How to Program an FT-891 — Step by Step

A small radio with a small screen and a lot behind it. Almost everything runs through one knob — the MULTI knob — and which thing it adjusts depends on which screen you opened first.

This page covers: Yaesu FT-891. They share the same firmware, so the steps below are identical on all of them whatever name is printed on the front.

Two different things live behind the F key

Tapping F walks you through the Setting Mode screens — FUNCTION-1, FUNCTION-2, CW SETTING — which hold the things you change mid-QSO, like the filter, the noise blanker and split. Holding F for a second opens Menu mode instead, the numbered list where the things you set once and forget live. Same key, two destinations, and the manual moves between them without much warning. Every step below says which one it means.

What you can do on this radio

Rather do this on your phone, standing at the radio?

The app walks you through the same steps one at a time, on a screen sized for a phone.

Open Radio Rosetta

Set the radio up for FT8 and other digital modes on an FT-891

Three separate things have to line up: the radio has to be in DATA mode, the DATA settings have to point at the rear jack rather than the microphone, and the offset has to be zero so the number on the dial is the number your software thinks it is on. Miss the third and you will transmit a perfectly good signal in the wrong place.

Have these to hand before you start

  • An interface between the radio and the computer — the FT-891 has no built-in USB sound card, so this is a separate box or cable set feeding the rear 6-pin DATA jack.
  • The dial frequency your software expects for the band you want.
  1. Hold the BAND (MODE) key to bring up the MODE SELECT screen, then turn the main dial to DATA and let go.hold BAND (MODE)›dial → DATAThe screen should show: MODE SELECT, then the display returns to normal showing DATA.The mode sets itself automatically about a second after you stop turning — there is no key to press to confirm it.
  2. Hold F for a second for Menu mode, rotate to 08-09 DATA IN SELECT and set it to REAR.DATA IN SELECT›dial → REAR›MULTIThe screen should show: 08-09 DATA IN SELECT, then REAR.REAR is the factory default, so it is often already right — but if somebody has been running digital through the microphone jack this is where that gets undone.
  3. Rotate to 08-10 DATA PTT SELECT and choose the same keying method your interface uses.DATA PTT SELECT›dial → DAKY, RTS or DTR›MULTIThe screen should show: 08-10 DATA PTT SELECT, then your choice.DAKY is the default and means the radio keys from the DATA jack itself. RTS and DTR key from the serial control lines instead. Whichever your interface documentation names is the one to pick.
  4. Rotate to 08-01 DATA MODE and set it to OTHERS.DATA MODE›dial → OTHERS›MULTIThe screen should show: 08-01 DATA MODE, then OTHERS.Watch out. The manual lists the two choices without saying which suits FT8, so here is the reasoning. PSK applies a fixed tone offset set in 08-02 — 1000, 1500 or 2000 Hz. OTHERS applies whatever you put in 08-03 OTHER DISP and 08-04 OTHER SHIFT, and both of those default to 0 Hz. FT8 wants no offset at all, so OTHERS with the defaults left alone is what makes the dial reading and the published FT8 frequency the same number.
  5. While you are in there, check 08-03 OTHER DISP and 08-04 OTHER SHIFT are both sitting on 0 Hz.OTHER DISP›dial → 0›MULTI›OTHER SHIFT›dial → 0›MULTIThe screen should show: 0Hz on both.These are the factory defaults, but they are also exactly the two settings somebody fiddles with when a signal appeared in the wrong place and they were guessing.
  6. Rotate to 08-12 DATA BFO and set it to USB, then press F to leave the menu.DATA BFO›dial → USB›MULTI›FThe screen should show: 08-12 DATA BFO, then USB.Watch out. The factory default here is LSB. FT8 and the rest of the WSJT-X modes run upper sideband, so this one has to be changed — it is not already right out of the box. Leave it on LSB and your signal comes out inverted and nobody decodes you.

The radio is now in DATA-USB with no offset. Set your software to the band's usual dial frequency and what you see on the radio and what you see on the screen should agree.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Connect the radio to a computer on an FT-891

Three menu items, all in group 05, and the only one most people need to touch is the speed — because the radio ships slower than almost any software expects.

