Yaesu ATAS-120A Part 4 (I Can’t Believe I’m Doing This)

I was gifted a Yaesu ATAS-120A by one of the members of the Patreon support team. Needless to say, I am very grateful. The members of the N4HNH Radio Patreon team are a cut above. Some have supported the channel for 2 years, making it possible for you to be watching this video today.
I have recommended the Active Tuning Antenna System but haven’t owned one. The feedback from those who have installed one for their mobile operation has been great. In look forward to getting one installed on my truck.
I worked ZS6CCY, Bill, in South Africa on the night of January 18, 2023, while mobile. I was slightly North of Atlanta running the FT-891 into the ATAS-120A. I broke through a pileup and received a 57 signal report. I’m impressed with this setup.
This video was filmed in January of 2023. It reveals my final decision regarding the ATAS-120A versus the ham stick antenna.
I hope you enjoy this video and find it helpful. If you find my channel informative and entertaining, I hope you will consider joining my support group by clicking on: www.patreon.com/N4HNH There are 3 levels of support, including exclusive content. Patreon team members gain insight from our technical discussions and internal polls. They also have the opportunity to view certain videos before they are released for public viewing.
N4HNH Radio has a Web site, where you can purchase T-shirts with some of the sayings you might hear in the videos. Some of the more prominent videos are featured there as well as a page geared toward ham radio training. Go to: www.n4hnhradio.com
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73, de N4HNH

[@kaydenchristensen5011]

I went and bought this antenna, and I must say I’m surprised. It has no business being as good as it is. I have worked nearly every state on SSB during my pots activations. I get constant good reports and I hear people very well. Mag mounted to my trucks roof. Such a great antenna for the size. 10/10 recommend for a mobile antenna

[@n4hnhradio]

I couldn’t agree more, as evidenced by what I did in this video.

[@andyM7XTT]

Thanks doug,I found this very helpful 👍

[@n4hnhradio]

I’m glad you liked it, Andy. 73, Doug

[@N4KRX]

Thanks for this series of ATAS-120A videos! 73!

[@n4hnhradio]

You are very welcome! There is another coming.

[@ericselectronics3298]

Have finally gotten around to ordering the ATAS, mounting bracket, and coax feed. Was sold because I also have an Avalanche and liked the solution. Already a bit of a Yaesu fan-boi and have an 891 for portable work. So, your solution was a natch' for me. Thanks!

[@n4hnhradio]

Congratulations! I’m still enjoying this setup. So convenient. And the performance rivals my individual ham sticks that I had to change per band.

[@hfBMW]

Good stuff! I had a Johnson Screwdriver on the back of BMW motorcycles. NO ground of hood or top of car. I still was able to call "motorcycle mobile" I would contact the SATERN net. Salvation Army Team Emergency Radio Network. Talking to Net control in New Jersey while riding I-80 in Nebraska. Usually it was 20 meters and maybe 40. And I did use that antenna to call out when my Ford Pickup truck broke down. Called out on 2 meters. The tow truck driver smiled. "Yeah we heard you on the scanner! I had the Icom 706 MKII. and a heil microphone inside the full face helmet. Wear ear plugs would drown out the white noise of the wind to hear the guys rag chewin'!

[@n4hnhradio]

That’s a great testimonial to what can be accomplished.

[@boomerbits2297]

Y’all is fine When I worked for FEMA I spent one entire deployment teaching a co worker from Brooklyn how to speak South. Got her to understand the plural of Y’all is All Y’all! My XYL is from Conyers GA so I listen South! On another note, I just sold my 991a and bought am 891. Now if I can figure out how to mount an ATAS on my Chevy Bolt I can dump my Hustlers and my Wolfe River Coil and just keep an aTAS on the car This is my second 891. I used one in the summer of 2021 while we were in NC in our Travel Trailer. Worked great. So now we have the FTDX 10 for radio at home and the 891 for PoTA etc

[@n4hnhradio]

That’s a winning combination of radios. Did you see my brother’s RV base station video? kzbin.info/www/bejne/baWnhHyLh9qmiZo

[@ScottBrown1406_Repair]

I just picked up a spare ATAS-120 , Great Antenna! 73 N2OG

[@n4hnhradio]

I’m very pleased.

