so ive had my FT-857D for probably 6 years now and never really touched it beyond the basics. did the TX mod a while back to open up the transmit range which was pretty straightforward but thats about it. lately ive been reading about the Collins filter mod and also swapping out the stock DSP with better filtering and i'm wondering if anyone has actually done this and noticed a real difference on crowded bands.

my main use is HF portable ops and occasional SSB contests so noise floor and adjacent channel rejection matters a lot to me. the stock filter setup has always bothered me a little bit, especially when things get busy around 14.225 and the broadcast splatter is coming in. i know the 857 isnt exactly a high end rig but i feel like theres more in it than yaesu gave us stock.

also considering adding the TCXO-9 if i can find one used, i know some people say it doesnt matter much but for digital modes and working weak signal stuff it seems like it would help. anyway curious what mods people have actually done and whether the juice is worth the squeeze on a rig this old at this point

the TCXO is absolutely worth it if you do any FT8 or JS8 work, without it i was drifting enough to cause decoding issues in cold temps specifically. picked one up secondhand for like 35 bucks and the install took maybe 20 minutes if you're comfortable with small connectors. big difference for weak signal digital stuff.

as for the Collins filter, i did that mod on my 897D which is basically the same guts and yeah it tightens things up noticeably on SSB. its not going to make it into an IC-7300 but if you're already invested in the platform it makes sense. the interference rejection gets meaningfully better in the 2-3 kHz range, you'll stop hearing as much of your neighbor's QRM bleeding in. just take your time on the alignment afterwards.

only thing i'd say is if you're thinking about upgrading rigs in the next year anyway, maybe skip it. but if you're keeping the 857 for portable work long term, do both mods. that rig is genuinely underrated for backpack ops once you get it sorted.

cant speak to the collins filter thing but i did the extended TX on mine years ago and honestly rarely use it lol. the TCXO though yeah i agree with whoever mentioned it. i do a lot of WSPR and before the TCXO my spots were weird and inconsistent.

one thing nobody really talks about is the display brightness mod, theres a resistor you can change that makes the display way more readable in daylight without killing the backlight completely. its a tiny thing but if you do any outdoor operating you'll appreciate it. i found the procedure on some old mods page, dont remember where exactly but it's out there.