AM / FM Antenna

[Ted]

I would like to add an AM / FM antenna to the music system on my boat. I would like to have something as inconspicuous as possible. Has anybody had success with mounting an antenna inside their boat or inside the mast? Would a horizontal antenna orientation work? Is there any downside to using a VHF AM/FM splitter? Looking for some creative ideas as I really don't want to see any more clutter above deck.

 

[Rick D]

I have mine hidden...

I would like to add an AM / FM antenna to the music system on my boat. I would like to have something as inconspicuous as possible. Has anybody had success with mounting an antenna inside their boat or inside the mast? Would a horizontal antenna orientation work? Looking for some creative ideas as I really don't want to see any more clutter above deck.

...inside a wiring run. works OK but the boat is in an urban area. AM isn't too hot.

 

[centerline]

they make an antennae that resembles a piece of scotch tape... about 40 inches long. its a fine wire in-cased in a film of plastic that is adhesive backed like a piece of tape. one end has the coax connection and the rest of it sticks where ever you want to stick it
I use one and it picks up a surprisingly strong signal..... I removed a trim board from along the deck/hull joint and stuck on the backside of the board, I replaced the board, and ran the coax to the radio. its out of the way, cant be seen and works great...

 

[JoeWhite]

Mine has VHF to AM/FM splitter and it works fine using the VHF antenna. There is no loss of transmission power from the VHF radio.

 

[Joe]

Mine has VHF to AM/FM splitter and it works fine using the VHF antenna. There is no loss of transmission power from the VHF radio.

I have a splitter also......... the problem I have is that the connector seems to be too close to the shorepower inlet.... thus the AM (as in my beloved Angel broadcasts) is prone to static.....so I have to disconnect the shorepower if i want to listen to the game at the dock......... but... the better solution is to take the boat out sailing, away from that umbilical cord.

I wonder if a simple automobile radio noise suppressor would solve that problem.

 

[Calif. Ted]

I've got a splitter and it works fine, by a fluke I discovered that on shore power my battery charger was causing static and losing weak stations on the FM band. I'm blocked from most radio by geography at the dock however and listen to XM more.

 

[shemandr]

I've tried several solutions for AM. FM broadcasts are fairly easy to get. AM not so much and unfortunately Yankee games are on AM and even worse so are the Giants. I think the problem is not really the antenna but is the stereo unit itself which seems to consider AM the stepchild of bands. I have an electric DC powered antenna and it doesn't work. I've had splitters and they didn't work. I've tried dipoles and had no improvement over no antenna. I haven't tried centerline's tape but would.
It's irritating to be able to drive to the boat listening to a game and not be able to get it on the boat. I've taken to bringing a cheap AM transistor radio with me to listen to games. This year I'm hoping I can get them on internet radio on my smart phone.
As for an antenna it would be at the top of the mast or I wouldn't bother with one.

 

[RAD]

On my old Bristol 24 I had a plain old car antenna propped up in the corner of the V berth bulkhead with a plastic wire tie untill I got it up the mast and it worked fine....On my present Oday I installed an antenna the first season when I had the mast down but also installed Sirrius radio and have never used that FM antenna (hmm I wonder if it even works )

 

[Forrest15112]

Basically, almost all antennas are a compromise in design for performance in certain areas. Antenna size is based upon the frequency. Lower frequency = longer antennas. Designs that shrink the length of antennas, like AM in a mobile stereo, do so at the expense of performance. FM is in the VHF band and decent performing, simple designed antennas are possible. Don't put the antenna inside the mast. It will be shielded and probably not work at all. One of those switching splitters attached to a mast mounted VHF antenna should perform pretty well. The antenna is cut for VHF marine frequencies ( or should be), but is shorter than ideal for FM broadcast. The difference is minimal and a good trade off considering you will not be transmitting in the FM broadcast band and the additional height is a major factor in reception VHF and FM broadcast are line of sight transmissions. The signal doesn't curve over the horizon or bounce off the atmosphere with any regularity. Antenna height is the number one thing you can do to improve performance and increase range in FM & VHF. AM is basically the same when tuning into local stations. If you stay near big cities, a small antenna tucked into the headliner may work well enough for your location. Oh, the difference between vertical and horizontal mounted antennas depends upon the transmitting antenna, but typically broadcast and shore mounted VHF antennas are vertical. There is significant signal loss if the antenna is mounted horizontal. It might be the only option and with all things considered, an acceptable trade-off.

