Running a VHF antenna lead thru the mast on a 22

[Ralph Blanchard]

What is the best way to fish a coax cable for a VHF antenna thru the mast on a Hunter 22. My wife gave me a fixed VHF unit for birthday. Since we sailed on a relatively small lake we never needed a radio,but now we are considering trailing the boat to larger bodies of water. Any advise would be appreciated!

 

[Guest]

H22 antennea

Mine is mounted to the coaming in the cockpit. Was thinking of moving it but it hasn't made a nusaince of itselfso there it stays. Range might be better on top of mast but so far i've tested out to 16 miles at sea (duringTall Ships 2000 in Boston)and have been able to raise known vessels still at their mooring.

 

[Wanderer138]

Get an electrician's wire fish(?)

I think that's what they are called. Electricians use them to pull wire through conduits, and I used one to run a new jib halyard through the mast of my H23 in less than 5 minutes. A 50 ft reel will cost about $25 at your local home improvement store. Resist the urge to buy anything shorter. Feed the fish down the inside of the mast beginning at the masthead. Once the end gets to the bottom of the mast, tape the coax to it securely and pull it back up to the masthead. Good luck.PeterS/V Raven

 

[John]

Not Too Bad

It realy isn't that hard to do. Just like previous responses, get an electricians snake, drill a hole at the base of the mast (make sure you put in a rubber gromet so the chafe doesn't cut the coax cable) Drill another hole at the mast head (about 6" down from the top) run the snake from the top down and then tape the wire to the snake. At the top finish it off with a "clam shell ventalator" by perko marine they come in different sizes so pick the right size to cover the hole and then silicone it up. At the base of the mast use a rubber grommet and silicone that in as well. Then find a thru-deck connecter for your cabin top cable connection (waterproof)so you can easily disconnect the cable when you take your mast up and down, and silicone that as well. The rest inside the cabin is cosmetics. Make sure the antenna is a high as possible as VHF is a line-of-site sound wave and does not travel well over obstacles. If you only want weather (as the coast guard can now triangulate your position using a cell phone signal) then take it back and trade it in for a hand held, much easier. Good Luck