How to Install ATAS-120A Antenna w FT-857 Ham Radio

[@ottobraunschweiger5528]

Thank you for 19 year old son is about to mount an ATAS 120 on to his Nissan truck, so it is good to see that the Comet mount will work. The people at Universal Radio (Ohio) told me that grounding is everything to this antenna, and you re-enforced that. I'd like to see the girl operating more ;)

[@AlanKroeger]

Even though this video is 9 years old it helped me get past the INIT phase, I was perplexed before looking at this video

[@steveleblanc4260]

Ordered an 857D today. Going to use hamsticks with it. Going to do a complete tear out of the mobile station and start over. JUST the FT-857D and FT-8900R. SO excited.

[@HugDeeznueces]

where did you buy it from?

[@sljoseph74]

I have the same setup on my 2008 Toyota Tacoma and you are spot on when it comes to grounding a mobile setup. 20, 15 and 12 meters is a blast when driving home in the afternoon during the summer, lots of European stations report my mobile signal as 57 and up. Enjoy. 73, Scott/K5BGL

[@HugDeeznueces]

Hi, do you have your ATAS 120A mounted on top or along the bed? I have a Tacoma with a SnugTop and I am having difficulty deciding where to mount it. Got a videos of your set up?

[@sljoseph74]

My ATAS-120 is mounted to the left side of the hood. I will be posting photos of my mobile set up on QRZ.com this weekend. Look up K5BGL for photos in a few days.

[@HugDeeznueces]

sljoseph74 Right on! Looking forward to them. Thanks!!

[@sljoseph74]

Robert, I have finally updated my profile on QRZ.com and included some photos of the mobile setup. 73, Scott/K5BGL

[@ThePauperPrepper]

Great video David. So fun to watch a guy get that excitement on a long distance mobile QSO with nice gear that he purchased with his hard earned money! I really enjoyed this. Great job buddy! I have the FT-857d and need to get motivated to spend the money on the ATAS-120. Your video gives another push. 73

[@bobrademaker6842]

Great video, David. I would like to see how you installed the extra grounding. Thanks again.

[@Pieh0]

I covered the metal area's with plastidip paint after I wired it in. Hopefully that will keep any moisture out, guess i'll take a look in the summer.

[@radioman480]

I would have suggested mounting the antenna on the drivers side. This puts it in the middle of the road and there are less obstacles in the middle than there are on the curb side. For instance, when there are trees on the side of the road, sometimes the branches extend over the road.

[@DJBlackhawk]

Agree, but figured diagonally would be the furthest I could safely have HF installed not to mention I installed the VHF/UHF antenna on drivers…

[@bruceforster5993]

I agree with you completely. I mounted my ATAS on the Driver's Side Rear Lift Gate of my Van.

[@samsungw200]

this video and the previous one of the 857 in the VW beetle just convinced me to get some debt on my credit card and get this set up :-)

[@MichaelMarien1]

Thanks! I'm installing on my Jeep Grand Cherokee and was curious about different mounting. See you out there!

[@bruceforster5993]

I JUST bought an FT-891 and an ATA 120 a this past week. IF the ATAS went down to 75 Meters, it would be THE Perfect HF Mobile Antenna!

[@chrisfavre6216]

How do you like it so far?

[@DJBlackhawk]

Thank you everyone so much for watching! Blackgoldestates, I'm sure roof mounting would make this screw driver work amazing, but I'm not sure how well the roof would hold up that weight. Actually I just can't bring my self to drill on such a new truck... ; )

[@osvaldoantoniodiazsolar9632]

Hola David , tengo la ATAS 120A y mi FT- 857D al principio no la quería por que no me funcionaba bien pero le instale una muy buena tierra y me trabaja como los Dioses es espectacular , además potencie el FT-857D en el menú oculto del equipo y e escuchan en todos lados como local .Bien David saludos cordiales desde Iquique Chile ......CE1UGB ....73s

[@HugDeeznueces]

David, thanks for the video hermano. How is the antenna holding up? I have the same radio but I am undecided as to what antenna to use. I've read a lot of mixed reviews about water messing up this unit. How is it doing in Florida weather? Thanks!

