing with these connectors, mine isn't giving any grief yet, but it's only been in service since June, my friend has his mounted over his sun visor in a yj, his install is cool, but his mic is a pain in the ass to hassle with sometimes....
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by jdh »

Parts and labor to fix the low output on my 8900 was $49.00 at Yaesu. Turn around was 5 days.
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by goondaddy »

That's kinda surprising, I've heard some pretty horrific stories regarding Yaesu's customer service.
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by KG6EAQ »

The mic jack wasn't that big of a problem. Back in my Explorer I used some CAT5 to extend the mic jack to down by the seat and I used a regular 6P6C connector and jack to extend it to a better location. I had used the same technique to mount the head in a better location. The $50 Yaesu kit is a rip off, you can buy the bracket they include from Burghardt for $4, a YSK-7800. The control head and speaker cables they include can be had easily for under $10 and for most people, a custom cable works better anyways.
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by kd5gke »

I've had an 8800 in my truck for the past ~9 months. The only problem I've had with it is the 440 side takes intermod in like a mexican whore when I drive through downtown Houston. The 144 side is nice and quiet though, and that's what I use the most, so I can't bitch too much.
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by BlakJak »

kd5gke wrote:I've had an 8800 in my truck for the past ~9 months. The only problem I've had with it is the 440 side takes intermod in like a mexican whore when I drive through downtown Houston. The 144 side is nice and quiet though, and that's what I use the most, so I can't bitch too much.

When I was researching my 8900 purchase one of the first reviews I hit commented on its resistance to intermod. One hopes that Houston is exceptional or you've struck an annoyingly placed IF or something...

You should hear my FT50 in anything resembling an urban area...
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by kd5gke »

BlakJak wrote:
kd5gke wrote:I've had an 8800 in my truck for the past ~9 months. The only problem I've had with it is the 440 side takes intermod in like a mexican whore when I drive through downtown Houston. The 144 side is nice and quiet though, and that's what I use the most, so I can't bitch too much.

When I was researching my 8900 purchase one of the first reviews I hit commented on its resistance to intermod. One hopes that Houston is exceptional or you've struck an annoyingly placed IF or something...

You should hear my FT50 in anything resembling an urban area...
There is a ton of uhf activity in downtown Houston. It's mainly pagers I here when I drive through there, which is rare as I work and live south of the city.

As far as Yausu HTs, I used to have a VX-5, and that sucker was useless within a 10-20 mile radius inside the city with an external antenna.
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Re: Yaesu ft-8800 dual band mobile

Post by motorola_otaku »

Not to be too much of a gloating prick, but my /\/\ Astro Spectras hear nary a peep of intermod in downtown Houston, even on no-tone frequencies. :baby:

And yes, it is dense down there. The big offenders are the 490 LTR systems, HPD/HFD (the majority of their transmitters are on One Shell Plaza) and Reliant/HL&P's mobile data system on 451/452 MHz.
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