I installed an FT-857D and ASAT-120 on my old Nissan pickup -- took a couple
of days what with running power cable, modifying an antenna mount, grounding
everything, etc., etc. First contact from the Mississippi Gulf Coast was a
YU1 on 20 meters at 1500 CST.

Now -- here's my question: Do I have to TUNE and INIT the antenna each time
I change bands?

As you know, to TUNE the antenna you use the FUNC and SELECT to go to menu
k, hit the A button -- TUNE -- then, hold in the A button for one second --
which causes the antenna to tune. Do I have to do this each time I change
HF bands, or, does the rig do this automatically after I TUNE and INIT the
first time?

Thanks.


--

-----
Joe S.

Joe:

Every time you change bands, you need to Tune the antenna. The radio will NOT
automatically tune to the new band when you change. Trying to transmit into the
antenna while on the wrong band will only cause you grief. When I had the
atas-120 on my 857, I left the menu at the correct place that I could just press
the tune button (A). You should be aware that according to Yaesu, you should
only Tune when stopped, not while driving down the road (of course, nobody I've
ever talked to bothered with this restriction, and I didn't even know about it
for the first six months I owned the antenna).

The combination can be fun for awhile, but depending on how you have the
atas-120 antenna mounted on your truck, you may find it isn't exactly the best
antenna for mobile use... First, if you have it mounted high enough to get out
decently, (like at the level of the cab roof) you will likely be replacing whips
as they break off. Second, unless the mount is extremely stiff and free from
vibration, the internals of the antenna will desolder themselves occasionally...
Fortunately, both are easily fixed (a larger diameter whip helps considerably in
keeping the breakage down, and the two main solder joint failure points are easy
to re-solder when they go bad.) Still, I replaced the whip three times before I
drilled out the whip socket and used a larger diameter whip. (If you use a
slightly longer one, it also tunes easier on 40 meters). I only used it for HF
from 40 to 10 meters, as I have a separate antenna for 2meter use. The atas-120
really is a pig on 2 meters, even fully collapsed.

I finally just got tired of it failing at odd times, and switched to a set of
Hamsticks. Cheaper, more reliable, only takes a few seconds to swap out (though
I do have to stop to change bands), and they seem to get out a bit better.

Good Luck
--Rick AH7H

"Joe S." wrote:

I installed an FT-857D and ASAT-120 on my old Nissan pickup -- took a couple
of days what with running power cable, modifying an antenna mount, grounding
everything, etc., etc. First contact from the Mississippi Gulf Coast was a
YU1 on 20 meters at 1500 CST.

Now -- here's my question: Do I have to TUNE and INIT the antenna each time
I change bands?

As you know, to TUNE the antenna you use the FUNC and SELECT to go to menu
k, hit the A button -- TUNE -- then, hold in the A button for one second --
which causes the antenna to tune. Do I have to do this each time I change
HF bands, or, does the rig do this automatically after I TUNE and INIT the
first time?

Thanks.

--

-----
Joe S.

Rick:

Thanks for the advice. That's what I figured out -- I leave the menu set on
TUNE DOWN UP and when I change bands I hit the TUNE button and wait a few
seconds while it tunes -- which it does quickly.

I have a small pickup with an aluminum cap on the back with a ladder rack on
the cap. I mounted the antenna on the ladder rack so it is essentially
mounted in the center -- more or less -- of the truck. I made some jumper
cables using #10 stranded wire and ring terminals to bond everything -- I
connected these jumpers:
-- Bolted one to the side of the FT857 where the mount bolt goes and bolted
the other end to the floor of the truck -- loosened the bolt holding the
seat to the floorboard and put the ring terminal on that bolt. The FT857 is
on the floor under the seat.
-- Connected one jumper from the antenna mount to the ladder rack, bolted
through at each end.
-- Connected one jumper from the frame of the cap to the bed of the truck.

I have been using the rig for just over 24 hours and have made a number of
contacts from the Mississippi Gulf Coast to all sections of the US, Europe,
and South America.

--

-----

"Rick Frazier" wrote in message
...
Joe:

Every time you change bands, you need to Tune the antenna. The radio will
NOT
automatically tune to the new band when you change. Trying to transmit
into the
antenna while on the wrong band will only cause you grief. When I had the
atas-120 on my 857, I left the menu at the correct place that I could just
press
the tune button (A). You should be aware that according to Yaesu, you
should
only Tune when stopped, not while driving down the road (of course, nobody
I've
ever talked to bothered with this restriction, and I didn't even know
about it
for the first six months I owned the antenna).

The combination can be fun for awhile, but depending on how you have the
atas-120 antenna mounted on your truck, you may find it isn't exactly the
best
antenna for mobile use... First, if you have it mounted high enough to get
out
decently, (like at the level of the cab roof) you will likely be replacing
whips
as they break off. Second, unless the mount is extremely stiff and free
from
vibration, the internals of the antenna will desolder themselves
occasionally...
Fortunately, both are easily fixed (a larger diameter whip helps
considerably in
keeping the breakage down, and the two main solder joint failure points
are easy
to re-solder when they go bad.) Still, I replaced the whip three times
before I
drilled out the whip socket and used a larger diameter whip. (If you use
a
slightly longer one, it also tunes easier on 40 meters). I only used it
for HF
from 40 to 10 meters, as I have a separate antenna for 2meter use. The
atas-120
really is a pig on 2 meters, even fully collapsed.

I finally just got tired of it failing at odd times, and switched to a set
of
Hamsticks. Cheaper, more reliable, only takes a few seconds to swap out
(though
I do have to stop to change bands), and they seem to get out a bit better.

Good Luck
--Rick AH7H

"Joe S." wrote:

I installed an FT-857D and ASAT-120 on my old Nissan pickup -- took a
couple
of days what with running power cable, modifying an antenna mount,
grounding
everything, etc., etc. First contact from the Mississippi Gulf Coast
was a
YU1 on 20 meters at 1500 CST.

Now -- here's my question: Do I have to TUNE and INIT the antenna each
time
I change bands?

As you know, to TUNE the antenna you use the FUNC and SELECT to go to
menu
k, hit the A button -- TUNE -- then, hold in the A button for one
second --
which causes the antenna to tune. Do I have to do this each time I
change
HF bands, or, does the rig do this automatically after I TUNE and INIT
the
first time?

Thanks.

--

-----
Joe S.