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Can't use a VHF antenna for this. You need to mount a cellular antenna on the boat and you also need a cell phone with an external antenna jack. You'll also probably need a jumper to match the connectors between the cellphone and the TNC connector on the end of the cellular antenna wire
......... I have a Shakespeare antenna (not digital).
There is no such thing as a "digital" antenna. There is an antenna manufacturer named "Digital" but their antennas are essentially the same as Shakespeare's or any other quality brand. They all work on the same principle.
Again, There is no such thing as a "digital" antenna.
And no, you cannot use your VHF antenna for a cell phone antenna.
[quote=rwidman;2339220]
There is an antenna manufacturer named "Digital" but their antennas are essentially the same as Shakespeare's or any other quality brand."
Not so. Digital antennas are constructed far better than Shakespeare especially when you look at the the internally soldered connections . I wouldn't class Shakespeare in the "quality" brand category either.
There is an antenna manufacturer named "Digital" but their antennas are essentially the same as Shakespeare's or any other quality brand."
Not so. Digital antennas are constructed far better than Shakespeare especially when you look at the the internally soldered connections . I wouldn't class Shakespeare in the "quality" brand category either.
-lol
Your opinion of the quality of construction is your opinion and that's fine, but their operation is the same. It's an eight foot long conductor enlosed in a protective structure. You can make it out of wire, copper or brass tubing, or whatever, it's still just a VHF antenna. It's not "digital". A piece of wire stapled to a 2X4 would work the same. For a while anyway.
Just like with TV antennas. There's no such thing as a "digital" antenna or a "high definition" antenna. It's all marketing BS.
Your opinion of the quality of construction is your opinion and that's fine, but their operation is the same. It's an eight foot long conductor enlosed in a protective structure. You can make it out of wire, copper or brass tubing, or whatever, it's still just a VHF antenna. It's not "digital". A piece of wire stapled to a 2X4 would work the same. For a while anyway.
Just like with TV antennas. There's no such thing as a "digital" antenna or a "high definition" antenna. It's all marketing BS.
+1, I can make a quality VHF antenna from a handful of coat hangers and a PVC pipe. All 8 foot antennas with the same db that are not broken will work the same.
__________________ My boat is a 2008 Sea Hunt 220 Triton with Yamaha 250. Garmin 4212, Furuno FCV-620, GSD 22, Standard Horizon Matrix, XM Weather.
+1, I can make a quality VHF antenna from a handful of coat hangers and a PVC pipe. All 8 foot antennas with the same db that are not broken will work the same.
.
Hell, you could make one out of about 20" of lamp cord, a fish hook and a 1 oz. sinker, and it would work just fine.
Not so. Digital antennas are constructed far better than Shakespeare especially when you look at the the internally soldered connections . I wouldn't class Shakespeare in the "quality" brand category either.
I've also heard Digital antennas can cure cancer, and will make you much more attractive to the ladies.
Tell me, when's the last time you opened up a Digital and Shakespeare VHF antenna to compare the components?
I've never seen such blind loyalty to a manufacturer by folks that have no idea what's inside the radome and how an antenna actually works.
Hell, you could get an aluminum lawn chair to resonate on 2 meters if you really tried...
You can also buy cellular signal amplifiers which are supposed to get you extra range when connected to a cell antenna.
I have one that's for sale if anyone is interested. I haven't listed it yet, but it is a PowerMax Dual Band Cellular Amplifier (made by Digital Antenna) and I also have a 4 foot Digital cell antenna that goes with it.
It will probably get you an additional 5-10 miles of range on top of an antenna alone, and clean up a marginal signal near the limits.
Just sayin is all.....
__________________
Terry Jason 35, Yanmar 370 hp, Lots of fun at a leisurely pace
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Tell me, when's the last time you opened up a Digital and Shakespeare VHF antenna to compare the components?
And were they both the same level? Top of the line, mid line, etc.? Are you comparing the top of the line Digital brand antenne to the Shakespeare "value" model?
And what qualifications do you have to determine that one is built better than the other. An electrical engineering degree?