[@jameski5oeb668]

Thank You!

[@n4hnhradio]

You're welcome!

[@jameski5oeb668]

@@n4hnhradio I think I will mount my IC-706 like your FT-891. Looks handy!

[@n4hnhradio]

I bought that mount 20 years ago at HRO. It has been in two vehicles. Very handy. I think I showed in one video a small mod I had to make to it.

[@Nick_G7IZR]

Top tip, tune the antenna to 6m (if you have it, 10m if you don't) when done for the day and the antenna will then be the shortest it can be for transport.

[@n4hnhradio]

@Nick S Yes indeed. I do that myself. It’s especially important if the antenna is mounted on the front, like mine, where it experiences a high wind load. My friend Richard has his mounted at the center of the trunk of his car. His ATAS-120A is shielded from so much wind load. Mine isn’t.

[@vincepinyard8722]

Then end of an ERA !!!!!

[@n4hnhradio]

Yes, indeed, Vinnie! And it’s all because of you know who.

[@JimWeslager]

The ATAS 120A antennas are hard to beat. Just installed one on my Ram 1500 pickup truck to my FT-891 and have had great results on 80 through 10 meters. The antenna tunes quickly and the low SWR on each of those bands makes for an easy operation. My antenna install is on the truck bed centered right behind the cab on a Breedlove antenna mount, which is solid as a rock. Thanks for sharing your experience with the ATAS 120A, which was helpful to my needs. de K3WR.

[@n4hnhradio]

I’m glad you liked the video. Thanks for visiting my channel. 73, Doug

[@Nick_G7IZR]

They are certainly great for the ease of use of multiple bands. The slight performance trade off over a dedicated antenna is well worth it.

[@n4hnhradio]

@Nick S Yes indeed! And, in the direction of the right and rear, the ATAS-120A was consistently beating the ham stick, hence the removal of the ham stick.

[@chiefvince4689]

I have super results using the ATAS 120A with the FT-891 on my offshore supply ship that I work on… It works great all around the US and gets the DX too on SSB 10-40m. Plus I do digital modes with it on my $60 Evolve computer no problem. At home I made a ground mount tripod setup for it that has sixteen 17’ radials and whip replacement adapter to put on a 17’ telescopic whip it. Seems to work pretty well so far (still playing with it)… going to use it for POTA starting next month. I travel with the radio packed in a Gigapart’s radio backpack/bag with everything in it, and the antenna and clamp mount packs in a six pack “tube” cooler strapped on the side.

[@n4hnhradio]

Thanks for the great comment, ChefVince. That’s a nice setup that you have. 73, Doug

[@curtisreynolds7375]

I just bought the same radio and an ATAS-120A. I'm putting it in a 2023 F-150. Not sure where I'm gonna mount it yet. Like you said, there's a lot of difference in today's vehicles, and not a lot of mounting space. I'm looking at a breedlove pocket mount for the bed rail on the truck to mount the antenna. I'm glad I ran into your channel, though. I've been binge watching this series. lol. Lots of good info.

[@n4hnhradio]

I’m glad you find the channel helpful. There is a team of supporters who make the videos possible.

[@haroldkearney1843]

Aluminum body on my 2017 super duty how will you mount and ground it to the frame???🇺🇸🦿

[@n4hnhradio]

@haroldkearney1843 use a bonding strap from the antenna mount to the frame.

[@andrewb9276]

Excellent video as usual. Suggestion: Get a UHF to 3/8 adapter, then you can use the mount for ham sticks. You can keep the tuner for when you have the ham stick mounted for say 80 or 60. I have my Atas mounted on the roof rack of my 2004 4Runner. I too have been very happy with the antenna. I did add a longer whip. Mine is just about 5 ft. long and works great. Not sure if the extra "wire in the air" help but it tunes and works just fine. 73 de KF6LU a patreon member

[@n4hnhradio]

Good idea Andrew. Diamond makes their version of a ham stick with a UHF connector. I think that is the route I will take. But, yes, that is a great option Thank you so much for being a long-hauler in support of the channel. Without you long-haulers, today’s videos would not exist. 73, Doug

[@andrewb9276]

@@n4hnhradio just get the adapter, then you can use your present ham sticks. Only around $10 at the most.