  1. Hold F for a second, rotate to 05-06 CAT RATE, and set the speed to match your software.CAT RATE›dial → 38400›MULTIThe screen should show: 05-06 CAT RATE, then 4800, 9600, 19200 or 38400 bps.Watch out. The factory default is 4800 bps — the slowest of the four. Most logging and digital software defaults to something faster, and when the two disagree the radio simply does not answer. This is the single most common reason a Yaesu will not connect. Whatever you set here has to be typed identically into the software.
  2. 05-07 CAT TOT sets how long the radio waits on an unfinished command before giving up.CAT TOT›dial → 10, 100, 1000 or 3000›MULTIThe screen should show: 05-07 CAT TOT, then a value in milliseconds.The default of 10 ms is fine for a direct cable. A longer value is worth trying only if commands are arriving in pieces.
  3. 05-08 CAT RTS decides whether the radio watches the RTS line for flow control. Then press F to leave.CAT RTS›dial → ENABLE or DISABLE›MULTI›FThe screen should show: 05-08 CAT RTS, then ENABLE or DISABLE.Watch out. Default is ENABLE. If your interface does not drive RTS, the radio can sit there waiting for a signal that never comes — and it looks exactly like a dead cable. If the speed is right and it still will not talk, this is the next thing to try.

Speed first, and set it in both places. If the radio still will not answer, the problem is more likely the COM port number or the cable than anything in this menu.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Set the drive level for digital modes on an FT-891

Two separate gain controls, and which one is doing the work depends on the mode you are transmitting in. That catches people out: they turn one down, hear no difference, and turn the computer's output up instead — which is the wrong direction entirely.

  1. Hold F for a second, rotate to 16-14 DATA DATA GAIN, and set the level for audio arriving at the rear jack while the radio is in DATA mode.DATA DATA GAIN›dial → 0 - 100›MULTIThe screen should show: 16-14 DATA DATA GAIN, then a number from 0 to 100.This is the one that matters for FT8, because that is DATA mode fed from the rear jack. Default is 50.
  2. 16-11 SSB DATA GAIN is the same idea for rear-jack audio while the radio is in SSB, not DATA.SSB DATA GAIN›dial → 0 - 100›MULTI›FThe screen should show: 16-11 SSB DATA GAIN, then a number.Watch out. There is one of these per mode — 16-11 for SSB, 16-12 AM, 16-13 FM, 16-14 DATA. Changing the wrong one is why nothing appears to happen.
  3. Tap F until FUNCTION-2 appears, rotate to MTR, and press to choose which meter the display shows while transmitting.F›▲▼ FUNCTION-2›dial → MTR›MULTIThe screen should show: The transmit meter you selected.You want to watch what the radio is actually doing while you adjust the gain, rather than guess.

Turn the level down until the transmit power stops climbing, then back off a little more. On this radio the honest test is that ALC stays out of it and the power reading sits steady rather than jumping — if power is bouncing around on a steady FT8 tone, the drive is too high.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Narrow the filter to shut out the station next door on an FT-891

Two controls that people mix up. WIDTH makes the opening narrower. SHIFT slides the opening sideways without changing its size. Crowded band, station right next to you: usually you want both, in that order.

  1. Tap the F key until FUNCTION-1 comes up, rotate MULTI to WDH, and press MULTI.F›▲▼ FUNCTION-1›dial → WDH›MULTIThe screen should show: The WIDTH adjustment pop-up.Tapping F walks through the Setting Mode screens. Holding it goes somewhere else entirely — the numbered Menu mode — which is not where this lives.
  2. Turn MULTI counter-clockwise to narrow the passband until the interference drops away, then press MULTI to close the pop-up.dial → counter-clockwise›MULTIThe screen should show: The width indicator closing up.Watch out. Counter-clockwise narrows. Go too far and the station you actually want starts sounding muffled and thin — narrow only until the interference goes, not as far as it will travel.
  3. If something is still leaking in from one side, go back to FUNCTION-1, choose SFT, and rotate MULTI left or right.F›dial → SFT›MULTI›dial → left or right›MULTIThe screen should show: The SHIFT adjustment pop-up.SHIFT moves the whole passband off the interference while leaving the station you want inside it. Narrowing alone cannot do that if the interference is on the same side as the signal.

