ATS Mini starter kit: everything you need

The ATS Mini needs surprisingly little around it. The radio, one correct cable, a small antenna upgrade and a decent pair of earphones make a complete shortwave station that fits in a jacket pocket. This page is the checklist; every item comes from the hand-picked gear catalogue, where each one has its own write-up and listing link.

The essential kit

1. The radio

Buy the current V4 revision, or the older V3S to save money — both run the same firmware and work identically with this app. Avoid a plain V3 (early boards drain the battery when off) and treat any "V5" listing as fake. Details in receiver versions and the version comparison.

2. A data-capable USB-C cable

The single most common snag. The radio charges, flashes firmware and runs this site’s USB remote over one USB-C port, and many bundled or cheap cables carry power only. A known-good short data cable removes the guesswork. If the app will not connect, suspect the cable before the radio.

3. An antenna beyond the stock whip

The bundled whip covers FM well; shortwave wants more. Start with a longer telescopic whip or a clip-on reel wire for the field. The antenna guide matches a pick to your situation.

4. A counterpoise wire

A few metres of clip-on ground wire — the cheapest item in the kit and, per dollar, the most effective. Clipped to the radio’s ground it lifts shortwave signal and SNR more than extra whip length does.

5. Earphones

Shortwave and SSB live down in the noise, and the built-in speaker only goes so far. A cheap tunable set like the KZ Castor plugs into the radio’s 3.5 mm output and lets you hear into the noise instead of past it.

What the kit roughly costs

Prices on AliExpress move around, so treat these as ballpark figures, not quotes — the gear pages show current prices for each pick. As a rough guide: the radio is the main cost (a V3S typically less than a V4), the cable, whip and counterpoise are a few dollars each, and the earphones sit in the middle.

In total: everything for roughly $55–95, with the radio itself accounting for well over half. Skipping the earphones and re-using a wire you already own brings a working kit under $50.

Worth adding later

• A 3D-printed stand to prop the radio at a readable angle — check it fits your case revision.
• A YouLoop passive loop if you listen indoors in a noisy building.
• An SMA adapter only when you have a specific antenna to bridge — the jack is SMA female, so the adapter end must be SMA male.
• A pouch or small hard case, and a screen protector trimmed to the 1.9-inch display.

First hour with the kit

1. Charge the radio and update the firmware to 2.34 or newer with the data cable — that unlocks Bluetooth control and fast tuning. See firmware versions.
2. On the radio, set USB Port → Ad hoc (or Bluetooth → Ad hoc), then connect it to this app.
3. Clip on the counterpoise, extend the whip, and let seek or the EiBi schedule browser find you something to listen to.

Everything here is hand-picked and listed by exact product in the gear catalogue; some links there are affiliate links, which never changes the price you pay.