Jochen Grikschat brought up a question we discussed extensively a year or so ago- what's the best antenna for a VHF radio in a kayak? At the time I spoke with a number of RF engineering friends and came to the conclusion that it was a simple 1/4 wave vertical antenna placed as high as possible. While there are antennas that have higher gain, they acheive this by narrowing the beam, which could be a problem in a rolling boat. For Jochen's use I'd suggest, if practical, two antennas. The first would be a simple 1/4" wave marine fiberglass whip mounted flush on the deck at the rear on a spring mount. This would be the ultra-reliable, indestructable antenna that could survive rolls, impact and other abuse. The other would be a similar antenna mounted on as high as mast as he could erect- perhaps a sailing mast- for extended range. -- mike ------------------------- Michael Edelman mje_at_spamcop.net http://www.foldingkayaks.org http://www.findascope.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Joch, Remember to place the antenna at least three feet from your radio to avoid interference. The radio you are looking at claims to be waterproof. Do you know the definition of waterproof by this company? It might not be the same as yours. I have learned that lesson the hard way and an inoperable radio was the result. I have wanted to do this myself and hope you will will post more on this when you get your rig set up. Vincent *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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