I Crimped Thr Coupler Over The Main Element And The Contact Of The SO-239 Connector Before Using Some

All done printing the faceplates!

I bought this Yaesu FT-897 as a gift to myself for passing the General Class exam last month. I was going to buy an antenna but decided to make one myself to learn more about them, so I made a field expedient, 1/4 wave end-fed. I had gooten into amateur radio with my dad who became a silent key nearly three years ago. After hearing the radio crackle to life with the sounds of a 40 meter net I forgot about how I wouldn't be able to use it on all amateur bands (because it's a Japanese model), and I wanted to run and tell my dad all about it. I wanted to throw my call out but I figured I'd better just listen for now. I was as excited as a boy on Christmas.

I ordered the radio on the right, a Yaesu FT-897, as a gift for myself for passing my General Class exam. I've wanted this radio since it was released in 2002 but as a Technician Class I wouldn't have been able to use but two frequency bands, not to mention it was out of my price range. I got it off of ebay and learned that it's a Japanese version and hard wired to not operate on all U.S. frequencies, even after MARS modding it. I already have the two radios on the left and the handheld (HT) for the 2 meter and 70cm bands so it's not a total loss and the radio still has performance abilities (power consumption wise) that far exceeds modern rigs.

Listened in on 20 meters for most of the day and heard a fine young ham making some great contacts.

Installed the new direct drive extruder and hot end onto the 3D printer and successfully tested the extrusion of filament. Now to start a print!

Next two parts of the project. No license required

After filing the 3D printed buttons down and removing the other shelf, the pressure on the power and reset buttons was relieved enough to tighten the screws and finish assembly. This one is ready to be Bluetoothed to a phone.

This is the civilian version of the application of the same acronym developed by the DoD for tactical purposes. The name of the app is the same but the acronym meaning has been changed based upon differing mission sets and to meet the needs of civilians, first responders and law enforcement. As a stand-alone, this app has little use aside from that of Google earth, however, when combined with a meshed network of communication devices over multiple users, this app can become an unparalleled asset among amateur radio operators in an emergency comms environment.