Mast Head VHF Antenna Installation

[Sven]

I am getting ready to install a VHF antenna at the top of the mast.. Boat currently has a 6ft fiberglass antenna on the stern of the boat - which does not work very well, looks ugly and takes up cockpit space..I'm trying to decide between installing the antenna myself and paying someone else to do it.. How big of a job is it, and how much could I expect to pay someone else to do the job ?Thanks,Svensv "Tradition"

 

[Doug_Meyer]

Fairly easy Task

If the mast is down, this is a fairly easy job. Just drill and pop rivet the anrenna bracket to a suitable place on the mast. Then, on the assumption that you have a conduit running inside the mast, you can fish the wire down the conduit. If you are really fortunate, you may already have a messenger line inside the conduit. Just attach it to the antenna cable, along with a second messenger line in case you have to pull down something else like a wind indicator cable some time.Then all you have to do is pull the wire to the point where it attaches to the radio and install the connector.You could possibly do this from a bosun's chair with the mast up, but it would be a bit more difficult.