Just a fast poll for the group...
When I installed my radio on the boat, I opted to go with the Gam Electronics SSB antenna. The antenna slides up the backstay, and eliminates the need to cut up the stay. And with a split backstay, this option was very attractive, as I could install the antenna up the lower leg of the stay and continue the antenna on the upper portion of the backstay. In the beginning, performance of the antenna was great. However, recently I have had problems on frequencies 40 meters and below. I traced the problem to the GTO line, it was completly corroded. Since the GTO line goes into the plastic encased antenna, makes it almost impossible to repair without tearing the antenna apart. So now I am gettting bids from a rigger for a backstay antenna.
The question I have for the group is, do most sailors opt for the insulated backstay antenna, and how has it worked for you? And secondly, the rigger is not a fan of using 3 insulators, as the tang and cable of the other backstay leg gives a bit of a tweak to the signal out. If you have a split backstay, what did you do to get around this issue?
When I installed my radio on the boat, I opted to go with the Gam Electronics SSB antenna. The antenna slides up the backstay, and eliminates the need to cut up the stay. And with a split backstay, this option was very attractive, as I could install the antenna up the lower leg of the stay and continue the antenna on the upper portion of the backstay. In the beginning, performance of the antenna was great. However, recently I have had problems on frequencies 40 meters and below. I traced the problem to the GTO line, it was completly corroded. Since the GTO line goes into the plastic encased antenna, makes it almost impossible to repair without tearing the antenna apart. So now I am gettting bids from a rigger for a backstay antenna.
The question I have for the group is, do most sailors opt for the insulated backstay antenna, and how has it worked for you? And secondly, the rigger is not a fan of using 3 insulators, as the tang and cable of the other backstay leg gives a bit of a tweak to the signal out. If you have a split backstay, what did you do to get around this issue?