[@1mississippi]

love the Raptor in the background!!

[@Rexcat65]

+Kevin Rosciszewski I saw that too, brought back memories of the old Raptor 30 days.

[@se7enseasknowledge983]

nice radio, do not forgrt grounding strap lol......nice job David

[@P25AES]

Great job David hope to hear you on the air, 73's de KK4NEF

[@Bisounours1961]

Hello Thank you for this great video :-) Can you tell me if the FT-818ND is compatible with this antenna model ? 73's ON3PiP

[@Achisachis73]

+David Mercado Hi David, is the ATAS120 still working? I have read so many negative reviews.

[@DJBlackhawk]

Achisachis73, antennas still doing great! Make sure the reviews are about the 120A and not the 100 or non A version. Also depending on your location and climate antenna life may vary. I'm in Clearwater Florida so maybe the weather is in my favor or this Salty seawater air may be a ticking time bomb. Only time will tell!

[@Achisachis73]

***** thank you David, I got mine with a new FT857d and it is working fine

[@jgwimmer]

I have a question. How does the ground portion of the antenna ground to the mount, and why did you choose a Comet mount over a Diamond K400 mount? Just curious. I have an ATAS-100 I'm going to mount on my Expedition and would love to see your grounding points, and a close up of the base of the antenna and the mount. Great video, and glad to hear you're getting out! 73 Jeff W5JGW

[@DJBlackhawk]

Man sorry I was deployed when you sent this, hope you got it figured out by now. Comet was cheaper and I liked the way the coax was thin towards the mount to fit thru the weather gasket as to not make a huge hole. The mount when tightened to the frame of cargo door is the ground connection. After you strip away some paint where the allen screws contact the metal you are all set.

[@mdnghtrdrr]

So just to further clarify, you did not bond or ground anything and the only part that is grounded is the mount itself to the hatch? Thanks!

[@ki4ttl]

+David Mercado.. I just purchased the Atas 120a Thursday to go on my big rig. how is yours still holding up?.. KI4TTL

[@jayalan76]

Mr Marcus I'm also considering this antenna for my big rig. if you get it before I do please let me know how it holds up especially in winter weather situations

[@ki4ttl]

jason fostier I have it on my big rig and it's working great, tunes great. I have to do a little bonding to. remove a small about of noise on hf. other than that, I did awesome with it during the CQ DX contest. got my antenna in August and installed in on my rig. check out the pics on my QRZ page under KI4TTL or my new call KA4YMC.

[@jayalan76]

Mr Marcus myself and other hams see no photos on your QRZ. please send them to me at [e-mail] or contact me on my facebook.com/n1nht.

[@darthorpheus]

I had one on my Freightliner. The rubber top boot came loose. I think a clown in the truck wash hit it with the high pressure hose. I notice it came undone a few hundred miles away in the rain. I stopped and resealed it with Gorilla glue. I wanted 80 meters, so I bought a Little Tarheel II. I should have gotten that first. I used the dual bolt mirror mounts. Had to have a custom hole drilled at yard for the ATAS120a. The LTII screws into a regular cb mount.

[@DJBlackhawk]

Still going strong only the mount has been swapped out so far because of an accidental bump on my part.

[@slickjimmy76]

I laughed when I saw this. I have a raptor 30 and a 2000 Nissan Xterra. I don't do HF mobile but 2m 440 antenna is mag mount as my xyl likes to trim trees lol. Ran my coax through the right rear pass door seal also

[@billoftt1]

Nice video. I have a 2014 Xterra and I am contemplating the 857D in the distant future. Just out of curiosity, how does that antenna hold up in off-road conditions? I hit a lot of branches where I drive and the ATAS looks somewhat fragile. I was just wondering how they hold up.

[@DJBlackhawk]

William Ahlers it's a tuff little antenna, handles camping trails pretty good so far. Other than that I haven't driven any excessively off road conditions.

