PM
Guru
- Joined
- Oct 7, 2012
- Messages
- 3,145
- Location
- USA
- Vessel Name
- Best Alternative
- Vessel Make
- 36 Albin Aft Cabin
Two years ago I broke the tip on my VHF antenna. It had a solid wire tip with co-ax wrap up to nearly the tip. It was 8 feet. The break was about 18 inches down.
I taped it and it seemed to work but looked like a bent nail. It was atop an 11 foot base. I hesitate to call it an extension because it must have served a function other than raising the antenna. The bottom couple of feet of wire was encased in a small diameter aluminum tube kept in the very center of the base by a plastic washer with a center hole.Most of the rest was coax cable cushioned and positioned with a foam stuffing in the base. It terminated in a connector to the upper antenna which automatically joined as the two sections were screwed together.
Time to replace it.
With some difficulty I have removed the wire and padding from the base and would like to feed the new coax from the new 8 foot antenna into the base and simply use it as an extender for extra height.
I have two questions for this esteemed group. 1) Is antenna height the key to better, further reception and transmission? Since my antennas are mounted on my flybridge this combination will give me almost 30 feet from the tip to the water. 2) What was this old elaborate base all about?
Of course I could just skip reusing the old base at all and simply screw the new 8 foot antenna into the mount and run the coax to the radio but the "line of sight" theory seems to dictate the higher the better.
Comments please. pete
I taped it and it seemed to work but looked like a bent nail. It was atop an 11 foot base. I hesitate to call it an extension because it must have served a function other than raising the antenna. The bottom couple of feet of wire was encased in a small diameter aluminum tube kept in the very center of the base by a plastic washer with a center hole.Most of the rest was coax cable cushioned and positioned with a foam stuffing in the base. It terminated in a connector to the upper antenna which automatically joined as the two sections were screwed together.
Time to replace it.
With some difficulty I have removed the wire and padding from the base and would like to feed the new coax from the new 8 foot antenna into the base and simply use it as an extender for extra height.
I have two questions for this esteemed group. 1) Is antenna height the key to better, further reception and transmission? Since my antennas are mounted on my flybridge this combination will give me almost 30 feet from the tip to the water. 2) What was this old elaborate base all about?
Of course I could just skip reusing the old base at all and simply screw the new 8 foot antenna into the mount and run the coax to the radio but the "line of sight" theory seems to dictate the higher the better.
Comments please. pete