YAESU FT-7

The Yaesu FT-7 was first released in Australia in the late 1970’s and proved to be a hit with the then new Novice “N” calls.

Rugged and simple to operate, the FT-7 was a “no frills” offering from Yaesu, with around 10 watts output.

Additionally for those with a technical mind, the FT-7 was constructed with a series of plug in boards, making fault finding and circuit identification relatively simple, if required.

I can recall I first purchased an FT-7 in 1979 for a cost of $379. It is remarkable to say that the value of the FT-7 has actually increased since that time, with some units, in excellent condition, fetching up to $500.

The FT-7 is the mainstay of my portable operations, fitting neatly into an aluminium tradesman type case, padded with foam from Clark Rubber. The FT-7 is transported in one case, with peripherals such as a morse key, power cable, speaker and coaxial patch leads transported in another.

Specifications

Frequency Range	3.5 – 4.0MHz, 7.0-7.5MHz, 14.0 – 14.5MHz, 21.0-21.5MHz, 28.5-29.0MHz**Other crystals to operate on lower portions of the 10m band are available
Modes	SSB (USB,LSB), CW
Receiver sensitivity	0.25uV for S/N 10dB
Transmitter	Input power 20 watts DC
Image ratio	Better than 50dB
IF rejection	Better than 50dB
Selectivity	-6dB at 2.4KHz
	– 60dB at 4KHz
Audio out	3 watts @10% THD
Antenna impedance	50 ohms
Microphone	500 ohms nominal
Power Consumption	13.5 V DC Transmit 3A
	13.5 V DC Receive 0.4A
Dimensions	230 (W) x 80 (H) x 290 (D) mm
Weight	5 kg