I am looking at the FT-857D and the ATAS120 antenna. Would appreciate any
of you FT-857D owners helping me out -- thanks.

Most of my questions are about the ATAS120 antenna.

I drive a small pickup with an aluminum cap on the back. The cap has a
ladder rack that seems as though it would make a good antenna mount. I
could either clamp the antenna to one of the uprights on the ladder rack,
or, I could attach a flat aluminum plate to the cap -- lay the plate flat on
the top and run bolts through the inner frame ribs of the cap.

Here are my questions:

As I understand it, this antenna somehow tunes itself?? How does that work?

What cables go to the antenna -- obviously there's coax from the rig and I
assume it needs a power cable of some kind ????

I understand if I run a tri-plexer between the rig and the antenna I can use
this one antenna -- otherwise, run coax from the rig's antenna outputs to
respective HF, VHF, UHF antennas -- right?

How did you mount yours? If you have photos on a website, please give me
the URL.

How tall is the ATAS120 when fully-extended? Is it flexible so I could tie
it down the way we did the big ol' 72-inch whips we used way back when men
were men?

I'm planning to get the FT-857D, ATAS120, separation kit, narrow CW filter,
and the fancy mobile mike that can be used to control the rig. What else do
I need? Specifically, do I need an antenna mount, or, can I build my own
from aluminum plate?

Thanks.

--

-----
JAS

Here are my questions:

As I understand it, this antenna somehow tunes itself?? How does that work?

It's internal motor is controlled by the rig.

What cables go to the antenna -- obviously there's coax from the rig and I
assume it needs a power cable of some kind ????

Just one coax. The power and control signals are sent as RF to the
antenna. The control power and signalling pass through a duplexer.


I understand if I run a tri-plexer between the rig and the antenna I can use
this one antenna -- otherwise, run coax from the rig's antenna outputs to
respective HF, VHF, UHF antennas -- right?

That would be a duplexer. The 857 has only two antenna ports: HF+6m and
2m+70cm. Again, one suitable duplexer and one feed line to the antenna.


How did you mount yours? If you have photos on a website, please give me
the URL.

On a pipe, and no, I'm sorry I have no photos. The ATAS-120 uses a
standard SO239 mount.

How tall is the ATAS120 when fully-extended?

Not even 10" longer than when it's retracted.


Is it flexible so I could tie
it down the way we did the big ol' 72-inch whips we used way back when men
were men?

No it will not accomodate bending, under any circumstance beyond the
wind load of normal driving. The manual even warns you not to drive
while tuning it.


I'm planning to get the FT-857D, ATAS120, separation kit, narrow CW filter,
and the fancy mobile mike that can be used to control the rig. What else do
I need? Specifically, do I need an antenna mount, or, can I build my own
from aluminum plate?


Anything that presents an SO239 mount will do. Just keep it grounded,
vertical and sturdy.

Thanks.


I work all over the planet with my 857 with ATAS-120. You won't be
disappointed unless you expect dipole/yagi/large antenna performance.


Good luck!

Pat, VE3PMK

Here are my questions:

As I understand it, this antenna somehow tunes itself?? How does that work?

It's internal motor is controlled by the rig.

What cables go to the antenna -- obviously there's coax from the rig and I
assume it needs a power cable of some kind ????

Just one coax. The power and control signals are sent as RF to the
antenna. The control power and signalling pass through a duplexer.


I understand if I run a tri-plexer between the rig and the antenna I can use
this one antenna -- otherwise, run coax from the rig's antenna outputs to
respective HF, VHF, UHF antennas -- right?

That would be a duplexer. The 857 has only two antenna ports: HF+6m and
2m+70cm. Again, one suitable duplexer and one feed line to the antenna.


How did you mount yours? If you have photos on a website, please give me
the URL.

On a pipe, and no, I'm sorry I have no photos. The ATAS-120 uses a
standard SO239 mount.

How tall is the ATAS120 when fully-extended?

Not even 10" longer than when it's retracted.


Is it flexible so I could tie
it down the way we did the big ol' 72-inch whips we used way back when men
were men?

No it will not accomodate bending, under any circumstance beyond the
wind load of normal driving. The manual even warns you not to drive
while tuning it.


