FT-857D Inrad Filter Installation

This just happens to be my 100th post. Cool!

I decided to put some filters in my FT-857D. I originally was going to get the W4RT set - 2.3kHz SSB and 300Hz CW. However, I found out International Radio sells a 2.0kHz - narrower for more QRM rejection in crowded bands. So I went with that one instead and also got the 300Hz CW from them as well. The stock Yaesu filters are just way too expensive. I saved well over $100 going with the Inrad set (even the W4RT's would have been cheaper than the Yaesu's).

The filters took two days to get here. I ordered them on Monday and they are here today (Wednesday).







First, you need to remove the top cover of the radio. I took both off but you can do it just by lifting the top. If you just lift the top you need to pull the screws out of the sides because they hold both the top and bottom.

NOTE: Be careful of the speaker wire. The lead is not very long so be careful not to yank on it too hard. There is no lock on the plug, just pull it out carefully.





In the above picture I put a red box around the location of the filters. That is the top side.

The installation is really straight forward. I didn't even need the manual to do it, but I looked in there just to see what it said. It does not matter which slot you put the filters - the radio will detect the filters and you can select them individually from the front ABC menu.



I put a red box around the installed filters.

Now, put everything back together and it is ready to go!



You do not need to do a hard reset or anything. The radio senses the filters are installed and the menu for the selection activates. Hit the function button momentarily to bring up the front menu selection. Menu "n" is for the crystal filter selection. "CFIL" will be highlighted showing that neither crystal filter is engaged. By pushing B or C you can select the installed filters. Note that B and C now show either 300 or 500 (depending on which one you put in) and 2.3, before the filters went in they would show N/A. The 2.3 is obviously the SSB filter. However, the Inrad filter is 2.0kHz, not 2.3kHz. Keep this in mind!



Once you engage the filters the rig will remember them with the mode selected. You can, of course, manually over-ride that and take the filter out if you want to open up the passband to hear everything on CW for example.

So far the filters seem to work. I notice the biggest difference with the 300Hz filter on CW. It does a GREAT job! The 2.0kHz filter is noticeable when I switch it in but I can't tell too much of a difference in the usability of the rig. I will have to wait for a contest to put it through its paces. Though, it does narrow the noise in the passband the affect on the signal you are listening to is not too much.

Edit: After playing around with the radio for the rest of the day I have found the CW filter to really make a difference. It takes a noise floor on 40m of S8 down to S0! Once I kick the filter on the noise floor drops way down on the meter, it still pulses up to about S4 but the S-meter doesn't consistantly read S8. This is pretty cool!

The SSB filter still doesn't seem to do a whole lot. I will have to test this out in a crowded band to get a real handle on it. Maybe the VHF contest will be a good test ground - 6 meters should get crowded I would assume.