Press MULTI while either pop-up is showing to switch that feature off again. On the FT-891 the A key is assigned to IF SHIFT from the factory, so once you know you want it you can reach SHIFT with one press instead of walking the menu.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Turn on noise reduction on an FT-891

This is the one for steady noise — hiss, hash, the general roar of a summer band. It is not the one for a repeating tick; that is the noise blanker, which is a different control on a different screen.

  1. Tap F until FUNCTION-2 appears, rotate MULTI to DNR, and press MULTI.F›▲▼ FUNCTION-2›dial → DNR›MULTIThe screen should show: A pop-up offering fifteen algorithms.
  2. Rotate MULTI through the fifteen algorithms until one of them cuts the noise best, then press MULTI to close the pop-up.dial → 1 - 15›MULTIThe screen should show: The algorithm number.They are not ranked — higher is not stronger. They are different filters, and which one wins depends on what the noise sounds like, so it really is a matter of trying them on the noise you have in front of you.

Press MULTI again to turn noise reduction off. Run it no harder than you need to: all fifteen settings trade away some of the signal along with the noise, and voices start sounding hollow and underwater well before the noise is gone.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Turn on the noise blanker on an FT-891

For noise that arrives as sharp repeating pulses — power line buzz, an electric fence, ignition noise from a vehicle. The blanker mutes the receiver for each tick. Against steady hiss it does nothing at all.

  1. Tap F until FUNCTION-1 appears, rotate MULTI to NB, and press MULTI.F›▲▼ FUNCTION-1›dial → NB›MULTIThe screen should show: The blanker level pop-up.The C key is assigned to the Noise Blanker from the factory, so once you are used to it that is a one-press shortcut.
  2. Rotate MULTI to set the blanker level, then press MULTI to close the pop-up.dial → 0 - 10›MULTIThe screen should show: A level from 0 to 10.
  3. If the level control alone is not enough, the blanker has three more settings in Menu mode: 05-01 NB WIDTH, 05-02 NB REJECTION and 05-03 NB LEVEL.NB LEVEL›NB WIDTH›NB REJECTIONThe screen should show: Width 1, 3 or 10 ms; rejection 10, 30 or 50 dB.WIDTH is how long each pulse is assumed to last. A short sharp tick wants 1 ms; a broader thump wants 10. This is the setting worth trying when the blanker helps a bit but not enough.

Press MULTI while the pop-up is showing to turn the blanker off. Turn it off when you are not fighting pulse noise — on a quiet band a hard blanker setting can chop up strong signals and make them sound distorted.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Notch out a whistle or a carrier on an FT-891

A notch drills a narrow hole in the passband to kill one steady tone — a tuner-upper, a carrier, a heterodyne whistle — while leaving the voice around it intact. There are two of them on this radio: one you aim yourself, and one that hunts.

  1. Tap F until FUNCTION-1 appears, rotate MULTI to NCH, and press MULTI.F›▲▼ FUNCTION-1›dial → NCH›MULTIThe screen should show: The null position adjustment pop-up.
  2. Rotate MULTI until the whistle disappears, then press MULTI to close the pop-up.dial → the null onto the tone›MULTIThe screen should show: The null position moving.You are dragging a narrow hole across the passband by hand. The tone vanishes abruptly when the hole lands on it, so go slowly through the region where you think it is.
  3. The automatic version is on the next screen along: FUNCTION-2, then DNF.F›▲▼ FUNCTION-2›dial → DNF›MULTIThe screen should show: DNF on or off.DNF hunts for the tone itself, and will chase more than one. It is quicker, but it can also take a bite out of a signal you wanted — so the manual notch is the one to reach for when a station is buried under a single steady carrier.
  4. How wide the manual notch cuts is set separately, in Menu 12-04 IF NOTCH WIDTH.IF NOTCH WIDTH›dial → NARROW or WIDE›MULTIThe screen should show: 12-04 IF NOTCH WIDTH, then NARROW or WIDE.Watch out. Default is WIDE, which is easier to aim but takes more of the wanted audio with it. NARROW is worth setting if you find the notch is muffling the voice you are trying to save.

