Protect that Yaesu FT817 ND Radio!

Now I need not say what a little gem the Yaesu FT817 ND still is even in today's nice to have radios with all the bells and whistles.  This is a real workhorse if you treat it properly and protect it from rough handling out in the field.  I have therefor decided to 3D print a few protective accessories for my radio.  Unfortunately I obtained the radio with some scratches on the covers which is clearly visible in the photos.  Maybe I will one day restore the two covers.  Apart from that the radio still works great.

I 3D printed protective rails with added feet and two strap mounts to hold an antenna tuner in place on top of the radio after adding some loose protective padding to the  top cover.   I also printed a front face cover for the FT817 to protect the knobs and tuning dial from accidental bumping when carried in a backpack.

I now hopefully have a protected Yaesu FT817 ND radio!

Images:  (Click on images for larger view.)

 

 

 

3D Printer projects in the Shack of ZS1I (Part 1)

I am no expert  when it comes to create and draw 3D Printer objects.  Firstly not one om my computers are the latest and greatest around. I still use Windows 7 and Linux Mint on old slow machines with the bare minimum peripherals.   Thankfully there are ways the overcome some of the hurdles.   I use Thingiverse quite regularly to obtain STL files and convert them to GCode files with either IdeaMaker or Cura slicing software.  I decided to post some photos of my 3d printing objects here as it might be of assistance to other radio amateurs.

Images:  Click on images for larger view.

I use the Biqu B1 3D Printer.  For the price this is really a little gem of a printer.   As a beginner printer it is my opinion that this printer is pure value for money.

 

More images to follow in Part 2.