I'm planning to get the FT-857D, ATAS120, separation kit, narrow CW filter,
and the fancy mobile mike that can be used to control the rig. What else do
I need? Specifically, do I need an antenna mount, or, can I build my own
from aluminum plate?


Anything that presents an SO239 mount will do. Just keep it grounded,
vertical and sturdy.

Thanks.


I work all over the planet with my 857 with ATAS-120. You won't be
disappointed unless you expect dipole/yagi/large antenna performance.


Good luck!

Pat, VE3PMK

Here are my questions:

As I understand it, this antenna somehow tunes itself?? How does that work?

It's internal motor is controlled by the rig.

What cables go to the antenna -- obviously there's coax from the rig and I
assume it needs a power cable of some kind ????

Just one coax. The power and control signals are sent as RF to the
antenna. The control power and signalling pass through a duplexer.


I understand if I run a tri-plexer between the rig and the antenna I can use
this one antenna -- otherwise, run coax from the rig's antenna outputs to
respective HF, VHF, UHF antennas -- right?

That would be a duplexer. The 857 has only two antenna ports: HF+6m and
2m+70cm. Again, one suitable duplexer and one feed line to the antenna.


How did you mount yours? If you have photos on a website, please give me
the URL.

On a pipe, and no, I'm sorry I have no photos. The ATAS-120 uses a
standard SO239 mount.

How tall is the ATAS120 when fully-extended?

Not even 10" longer than when it's retracted.


Is it flexible so I could tie
it down the way we did the big ol' 72-inch whips we used way back when men
were men?

No it will not accomodate bending, under any circumstance beyond the
wind load of normal driving. The manual even warns you not to drive
while tuning it.


I'm planning to get the FT-857D, ATAS120, separation kit, narrow CW filter,
and the fancy mobile mike that can be used to control the rig. What else do
I need? Specifically, do I need an antenna mount, or, can I build my own
from aluminum plate?


Anything that presents an SO239 mount will do. Just keep it grounded,
vertical and sturdy.

Thanks.


I work all over the planet with my 857 with ATAS-120. You won't be
disappointed unless you expect dipole/yagi/large antenna performance.


Good luck!

Pat, VE3PMK

Joe:

At the risk of killing a possible sale down the road.... I 'll feel better
having this out.

I got an FT-857 and ATAS120 last December (sort of a personal Christmas present
to myself).
I mounted the ATAS120 antenna on a pipe loop (looks like a roll bar) behind the
cab on my pickup.

I have used it now for 10 months, and have made some conclusions about it in my
setup.

1) As many will mention, a good ground is essential. I used two braided straps
to the cab from the antenna mount, plus grounded the pipe loop to the pickup
box, and probably should have bonded the cab and box to the frame, because I
still get some ignition or injector noise on certain bands that de-senses the
receiver. Adding the two braided grounds between the mount (centered and on top
of the pipe loop) and cab helped a LOT. I assume adding box and cab grounds
should also help, but...

2) This antenna cannot handle high vibration. As the loop isn't cross braced,
nor part of a pipe rack, it can vibrate as I drive (this is on a Toyota Tacoma
4x4). Whacking the pipe loop causes it to vibrate for about a half second. I
have had to re-solder several connections inside the antenna due to vibration,
particularly the one between the base and the control board that sits on top of
the base.

3) It will "usually" tune as you drive, but not always. I don't recall reading
a caution about this in the manual, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's in the
manual, given my experiences.

4) Mounting an antenna like this with the base of the antenna at the top of the
cab height makes it pretty tall. You won't be able to drive into a garage
without removing the antenna (or using a foldover type of mount). I can measure
the antenna height if it's not part of the specifications. Given a tall and
relatively fragile antenna, you don't want to hit anything as you drive, and if
there are overhanging trees and such, you will hit them. Hitting objects with
this antenna will eventually cause the whip to break off. The whip is 36" long
and .080 inch diameter (2mm). Unless you can get another whip from Yaesu, you
will likely have to drill out the socket to use larger diameter whips, which
invalidates the warranty. If you use a shorter whip (or re-use the whip after
it's lost an inch or so from breaking off at the socket) it won't tune the
entire 40 meter band anymore. Here in Hawaii, we have a daily net on 7.088, and
this antenna won't tune to 7.088 if the whip is shorter than 35" long. A few
other people have related better efficiency and/or more satisfaction with the
antenna after using a 5 foot whip to replace the stock 3 foot one. This is not
an antenna that can handle being bent over to drive under low obstructions or
into a garage (like a 102" stainless steel whip). If you frequent parking
garages with traffic behind you, you may become unpopular from hopping out to
fold over or remove the antenna.