[@rossen_nikov]

Great! What would be the next step, add 991A to use the full potential of the ATAS? By the way, have you tried to use a longer active rod on ATAS to get to 60m? I did it once and it worked, but of course I lost the UHF/VHF part. 73 de LZ5RG

[@n4hnhradio]

I haven’t tried the longer stinger rod. I might. Others have. I prefer a separate 2m/70cm radio and antenna. I routinely monitor 2m/70cm while working HF, and vice versa. I have an ICOM ID-880H for UHF/VHF.

[@Hogdriver88]

Do you think the base of the antenna and the mount will hold up over time to the wind load?

[@n4hnhradio]

I don’t really know. Others who have had the ATAS-120A for many years have reported great longevity. Thus far, the mount seems stable. It would probably be better if it was mounted behind the cab, for less wind load. But it is what it is.

[@AE6Z]

Great and thorough video, tnx! Still loving my 891/ATAS mobile setup. Curious if you have any interest in replacing with a longer whip. You could gain superior performance on 40m (but lose 6m) which may be preferred for your use case. 73 de AE6Z

[@n4hnhradio]

I might be interested but I like being able to drive in my neighborhood without hitting the low-hanging power lines. One time it took out the front end of my FT-891. Thankfully, Yaesu fixed it under warranty. I would also be concerned about the extra wind load stress on the plastic sections. I haven’t measured the diameter of the stinger to even search for a longer one.

[@w8cptCptDon]

Am I the only one curious about that camper with no windows? Enjoying learning about the ATAS antenna but I really curious what you did to and use that camper for!! 72 de W8CPT

[@wjess3569]

Great series. I'm strongly considering the ATAS.. But.. Tell me about that rubber cover on your tranny tunnel that the antenna switch is/was on.

[@n4hnhradio]

The rubber cover was purchased at an auto parts store.

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

👍Good video, thanks. I must admit, I thought you were going to drill a hole in the roof to mount the ATAS-120A.

[@n4hnhradio]

No. I don’t want an expensive antenna up where it could catch a tree limb.

[@Steve-GM0HUU]

@@n4hnhradioGood point, trees and the like can be a problem. I have a mag-mount with hamsticks on my car roof. Car is not very large/high but I soon learned to be careful. There are one or two low bridges nearby that I keep forgetting about and the top of the whip clangs off them 🤣. At least the top half of the hamsticks are quite flexible and they are not expensive enough to worry about too much. I did have a VHF/UHF mobile co-linear with a fold-over mechanism to protect it. Can't recall seeing anything like that for HF whips though.

[@n4hnhradio]

I’ve broken a couple of ham sticks. Ran them for 25 + years until the ATAS-120A.

[@lawrencekb5zzb551]

Tell us about that black mat. Looks interesting thanks

[@n4hnhradio]

Westhertech mats. For front and rear seats.

[@petermajor4599]

👋🍀👍👏

[@ginagriffin1400]

What is the floor mount?

[@n4hnhradio]

I don’t remember. I bought it at Ham Radio Outlet over 25 years ago. I just can’t remember the brand.

[@Blackabeard]

How wide is the base of it? I am wanting to mount mine to my toolbox on my truck. But I am worried the lid will interfere with it.

[@n4hnhradio]

I’m guessing 2 inches round at the base.

[@Blackabeard]

3" across the base. Got it. Thanks a bunch. @@n4hnhradio

[@n4hnhradio]

Not 3”. I meant to type 2”.

[@Blackabeard]

Thank you for clarifying. I am using a Mirror mount on my tool box. So I was going to make some spacers if needed. But I think 2" will work well and clear the lid. Thanks again for the detailed videos. @@n4hnhradio

[@n4hnhradio]

@Blackabeard You might want to double-check Yaesu’s specifications.

[@kg5nub]

I got my atas 120a in the same place except on a diamond k400 mount and its flawless, I run the ft857d right now, I however want the ft891

[@n4hnhradio]

Like I showed in video #2, I bought the K-400C to get the cable/UHF connector and have a backup mount, in case this one didn’t work out.

[@kg5nub]

@@n4hnhradio its a sweet setup, I will be glad to when I get my truck outta the shop, hopefully next weekend it'll be on the road. The atas 120a is an amazing antenna