Need advice on FT-857 and ATAS-120
 

Gurus,

My brother who is working for an NGO is east africa wants me to buy
him an HF ham radio where he can communicate with his colleagues in
other parts of the world. His colleagues use CODAN, but he can't
afford that brand.

A local dealer is recommending that I buy FT-857 with ATAS-120.

Here are my questions?

1- Is this combination a good fit and how reliable is it?
2- Can he communicate with other radios as far away as 3000 miles?
3- Do I need a duplexer if he is using just the HF band?
4- The radio will be mounted on a land cruiser? Where you recommend
the antena mounted on?

Many many thanks for your help.

- Nur