I just got a brand new FT891...I have been doing FT8 for quite a while on the IC9100. Your video of how to set the radio up in the menus is excellent. Thanks so much! Barry KY4K
Just thought I would like to let you know how much I appreciated your you tube Video. I bought the FtR891 and could not get WSJTX to decode the waterfall, I spent several days trying to solve the problem. I found your instructions among others on the nett but yours the most instructive. I adjusted the width setting as per your instructions and bingo, decoding immediately. Many thanks and 73
THANK YOU! This video solved my problems with FT8 setup on my FT891. I got everything working, software, radio, signalink, and computer talking to one another. However, I was not receiving the full frequency spectrum. You nailed it for me with the menu settings 08-03, & 08-04.
I had to change my PTT Select back to RTS. Otherwise I have only made it though the menu settings and yours have made a world of difference.... Receive is working like it should. I am a rookie to FT-8 and WSJT-X. Thanks so much...will watch the rest of the video in a bit. Probably will make it even better.
Thanks for this. The only additional thing I had to do was set the 11-05 SSB MIC SELECT to REAR. Otherwise it wouldn't get the input from the 6 pin din cable.
I like to be able to quickly switch from FT8 to SSB to talk on HF. Using USB for the mode in FT-8 and setting the SSB power down to low power defeats the radios purpose of multi mode. The SSB power adjusts the output when using SSB. The HF power adjusts power when using Data mode. I use HRD to control the radio and I can quickly select any band freq I wish to use on SSB with the click of a button and I dont want to have to go into the menus to set everything back for SSB mode and utilize 100 watts. Your setup works if you only want to operate FT8. Thanks
there is a menu item for "HF power" - this reduces power on "DATA" .. and unfortunately also on CW. (i am a cw man, and this pisses me off) but for you, its just what you need - SSB will still be on 100w or whatever you defined. It has an own menu item for ssb power.
Hi, great video. i have one problem. i have mod mars for 60 meters. and only on 60 meters i get alc fast up to hi and then it gets slowly back to zero... what is happining? in 80 meters and 40 meters i have control on alc but not in 60 meters. i use flrig to controll the ft-891 and i have fc-40 tuner an digirig version 1,6
good evening you selected data as the mode and after in the ft891 menu you selected daky for the ptt so the broadcast. that's it. and I speak for left8 and js8 73 and thank you f0fvk jn18ib sylvain
Yeah the SSB and HF power makes no sense... I need to test on mine I wonder if HF power is for data?? then they need to put Data power if that's the case ok I get it if not its redundant...
The HF SSB Power is for SSB. Some people use SSB option in WSJT-X for FT8. For those that use DATA mode, the HF Power is the setting for CW, DATA and FM. When the author recommends changing them both, it is a wise idea. I don't mind pushing more power than is necessary, but I am concerned about doing WSPR or FT8 at 100W.
Hello, I have configured my 891 according to your instructions and everything is working, just one question. I set the sound level so that the ALC would be minimal, but when changing the frequencie(selecting other user), the ALC also changes. Is it normal or I missed something?
It's possible that the SWR of your antenna changes and thus the antenna might have to work harder and thus the ALC might change. I know when I change bands, I have to adjust the ALC. I'm more portable and mobile and I know most of the time, I have to adjust the ALC. Also, sometimes the daytime and night time I have to adjust the ALC. So, there are many factors.
I had a similar issue when changing the power level. If I went anywhere above 50 watts out, my ALC meter would jump up way too high or sometimes kind of bounce around. Reducing the output gain with the slider in wjstx sometimes helped but it was pretty random. I found that if I put my hand on my 891 while transmitting, the ALC was perfectly stable and I could adjust the slider to get it just right. So I cut a 4 foot piece of wire, attached one end to the ground screw on the back of my 891, crimped on an alligator clip to the other end and attached it to my carpet (ground). ALC has been stable and easily adjustable now at any power level.
use tune to set ALC to about 1/3 of the meter. - then you notice differences when you scream at different pleaces in that voice channel, but the "tuning" tone is a good average. Yes, this is normal. 73, oh8xat
he missed the part where after you set all of the DATA menu options. push and hold the band(mode) button then scroll over to DATA and the radio switches to that mode. and when you want to go back to SSB just change the mode. No need to disable AGC/NB/DNR and other things, just change the MODE and the radio will turn off all the audio filters.
USB for cat and ptt a mini-din cable from rig to soundcard for the audio. This is what i use, - but a scu17(i would recommend this for yaesu rigs, smaller more elegant, better quality than signallink) or signallink can also be use but it is not necessary. I plugged the audiocable from the rigs minidin to microphone in / speaker out of my tablet pc. 73, oh8xat
you have a good video here, but your ssb power is your phone power, and hf power is digital. This radio WILL run 100 ssb watts with easy! do it all the time.
16-14 DATA DATA GAIN. very important setting. Turn on your ALC & tune in digital. Should not be over driven. Turn this item down. It is much more important the HF Power (Data Power)setting.
The Data power is set using menu 16-03 (HF PWR), not SSB PWR
I just got a brand new FT891...I have been doing FT8 for quite a while on the IC9100. Your video of how to set the radio up in the menus is excellent. Thanks so much! Barry KY4K
Just thought I would like to let you know how much I appreciated your you tube Video.
