Just put in an ATAS-120A with an 891. Grounded the heck out of it to the chassis and very impressed by performance so far. Profile of the physical antenna is bigger than I thought, but not as bad as some beasts that one has to be stationary and "erect" off the back bumper or vehicle rooftop, so again...a little bigger than a hamstick, but performance and versatility are quite amazing. Let's see how it's going to handle a Wisconsin Winter when that time comes... Probably have to be very mindful of what snow and ice could do to this thing and maybe remove it in the extreme months. If its trying to move and it's frozen, I could see that not going particularly well.
Diamond makes a screwdriver antenna that seems to be more robust, but it’s fatter and requires a separate control system to move it up and down. It does cover the 80m band too.
It is a safe way to go from one extreme to the other, but the FT-891 automatically lowers power output to 10W or less while tuning the ATAS-120A. Let’s see how many people read comments. I’ve had several people ask. If they read the comments, they might find the answer. 73, Doug
Your question on if the ATAS lowered the power to tune the antenna is a good one. I do not use the ATAs antenna; instead, I use the Little Tarheel 2. To tune it, you use the controller puts the radio in CW and low power to tune. I would think the ATAS did the same because these antennas could arch as the coil moves at high power. When you hit the TNR button does it not show the transmitt power? Thank you for the video.
I already shot a video about it. The Patreon team is viewing it now. It will be posted in February or maybe March. Yaesu did it right. The meter switches to SWR while tuning, no matter what you might have it set to for TX.
@@n4hnhradio i like that. I definitely have to get this antenna now. At the moment I have to keep changing my power level when I use my auto tuner. I personally wouldn’t use the 316 coax just because it’s more of an attenuator.
I’m using 6 feet off RG-316. It fits nicely and doesn’t get pinched when I close the hood. It’s not hurting my signal either. It’s only 6 feet long. I work DX from my truck regularly. During a 45-minute drive recently, I worked a station in Ukraine and another in Bulgaria, back to back. Yes, a ham operator was active from Ukraine. I use RG-316 with my QRP CW rig. I’ve worked Germany and Spain from North Georgia with 5W. You can see that setup in my SOTA playlist. For short runs, the RG-316 is not a problem. If you saw the comparisons between my ATAS-120A and my ham sticks, the ham sticks were connected with 18 feet of RG8X. The ham sticks are 7 feet tall and mounted top center of the truck. I thought there was no way that the ATAS-120A, mounted on the left front fender, would compete with the 7 ft. ham sticks atop the truck. Well, I guess you saw what happened in video number 4. But hey! If you can fit RG8X, go for it.
@@n4hnhradio Ukraine. Wow that's awesome. I have not used ham sticks. But I did recently get the buddistick pro. I wish I had just gotten the ATAS 120A . The buddistick does work well but sometimes I really just don't want to tune the antenna. Not that it's hard but it is time consuming. The 120A is a better option for portable HF setups. I am a member of ARES and I like the idea of being able to actively tune my antenna quickly on the fly. Thanks for the videos.
A couple of my Patreon members do POTA activations from their truck, using a Yaesu FT-891 into a ATAS-120A. I have posted the HAMRS coverage map of a couple of those activations in videos. It’s amazing. One of them, at a park in South Dakota, worked stations all over the U.S., Europe, and even near the North Pole, all during one activation.
It might. I haven't put a wattmeter on it. It should be 5 to 10W, but not all Yaesu radios do that with external tuners. With their internal tuner they will. The FTdx10 does. I would think the ATAS counts as an "internal" tuner. I just didn't take a chance with mine and I lowered it to 10W. Some autotuners require 20W to provide a more accurate tune cycle. I am sure the FT-891 can do it with 10W.
Hi Doug!! I'm curious if you have reached out to your contacts at Yaesu regarding the potential dangers to your finals you mention in this video? I would like to think that Yaesu would have addressed this potential in the R&D stages...or at least one would hope....what are your thoughts?? @N4HNH
hi yah working the world wit the a tas120a on sota from a wery hy point and about 18 radials mounted 380 degrees with tent hooks on the ends and ground stake 4 the antenna raizing it about 40cm of ground and a good coax not rg58 or rg 174
I would possibly do that of it was a drive-up summit. I know the ATAS-120A is capable. But for hiking, I prefer to carry a 7 ounce QRP radio and portable EFHW.