[@TheShawna1]

Hi David i just got one of the from a SK. no instructions or box it's the 120 no letter version.I set menu 85 to HF&50mhz i see ATAS on the display. i push tune it keys and nothing happens i wait about 15 seconds no up or down i got nervous so i shut down the radio. I see your wife/girl friend operating the tune do you have to hold the tune button while it's keyed for movement/tuning to occur?also are there any control leads for the motor or does it get its signal" motor voltage" through the coax"?jim

[@TheShawna1]

Just got done installing mine on my 2001 Xterra. I got it with the same mount but decided to mount it to my drivers side, just under the rear side window with a mirror style mount I had made up to fit where my Ball/ham stick mount was.I used the Comet coax like yours though .oh and I would remove your mount and put Neversieze there it will never rust with that stuf there.73'jimKB1PFL

[@javierpolendok5mhc]

GREAT VIDEO AND I RECOMMENT THAT YOU CHANGE THE PLACEMENT OF THE ANTENNA TO THE LEFT OF THE HATCHBACK

[@HugDeeznueces]

David, how is the set up doing bro?

[@DJBlackhawk]

Still going strong Rob! Thanks for asking!

[@russlaraway]

Hi David and other folks! Quick, probably silly question. Does the ATAS 120 receive electrical power from the coaxial cable? Prepping for an installation and want to make sure I don't need to run another power cable somewhere.

[@DJBlackhawk]

Not a silly question, I wondered the same thing when I first looked into mine. Yes, the ATAS 120 receives power from compatible Yaesu radios like the FT-100, FT-847, FT-897 and FT-897D. There are also aftermarket controllers that allow you to control the ATAS 120 for other non compatible radios.

[@russlaraway]

David Mercado I have 857D, and I'd say about half the bands are ATAS vs atas. I don't think I've seen the thing move at all though.... it initialized and says some bands are tuned... not 100% sure we've got a fully functioning HF radio.

[@cookieuk1278]

and the FT-991 works with the ATAS too. Yaesu and many ham retailers have not updated this info but it may interest some.

[@sutzouki]

Hello David, which one is the kenwood at the end of your video??

[@DJBlackhawk]

The Kenwood is a dual band VHF/UHF full duplex TH-D710A controlling an HF station in Puerto Rico. See my other video where we cover this with the owner KP4WK.

[@sutzouki]

@@DJBlackhawk Thanks de SV5SKH!

[@Runtothemusic]

David, how is the setup going? Radio good? ATAS 120A good? You ever use it on 2m or 440m? Thanks for the video.

[@DJBlackhawk]

Sorry for the late response I was deployed when you wrote this. Setup still going strong! Yes, I have since added the duplexer and its working great on HF, 2M and 440M as long as you don't mind waiting a little bit to tune between bands.

[@wild-radio7373]

What do you suggest for 6, 2 and 70? Your description box says it wont tune lower than 40? Be well♡♡♡

[@bruceforster5993]

40 IS the lowest it goes-it was designed that way, which I don't understand because a company as well established as Yaesu you would THINK could have designed the ATAS to work down to 75 Meters as well. I DO love it so much on the Bands it DOES cover that I would fork over another Benjamin to have had 80 Meters. Regarding the 857, it is MY understanding the ATAS WILL work from 70 CM down to 40 Meters. I paired MY ATAS with an 891, and the pair performs VERY well for me thus far.

[@MrZcrman]

dumb question but can you drive and still use your ham radio? even when its extended ?

[@DJBlackhawk]

Zack Rosser yes

[@DJBlackhawk]

Zack Rosser yes

[@sv4rin]

Greetings. What are the differences between 120 and 120A ?

[@cappaculla]

120A has more weather resistance, functionally no different

[@k4eqedarklorddesigns480]

I gotta have you make a video for me when i install my Little Tarheel HP...when i get it! lol Great video...talk to you soon. K4EQE 73

[@cometjockeydave4041]

I had my ATAS 120 for an hour, and it promptly got stuck in the fully extended position, and I was not happy with how small the whop was. The next Saturday morning I returned it for a set of ham sticks, at $20.00 a band.

