Atas-1/Atas-2 Settings; Atbk100 Ground Plane Kit - Yaesu FT-100 Undocumented

ATAS-1/ATAS-2 Settings

Menu item 61 is has several settings for controlling the way the ATAS100 antenna
works. In the user manual, there are several errors describing this function. On page 14,
the instructions are correct and the easiest way to remember the correct settings are:
ATAS-1 = one antenna ; ATAS-2 = two separate antennas. In other words, if you're using
the ATAS100 on all bands (with a duplexer), choose ATAS-1. If you are using the
ATAS100 for HF only and a separate antenna for VHF/UHF, use ATAS-2. Page 62 in the
manual is backwards from this as is page 94 which recommends that a duplexer is
required with ATAS-2. The newer manuals may have corrected these errors but as of
manual revision E08981003 the mistakes were still present.
Another user noticed that when either of these selections are made, the radio will not
transmit on the 80 or 160 meter bands so don't forget to switch menu item 61 to OFF (or
to Tuner) when you switch from the ATAS100 to another antenna.

ATBK100 Ground Plane Kit

The ATBK100 is a kit consisting of 3 ground radials for the ATAS100 intended to make
it suitable for use as a base antenna. Although there is no information available on the
Yaesu website about the ATBK100, this US$90 kit is supposed to supply a ground plane
for the 50 MHz, 144 MHz, and 430 MHz bands. One owner responded that he was able
to get the antenna to work on other HF bands by adding two 20' lengths of wire to the
ATBK100 to act as a counterpoise.
Audio Settings (improving transmitted audio performance
Bill, N4XEO, has contributed the following advice for those who are not satisfied with
their audio reports. First, make sure the rig's chassis is grounded to the frame of the
vehicle and that the rig is powered directly off the battery with minimal voltage loss
through the power cable. Secondly, make sure that the voltage is sufficient for the rig.
The specifications call for 13.8V DC and so if you're not running the engine, it's likely
that your voltage won't run the rig correctly for very long. This will be apparent when
operating with the engine off as the battery voltage begins to sag down around 12V.
Here are some of the settings Bill recommends that have worked for him and others to
improve the audio:
Menu Item
25
26
27
33
62
63
64
65
Description
Mic Gain (for SSB and AM
modes)
FM Mic Gain
Compression Level
FM Deviation
RX LSB Carrier
RC USB Carrier
TX LSB Carrier
TX USB Carrier
)
Value
40
45
40
5
+050
+050
-200
-200
15