5) I don't like the SO-239 mounting. You have to have it really tight to keep
it from loosening as you drive (if you have any vibration. Perhaps on a smoother
riding car or a mount that can't vibrate it would stay tight).

6) Don't expect the antenna to work well for 2 meters. The whip is 3' long.
If you want to use the radio on 2 meters, stick a 2 meter mag mount on the roof
of the cab. I did and the difference was like night and day. The antenna tunes
well from 10m-40m, I haven't tried on 6m, but it has high swr on 2m, as it's
collapsed as far as possible but still not short enough for 2m. The 857 worked,
but I hate the idea of running a high SWR into the antenna if I don't have to.

I initially enjoyed the ability to move from one band to another without getting
out of the truck to change antennas, but got into a habit of operating 20m on my
way to work and 40m on the way home, so it's not as much of a deal as I thought
to plug in (quick connect) the correct antenna for a given driving direction,
and I need to get out to remove the antenna or fold it over to park in my garage
anyway, so I might as well just use something more efficient to begin with. If
you live in a high humidity or marine environment, see if anyone else in your
area has one to see if it's affected. I was surprised at how it looked inside
the first time I resoldered the motor control board. It looked like it might
not live more than a couple of years here (I'm never more than 10 miles from the
ocean, and we sometimes have acid rain due to living on a live volcano, so the
location isn't ideal for this kind of antenna). If you tune while you're
driving, and you happen to have a leaf stuck on the front of the antenna
(raining outside) there's a good chance it will end up inside the unit.
(Another surprise the first time I took it apart.) Maybe this is why they tell
you not to tune while moving. The bottom "seal" of the "trombone section"
doesn't really seal the unit, it's more of a dust cover, really.

Of course, your mileage may vary. I loved this antenna for the first month I
used it, until I started having problems with it. So far, I've had to resolder
the connection between the base and the motor controller board twice, have
replaced the whip 4 times because they keep breaking off at the socket, and
tighten it weekly (it's on a fold over mount) or it will unscrew itself and
wobble.

I know a lot of people are happy with this antenna, but it really isn't worth
the money for my application. I wish I had known someone locally that had one
before I bought mine, it would have saved me a chunk of money. Perhaps if I had
mounted it low (off my trailer hitch receiver is one place I thought about),
where it would be exposed to less vibration, and not hit overhanging branches,
I wouldn't have had problems with it. Oh well, too late now...

Thanks
--Rick

"Joe S." wrote:

I am looking at the FT-857D and the ATAS120 antenna. Would appreciate any
of you FT-857D owners helping me out -- thanks.

Most of my questions are about the ATAS120 antenna.

I drive a small pickup with an aluminum cap on the back. The cap has a
ladder rack that seems as though it would make a good antenna mount. I
could either clamp the antenna to one of the uprights on the ladder rack,
or, I could attach a flat aluminum plate to the cap -- lay the plate flat on
the top and run bolts through the inner frame ribs of the cap.

Here are my questions:

As I understand it, this antenna somehow tunes itself?? How does that work?

What cables go to the antenna -- obviously there's coax from the rig and I
assume it needs a power cable of some kind ????

I understand if I run a tri-plexer between the rig and the antenna I can use
this one antenna -- otherwise, run coax from the rig's antenna outputs to
respective HF, VHF, UHF antennas -- right?

How did you mount yours? If you have photos on a website, please give me
the URL.

How tall is the ATAS120 when fully-extended? Is it flexible so I could tie
it down the way we did the big ol' 72-inch whips we used way back when men
were men?

I'm planning to get the FT-857D, ATAS120, separation kit, narrow CW filter,
and the fancy mobile mike that can be used to control the rig. What else do
I need? Specifically, do I need an antenna mount, or, can I build my own
from aluminum plate?