[@radioactive7938]

Should have got the ATAS 120 "A"

[@DJBlackhawk]

Sorry to hear about your experience, must have been a bad antenna one out of a million. I have seen some people not patient with the antenna and stop it during its auto tune in which the fix is to go into the menu, de-select ATAS exit menu, then enter menu and select ATAS again and wait till it completes its first long auto calibration. If you don't care about the look or extra holes, mounts and being ham sexy then heck enjoy those ham sticks! I don't mind having a small whip not trying to impress anyone... LOL

[@andrewmason8315]

How long is the whip that comes with the atas 120a?

[@wild-radio7373]

It has a motor and gets longer/shorter automatically ♡♡♡

[@jroc151]

Great video +David Mercado I'm looking to run a similar setup on my suburban, thanks for sharing and 73 de kk6ydc

[@Sky1]

my setup with an old ATAS-100 Yaesu Ft-857d Hemi mobile, Who say Ham Radio needs to be geeky?

[@jgwimmer]

Great antenna on a gorgeous car! Good show!! 73 Jeff W5JGW

[@charlessmith1873]

Great job David! From Charles KN4GFG

[@midnightcaller200]

I disagree with you I went back east to Dayton and worked all over the place. My ATAS 120 is on my trunk lid and it worked just fine KA7RRA

[@ismaelcruz7295]

Buen día David saludos desde CD México de XE1JC . Oye podrías hacer un vídeo parecido pero en español . Felicidades por tu equipo súper 73.

[@deconn1948]

Very nice Ng9p

[@nr3rful]

Its a great antenna...

[@VK4LA]

Very Nice antenna .....

[@cappaculla]

I would never take drive thrus into consideration when deciding on antenna placement, America I guess .... :)

[@DJBlackhawk]

I agree we have our priorities out of whack... haha..

[@cappaculla]

@@DJBlackhawk Not so much that, completely respect drive thru use, just don't have many where I live :)

[@MoTown44240]

In your intro you say "I do not recommend this antenna if you are perusing volunteer work ". Do you mean pursuing, that is seeking, rather perusing, which is to read?

[@ramjet4025]

pity you did not state where you are. 2,200 miles from where? Video fails to show anything about the Atlas-120a

[@DJBlackhawk]

Hi Ram Jet thanks for the comment. Are you new to ham radio? Most licensed hams operators would just look up my call sign and know where I am. Although, I did mention my location Clearwater, FL in the very beginning of my video like I do on almost all of my videos.

[@Sky1]

Drivers side would be better, you will see why later.

[@DJBlackhawk]

Please explain? It's been over a year and so far no accidents. Compared to if it was on the drivers side going thru a drive thru would for sure result in a destroyed antenna via my wife! Lol

[@Sky1]

Most trees, shubs etc are usually on the right side of the vehicle. If the antenna hits any of these serious damage can occur to the antenna or the vehicle. Also, on the passenger side it can be a temptation for theft and damage when parallel parked. This is why I always put my largest antenna on the drivers side. Your situation may differ I suppose. I can't speak for drive throughs, my antenna is not as high as yours so would never hit a canopy. Just saying the rule of thumb.

[@Sky1]

By the way, nice install, not many mount the radio up high. It is much better for keeping your eyes on the road while operating. :-)

[@DJBlackhawk]

Ah I hear ya, man that's funny I haven't parallel parked since I was in NYC! Lol Plus it helps that I mounted it mid body to keep fairly clear of obstacle's and excessive wind. I normally park in a secure area and if not, antenna gets secured.

[@DJBlackhawk]

Also that was a temporary radio install. Head is now on my dash cluster! Sure I can't see my speed below 25mph but then again my days of driving fast in my BMW E46 M3 are over.

[@vetham100]

atas is not a word, its A.T.A.S. Just 4 letters, nothing more!

[@radius8283]

Oh lord have mercy on humanity. Really girl??

[@wallfire23]

@@vincevagabond7443 Yeah - was on the phone with them today, and their support person pronounced it as a word.

[@williamjones4483]

@@vincevagabond7443 Active Tuning Antenna System. It is an abbreviation, not a word. YOU suck it.

[@jethro9341]

Im sure this was a very informative video, unfortunately, I couldnt get past the smacking sound. You lost me in the first minute.

[@DJBlackhawk]

Jim K I know not the first time I've heard that... haha I suggest watching it fast fwd and turn volume off. You should still get the main idea with my captions.