trophywife
Crew Member
I know shakespeare is the standard.. Are there better brands? Better ways to install? Does dual help at all? School me plz.
Vhf antena
- Thread starter trophywife
- Start date
Peahead
Well-Known Member
http://www.digitalantenna.com/prods/vhfantenna_8.html
I have used Digital brand VHF antenna and it performed better than any I had tried before. The 6db / 8' one . ( I wouldn't go less ) It performed amazing and was mounted only about 4' off the water at that time. Mount as high as possible on vessel and performance will improve. As much as it looks cool to slant the mount, straight up/vertical is better
I have used Digital brand VHF antenna and it performed better than any I had tried before. The 6db / 8' one . ( I wouldn't go less ) It performed amazing and was mounted only about 4' off the water at that time. Mount as high as possible on vessel and performance will improve. As much as it looks cool to slant the mount, straight up/vertical is better
TenMile
Well-Known Member
Generally speaking, this is one of those things where higher cost usually means higher quality. The lower cost brands may have aluminum internals, where the higher priced ones will have beefier internals, generally made via copper. The beefier ones tend to stand up better to moisture and abuse and will have a lower loss and greater range.
Few tips:
- VHF is line of site. The bigger the antenna and the higher it sits above the water, the greater the transmit/receive range. This is particularly important for a sport boat that sits low to the water. For example, if the tip of the antenna is 8ft above the water, your effective range is 3.5mi -- 16ft above the water is 5mi, and 20ft above is 5.5mi (assuming the other station is another sport boat that sits below the horizon). Calling to the Coast Guard is a different story as their antenna typically sits very high above the water so get a much better transmit/receive range as the curve of the earth is not as impactful.
- Antenna cable and connectors are where most of the signal strength degradation comes from. Solder any connections if you can and make the cable length as short as possible. Poorly done connectors eliminate all the benefit of an expensive antenna. Avoid any connections where moisture is a factor.
Few tips:
- VHF is line of site. The bigger the antenna and the higher it sits above the water, the greater the transmit/receive range. This is particularly important for a sport boat that sits low to the water. For example, if the tip of the antenna is 8ft above the water, your effective range is 3.5mi -- 16ft above the water is 5mi, and 20ft above is 5.5mi (assuming the other station is another sport boat that sits below the horizon). Calling to the Coast Guard is a different story as their antenna typically sits very high above the water so get a much better transmit/receive range as the curve of the earth is not as impactful.
- Antenna cable and connectors are where most of the signal strength degradation comes from. Solder any connections if you can and make the cable length as short as possible. Poorly done connectors eliminate all the benefit of an expensive antenna. Avoid any connections where moisture is a factor.
