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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
M0BOB Rating: 2004-05-23
Very good but..... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I have just bought the Yaesu FT857 and the ATAS 120 antenna and installed them in my car. It tunes on HF, 6m and 70cm without problem. I have set the menu correctly. It dislays an high SWR on 2m (145.500 FM)I am puzzled why it won't tune on 2m and wondering if anyone can help please ?
Thanks. Bob. M0BOB.
W0MU Rating: 2004-04-20
Not a bad mobile antenna Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
I swapped out the stock whip with a 62 inch whip. Works much better than I ever expected.

Works well on 17m when the manual says it was not designed for the warc bands.

Tuning is slow at first when first initializing. I have worked into Europe and the middle east from Colorado mobile. Can't be all bad.
OZ1UPS Rating: 2004-04-13
Good, but.... Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Hey! Let me say I'm the lucky owner of an ATAS120 but unfortunately it doesn't impress me on 40m. Lots of static noice on week stations and only on 40m. But 20m works pretty good. Got a QSO from Denmark to Australia on USB!! Also Kuwait and Lebanon has ben worked on 17m and 10m.
Don't know anything yet about how it works on 2m and 70cm, but it is hard to tune on 6m, and it's a bad thing that it can't go 80m
All in all I'm happy with it, but it could do better ;-)
W3FHW Rating: 2004-04-12
works gerat for me. Time Owned: more than 12 months.
I have the ATAS-100 antenna, which is the predecessor of the ATAS-120. My antenna works great. I can only hope the ATAS-120 works as well.

Tuning is no problem and if the auto-tune feature does not get the VSWR down low enough, one can manually tune the antenna by keying the mike and pressing either the up or down buttons on the control head. (Not the up or down buttons on the mike). This adjustment can lower the VSWR to the minimum possible. The LED bars on the control head correspond to the following VSWR figures: One led equals 1.5, two leds equal 1.7, three leds equal 1.9, 4 leds equal 2.1, 5 leds equal 2.4, 6 leds equal 2.6, 7 leds equal 2.8 and 8 leds equal 3.0.

I've used my antenna with a FT-100D Yaesu since november 2002 and have had no problems.

LOL Fred, W3FHW
AB8EO Rating: 2004-04-12
Get A Hamstick Instead Time Owned: 3 to 6 months.
Subjective: Terrible antenna.

Objective: With the antenna tuned as well as the 857 can tune it, I attached my fine MFJ antenna analyser and the SWR was 2.2 : 1 . To further verify the results I connected a Cantenna to the antenna mount. SWR 1.1 to 1
Not only does it not preform well it is slow to tune.
Do yourself a favor, buy something that works, not this thing.
OZ1LLY Rating: 2004-02-20
OK Yaesu* * * * * Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Great mobil antenna,I like the antenna and would recommend it.
OZ1LLY
ON7CD Rating: 2004-02-08
nice job Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
reiceive mine last week,still working very fine with my ft857,long life to yaesu company,73's (a good rf grounding is very important to use this antenna in good condition)
G7MNN Rating: 2004-01-07
follow up to previous post Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
at last i have got the atas to tune i have attached it to the high point of the lanai screen, wth 4, 16 ft lengths of copper braid, ist contact today was a 5/9+20 to a G0 in weston-supamare sw uk (im in fl at present) next was into puget sound Washington, oh yes i forgot to say i was using 20w. so its a definate thumbs up for both mobile and base its a superb antenna highly recomend it
g7mnn@aol.com
WB4DX Rating: 2004-01-06
HF mobile at it's best! Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
Only had it for a few days, but my experience has been great. I pondered for months on how to mount a good looking antenna on my 1998 Explorer, well thanks to the Diamond hatchback mount, the worries are over. HF mobile couldn't be easier! This is HF mobiling in the 21st century. Gone are the days when there was several monoband whips broken down rolling around in the back. As Ron Popiel says "Set it and forget it!"
I wrote this review early to respond to the ham that couldn't get his to tune manually. First of all, if you ask a question we need to be able to email you back! There was no email address listed, I even checked with QRZ, so I will leave it here, hopefully you will return to read this message.
When tuning manually you have to press and HOLD the up or down buttons you will see the power meter change to SWR and then you can bump the button up or down to obtain your match.
Hope this helps.
For what it's worth department, I like the antenna so much, I bought 2! Going to try it on my 15' x 30' screened patio soon!
KC5DUC Rating: 2003-11-24
Works very well for mobile HF Time Owned: 0 to 3 months.
In the short time I have owned and operated with the ATAS 120 matched with the FT100D, I have nothing but praise for the equipment. The antenna is mounted to the bedrail of a pick-up truck. My first contact as a new general class using this equipment was with a station located in Japan. I had an 5/9 signal report. Very recently, when trying to tune from 17 meters to 6 meters, the antenna or radio circuit got confused and headed toward 40 meters. I went back to 17 meters, and the antenna found its place, again. All in all, I really like the antenna and would recommend it.