Andy: I have some limited experience with one as it belongs to a friend in Georgia, But , based on what I've seen of it the 817 is comparable to my 857 ( without the 100 watt PA of course).
Battery life doesn't seem to be too bad (but $$$ to replace if necessary).
I wouldn't mind having one , but cannot think of any good reason to justify it at the moment.
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DE: John W9WLS
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