VHF Help

[Dleopoldi914]

New Boater here.......I purchased a boat and got a VHF radio with it that was not working properly. Old owner told me that it needed new antenna and maybe a new connector to the back of the radio. I bought the solderless shakespeare connector and a new antenna and didn't work. I got tired of messing with it and mentioned it to my mechanic. HE installed one of those small rubber duck antennas, I can now get the weather but don't have much range.

I want to go back to the old style whip antenna, enclosed is the pic it is a 4400 shakespeare and enclosed is the mount. I was going to mount to the rails of the center console and put it down when not on the water.

My question is how do I attach the wire to the antenna? Do I just cut the wire and jam it into the hole in the mount? PIcs of mount and antenna enclosed.

First two pics it the mount and the antenna I have, Last is the atenna my mechanic installed.......

Last pic is how I want to run it now....

 

[dingbat]

My question is how do I attach the wire to the antenna? Do I just cut the wire and jam it into the hole in the mount?

The connector is supplied loose to allow you to feed the cable thru the mount and cut to the proper length. Installing the connector is the final step in the installation process

 

[eric102]

Are you saying the wire isn't attached to the antenna? If so its broken. Check out this thread https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...tors/69769-shakespeare-4400-installation-woes

 

[dingbat]

Are you saying the wire isn't attached to the antenna? If so its broken. Check out this thread https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boa...tors/69769-shakespeare-4400-installation-woes

Wire is permanently connected to antenna. The connector is installed on the radio end

 

[StingrayMike]

Not sure what kind of range you were looking for, but I had a rubber duck antenna on my boat and it got 1-2 miles out of it, remember its line of sight for range.

When making your PL connector on the end of the radio, prior to doing it use a multimeter set to resistance and check what the antenna reads for resistance. one lead to the wire, the other to the shield. After you make your connection, check it again.
Not sure for that model of antenna, but some read short, some read open. The solderless connectors are not the greatest, but work. If you can, I would get one that you have to solder the wire to the center pin of the connector. It will make a better connection and improve your VHF performance. The downside is that you can short out the connector by getting the wire to hot and melt the plastic around the center wire. You don't need much solder.

 

[Dleopoldi914]

https://youtu.be/myGre3Ez-gI

I guess little antenna is ok radio check 30 miles away

 

[Dleopoldi914]

Ok got a 4400 Shakespeare 4 foot antenna how much better you think reception will be if I mount to the rails of my console....

 

[dingbat]

To determine communication range expressed in miles, you take the square root of the height of the VHF antenna above the waterline and multiply it by a factor of (1.42).

 

[dingbat]

Ok got a 4400 Shakespeare 4 foot antenna how much better you think reception will be if I mount to the rails of my console....

To determine communication range expressed in miles, you take the square root of the height of the VHF antenna above the waterline and multiply it by a factor of (1.42)

My 8 ft. antennas are mounted on the top of the hardtop. Roughly 8 ft. above water line.
4.24 (16) x 1.42 = 6.02 miles.

This is is your distance. You add the distance of the send and receive antennas for the total distance.

Antenna and radio quality will increase or decrease the distance.

 

[Dleopoldi914]

Ok so of my new antenna is 5 feet higher than my old antenna it will yield me 5x1.42=7.1

so I will get 7.1 miles more distance with the new antenna.....

 

[dingbat]

Ok so of my new antenna is 5 feet higher than my old antenna it will yield me 5x1.42=7.1

so I will get 7.1 miles more distance with the new antenna.....

No... it’s the square root of the height above water, not the length of the antenna
Square root of 5 = 2.2 x 1.42 =3.1 miles

 

[Dleopoldi914]

Hmmm so I won’t get that much more distance wirh that antenna.....maybe I should just leave it alone....

 

[Mohawkmtrs]

No...you need the TOTAL height of the top of the antenna above the water. Then use the square root of that measurement times the 1.42 to get the distance.

 

[mike_i]

You don't mention if you boat in a lake or 20 miles offshore in the salt. Regardless I would want to maximize my chance of reaching another boat or rescue agencies if needed. The "rubber ducky" antenna is trash unless you'll be next to the other person you're trying to communicate with. At best the rubber duck antennas are unity gain if not a loss of signal strength gain. Get a real antenna with 6 or 8db gain Depending on where you boat you may get away with a 3db gain antenna. Get the solder on type of PL-259 connector, don't use the solder less connectors. The only way to confirm that your antenna system is working right is with a thru line watt meter, don't rely on a radio check from another boater.