Owner Comments - 3

Below are some comments made by happy FL-7000 owners. Please contribute your comments about N4ATS at this link: eham.net. Thanks! Posted September 30. 2006 08:38:16
Bill Grassa (N4ATS) is the 'go to guy' on these amplifiers. I have known Bill for several years now via a CB website. Bill is a master technician and repair-man for all types of rigs and HF gear. However, his passion is the FL-7000, modifying about 20+ a month!
Back in June of 2006, I purchased a 3 button, Yaesu FL-7000 from my elemr KE3NK. The amp needed updating and modification. It worked fine, but I knew it needed the touch from Bill so I shipped it down to him without even using it myself in my shack! His reputation is that good!...
Bill modified and updated everything, including all the Yaesu bulletins. He even changed out and replaced the Yaesu processing board to track the bands at no extra charge to me. I would say that the amp was completed and re-shipped to me within two weeks! Fast turnaround time! WOW!
Bill is also a fine customer service agent,... he forwarded his cell#, work#, and home# to me so as to stay in touch. He even took a call at his work to help me with a PTT cable question I had and to do some testing.
Bill's name is well known in amateur circles here in Northern Virginia as I overheard a few hams talking about sending their FL-7000's down to him at a recent hamfest,... I guess the word is out?!,... and well deserved for Bill! I would recommend him without any hesitation as he is a true asset to the FL-7000 owner.
BTW, the amp works flawlessly,... full output with low drive from my Kenwwod gear. It runs cool on 120V, and the turbo fans haven't even kicked on yet.
In conclusion, Bill will take care of you and your amp. He is reasonably priced, even stating that he is not here "to make a living off the 7000." If there is an issue, Bill WILL make it right.
Thanks again Bill for taking care of me!
73 Bruce K4BOF
Posted November 06. 2006 19:48:32
I've owned five FL-7000's over the past 20 years and although they operated satisfactorily, they had their faults. (No Pun Intended). With the recommendations of several sources, I sent one of my two remaining amps down to Bill/N4ATS to 'heal' it.
It was faulting regularly and output power was down to below 400 watts. Bill did a thorough checkout and discovered two of the final power transistors had experienced meltdown. He replaced those, completed his magic 'desensing mods', aligned and generally tuned it to 'better than' specs. It's back in the shack now and just completed a busy three days of trouble free QSO's. Many Thanks, Bill, and my second FL-7000 will be shipped shortly. Jim/KE3NK
Posted November 07. 2006 14:55:11
Hi, I am a new Ham. I acquired my Tech License April 15, 2006. Earned my General License July 29th, 2006. I have enjoy the hobby. Never had any experience with a person (s) like Bill Grassa (N4ATS) and his associate Steve Weiss (N3ATS) (Parts Dept.) ... It is very conforming to know that when you enter a hobby there are still real gentleman left in the world ... one of the finest human beings out there ... I purchase a used Yaesu FT-7000 in August ... Ran the rig on 75/40 with High SWR ...Developed VCC voltage to high ... Bill (N4ATS) give instructions & sent up parts to me to repair the Amp ... Also had more problems ... supported me with tech support & more parts ... Amp works fine now ... Steve Weiss (N3ATS) (Parts) assisted me with the CT-11 data cable for the Yaesu FT-920 to the Yaesu FL-7000 ... Steve also supported me with instructions & help ... WOW !!! What a great team ... "Your the man" (Men) ... Both of these men have gone "beyond the call of duty" If any one needs more information, Please feel free to contact me ... 73/Bob W1WYZ ...
