Warning –Long post but well worth the read if you are looking to install a VHF antenna
Primer
In preparing for my first trip to Bimini I wavered back and forth on whether to install a fixed VHF radio. One of my concerns was having the antenna mounted all of the time even though hardly ever used. When I became convinced that I needed to install a fixed VHF radio and antenna I started down the road of researching marine VHF antennas and learned a lot. I will start with photos, where I ended up, and then share some research details around marketing and performance of VHF antennas in general. If you are looking to purchase an antenna then at the very least read the last part.
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Where I Ended Up
I have a 2016 242 LS and I want to keep everything looking clean and mount the antenna on the tower. I quickly discovered that most VHF antennas have the cable exiting the antenna above the base (ferrule) and permanently attached. One could cut the cable and add connectors but surely someone had figured out a better way for sport boats should they want to stow their antenna instead of just folding it down. Well that someone is Pacific Aerials. They have two product lines that include the connector within the base (ferrule) of the antenna such that one can just unscrew the antenna. Turns out they make a cost effective 6 foot antenna in black which is the color and length I was looking for as well ( model P6125). Keep in mind that you will have to purchase a Pacific Aerials mount as well given that the cable is connected directly within the mount. The also offer the style with the cable directly attached to the antenna
While on their site I noticed a new version of a ratcheting mount which more streamlined, modern looking, and visually appealing (model is P6759 and there is different model for antennas with the cable direct in the antenna). I found only one online store with a listing for that mount but when the package arrived they had sent me the older version. After two weeks of back and forth with them they could not give me a firm date of when they would have the newer version. I reached out to Pacific Aerials in New Zealand via email and they responded within an hour. They put me in touch with the first US wholesale distributor that would be receiving them and the distributor shipped to me the same day they received the shipment at wholesale cost as a one time courtesy to Pacific Aerials and me.
When choosing a VHF antenna it really comes down to mounting type, length, external material (metal whip vs plastic coated whip vs. fiberglass), and color. I knew that an 8 footer would be extremely difficult if not impossible to stow on board so I went with a 6 foot (1.8 meter) which I know I can stow. I drilled and tapped the holes for the mount into the top aluminum cross piece of the tower (1/4” 20 TPI ¾” deep threads in 1” solid aluminum) and ran the cable from the mount down through the tower. Thanks to @gmtech for sharing how he mounted his antenna. The aft tube on my tower had a partial obstruction likely from how it is made and I had to get creative with a fish tape and wire ties to get it pulled through without making a larger hole in the tower for the cable.
In my opinion it does not take away from the looks of the clean lines of the boat and makes a great flag holder (flags mounted below the radiator inside the top of the antenna) if you can figure out a way to mount flags to it. One could try wire ties but I did not like that idea so I cut, bent, and drilled some thick aluminum sheet I had on hand to make my own custom clamps with a hole tab to clip tiny locking S biners to. I did cut part base plate off the mount because of the mounting location some of that plate would have been just floating there. Not needed but I did cut, shape and polish so it looked like it was made that way. I also choose to use a 1/16” thick piece of 60 durometer rubber cut to size in between the mount and the tower to prevent powder coat chipping and possible metal on metal noise. Probably not needed but I felt right for me.
At the end of the day I spent WAY too much time on all of this between research, chasing the perfect mount, overthinking, and customizing everything but I am super pleased with the results.
The Marketing and Performance Rabbit Hole
I went deep down the rabbit hole and learned a few things. First of all most marine VHF antenna’s dB rating is pure marketing. dBi is the true rating and that is important. Normal gain antennas are half wave type resulting in a dBi or signal amplification/loss rating of 3 dBi. What most marketing folks do is add to that based upon the length of the antenna to get to the DB rating you see most commonly. Longer antennas are better in that they will increase range due to horizon but the truth is almost all half wave VHF antennas have a true signal rating of 3dBi regardless of what the marketing says. So they all transmit the signal essentially equally but a higher antenna will transmit further due the curvature of the earth and line of sight.
Half Wave vs. Co-linear? Half wave antennas have one radiation element where Co-linear (aka high gain) have multiple radiation elements to boost the signal strength. So high gain (co-linear) sounds better right? Well not for most of the boats on this site. If your boat rocks and bobs a lot then this will have a huge impact on the performance of a co-linear (high gain) antenna. Without getting too technical on this one, bottom line is for a most boats under 30 feet a half wave antenna is better.
So at the end of the day one half wave antenna of equal length to another will not perform differently with any human perceivable difference. That said there is a electronic measurable signal loss when there are more connectors and/or more cable length so the extra connector in the mount of the Pacific Aerials and on the radio end to upsize their connector (included) does give it an ever so slight performance disadvantage over an antenna with enough fixed cable to reach the radio with a full size connector. Again that disadvantage is only measurable with precision electronic equipment and is rather insignificant. That said the small connector on the cable end is great for pulling through a tower and the boat. The ability to remove the antenna is a huge plus for me as well. A wire that is much longer than it needs to be will have a bigger impact.
For those still reading I am not making a case for one brand over another it terms of performance, just the opposite in fact. Mounting and gain type will narrow things down then pick length (longer is better), material, and color. Pacific Aerials customer service to one US Consumers email (me) was very fast and had a great result. Their marketing is also not trumped up like other brands. In fairness I did not reach out other brands so can only say they were my choice and I would choose them again over another. Hopefully my trip down the VHF antenna rabbit hole helps someone else.