I bought the FtR891 and could not get WSJTX to decode the waterfall, I spent several days trying to solve the problem. I found your instructions among others on the nett but yours the most instructive. I adjusted the width setting as per your instructions and bingo, decoding immediately.
Many thanks and 73
Hello Stuart. I know exactly how it feels when it don't work. I'm glad the video helped. Have fun and be safe. -73
THANK YOU! This video solved my problems with FT8 setup on my FT891. I got everything working, software, radio, signalink, and computer talking to one another. However, I was not receiving the full frequency spectrum. You nailed it for me with the menu settings 08-03, & 08-04.
I had to change my PTT Select back to RTS. Otherwise I have only made it though the menu settings and yours have made a world of difference.... Receive is working like it should. I am a rookie to FT-8 and WSJT-X. Thanks so much...will watch the rest of the video in a bit. Probably will make it even better.
Very Helpful. Thank you Sir.
Thanks for this. The only additional thing I had to do was set the 11-05 SSB MIC SELECT to REAR. Otherwise it wouldn't get the input from the 6 pin din cable.
I like to be able to quickly switch from FT8 to SSB to talk on HF. Using USB for the mode in FT-8 and setting the SSB power down to low power defeats the radios purpose of multi mode. The SSB power adjusts the output when using SSB. The HF power adjusts power when using Data mode. I use HRD to control the radio and I can quickly select any band freq I wish to use on SSB with the click of a button and I dont want to have to go into the menus to set everything back for SSB mode and utilize 100 watts. Your setup works if you only want to operate FT8. Thanks
I operate SSB and FT8 only changing the HF Power setting the rest I left as is.
there is a menu item for "HF power" - this reduces power on "DATA" .. and unfortunately also on CW. (i am a cw man, and this pisses me off)
but for you, its just what you need - SSB will still be on 100w or whatever you defined. It has an own menu item for ssb power.
Hi, great video. i have one problem. i have mod mars for 60 meters. and only on 60 meters i get alc fast up to hi and then it gets slowly back to zero... what is happining? in 80 meters and 40 meters i have control on alc but not in 60 meters. i use flrig to controll the ft-891 and i have fc-40 tuner an digirig version 1,6
good evening you selected data as the mode and after in the ft891 menu you selected daky for the ptt so the broadcast. that's it. and I speak for left8 and js8 73 and thank you f0fvk jn18ib sylvain
Yeah the SSB and HF power makes no sense...
I need to test on mine I wonder if HF power is for data?? then they need to put Data power if that's the case ok I get it if not its redundant...
The HF SSB Power is for SSB. Some people use SSB option in WSJT-X for FT8. For those that use DATA mode, the HF Power is the setting for CW, DATA and FM. When the author recommends changing them both, it is a wise idea. I don't mind pushing more power than is necessary, but I am concerned about doing WSPR or FT8 at 100W.
Hello, I have configured my 891 according to your instructions and everything is working, just one question. I set the sound level so that the ALC would be minimal, but when changing the frequencie(selecting other user), the ALC also changes. Is it normal or I missed something?
It's possible that the SWR of your antenna changes and thus the antenna might have to work harder and thus the ALC might change. I know when I change bands, I have to adjust the ALC. I'm more portable and mobile and I know most of the time, I have to adjust the ALC. Also, sometimes the daytime and night time I have to adjust the ALC. So, there are many factors.
I had a similar issue when changing the power level. If I went anywhere above 50 watts out, my ALC meter would jump up way too high or sometimes kind of bounce around. Reducing the output gain with the slider in wjstx sometimes helped but it was pretty random. I found that if I put my hand on my 891 while transmitting, the ALC was perfectly stable and I could adjust the slider to get it just right. So I cut a 4 foot piece of wire, attached one end to the ground screw on the back of my 891, crimped on an alligator clip to the other end and attached it to my carpet (ground). ALC has been stable and easily adjustable now at any power level.
use tune to set ALC to about 1/3 of the meter. - then you notice differences when you scream at different pleaces in that voice channel, but the "tuning" tone is a good average.
Yes, this is normal.
73, oh8xat
does it ruins the radio for the use of normal voice mode? do you need to change this all back to normal afterwards?
So I have to do this every time? Work some phone 20m, then go thru all these settings again to work some ft8? Even with rigblaster?
he missed the part where after you set all of the DATA menu options. push and hold the band(mode) button then scroll over to DATA and the radio switches to that mode. and when you want to go back to SSB just change the mode. No need to disable AGC/NB/DNR and other things, just change the MODE and the radio will turn off all the audio filters.
do you just use the usb or do you need a sigalink also?
You can use one. I used a USB sound card instead. As you know, this video is more about the settings you need on the radio to make the software work.
USB for cat and ptt
a mini-din cable from rig to soundcard for the audio.
This is what i use, - but a scu17(i would recommend this for yaesu rigs, smaller more elegant, better quality than signallink) or signallink can also be use
but it is not necessary. I plugged the audiocable from the rigs minidin to microphone in / speaker out of my tablet pc.
73, oh8xat
you have a good video here, but your ssb power is your phone power, and hf power is digital. This radio WILL run 100 ssb watts with easy! do it all the time.
16-14 DATA DATA GAIN. very important setting. Turn on your ALC & tune in digital. Should not be over driven. Turn this item down. It is much more important the HF Power (Data Power)setting.