My 2016 Yamaha 242X thread....(MORE photos added 6/14/19)

[Julian]

FYI...I keep adding more links to the first post in this thread as I do stuff to the boat, or people ask me about what I bought etc. Just added guide post and covers links for example.

 

[Rod5]

The first mount I bought was a plain old rail mount that I connected to the top of my 242X tower (1 1/4 inch rails). But the problem with the mount was that when I screwed the antenna (with connected cable to it) I had to do that with the cable disconnected (due to the number of rotations it requires)....so this was a temporary solution. I took the antenna back, and have now bought a Shakespeare Quick Connect rail mount and antenna. The antenna on this mount is not connected to the cable, so I can remove the antenna easily. I haven't yet connected this....that will be a late fall project, and will involved pulling that thick wire through the tower....oh joy! But at the same time, I plan to rewire the X's tower speakers.....so it will be a wiring project!

Hi Julian, did you ever get your new antenna mounted with the quick connect? Do you have any pics and or model/part numbers?

 

[Julian]

Hi Julian, did you ever get your new antenna mounted with the quick connect? Do you have any pics and or model/part numbers?

Not yet....the boat is still at the dealer.

This is what I bought and intend to mount to one of the rails above the bimini:

https://www.hodgesmarine.com/SHAKES...lkid=VvQFMjpjbEBH&ppcsu=xhg7f5djqeniramsegdoh

 

[swatski]

Not yet....the boat is still at the dealer.

This is what I bought and intend to mount to one of the rails above the bimini:

https://www.hodgesmarine.com/SHAKES...lkid=VvQFMjpjbEBH&ppcsu=xhg7f5djqeniramsegdoh

The antenna you had last year looked super cool and extremely functional.
That (2016-17?) X-bimini rail is perfect for this.


--

 

[Rod5]

Not yet....the boat is still at the dealer.

This is what I bought and intend to mount to one of the rails above the bimini:

https://www.hodgesmarine.com/SHAKES...lkid=VvQFMjpjbEBH&ppcsu=xhg7f5djqeniramsegdoh

Perfect thanks! That’s the same one I was contemplating getting.
Rod

 

[Julian]

Perfect thanks! That’s the same one I was contemplating getting.
Rod

I put on a non quick connect one for bimini last year and realized that I'd want to remove the antenna at times. The U bolt rail connector worked perfectly....all I need to do is run the wire through the tower frame...I'm guessing that will be a pain in the A#@ as the wire is so thick.

 

[Julian]

@Julian where/ how did you mount your vhf antenna? Still trying to route mine the way I want it.

Finally got around to mounting my antenna! First of all, I wanted to mount the antenna as high as possible as this is critical when it comes to range, so I was aiming for the very top of the tower all along. Also don't forget that your antenna should be mounted vertically with no angle to it. I see many people mounting their antennas at a cool back swept angle, this will diminish its range. Others have put theirs lower like this one. I also wanted the antenna to be removable so it wouldn't bounce around up there when trailering etc.

Running the wire through the bimini frame was easy....I was able to just push it through on its own. The bigger lower tower required a fishtape pushed up from the bottom to pull the wire down through the tower. Here are some photos of the end result:

The wire going between the two sections of the tower (white wire is the antenna wire):



Here is the finished radio install. The wire just reached...with like 4 inches to spare!!!


Here is the tower mounted bracket (Shakespeare rail mount) as seen from the front:


And here is the bracket as seen from the rear. The only thing I need to do now is seal off that hole. If I did it again, I would have drilled out a hole in the cap that was over that hole, but I failed to think about that BEFORE I pulled the wire through the tower! D'Oh! So I will take the plug that was in there and drill it then cut it and glue it (more work but same result!)


The handle should be easily accessible through the zipper in the bimini fabric put there so you can raise and lower the tower light.

 

[Rod5]

Wow that is a really super clean install Julian!! Did you have to remove the connector off one end of the antenna wire to feed it through the bigger lower tower hinge section? Its a tight squeeze at the very bottom hinge area of our towers and figure the connector plug won't make it...

 

[Julian]

Wow that is a really super clean install Julian!! Did you have to remove the connector off one end of the antenna wire to feed it through the bigger lower tower hinge section? Its a tight squeeze at the very bottom hinge area of our towers and figure the connector plug won't make it...

The antenna doesn't come with the connector on just the bare end of the wire, so it wasn't hard to loop it through the top section - which I was actually more concerned about. But because it is so narrow, and the cable rather thick...I was able to just push it through with no fish tape. I tried that on the lower tower which is much fatter, and it just balled up inside the pipe, so I ran a fishtape up from the bottom and pulled the wire down (much easier doing this with 2 people! One to fish the tape up, the other to look for it and grab it with needle nose pliers.