Thanks.

--

-----
JAS

Joe:

At the risk of killing a possible sale down the road.... I 'll feel better
having this out.

I got an FT-857 and ATAS120 last December (sort of a personal Christmas present
to myself).
I mounted the ATAS120 antenna on a pipe loop (looks like a roll bar) behind the
cab on my pickup.

I have used it now for 10 months, and have made some conclusions about it in my
setup.

1) As many will mention, a good ground is essential. I used two braided straps
to the cab from the antenna mount, plus grounded the pipe loop to the pickup
box, and probably should have bonded the cab and box to the frame, because I
still get some ignition or injector noise on certain bands that de-senses the
receiver. Adding the two braided grounds between the mount (centered and on top
of the pipe loop) and cab helped a LOT. I assume adding box and cab grounds
should also help, but...

2) This antenna cannot handle high vibration. As the loop isn't cross braced,
nor part of a pipe rack, it can vibrate as I drive (this is on a Toyota Tacoma
4x4). Whacking the pipe loop causes it to vibrate for about a half second. I
have had to re-solder several connections inside the antenna due to vibration,
particularly the one between the base and the control board that sits on top of
the base.

3) It will "usually" tune as you drive, but not always. I don't recall reading
a caution about this in the manual, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's in the
manual, given my experiences.

4) Mounting an antenna like this with the base of the antenna at the top of the
cab height makes it pretty tall. You won't be able to drive into a garage
without removing the antenna (or using a foldover type of mount). I can measure
the antenna height if it's not part of the specifications. Given a tall and
relatively fragile antenna, you don't want to hit anything as you drive, and if
there are overhanging trees and such, you will hit them. Hitting objects with
this antenna will eventually cause the whip to break off. The whip is 36" long
and .080 inch diameter (2mm). Unless you can get another whip from Yaesu, you
will likely have to drill out the socket to use larger diameter whips, which
invalidates the warranty. If you use a shorter whip (or re-use the whip after
it's lost an inch or so from breaking off at the socket) it won't tune the
entire 40 meter band anymore. Here in Hawaii, we have a daily net on 7.088, and
this antenna won't tune to 7.088 if the whip is shorter than 35" long. A few
other people have related better efficiency and/or more satisfaction with the
antenna after using a 5 foot whip to replace the stock 3 foot one. This is not
an antenna that can handle being bent over to drive under low obstructions or
into a garage (like a 102" stainless steel whip). If you frequent parking
garages with traffic behind you, you may become unpopular from hopping out to
fold over or remove the antenna.

5) I don't like the SO-239 mounting. You have to have it really tight to keep
it from loosening as you drive (if you have any vibration. Perhaps on a smoother
riding car or a mount that can't vibrate it would stay tight).

6) Don't expect the antenna to work well for 2 meters. The whip is 3' long.
If you want to use the radio on 2 meters, stick a 2 meter mag mount on the roof
of the cab. I did and the difference was like night and day. The antenna tunes
well from 10m-40m, I haven't tried on 6m, but it has high swr on 2m, as it's
collapsed as far as possible but still not short enough for 2m. The 857 worked,
but I hate the idea of running a high SWR into the antenna if I don't have to.

I initially enjoyed the ability to move from one band to another without getting
out of the truck to change antennas, but got into a habit of operating 20m on my
way to work and 40m on the way home, so it's not as much of a deal as I thought
to plug in (quick connect) the correct antenna for a given driving direction,
and I need to get out to remove the antenna or fold it over to park in my garage
anyway, so I might as well just use something more efficient to begin with. If
you live in a high humidity or marine environment, see if anyone else in your
area has one to see if it's affected. I was surprised at how it looked inside
the first time I resoldered the motor control board. It looked like it might
not live more than a couple of years here (I'm never more than 10 miles from the
ocean, and we sometimes have acid rain due to living on a live volcano, so the
location isn't ideal for this kind of antenna). If you tune while you're
driving, and you happen to have a leaf stuck on the front of the antenna
(raining outside) there's a good chance it will end up inside the unit.
(Another surprise the first time I took it apart.) Maybe this is why they tell
you not to tune while moving. The bottom "seal" of the "trombone section"
doesn't really seal the unit, it's more of a dust cover, really.

