ATS Mini V4 Unboxing & First Power-On: What's in the Box, Initial Setup

What the ATS Mini V4 Actually Is

A pocket-sized DSP receiver built around the Silicon Labs SI4732 chip and an ESP32-S3 microcontroller — covers AM, FM, LSB, and USB (SSB modes), roughly 0.1-30MHz plus FM broadcast, all in a device about the size of a deck of cards. V4 specifically adds a metal case with internal RF shielding, an ESD-protected antenna input, and a built-in headphone amplifier circuit over earlier hardware revisions.

What's Typically in the Box

The receiver itself (metal case on genuine V4 units — see the notes on counterfeits, some sellers ship V1 boards in a metal shell and call it V4)
A "Donut" wideband loop antenna (roughly 10kHz-180MHz coverage, good for MW/LW and general SW listening)
A telescopic whip antenna (better for FM/VHF and general SW)
USB-C cable for charging and firmware flashing
Sometimes a stand/case depending on the specific bundle you ordered

First Power-On

Hold the power button — there's no traditional slide/rocker switch on stock hardware, power is software-controlled via long-press, which matters later (see the note on this below). The 1.9" IPS display should light up showing frequency, band, and signal indicators.

Check Firmware Version First

Before doing anything else, check Menu > Settings > About to see what firmware is currently installed. Units ship with varying firmware depending on the batch/seller — some come with stock AMNVOLT firmware, some arrive pre-flashed with the community ats-mini fork or H.J. Berndt's version. Knowing your starting point matters before you consider updating (see the flashing guide).

Antenna Selection for First Listen

Attach the telescopic whip for FM broadcast and general SW band scanning first — it's the more versatile of the two included antennas for a first test. Switch to the Donut loop antenna specifically for MW/AM band and lower-frequency SW listening, where its wideband loop design performs better than the whip.

A Genuine Hardware Quirk Worth Knowing Immediately

There's no physical power switch on the stock board — the long-press gesture triggers deep sleep, but this still draws some battery over time. If you later flash community firmware, be aware some versions repurpose the long-press gesture for other functions, meaning there may be no software way to fully power off at all without a physical switch modification. Worth knowing before you're wondering why the battery seems to drain while "off."

First Things to Try

FM broadcast band — easiest immediate confirmation everything works, strong local stations should come in clearly
AM/MW band scan — try the seek function to auto-find active stations
SW broadcast bands (if it's evening/night where you are — shortwave propagation is generally much better after dark)

Once basic reception is confirmed working, move on to exploring the full menu system and firmware options covered in the companion guides.

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