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ok, im new to boating and ive had my boat for 4 months now. i have my vhf antenna mounted on the outside of my cabin area. i often see antennas mounted to the hardtops whats the purpose? is there one other then to get it higher? i have a hard top and wondering if its a good idea? is there special backing brackets for the mounts so it wont damage the hardtop? i often see two as well? is there a purpose for two or what? the current radio i have now is an icom ic-m56. the anntennas propbably 6.5 feet in length. i will be venturing offshore about 30-40 miles next season. can you guys give me some advice on what to get for the next season? thanks guys for all the advice.
Higher is always better with VHF. So assuming there is no issues, such as not being able to reach it, then mount it in the highest spot possible, 2 antennas/radios is really nice if 1 stops working.
While it's certainly true that "higher is better", I don't think I would go to the trouble and expense of reinstalling the mount, re-running (and possibly having to extend) the cable, and filling the existing mount holes just to gain a couple feet of height. At best there might be a mile or two increase in range.
i will be venturing 30-40 miles offshore either this upcoming season or the following. what kind of gear to i need to i can make contact to land or the coast guard if need be? thanks for the help guys.
i will be venturing 30-40 miles offshore either this upcoming season or the following. what kind of gear to i need to i can make contact to land or the coast guard if need be? thanks for the help guys.
-mike.
Either a 16' VHF antenna, a SSB radio, or just lease an Iridium handheld when you actually go out past 30 miles offshore. The first two suggestions were just tricks, the 16' aerial will snap and a single side band is waste of money unless you're going trans-atlantic and/or you are really bored and like speaking to strangers in a strange tongue. The answer is, lease a sat phone and hope it works. And buy a EPIRB or PLB, register it and make sure you enter where you're heading on that passage, it will get you home faster.
Under ideal conditions VHF range is supposedly 40 miles but for practical purposes expect 10-20. If you are in an area with a lot of boats, the VHF will probably be enough radio for you. DSC with a hookup to your chartplotter and EPIRB/PPIRB will increase your safety factor.
Good luck!
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ok, im new to boating and ive had my boat for 4 months now. i have my vhf antenna mounted on the outside of my cabin area. i often see antennas mounted to the hardtops whats the purpose? is there one other then to get it higher? i have a hard top and wondering if its a good idea? is there special backing brackets for the mounts so it wont damage the hardtop? i often see two as well? is there a purpose for two or what? the current radio i have now is an icom ic-m56. the anntennas propbably 6.5 feet in length. i will be venturing offshore about 30-40 miles next season. can you guys give me some advice on what to get for the next season? thanks guys for all the advice.
-mike.
Just so you know a VHF radio will not reach 30-40 miles to shore. It will reach other boats within 10 miles. As stated the higher the better.
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43' Cabo FB
36' Grady White
27' Contender
Just so you know a VHF radio will not reach 30-40 miles to shore. It will reach other boats within 10 miles. As stated the higher the better.
The C.G. will mount their antennas hundreds of feet in the air. I can hear them well beyond 40 miles out. I've spoken with them in excess of 25 miles out.
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Terry Jason 35, Yanmar 370 hp, Lots of fun at a leisurely pace
The C.G. will mount their antennas hundreds of feet in the air. I can hear them well beyond 40 miles out. I've spoken with them in excess of 25 miles out.
Thats true sometimes you can reach them at 25 -40 miles but other times you cannot. Atmospheric conditions have to be just right and usually when you really need them in bad weather you cannot reach them. Been there.
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43' Cabo FB
36' Grady White
27' Contender
The rule of thumb with VHF radios is 1 watt of power = 1 mile of range. I can't speak for your older M56 but all mounted VHFs manufactured today have 25 watts of power. This means that, in theory, its effective range is approx 25 miles. On a clear day, it will be more, say 30 to 40, and on and not so clear day it will be less, say 15 to 20 miles. (I know, I know its more complicated than that and has to do with the curvature of the earth, but this rule of thumb works quite well.)
Coast Guard stations, Sea Tow stations and many law enforcement divisions have extra tall VHF antennas, some over 100 feet, that enable them to contact vessels far beyond this 25 mile rule of thumb, not to mention any boat within 25 miles should be able to relay a message that the CG does not get. Bottom line, you most likely will be heard with a working 25 watt VHF with a quality antenna within 40 miles of the coast.
As far as antennas, please don't skimp as cheap antennas will not broadcast as well or last as long as a good quality one. I would not go with anything shorter than an 8 ft, 6 db antenna. The Shakespeare 5225-XT or Digital Antenna 500 Gold series would be my choices mounted as high as possible.
antennas?