Press MULTI while the pop-up is up to switch the notch off. Do not leave it on out of habit — a notch parked in the middle of the passband quietly eats part of every signal you listen to afterwards.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Work a DX station that is running split on an FT-891

Split means listening on VFO-A and transmitting on VFO-B. The FT-891 gives you a fast way to do the common case and a manual way to do the rest.

Have these to hand before you start

  • Where the DX station is transmitting — the frequency you can hear.
  • Where it is listening. Usually announced as "up 5" or "listening 5 to 10 up".
  1. Tune VFO-A to the station you can hear.dial → the DX station's frequencyThe screen should show: The DX frequency.
  2. Hold the A/B key for a second to copy that frequency into VFO-B as well.hold A/BThe screen should show: Both VFOs on the same frequency.Now VFO-B is a known starting point. Without this step VFO-B is wherever it was last left, which could be another band entirely.
  3. For the usual "up 5", tap F to FUNCTION-1, rotate to SPL, and press and hold MULTI.F›▲▼ FUNCTION-1›dial → SPL›hold MULTIThe screen should show: Split turns on with a one-touch offset applied to VFO-B.Holding rather than tapping applies a one-touch offset relative to VFO-B. How far it jumps is set in Menu 05-13 QUICK SPL FREQ — anywhere from 20 kHz down to 20 kHz up, and it leaves the factory on 5 kHz.
  4. For anything other than the quick offset: turn SPL on with a plain press instead, then press A/B, tune VFO-B to where the station is listening, and press A/B again to come back.F›dial → SPL›MULTI›A/B›dial → the listening frequency›A/BThe screen should show: The split indicator, with VFO-B on your transmit frequency.Watch out. Press A/B once and you have swapped which VFO you are hearing. It is very easy to tune what you think is the transmit VFO while actually dragging your receive frequency off the DX station. Check you are back on VFO-A before you call.
  5. To check where you are about to transmit, hold TXW on the FUNCTION-2 screen.hold TXWThe screen should show: You hear the transmit frequency for as long as you hold it.This is how you find out whether the frequency you picked is empty or already has somebody else calling on it.

Set the quick offset in Menu 05-13 to whatever the pileups you chase actually use, and most of the time split becomes one long press. Turn split off the same way you turned it on, with a plain press of MULTI on SPL.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Save a frequency to a memory channel on an FT-891

Simpler than the handhelds — there is no second save to forget. The radio takes everything from VFO-A in one go.

  1. In VFO mode, set the frequency, the mode and anything else you want remembered.dial → the frequency you wantThe screen should show: Your frequency.Whatever is set now is what gets stored, so get the mode right before you write it, not after.
  2. Press the V▶M key to bring up the MEMORY CHANNEL list, then rotate MULTI to the channel you want.V▶M›dial → an empty channelThe screen should show: The memory channel list.
  3. Press V▶M again to store it.V▶MThe screen should show: The channel now shows your frequency.

Press V/M to switch between the VFO and your memories. Tuning the dial while on a memory channel does not damage it — the display changes to MT for Memory Tune, and pressing V/M puts the original channel back.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Run the antenna tuner on an FT-891

Worth saying plainly, because it is the first thing people go looking for and it is not there: the FT-891 has no internal antenna tuner. There is no TUNE button to press. What the radio has is the ability to drive a tuner you add.

