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ON5BWE

S-meter - External Speaker for FT897d

Signal- & Powermeter and speaker for Yeasu FT897d

 

Basic Info:

The FT897d is equiped with an external meter socket so connecting a meter to the radios is easy.
There are no additional circuits required, only a 100k preset potentiometer and a small microamp-meter with a sensitivity of 100µA will do fine.
Calibration is done with the small preset potentiometer.

 

Parts Used:

Panel Meter with a rating of 100µA
A case to house the chosen panel meter
Small rubber feet for case
Small rubber grommet to feed cable through rear of case
100 k Ohm preset potentiometer
3.5 mm jack plug Right Angled
A length of thin screened cable, RG174 did well for me

 

Diagram:

smeterdiagram
 

Scale Info:

scale
 

Construction:

Solder the 3.5mm jack plug onto the coax cable. The inner conductor to the tip of the plug and the screen to the ring.
Pass the cable through the rubber grommet that has been fitted into a small hole drilled in the rear of the case.
The screen of the coax cable is connected to the - terminal of the meter.
Solder one of the outer legs of the preset potentiometer on to the + terminal of the meter.
The other outer leg of the preset potentiometer is soldered to the inner conductor of the screened cable.
 
The menus of the FT-897 allow the radio to output indications of Signal Strength; Power; SWR; Modulation; Voltage and Discriminator etc.  
Menu 60 - I have set to 'SIG' to indicate signal strength in RX mode.  
Menu 61 - I have set to 'PWR' to indicate power output in TX mode.  

 

How to Access Menu 60 and 61:

If the menu 60 and 61 are not visible you have to activate the extended menu as follows:
Press and hold the FUNC button on the transceiver to enter menu mode.
Rotate the SELECT knob until menu 1, “EXT MENU” is showing.
Turn the main tuning knob until EXT MENU is “ON”. This enables the extended menu system.

 

Calibration:

 

  • Enter menu 60 and set it to 'FS'. Now adjust the preset potentiometer so that the needle swings fully to the right and lines up with the maximum point on the scale.
    In my case it is +60dB on the Signal scale
  • When the 'FS' has been adjusted, set menu 60 back to 'SIG'
  • Enter menu 61. Second check, set this to VLT. Exit the menus. Now press the PTT and transmit.
    The meter should now indicate the voltage 13.8 volts.
  • Enter menu 61 again and change the value to SWR, PWR, MOD or ALC whatever you want the meter to indicate when you are transmitting
  • Exit the menus

 

Yeasu Menu 60 settings:

  • MENU MODE No•060 [MTR ARX SEL]
  • Function: Selects the analog meter display configuration while the transceiver is receiving. Available Values: SIG, CTR, VLT, N/A, FS, OFF. The default is SIG.
  • SIG: Indicates the incoming signal strength.
  • CTR: Discriminator center meter.
  • VLT: Indicates the battery voltage.
  • N/A: Not available at this time.
  • FS: Applies a calibration signal (1 mA for full scale) at the METER Jack on the transceiver
    bottom, for adjustment of an external meter’s calibration. This lets you adjust
    the external potentiometer in your metering system so that the external meter reading is full scale.
  • OFF: Disables the meter

 

Yeasu Menu 61 settings:

  • MENU MODE No•061 [MTR ATX SEL]
  • Function: Selects the analog meter display configuration while the transceiver is transmitting. Available Values: PWR, ALC, MOD, SWR, VLT, N/A, OFF. The default is PWR.
  • PWR: Indicates the relative transmit power.
  • ALC: Indicates the relative Automatic Level Control voltage.
  • MOD: Indicates the deviation level.
  • SWR: Indicates the Standing Wave Ratio (forward:reflected).
  • VLT: Indicates the battery voltage.
  • N/A: Not available at this time.
  • OFF: Disables the meter.

 
sscale multiscale
 
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