(you can actually see the tip of the white wire just poking out below the radio in the photo above as I hadn't put the connector on when I took the photo)

 

[Rod5]

Awe okay, thanks that's very helpful. I ordered my antenna last weekend, but I don't know if the connector comes on the wire or not. I'm going to have to seriously consider mimicking you on this too.

 

[tdonoughue]

(Everyone seriously considers mimicking Julian...)

 

[Julian]

(Everyone seriously considers mimicking Julian...)

LOL....just don't mimic the way I pronounce YAM A HAAAAH! LOL

 

[Mainah]

FWIW vhf antenna cable is a lot like cable tv cable. You can buy the ends and solder or crimp them on depending on the style of connector you choose. Just make a good clean connection.

 

[AndyD]

Finally got around to mounting my antenna! First of all, I wanted to mount the antenna as high as possible as this is critical when it comes to range, so I was aiming for the very top of the tower all along. Also don't forget that your antenna should be mounted vertically with no angle to it. I see many people mounting their antennas at a cool back swept angle, this will diminish its range. Others have put theirs lower like this one. I also wanted the antenna to be removable so it wouldn't bounce around up there when trailering etc.

Running the wire through the bimini frame was easy....I was able to just push it through on its own. The bigger lower tower required a fishtape pushed up from the bottom to pull the wire down through the tower. Here are some photos of the end result:

The wire going between the two sections of the tower (white wire is the antenna wire):
View attachment 69826


Here is the finished radio install. The wire just reached...with like 4 inches to spare!!!
View attachment 69827

Here is the tower mounted bracket (Shakespeare rail mount) as seen from the front:
View attachment 69828

And here is the bracket as seen from the rear. The only thing I need to do now is seal off that hole. If I did it again, I would have drilled out a hole in the cap that was over that hole, but I failed to think about that BEFORE I pulled the wire through the tower! D'Oh! So I will take the plug that was in there and drill it then cut it and glue it (more work but same result!)
View attachment 69829

The handle should be easily accessible through the zipper in the bimini fabric put there so you can raise and lower the tower light.

@Julian, I took your lead and inspiration to relocate my antenna to the same spot. The place i had it mounted originally likely wasn’t tall enough for substantial range and the bracket I had used was a Frankenstein part that wasn’t holding up over time. Thanks for the insight! I feel much more confident in the Bimini crossing now.

 

[Julian]

@Julian, I took your lead and inspiration to relocate my antenna to the same spot. The place i had it mounted originally likely wasn’t tall enough for substantial range and the bracket I had used was a Frankenstein part that wasn’t holding up over time. Thanks for the insight! I feel much more confident in the Bimini crossing now. View attachment 72019View attachment 72020

Nice! Looks like the only difference is your antenna has a fixed wire which means it can't be removed while I used the shakespeare quick connect that allows me to take off the antenna while trailering or not using the radio.

Did you install those JLs in the same cans the Polks were in? Was that an easy drop in?

 

[Rod5]

Nicely Done AndyD!!
What gold vhf connectors are those coming off your antenna? I looked and looked but couldn't find male & female connectors I thought would work for a very similar setup or did you go with a male to male adapter?
Also on your bar mounted Rod holders, where did you get those for larger diameter tubing? The ones I ordered ended up being for 3/4 tubing and wont work...

 

[AndyD]

Nice! Looks like the only difference is your antenna has a fixed wire which means it can't be removed while I used the shakespeare quick connect that allows me to take off the antenna while trailering or not using the radio.

Did you install those JLs in the same cans the Polks were in? Was that an easy drop in?

Mine didn’t come with tower speakers stock. The cans and speakers are all after market.

 

[AndyD]

Nicely Done AndyD!!
What gold vhf connectors are those coming off your antenna? I looked and looked but couldn't find male & female connectors I thought would work for a very similar setup or did you go with a male to male adapter?
Also on your bar mounted Rod holders, where did you get those for larger diameter tubing? The ones I ordered ended up being for 3/4 tubing and wont work...

These are the rod mounts I used. They fit great on the upper portion of the e-series bimini frame but are too small for the the main tower.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00HRO896E?psc=1&ref=yo_pop_mb_pd_title

For the brass I used these
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000...+connector&dpPl=1&dpID=41mBMcvNssL&ref=plSrch
And a female to female coupler that Shakespeare makes. I found it at west marine but can’t seem to find an amazon link. It’s an extra connection that i wasn’t thrilled about as I’m sure the more connections you have the more issues that could arise. However, it fit the need I had and I haven’t had any issues with it yet so let’s hope it stays that way.

 

[Rod5]

Awesome thanks so much for the Amazon links! I was hesitant about the extra connections too for the same reasons, but will probably do the same after the this year's trip.
I'll look for the female coupler at WM.

 

[Julian]

Those are the same rod holders on my boat as seen on page 9 of this thread! Go to page 1 for the full list of ways to empty your bank account! LOL