I've seen reviews done by boating magazines on these antennas. One revew has one slightly on top, the next review has the other slightly on top.
Pay the $150.00 or so for either brand's top of the line 8' antenna and you will have a good, servicable, long lasting (barring accidents) antenna.
I've also heard Digital antennas can cure cancer, and will make you much more attractive to the ladies.
Tell me, when's the last time you opened up a Digital and Shakespeare VHF antenna to compare the components?
I've never seen such blind loyalty to a manufacturer by folks that have no idea what's inside the radome and how an antenna actually works.
Hell, you could get an aluminum lawn chair to resonate on 2 meters if you really tried...
I have a Digital antenna that is opening itself up with a longitudinal crack
It's the second one that has broken on me. When I pull it off the boat this weekend I can take a look at how good those internal components are.
If they are that good it's a shame that they can't build a decent piece of fiberglass around them
It's being replaced with a Comrod antenna this time.
I used to use Digital antennas with the black finish, but had a lot of problems with the black finish not lasting and turning rough. I switched to Shakespeare antennas and had no problems at all with the black finish. I do however like the way the Digital antennas cables come with the screw on cable connectors. That is a lot more convienent when installing the antenna.
Using a VH F Marine Band Antenna for Cellular Telephone
Let's leave the blather about antenna brands aside and deal with the question: Can a VHF Marine Band antenna be shared between a VHF Marine Band transceiver and a cellular telephone?
The short answer is no.
There are two significant problems: sharing an antenna between two transmitters; and, making an antenna work effectively in two widely separated frequency bands. Let's consider each problem separately.
It is not particularly difficult to share one antenna between two receivers. It is extremely difficult and very expensive to share one antenna between two transmitters, unless you employ a mechanism which locks one transmitter when the other is transmitting. To be able to send RF energy to an antenna from two transmitters at once is possible, but it is far more complex than you can work out in a simple marine antenna. Therefore any sort of shared use of an antenna between two transmitters is out.
The frequencies involved in VHF Marine Band and cellular telephone bands are widely separated. An antenna which was originally designed to be used only on the VHF Marine band will not be very likely to work well on the cellular telephone bands. Adding to the complexity is the nature of cellular telephones. They operate in a variety of frequency bands, varying with the model and the service provider. There is no reasonable basis to expect that an antenna tuned and resonated to work in the 156-MHz Marine Band will be effective on the cellular telephone bands, which are generally at much higher frequencies around 900-MHz.
The idea of using an existing antenna tuned for VHF Marine Band use as a shared antenna with a cellular telephone is unworkable. It will be much more expedient to purchase a separate antenna for use with the cellular telephone.
Let's leave the blather about antenna brands aside and deal with the question: Can a VHF Marine Band antenna be shared between a VHF Marine Band transceiver and a cellular telephone?
The short answer is no.
There are two significant problems: sharing an antenna between two transmitters; and, making an antenna work effectively in two widely separated frequency bands. Let's consider each problem separately.
It is not particularly difficult to share one antenna between two receivers. It is extremely difficult and very expensive to share one antenna between two transmitters, unless you employ a mechanism which locks one transmitter when the other is transmitting. To be able to send RF energy to an antenna from two transmitters at once is possible, but it is far more complex than you can work out in a simple marine antenna. Therefore any sort of shared use of an antenna between two transmitters is out.
The frequencies involved in VHF Marine Band and cellular telephone bands are widely separated. An antenna which was originally designed to be used only on the VHF Marine band will not be very likely to work well on the cellular telephone bands. Adding to the complexity is the nature of cellular telephones. They operate in a variety of frequency bands, varying with the model and the service provider. There is no reasonable basis to expect that an antenna tuned and resonated to work in the 156-MHz Marine Band will be effective on the cellular telephone bands, which are generally at much higher frequencies around 900-MHz.
The idea of using an existing antenna tuned for VHF Marine Band use as a shared antenna with a cellular telephone is unworkable. It will be much more expedient to purchase a separate antenna for use with the cellular telephone.
Digital claim to be able to provide a dual VHF/Cell phone antenna (for receive and transmit):
VHF antenna for Cellular phone 
