VHF antenna

theMick said:
Did you mount your antenna there by choice or was there an existing SS fitting there? I have a 175 and in that exact area I have a fitting like an antenna would go in. Did Sea Ray equip the boats this way without an actual antenna? I’m going down to Florida this summer and cruising on the ICW and thought a radio was a good idea.
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Was there when I bought boat.
You have a pic of what you have, so we can comment?

Since my boat is a USCG Aux facility (patrol boat), I am planning on adding a 2nd radio with an antenna in the same spot on the port side.
 
It all depends on where you live and what the terrain is. In MY area VHF is virtually useless because "nobody" uses them any more. Towboat and The USCG have phone numbers and anyone can use their cellphone to contact them.

My 2 newer boats have hand held VHFs. Sure the range is lower, but I have eliminated the cumbersome antenna. Now I basically only use them for weather radio.

If you "need" to install an antenna, an 8 footer should be the only option.
 
If you are a coastal boater a VHF is absolutely the norm and you need at least a 4’ 3db antenna. Maybe on inland lakes it is not necessary but if you go anywhere near shipping traffic it is mandatory.
 
GypsmJim said:
It all depends on where you live and what the terrain is. In MY area VHF is virtually useless because "nobody" uses them any more. Towboat and The USCG have phone numbers and anyone can use their cellphone to contact them.

My 2 newer boats have hand held VHFs. Sure the range is lower, but I have eliminated the cumbersome antenna. Now I basically only use them for weather radio.

If you "need" to install an antenna, an 8 footer should be the only option.
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What kind of range can you expect using one of the hand held models? I’ve seen a few on line and they certainly win the no brained award for ease of use.
 
theMick said:
What kind of range can you expect using one of the hand held models? I’ve seen a few on line and they certainly win the no brained award for ease of use.
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That is a complicated question. Power/Line of sight/Obstacle's/Weather all come into play. One day it could be a few miles and the next could be a lot more. But with a 5/6W handheld and trying to contact a marina or in the marina already can be iffy at times. It all depends on how many boats/buildings are in the way. Hand helds are great for short distances but are not very useful for long (miles) distances. A regular mounted VHF is 25w and with an 8' antenna can reach 50-100 miles. ~50 being the line of sight curve of the earth @8' high. 100 or more is possible when skip and reflection come into play.
 
SKybolt said:
That is a complicated question. Power/Line of sight/Obstacle's/Weather all come into play. One day it could be a few miles and the next could be a lot more. But with a 5/6W handheld and trying to contact a marina or in the marina already can be iffy at times. It all depends on how many boats/buildings are in the way. Hand helds are great for short distances but are not very useful for long (miles) distances. A regular mounted VHF is 25w and with an 8' antenna can reach 50-100 miles. ~50 being the line of sight curve of the earth @8' high. 100 or more is possible when skip and reflection come into play.
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SearayPaul said:
This is a VHF range calculator. As you can see VHF is height dependent.

The best way to extend VHF-range with a handheld is an external antenna attached to the handheld with a BNC adapter thru a length of coax. I used this method for a number of years on our SeRay 175.

https://shakespeare-marine.com/choosing-the-right-antenna/
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Range is directly related to the antenna Gain. A high gain antenna (7db to 9db) will have much greater range but at the sacrifice of near range capability. Conversely, a medium/low gain antenna is designed to accommodate near communications. Many offshore yachts / fishing vessels will have both a high gain and low gain antenna so they have long range capability as well as a capability to notify the fuel dock when in the inlet for service.....
I have a 6db eight foot antenna above the bridge that is the best blend for what we do. Even though, If I'm right at the fuel dock it will not be picked up in the marina's office.
 
Mine is up high on what would be your arch so it’s over the top of your boat but still easy access to fold it for bridges

B34B6AF9-D70D-472B-B653-F86F7F109F49.jpeg
 
ttmott said:
Range is directly related to the antenna Gain. ...
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It also has to do with line of sight when in open water. That was the only point I was trying to convey. I didn't want to get into the the whole gain discussion. Although spot on as usual.
 
I did not want to complicate the issue. I just wanted to get the inefficient antenna off the handheld and above the boat’s fiberglass. I did not want to open the Pandora’s box of best antenna but the above information is correct.
 
Thanks for all the good info and diverse opinions. I think I will go with the Standard Horizon 890 with DSC and GPS capability. I really don’t venture very far from land TBH and the less electronics wired into my 175 the better.
 
SKybolt said:
It also has to do with line of sight when in open water. That was the only point I was trying to convey. I didn't want to get into the the whole gain discussion. Although spot on as usual.
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Yea - my long drawn out point was that the antenna gain (if you were to purchase one) is the most important factor.
Sorry if I got too deep into the weeds.
 
ttmott said:
Yea - my long drawn out point was that the antenna gain (if you were to purchase one) is the most important factor.
Sorry if I got too deep into the weeds.
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No worries, great point. I have the same issue around marina's and either drop the power or use the handheld.
 
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