No. I guess I should have mentioned that in the video. So many have asked. The FC-50 is left over from my ham sticks. Check the video description for more details.
I like the footprint of the ATAS antenna and am wondering if it's worth the money....I own a SGC 9' HF whip which requires a tuner approximately 18" or closer to the antenna to connect to it....but it's a big antenna to have on your vehicle...
I have had this radio and antenna setup in three different vehicles. First one was on the trunk lip of a Saturn Ion, then the back hatch Ford Escape (the box shaped one from the 2010s, and a 02 Chevy Trailblazer hood mounted. Great performance. Talked all over the USA EU Italy and South America all from Wisconsin. Its a great antenna but if the grounding on your car isnt great then swr will be high and it wont be able to autotune. Make sure to run a braid of wire from the antenna to the frame or main body of your vehicle.
I received my Atas-120a yesterday and staged it in my shack on my DX10. The Atas indicator is on, tune starts but the antenna doesn’t hunt. No movement, no motor sound. Like there’s no power.
Were you trying to use the TNR button, or the Function menu arrows, like I showed in Part 1? The antenna has to be mounted to the vehicle with a good bond to the vehicle frame (aka ground), for counterpoise, in order to use the autotune (TNR) button. If you are using with the radial kit, for portable ops, the radial kit serves as the counterpoise.
Those brackets come with the FC-50. I no longer use the FC-50, but, in case something happens to the ATAS-120A, and I revert back to using ham sticks, I will have the FC-50 available to touch up the band edges.
I’m pleased with this one thus far. It’s directional, because it isn’t mounted top center of the truck. But if I mount it top center, it won’t survive the low hanging trees around here. It’s rivaling the ham stick prrformance toward the right side and beating it toward the rear.
Yes, just use the TNR button and let the FT-891 manage the tuning. That is what part five shows. The FT-891 lowers the TX power to protect itself, while it adjusts the antenna. There is no need to use the noise receive method. Just press the TNR and let the ATAS-120A adjust itself.
Got it thanks for the reply, I found on 40m my speedometer moves when I talk. I guess I have to work on coax routing and possibly grounding. Thanks again 73! @@n4hnhradio
Are you sure your receiver mutes when you use the Up/Down arrows in the menu? Not the Up/Down arrows on the mic. Those only adjust the ATAS-120A while you transmit. I’m referring to the Up/Down arrows in the Function menu, as shown in this video. I have two FT-891 transceivers and they both receive while I adjust with the Up/Down arrows in the Function menu.
I haven’t tried it on 2m or 70cm. I use the Diamond NR770 for 2m/70cm. I prefer a separate 2m/70cm radio and antenna. But, if you have something like a Yaesu FT-857D, you can use a duplexer and have an all-in-one setup. I like to be able to monitor VHF/UHF while working HF, so I prefer two separate radios. I have read reports that it works fine for 2m/70cm, but I can’t confirm that. There is a radial kit that allows you to use it as a base station antenna for 2m/70cm. Many of the complaints you read about the ATAS-120A are related to counterpoise, which is often referred to as grounding. Counterpoise is a more proper term. When you purchase a HF mobile antenna, you are only buying the radiator portion of the antenna. Your vehicle must act as the counterpoise. So good bonding to the vehicle is a necessity.
Thanks for the input. I have not found anything comparing the performance, or working 2 meters. I don’t want 3 Antennas on my vehicle. I will use it on 2 meters most of the time, but HF would be a nice option.
I think the FT-991 only allows the microphone up and down buttons to move up and down, but you must hold the PTT while pressing the up or down buttons. I don’t think it has a Function menu option like the FT-891.
@N4HNH Radio Yeah I haven't found that option on the menus. However, sometimes when you press the tune button, the light flashes for a while before the transmitter comes on. I wonder if knows the band has changed and it's moving the antenna up or down accordingly before tuning. Can't tell, because it's outside the trailer out of view.
Scott answered you. Yaesu also sells a radial kit made for the ATAS-120A. The ATAS-120A is only half the antenna. We have to supply the other half, with our vehicle or a radial kit.