Of course, your mileage may vary. I loved this antenna for the first month I
used it, until I started having problems with it. So far, I've had to resolder
the connection between the base and the motor controller board twice, have
replaced the whip 4 times because they keep breaking off at the socket, and
tighten it weekly (it's on a fold over mount) or it will unscrew itself and
wobble.

I know a lot of people are happy with this antenna, but it really isn't worth
the money for my application. I wish I had known someone locally that had one
before I bought mine, it would have saved me a chunk of money. Perhaps if I had
mounted it low (off my trailer hitch receiver is one place I thought about),
where it would be exposed to less vibration, and not hit overhanging branches,
I wouldn't have had problems with it. Oh well, too late now...

Thanks
--Rick

"Joe S." wrote:

I am looking at the FT-857D and the ATAS120 antenna. Would appreciate any
of you FT-857D owners helping me out -- thanks.

Most of my questions are about the ATAS120 antenna.

I drive a small pickup with an aluminum cap on the back. The cap has a
ladder rack that seems as though it would make a good antenna mount. I
could either clamp the antenna to one of the uprights on the ladder rack,
or, I could attach a flat aluminum plate to the cap -- lay the plate flat on
the top and run bolts through the inner frame ribs of the cap.

Here are my questions:

As I understand it, this antenna somehow tunes itself?? How does that work?

What cables go to the antenna -- obviously there's coax from the rig and I
assume it needs a power cable of some kind ????

I understand if I run a tri-plexer between the rig and the antenna I can use
this one antenna -- otherwise, run coax from the rig's antenna outputs to
respective HF, VHF, UHF antennas -- right?

How did you mount yours? If you have photos on a website, please give me
the URL.

How tall is the ATAS120 when fully-extended? Is it flexible so I could tie
it down the way we did the big ol' 72-inch whips we used way back when men
were men?

I'm planning to get the FT-857D, ATAS120, separation kit, narrow CW filter,
and the fancy mobile mike that can be used to control the rig. What else do
I need? Specifically, do I need an antenna mount, or, can I build my own
from aluminum plate?

Thanks.

--

-----
JAS

Joe:

At the risk of killing a possible sale down the road.... I 'll feel better
having this out.

I got an FT-857 and ATAS120 last December (sort of a personal Christmas present
to myself).
I mounted the ATAS120 antenna on a pipe loop (looks like a roll bar) behind the
cab on my pickup.

I have used it now for 10 months, and have made some conclusions about it in my
setup.

1) As many will mention, a good ground is essential. I used two braided straps
to the cab from the antenna mount, plus grounded the pipe loop to the pickup
box, and probably should have bonded the cab and box to the frame, because I
still get some ignition or injector noise on certain bands that de-senses the
receiver. Adding the two braided grounds between the mount (centered and on top
of the pipe loop) and cab helped a LOT. I assume adding box and cab grounds
should also help, but...

2) This antenna cannot handle high vibration. As the loop isn't cross braced,
nor part of a pipe rack, it can vibrate as I drive (this is on a Toyota Tacoma
4x4). Whacking the pipe loop causes it to vibrate for about a half second. I
have had to re-solder several connections inside the antenna due to vibration,
particularly the one between the base and the control board that sits on top of
the base.

3) It will "usually" tune as you drive, but not always. I don't recall reading
a caution about this in the manual, but I wouldn't be surprised if it's in the
manual, given my experiences.

4) Mounting an antenna like this with the base of the antenna at the top of the
cab height makes it pretty tall. You won't be able to drive into a garage
without removing the antenna (or using a foldover type of mount). I can measure
the antenna height if it's not part of the specifications. Given a tall and
relatively fragile antenna, you don't want to hit anything as you drive, and if
there are overhanging trees and such, you will hit them. Hitting objects with
this antenna will eventually cause the whip to break off. The whip is 36" long
and .080 inch diameter (2mm). Unless you can get another whip from Yaesu, you
will likely have to drill out the socket to use larger diameter whips, which
invalidates the warranty. If you use a shorter whip (or re-use the whip after
it's lost an inch or so from breaking off at the socket) it won't tune the
entire 40 meter band anymore. Here in Hawaii, we have a daily net on 7.088, and
this antenna won't tune to 7.088 if the whip is shorter than 35" long. A few
other people have related better efficiency and/or more satisfaction with the
antenna after using a 5 foot whip to replace the stock 3 foot one. This is not
an antenna that can handle being bent over to drive under low obstructions or
into a garage (like a 102" stainless steel whip). If you frequent parking
garages with traffic behind you, you may become unpopular from hopping out to
fold over or remove the antenna.