Posted December 29.2006 15:21:28
I recently purchased my FL-7000, used and modified from Bill Grassa, and I could not be happier. I have a Yaesu FT-990 which mates to the 7000 perfectly. In my search for a 7000 I came across Bill's name on eham.com; everything I read about Bill turned out to be true. He went out of his way to walk me through correctly cabling my 7000 to the 990 and other rigs in my shack, and keeping me out of trouble. He did all this during the pre-Christmas rush while talking to me from his cell phone- what a guy! The 7000 runs great, looks great, and is simple to operate. If your looking for a 7000, Bill is the man to talk to. 73- Fred / W2FMB
Posted February 08.2007 19:31:15
How fortunate I am to have come across the website of Bill Grassa, N4ATS, the Master of the FL-7000. Not only does Bill repair and gets your FL-7000 back to factory specs, but improves it with modifications. Now the amplifier is in tip top condition, but I still had problems. Most technicians will tell you there isn't anything wrong with the amp and there is a problem elsewhere. Goodbye! But, Bill has spent a lot of time on the phone with me, checking connections and walking me through various tests. The results proved to be negative. Bill was very concerned why the amp still wasn't operating properly and wanted me to send the amp back to him. Once again after Bill checked it out, he found nothing wrong with the amp and it was working fine. BUT NOT AT MY STATION!!! We spoke on the phone again and he thought now it might be the Band Data connection on te FL-990. That was the problem. After fixing it, everything is working OK now. I would like everyone to know what a DEDICATED person Bill is, what PRIDE he has in his work and how far he will go to be sure you get on this air. If you want to know how to spell "Class", it's N4ATS. He is a credit to the Amateur Radio community. Vinnie WB1V
Posted February 15.2007 12:08:10
Just wanted to tell everyone how satisfied I was with Bill N4ATS. I dropped my FL7000 off on Friday at the Orlando HamCation with Bill and it was shipped back on Monday and received on Tuesday the following week. Bill fixed all the problems with the AMP and put all the modifications in. It is working GREAT and I could not be happier. Bill even called on Tuesday to see that it arrived and in good condition. He also provided great technical help. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND Bill if you have a problem or just want the modifications to the FL7000. 73-- Gary KD4VRZ
Posted March 4.2007 12:18:37
I sent my FL 7000 to Bill Grassa for repair on a monday, on Tuesday I got an email that he had recieved it and was ready to work on it.
That evening I had a phone call from Bill with a question about the AMP. After getting the information I got another email that he had found the problem and was working on it.
On Thursday I got an email that it was finished and was ready for shipment the next day.
On Saturday it back home again.
It is very hard to find the kind of service that Bill gives in this day and age.
If you have an amp that needs work this is the place to send it, and you will find the pricing is very fair also.
WA8QYJ
Posted March 15.2007 07:30:45
I have just received my #2 FL-7000 back from the very capable hands of Bill Grassa/N4ATS. This prarticular amp has provided me with many years of reliable service, but finally required some competent repairs. Having already had one amp completely redone by Bill a few months ago, I didn't hesitate to send this one for repair. Bill obviously "knows" these amps thoroughly and he quickly determined the various problems. He informed me of the issues and allowed me to determine the viability of repairs with a complete cost breakdown, which was more than fair. He completed repairs quickly and with the amp now back on my desk, I am, more than satisfied with his services. Thanks, Bill, for your assistance and for your efforts in keeping a wonderful amplifier "in service" for the Ham community.
Jim Bull/KE3NK
Posted March 19.2007 16:23:32
I recently had problems with my FT-1000mp Mark V Field. Knowing Bill has a lot of experience with Yaesu equipment I gave him a call asking his opinion. At that time he suggested that even though Yaesu factory service didn't get the best reviews, they might be my only option based on what I was telling him. That was two to three days ago. This afternoon Bill gave me a call and said he had been looking at the schematic and thought he had pin pointed my problem and that if I hadn't sent the rig to anyone for repair he would take a look at it. Unfortunately I had sent the rig off for repair this morning.
Kudos to you Bill for following up with me and going way beyond the extra mile. All I can say is what a guy. An asset to the hobby and a fine gentleman. You'll definitely get my business
KE0XS, Brad, 73's
Posted April 13.2007 08:07:54
The combination of an FL-7000 and support from Bill Grassa is unbeatable. However, without Bill the FL-7000 would probably still suffer from a less than sterling reputation. There are really two FL-7000's: BB (before Bill) and AB (after Bill). Read the eHam reviews of the amp and you will see that once Bill started enhancing the FL-7000, the bugs and nits all seemed to go away.
In my case, I recently purchased an FL-7000 directly from Bill. He indicated that it was a premium price because the amp was so nice; and indeed it was!
Upon receiving the amp, I had a minor problem and contacted Bill. He encouraged me to make the minor fix myself, but my work commitment minimize my "learn by doing" time." Bill had me ship the amp back to him, fixed the problem, shipped it back ASAP. Super service. I am really enjoying the amp, and I know I have made a good investment because of Bill's commitment to this product and, more importantly,to his customers.
Thanks again, Bill!
73 de K6SBA
David in Santa Barbara CA