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Reviews For: Yaesu ATAS-120

Category: Antennas: HF Mobile & Accessories

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Review Summary For : Yaesu ATAS-120
Reviews: 97MSRP: 325
Description:
Motorized Mobile Screwdriver Antenna 40m-70cm. Updated version of ATAS-100. Band change control with Yaesu radios FT-100, FT-897, & FT-847.
Product is in production
More Info: http://www.yaesu.com/
# last 180 days Avg. Rating last 180 days Total reviews Avg. overall rating
00973.6
AB2M Rating: 2005-09-29
Extremely impressed! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I was not expecting anything like the convenience and performance I have gotten from this antenna. I have worked almost every continent in just a few short weeks of ownership on a combination of 17/20/40M SSB - when mated with the ATAS-compatible Yaesu rigs, it can't be beat. Retune while driving? Sure. Don't even need to move your eyes from the road. The *only* thing I wish this antenna has was 80 meters - but for the convenience of auto-tuning and the performance, I'm happy to do without it while on the go. DX stations I work can't believe im in a mobile. What else can you ask for?
N6PSE Rating: 2005-08-03
Very good when mated to the FT857D Time Owned: more than 12 months.
After having a lousy experience with the ATAS 100 with the Yaesu FT100 in the mobile, I was very reluctant to try the ATAS120, however the reviews on eham.net convinced me to give it a try. A year ago, I bought a new Ford F250 and I wanted a screw driver antenna, yet not anything too large. I installed the Yaesu Ft857D in the cab and the ATAS 120 is installed on the lip of the bed just behind the cab of the truck. The ATAS 120 is easy to install and works very well with the FT857D. Infrequently the ATAS120 will loose its memory of where it was, but a reset is quite easy and can be done from the FT857D. I regulalry work Asia and South America on my evening commutes down Hwy101 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The ATAS120 and the FT857D are a great combination and I highly recommend them.

Paul N6PSE
MM3XDS Rating: 2005-08-03
Good but overpriced Time Owned: 6 to 12 months.
I had this antenna for just over 6 months,and when used it worked fine,but the antenna is heavy,and expensive to lose if stolen,so requires it be bolted and unbolted between uses.
It is also very heavy on small cars,and ended up bending my tailgate on my hatchback due to the weight.
The price in the UK is £269 but i have came across new Units for £160 here in the UK so best shop around.
Also the unit i had was quite noisy in use,i decided to sell after looking at some reviews on eham,befor it packed in working due to the elements getting to it,especially up her in Bonny Scotland

Donald Suttie
MM3XDS / 2M0XDS
http://www.rockwellcm.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/
KB8QAP Rating: 2005-07-18
DXing with the ATAS Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.

I would like to thank all of you who was kind
enough to post a review about this antenna. I read
each one very carefully before I made my decision
to buy my own ATAS 120. I really liked the idea of
mating this antenna with my FT-857D, so after reading all of the pros and cons, I decided to get it. I ordered the atas with a Comet RS-730 lip mount and some good quality coax. When the antenna arrived, I was really amazed at its overall size and appearance. I read the instructions carefully, and decided to mount the ATAS to the passenger side door of my 99' chevy blazer for testing. After mounting the comet rs-730 wich took about 5 minutes, I was hooked up and ready to go on the air! I instructed my FT-857D to intialize the ATAS and I pressed TUNE. The antenna came to life! A gentle whirring of the motor and the atas was now extending into position. Testing went great! I made several DX contacts from my driveway here in Michigan on 20 and also 40 meters. After testing,I moved the ATAS 120 to its permanent home wich is on the side of the blazers luggage rack. I built a small mounting lip for the comet 730 to grab onto wich bolts directly to the roof of the blazer using the luggage rack screws from the luggage rack itself. Very strudy and looks nice! Tunes very well from this location and now having fun filling up my log book with HF mobile contacts! So far,I have worked England, Bulgaria, Finland, Russia, Croatia, and many more EU stations. Mostly on 20 meters, but others bands good also. Yes, this antenna preforms and does it well! As far as water problems, Thankfully.. I have not experienced this. Yaesu does supply a rubber gasket cap that is intended to cover the set-screws of the radiating element. This would be a potential entry point for water, So make sure when you install this cap that it sets firmly to the base to lesson the chance of water entry. If your worried about it, do like I have done and only mount the antenna when you plan to operate. It takes only 30 seconds to unscrew from the mount. hope this helps with your decisions, I really like mine alot, and it is a perfect companion to the Yaesu FT-857D. No regrets here.


