Part of our The Yaesu FT-857D: The Complete Guide.
I get asked constantly how the FT-857D stacks up against the rest of the radios in my shack and go-bags, so here’s the honest rundown of where each one wins and where it doesn’t. Quick disclosure up front: I own and regularly use the FT-891, the Xiegu G90, the FTX-1 Optima, and the Icom IC-7300 Mark II. I picked up the FT-857D used and ran it for a while before deciding it wasn’t for me and selling it, so this comparison is built on real hands-on time even though it’s no longer in my lineup. I don’t own an FT-817, so that section is built from published specs and what the broader community consistently reports rather than my own hands-on time. Treat it accordingly.
Spec Comparison at a Glance
Click the image for the full-size version (opens in a new tab).
FT-857D vs FT-891
Both push 100 watts on HF, but the 891 is HF and 6 meters only, built mobile-first with a cleaner, better-labeled menu and no built-in speaker (you’ll want an external one). The 857D adds VHF and UHF to the mix, at the cost of a rougher menu and that lower 20W ceiling on 70cm. Want the simplest mobile HF radio you can operate without thinking about it? Take the 891. Want one radio that also hits the local repeaters? The 857D still wins on flexibility.
FT-857D vs Xiegu G90
The G90 is a 20-watt HF-only rig built around an SDR receiver, with a knob-and-menu interface that’s simpler to tune by ear than the 857D’s. It’s HF only, no VHF or UHF, and the antenna tuner is optional rather than built in on every variant. The 857D outguns it on power and adds two more bands’ worth of modes. The G90 wins on price and on being a dedicated, uncomplicated HF QRP radio if that’s genuinely all you need.
FT-857D vs FTX-1 Field
The FTX-1 Field is Yaesu’s modern, battery-powered answer to the 857D’s whole category: a touchscreen SDR transceiver covering HF through 70cm in a chassis you can genuinely backpack. It runs 6 watts on its own Li-ion battery, or up to 10 watts on external DC, a fraction of the 857D’s output, but it trims size and weight hard for SOTA and POTA carry, and the touchscreen menu is far friendlier than the 857D’s numbered system. It also has a built-in waterfall and digital mode interface, which the 857D lacks entirely. If raw output matters more than portability, the 857D still wins. If you’re carrying the radio on your back, or you want to see the band instead of tuning blind, the Field is built for that job in a way the 857D never was.
FT-857D vs FTX-1 Optima
The Optima is the same Field Head with the SPA-1 100-watt amplifier attached, which turns it into a real base station: 100 watts on HF and 6 meters, 50 watts on 2m and 70cm, all while keeping the touchscreen, waterfall, and dual-receiver setup the Field is built around. That puts it ahead of the 857D on every band except the fact that it costs meaningfully more and isn’t something you’d want to carry far. If you want modern SDR performance with base-station power, a waterfall for hunting SSB, and a built-in digital mode interface with no extra hardware, the Optima beats the 857D outright. This is actually the radio I replaced my 857D with. The 857D’s real advantage here is just price on the used market.
FT-857D vs Icom IC-7300 Mark II
The IC-7300 Mark II is HF and 6 meters only, no VHF or UHF, but it’s arguably the best all-around shack radio for the money right now: real spectrum scope touchscreen, 100 watts, and the easiest CAT and digital mode setup of anything on this list. If you don’t need VHF/UHF in the same box, the Mark II beats the 857D on nearly every measure. The 857D’s edge is strictly that it does bands the Mark II simply can’t.
FT-857D vs FT-817 (Caveat: Not Personally Tested)
I want to be upfront here: I don’t own an FT-817, so this is based on specs and community consensus, not time on the radio. The FT-817 is the 857D’s smaller, QRP-only predecessor, topping out around 5 watts (6 watts on the later FT-818), battery-friendly, and genuinely pocketable for HF/VHF/UHF all-mode backpack operating. It trades raw output for size and battery life. If your priority is the lightest possible all-band radio for a pack, the 817 (or its successor, the FT-818) is the one people point to. If you want real HF power alongside VHF/UHF, that’s the 857D’s lane, not the 817’s.
So Which One Actually Wins
- One radio for all bands and repeaters at real power: FT-857D
- Cleanest-menu HF-only mobile: FT-891
- Budget HF QRP: Xiegu G90
- Lightest modern touchscreen HF + VHF/UHF for the pack: FTX-1 Field
- Modern touchscreen HF + VHF/UHF at full base-station power: FTX-1 Optima
- Best all-around HF/6m shack radio: IC-7300 Mark II
- Lightest possible QRP backpack all-bander: FT-817 / FT-818, per the community, not my own testing
There’s no single winner here, just the right tool for what you’re actually trying to do. If you’re weighing a portable HF setup specifically, my FT-891 vs FTX-1 Field vs G90 POTA comparison goes deeper on that slice.