5) I don't like the SO-239 mounting. You have to have it really tight to keep
it from loosening as you drive (if you have any vibration. Perhaps on a smoother
riding car or a mount that can't vibrate it would stay tight).

6) Don't expect the antenna to work well for 2 meters. The whip is 3' long.
If you want to use the radio on 2 meters, stick a 2 meter mag mount on the roof
of the cab. I did and the difference was like night and day. The antenna tunes
well from 10m-40m, I haven't tried on 6m, but it has high swr on 2m, as it's
collapsed as far as possible but still not short enough for 2m. The 857 worked,
but I hate the idea of running a high SWR into the antenna if I don't have to.

I initially enjoyed the ability to move from one band to another without getting
out of the truck to change antennas, but got into a habit of operating 20m on my
way to work and 40m on the way home, so it's not as much of a deal as I thought
to plug in (quick connect) the correct antenna for a given driving direction,
and I need to get out to remove the antenna or fold it over to park in my garage
anyway, so I might as well just use something more efficient to begin with. If
you live in a high humidity or marine environment, see if anyone else in your
area has one to see if it's affected. I was surprised at how it looked inside
the first time I resoldered the motor control board. It looked like it might
not live more than a couple of years here (I'm never more than 10 miles from the
ocean, and we sometimes have acid rain due to living on a live volcano, so the
location isn't ideal for this kind of antenna). If you tune while you're
driving, and you happen to have a leaf stuck on the front of the antenna
(raining outside) there's a good chance it will end up inside the unit.
(Another surprise the first time I took it apart.) Maybe this is why they tell
you not to tune while moving. The bottom "seal" of the "trombone section"
doesn't really seal the unit, it's more of a dust cover, really.

Of course, your mileage may vary. I loved this antenna for the first month I
used it, until I started having problems with it. So far, I've had to resolder
the connection between the base and the motor controller board twice, have
replaced the whip 4 times because they keep breaking off at the socket, and
tighten it weekly (it's on a fold over mount) or it will unscrew itself and
wobble.

I know a lot of people are happy with this antenna, but it really isn't worth
the money for my application. I wish I had known someone locally that had one
before I bought mine, it would have saved me a chunk of money. Perhaps if I had
mounted it low (off my trailer hitch receiver is one place I thought about),
where it would be exposed to less vibration, and not hit overhanging branches,
I wouldn't have had problems with it. Oh well, too late now...

Thanks
--Rick

"Joe S." wrote:

I am looking at the FT-857D and the ATAS120 antenna. Would appreciate any
of you FT-857D owners helping me out -- thanks.

Most of my questions are about the ATAS120 antenna.

I drive a small pickup with an aluminum cap on the back. The cap has a
ladder rack that seems as though it would make a good antenna mount. I
could either clamp the antenna to one of the uprights on the ladder rack,
or, I could attach a flat aluminum plate to the cap -- lay the plate flat on
the top and run bolts through the inner frame ribs of the cap.

Here are my questions:

As I understand it, this antenna somehow tunes itself?? How does that work?

What cables go to the antenna -- obviously there's coax from the rig and I
assume it needs a power cable of some kind ????

I understand if I run a tri-plexer between the rig and the antenna I can use
this one antenna -- otherwise, run coax from the rig's antenna outputs to
respective HF, VHF, UHF antennas -- right?

How did you mount yours? If you have photos on a website, please give me
the URL.

How tall is the ATAS120 when fully-extended? Is it flexible so I could tie
it down the way we did the big ol' 72-inch whips we used way back when men
were men?

I'm planning to get the FT-857D, ATAS120, separation kit, narrow CW filter,
and the fancy mobile mike that can be used to control the rig. What else do
I need? Specifically, do I need an antenna mount, or, can I build my own
from aluminum plate?

Thanks.

--

-----
JAS