balistikb

I am thinking of going fishing offshore and wanted to know about communication incase of a possible issue. What range could I expect with a 8 foot fiberglass antena? I don't know the specifices but I just wanted a general idea.
Thank you

Cmann

do a search..the subject has been talked to death here.

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Gators2000

The people who need to hear you in an emergency have high power VHF's. They can hear your distress call from a long way off. Typically though, I would think you could reach 15-25 miles, depending on the weather.

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atsenaotie

It is a shorter distance than you might guess, vhf is essentially line of sight. There are formulas that compute the range based on the height of the base of your antenna. I do not have them handy, but check a google search.

USCG and others use antennas on towers to get the range. The radio power in watts has little to do with vhf range.

For times when I am 40+ miles offshore I have my vhf antenna mounted high, but I also carry an epirb.

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