Yaesu FT-891 Great 100W HF/6M Portable Radio

Yaesu FT-891 Great 100W HF/6M Portable Radio

I've had the FT-891 for about 2 months, and here are my impressions.

The FT-891 is a great little HF/6M, 100W, portable radio. Its small size is easy to transport. The LCD display is easy to read in bright light environments. I like that the A/B/C buttons on the front can be assigned different functions for quick access. I find the memory group function to be a useful feature for organizing settings/frequencies for nets, digital, SSB, ... Due to the small size, this radio is heavily menu dependent, but I find the menus easy to navigate. The DSP, noise reduction, and variable bandpass features provide many ways to help deal with urban QRM and weak signal.

I bought the FT-891 to have a portable 100W radio to use for hiking and camping. I haven't yet been camping, but I have taken it hiking. With a 9Ah LiFePO battery, folding multiband vertical antenna, and small antenna tuner, I've made SSB and PSK31 contacts, with good reports.

The receiver and noise reduction is so good, it has replaced my FT-450D at my QTH. The FT-891 is currently selling for about $700 which is less than I paid for a used FT-450D 6 years ago.

As others have noted, this radio does not have VHF/UHF. Nor does it has a built in audio interface (sound card). Also, as mentioned previously, the small size it is heavily menu dependent. It just doesn't have the room for a lot of buttons and dials. If those features are what somebody needs/wants in a radio, this isn't the one for you. So, don't buy this radio and then complain it doesn't have a feature that you want. Do your homework first...

I feel the FT-891 is a great value at the current retail price for a 100W, HF/6M, radio!