73! kb8qap Michgan
VO1UF Rating: 2005-07-13
JUNK Time Owned: more than 12 months.
This is my second review of this antenna and all I can say now is that it is JUNK. After a year and a half of great operation the antenna just packed it in. When I removed it from my truck I found water leaking from the antenna. After three weeks inside it still had water leaking from the bottom. YAESU has been no help as of yet,I will let you know if I get any help. KEEP THIS ANTENNA OUT OF THE RAIN. Other wise it has been a great antenna.

----------------------
Earlier 5-star review posted by VO1UF on 2004-02-25

Installed the 120 on my pickup.Had a friend make a bracket that goes under the cap and bolts to the rail,then comes up the side of the cap to bring the antenna above the cap and cab. So far getting great reports from all over. Thinking about getting a 2 to use as a base antenna. I am using it with yaesu 857.
KW4J Rating: 2005-07-07
Great antenna for mobile applications Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I use the Yaesu ATAS-120 with a FT-857 in my 2004 Fort F-150 pickup and really love it! This combo allows me to cover the entire amateur band and keep the parts count to a minimum. I recommend it to everyone - General Class and above. The key to good use with the antenna is a strong RF ground. Otherwise VSWR and reception will suffer. Be patient with initial tuning too. As with all mobile installations, there are some trade-offs in functionality when compared to base stations.
LA9AKA Rating: 2005-07-07
Great Antenna! Time Owned: more than 12 months.
Had mine for about a year now. Works great on all bands from 40m to 70cm. Have had many DX contats on all the HF bands, and also 6m. Just love the antenna, good grounding is a must thoug. I do recomend the original Yaesu trunk mount (RSM-6T), it is very stable and provides good grounding. The radio I use is a Yaesu FT857D.
DB1ULI Rating: 2005-06-28
BIG surprise Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I bought the ATAS-120 to get instantly on air during trips with my VW Van to do some EU-QSO's. But with 100 Watts, the FT-897 tranceiver and the ATAS set with a magnetic mount on my car I worked: JA, PY, TF and other DX (20m&17m).It was most impressive what's possible with this small antenna!
The FT-897/ATAS-120 combination works as advertised even on 17m which is not guranteed in the manual. Tuning is fast and VERY easy.
It is a winner so far.

73 de DB1ULI
KC9ANQ Rating: 2005-06-16
RAIN RAIN GO AWAY Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have owned the ATAS 120 for about 2 months and after less than 1 month the antenna stopped tuning during a rainy day. I took a can of compressed air and was able to dry it out. After it was dried it tuned fine. Next rain, same thing, stopped tuning! Dried it out again and started thinking, this thing is going to corrode. NEXT DAY, (yes it rains quite a bit in the midwest at times) it stopped tuning AGAIN.

BUMMER

If you see a cloud in the sky,,,,,,,,,, TAKE COVER!!!!!!!THEN TAKE THE ANTENNA OFF AND WRAP IT IN A BLANKET AND PLASTIC BAG THEN CODDLE IT TILL THE RAIN STOPS. WIPE THE CAR DRY AND THE ANTENNA MOUNT AND WAIT FOR A FEW HOURS TILL THE ROAD DRIES AND YOU WILL BE JUST FINE =)

Its a mobile antenna, you can't expect it to handle the outdoors can you? INDEED.
PE1RLN Rating: 2005-05-31
Best choice for both mobile AND portable Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
The antenna isn't great because it is only a few feet long. It is great for what it is meant for.

I used the antenna for a few days now and I am very satisfied. I didn't try it mobile but I am sure it will work out just fine there. I mounted the antenna on a tripod with a copper tube into the ground, connected to the base of the antenna.
I instantly worked stations >1000 km away, so you can call that far enough for a short antenna.

But, a wire of a certain length will work, never mind what it costs. So what is the advantage?

When portable you setup the antenna a few meters away from your rig so you won't have too much interference. When you change bands or frequency, you have to adjust the antenna. I used the MP-1 antenna and it is easy to adjust, but lazy in the chair it is a pain in the ass to get up and try to get it right.

Just press TUNE and sit back and relax. Cool. Expensive. Still very cool.

I recommend this antenna to those who know how to use it and what to expect. If you expect miracles, visit Disneyland.