 

[centerline]

the difference between vertical and horizontal mounted antennas depends upon the transmitting antenna, but typically broadcast and shore mounted VHF antennas are vertical. There is significant signal loss if the antenna is mounted horizontal. It might be the only option and with all things considered, an acceptable trade-off.

this is true for broadcasting as you have stated, but I found it really doesnt make much difference in receiving a common am/fm radio signal.
I know there are antenna's built for other equipment that do have to be verticle, but not so much the ones we are talking about here for a car/boat stereo. placement is more important than orientation.... and length for the am stations.

 

[caguy]

I have a regular automobile antenna that is hidden inside lining of the boat. It works well on both am and fm.

 

[Birdman737]

When I added an AIS transceiver to my boat, I used a Vesper Marine splitter to run my VHF antenna to both my marine VHF radio and AIS transceiver. Vesper's splitter also has an AM/FM output as well, which I use.

The stereo part of my setup only works okay... receiving range of only 20 miles or so from my favorite FM radio station, but I wasn't very careful in protecting the wire from the stereo to the splitter, either.

 

[Bob J.]

I bought a small Jensen amplified antenna, taped it in the above sette storage area.
Works better than the radio in the house. Not sure how much additional power it draws.

 

[Pat]

I tried fancy antennas, but ended up connecting a car antenna to the radio (rear is into the hanging locker from salon) and extended it fully in the hanging locker where it can't be seen and it does really well even in thunderstorms.....the fancy 'adjustable' antenna's I tried could not get a signal 25 miles west of Wichita...Pat

 

[The Garbone]

I bought a $6 car antenna off of amazon and tie wrapped it horizontally above the quarter berth inside the boat with it firmly touching some of the bolts for my lifelines. Seems to help reception.

 

[Dave Groshong]

Splitters work great in my experience:

http://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?9608

 

[centerline]

it may be a coincidence but I dont believe it is... it seems like the best am reception is from antennaes that are closer to the waterline..... im not sure if the signal bounce off the water is acting like a booster or what the relation may be, but everyone I know who has searched for a better signal with a high mounted antennae setup has not gotten the peformance that I have had with any of my fiberglass boats with tucked away, low setting antennaes....
the regular extendable car antenna stuck horizontal, in an out of the way storage area will work as good, or better than anything you can mount sticking up in the air.... it doesnt matter if it touches anything or lays on something, it just cant ground to the battery.
sometimes simplicity is the solution.....

 

[FourPoints]

+1 for the Shakespeare splitter. I use it and have better VHF performance than I did before installing it. Not really a result of the splitter, more the fact that I installed new coax and connectors when installing it, but in the end, it works great.

 

[philwsailz]

it may be a coincidence but I dont believe it is... it seems like the best am reception is from antennaes that are closer to the waterline..... im not sure if the signal bounce off the water is acting like a booster or what the relation may be, but everyone I know who has searched for a better signal with a high mounted antennae setup has not gotten the peformance that I have had with any of my fiberglass boats with tucked away, low setting antennaes....
the regular extendable car antenna stuck horizontal, in an out of the way storage area will work as good, or better than anything you can mount sticking up in the air.... it doesnt matter if it touches anything or lays on something, it just cant ground to the battery.
sometimes simplicity is the solution.....

I might agree. I do not like the look of an antenna on a boat, and on a previous boat, ( was cheap and dirt broke at the time) I carefully laid coaxial down in the boat until I got to the bilge, at which point I stripped the shield offf and laid the bare center conductor horizontally above the keel. That boat had some of the best AM/FM reception of any boat I had done prior.

Nowadays I use the omnidirectional TV antenna and split off an AM/FM send for use with the stereo, but if I did not have the TV antenna on top of the stick, I would be laying a lenght of copper in the bilge again in hopes of recreating my luck in that older boat.

 

[topcat0399]

I might agree. I do not like the look of an antenna on a boat, and on a previous boat, ( was cheap and dirt broke at the time) I carefully laid coaxial down in the boat until I got to the bilge, at which point I stripped the shield offf and laid the bare center conductor horizontally above the keel. That boat had some of the best AM/FM reception of any boat I had done prior.

Nowadays I use the omnidirectional TV antenna and split off an AM/FM send for use with the stereo, but if I did not have the TV antenna on top of the stick, I would be laying a lenght of copper in the bilge again in hopes of recreating my luck in that older boat.

Honestly a length of speaker wire will work for FM - even in fringe areas. Been doing it for years and years on my home stereo.