Ham Operators

[windward54]

I have a question for all you ham operators out there. When on the boat, I have been using a handheld, 5 watt radio to talk on the local repeaters in my area. The handheld works fine for hitting the repeater, with the use of a better antenna then the rubber duckie. I have been using a mag mount antenna, which I stick to a pie pan so I have a counterpoise and a sturdier base. I’m probably going to change that to a Diamond CR320A antenna and a rail mount. A bit of an overkill for 5 watts, but it will provide a sturdier base and it will also give my girlfriend one less reason for her to roll her eyes at something I do. Trust me, she has enough reasons, so she won’t miss this one.I was wondering. I know there are a lot of sailors out there that enjoy working their local repeater. What do you do for an antenna system?KarlKI6CZP

 

[Timo42]

It has been suggested to me

to add an antenna switch to the vhf marine antenna, the frequency is close enough, I am going to try it myself this summer with an old ft2400 I have lying around. What repeaters are you on, I am off the air right now because someone stole the radio out of my truck, but when the insurance comes through... Tim KG6YAD

 

[Bay Sailor]

The mast top whip

I use the marine band antenna at the top of the main mast. With 50' of coax a high swr at the antenna is not a problem. I always reconnect it to the marine band radio after I'm done with it.

 

[KorculaChris]

mag mount and clamp

Try using a 2m mag mount clamped to a rail or stantion that is part of the boat's ground bonding system. I used a 25 watt auto brick as a booster, depending on the distance to the repeater.ChrisN2NOJ

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

single antenna

KarlI wouldn't dismiss the idea of using the same antenna for the marine VHF and the 2M rig. Although the SWR may be higher than desired, as long as the 2M rig output isn't degraded, SWR isn't the show-stopper some might think. It depends on what 2M radio you are using.My experiece is that even at reduced output, a 2M rig feeding a mast mounted antenna (with low loss coax)will outperform anything else.You might try it through a coax switch to select which rig is feeding the antenna.73Don/K1VSK

 

[Brian D]

Why don't you make a...

Rotatable dipole? Why go vertical when a rotatable dipole is just as easy? Put it a few feet above the aft rail, radiation pattern is the same at any heel angle, good performance. What more could you ask for?Just my 2¢ worth.DE KF6BL

 

[windward54]

mast whip

I had thought about using the masthead antenna, as it is close for 2 meter, but I was worried about the SWR on the 440 and 220 bands. Using a handheld doesn't give me a lot of power to lose. Plus it is a PITA to pull the VHF radio out to get to the antenna, and not a great option while sailing. Makes it hard to monitor 16.Timo, I usually monitor Mt. Disappointment (147.270+ PL100) while driving to and from work, although I have used the WIN system a little and CARA as well. I am also lucky as we have a private repeater where I work, and there are several of us here that use it to talk on the weekends. If you have not tried Mt. Disappointment, it is a great repeater with excellent coverage. Only problem is not a lot of usage by others. But I can hit it full quieting from Catalina even with only 5 watts. I may have a unit you could borrow for a while until you get back on the air. A friend lent me a 25 watt Kenwood TM733 that was rescued from the trash and repaired. I haven't used it because the handheld is usually enough. Let me know and I can see about it. I live in LB and if you know Rick Dinon, I'm sure he would mind being a go-between.

 

[windward54]

New repeater in your area

Hey Joe, if you are interested, there is a new repeater going into your area soon. The repeater is going to be tied to a group that is very big on linking repeaters through the IRLP, and they have a large number of repeaters throughout the West Coast and some in Alaska, Australia and Canada. I've included the website, if you are interested. Might get you back into it.

 

[Joseph Shirley]

Karl Thanks

I made a bookmark out of your reference and will look into it.ThanksJoe