  1. Hold F for a second, rotate to Menu 16-15 TUNER SELECT, and tell the radio what is connected.TUNER SELECT›dial → EXTERNAL or ATAS›MULTI›FThe screen should show: 16-15 TUNER SELECT, then OFF, EXTERNAL, ATAS or LAMP.EXTERNAL is for an automatic tuner on the tuner control jack, such as Yaesu's FC-40 or FC-50. ATAS is for the ATAS-120A motorised antenna. It leaves the factory on OFF.
  2. Then tap F to FUNCTION-1, rotate MULTI to TNR, and press MULTI to switch the tuner in.F›▲▼ FUNCTION-1›dial → TNR›MULTIThe screen should show: The tuner indicator.Watch out. Both halves are needed. Menu 16-15 says what is out there; TNR on FUNCTION-1 turns it on. Setting one without the other is the usual reason a newly fitted FC-40 appears to do nothing.

A tuner does not make a bad antenna into a good one — it makes the radio comfortable feeding it, which is not the same thing. If your SWR is high because the antenna is the wrong length, a tuner hides that from the radio and the signal is still going nowhere. Fix the antenna first, then add a tuner for the edges of the band.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Set the CW keyer speed and weight on an FT-891

Speed sits on its own screen with the rest of the CW controls. Weight — the feel of the dits against the dahs — is buried in the numbered menu instead.

  1. Tap F until the CW SETTING screen appears, rotate MULTI to SPEED, and press MULTI.F›▲▼ CW SETTING›dial → SPEED›MULTIThe screen should show: The speed adjustment.
  2. Rotate MULTI to set the sending speed, anywhere from 4 to 60 words per minute, then press MULTI.dial → 4 - 60 wpm›MULTIThe screen should show: Your speed in wpm.Send at the speed you can comfortably receive, not the speed you wish you could. Answering at 25 when you copy at 12 is how a QSO stops.
  3. Menu 04-01 KEYER TYPE picks how the keyer behaves: OFF, BUG, ELEKEY-A, ELEKEY-B, ELEKEY-Y or ACS.KEYER TYPE›dial → ELEKEY-B›MULTIThe screen should show: 04-01 KEYER TYPE, then your choice.ELEKEY-B is the factory setting and what most paddles expect. OFF is what you want if you are using a straight key into the same jack.
  4. Menu 04-03 CW WEIGHT sets the ratio of dah length to dit length, from 2.5 to 4.5.CW WEIGHT›dial → 2.5 - 4.5›MULTI›FThe screen should show: 04-03 CW WEIGHT, then a number.3.0 is the textbook ratio and the factory default. Nudging it up a little makes your sending sound heavier and, to a lot of ears, easier to copy through noise.

The KEYER item on the CW SETTING screen switches the built-in keyer on and off without disturbing any of this, which is the quick way to hand the jack over to a straight key and back.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

Reset the menu to factory settings on an FT-891

Three different resets behind one menu item, and they cost you very different things. Read which is which before you pick, because there is no undo.

  1. Hold F for a second to open Menu mode, rotate MULTI to 17-01 RESET, and press MULTI.hold F›RESET›MULTIThe screen should show: 17-01 RESET.
  2. For the one you almost certainly want: rotate to FUNC, then press and hold MULTI.dial → FUNC›hold MULTIThe screen should show: The radio resets and restarts itself.FUNC puts the menu settings and the A/B/C key assignments back to factory and LEAVES YOUR MEMORIES ALONE. This is the right choice when something is misconfigured and you cannot find what.
  3. DATA does the opposite — it clears the stored memory channels and leaves your menu settings as they are.dial → DATA›hold MULTIThe screen should show: The radio resets and restarts itself.Watch out. On the US version this cannot erase channel 01, or channels 501 through 510.
  4. ALL restores every setting to factory and clears every memory.dial → ALL›hold MULTIThe screen should show: The radio resets and restarts itself.Watch out. This is the destructive one. Everything goes — memories, menu settings, key assignments. Try FUNC first; it fixes most of what sends people looking for a reset, and it costs you nothing.

Note that it is a press and hold on the MULTI knob that actually pulls the trigger, not a tap. A tap just selects the value, so you can back out with the F key right up until you hold it down.

Taken from the manufacturer's own manual for this model.

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