TV Antenna

[Rick486]

Hi all:
I have a small TV antenna at the top of my mast which appears to losing it's ability to feed signals down to my TV. So I think I need a new antenna. This antenna is quite small, maybe 12 inches or less. I will be taking the mast down this summer for maintenance, and I think it would be wise to replace the antenna. Can anyone recommend a brand/model?
Thanks
Rick

 

[Nodak7]

Rick we have a Glomex and it works quite well for us.

 

[Rick486]

Rick we have a Glomex and it works quite well for us.

Where do you have it mounted? It seems the Glomex is 14 inches in diameter. I looked at the Shakespeare which is 15 inches. My current antenna is at the masthead and looks to be less than 10 inches in diameter.
Thanks

 

[Nodak7]

It is mounted at the upper quarter of the mast. About a foot down from the top! I believe it is about 14". It is a "powered" antenna. I searched for it on the web but could not find it. May not be available any longer. it was installed 4 years ago.

 

[Rick486]

It is mounted at the upper quarter of the mast. About a foot down from the top! I believe it is about 14". It is a "powered" antenna. I searched for it on the web but could not find it. May not be available any longer. it was installed 4 years ago.

It is definitely out there. Good price also.

TV Marine Antenna • Nashira Agc • Glomex Marine Antennas USA

Nashira AGC: 14” DVB-T2 TV FULL HD Marine Omnidirectional Antenna with Automatic Gain Control amplifier. 2018 Boating Industry Top Product of the Year. The Most Popular in the US.

www.glomex.us

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Unless your antenna is “powered”, it’s a passive device with little to fail. It might simply be a bad connection up top or water in the coax.

 

[Rich Stidger]

FWIW, I had a "UFO" model powered TV antenna that had been in place for about 14 years. I was having trouble with reception so I thought that the antenna was to blame. I bought a new similar antenna, also powered and with a little more amplification, and installed it when I had my mast down. What I learned was that the cable connection to the antenna was bad as the connection pulled off easily in my hand. Visually it looked great but electrically it was no good. Since I already had bought the new antenna and mount I went ahead and replaced it anyway.
The performance of the new antenna might be a little better, but I think the real problem was the connection.
So my advice is to renew the antenna connection before springing for a new antenna. BTW, I called the original antenna manufacturer and he told me that the failure rate of those antennas was nearly non-existent. So I think I wasted a couple hundred dollars for no real gain. If it is easy to do, I would replace the antenna cable itself before swapping the antenna. I think that years of moisture can degrade the cable and cause loss of signal. And replace it with the very best low-loss tinned cable you can get.

 

[Rick486]

Thanks Nodak, Don, and Rich. Very good information. My antenna has been up at the top of the mast since new in 2008. The previous 2 times I had the mast down I really didn't pay any attention to it. We rarely watch the TV except for DVDs so the broadcast mode isn't used very much. But, in commissioning last week I checked it and broadcast reception was very poor. I'm anal about boat equipment and it bothers me when stuff isn't working. I'm betting on the connector being corroded at the top of the mast so I will address that when we take the mast downin the next month or so.
Thanks again
Rick

 

[Rick486]

Update: I removed and cleaned the connections from the antenna wire to the junction box, the D/A convertor, AC and DC power sources, changed the remote batteries, then re scanned the channels and it seems to be working fine again. As Don suggested, it seems to be a connector problem. I still need to inspect and clean the connectors on the antenna at the top of the mast but that will wait until we unstep the mast for maintenance.
Thanks again
Rick

 

[CYQK]

Which type of coaxial cable works best for the Glomex??

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Which type of coaxial cable works best for the Glomex??

Any 50 ohm coax will suffice but you will get longer life from one with a non-contaminating, direct bury outer jacket and using silver plated connectors.

 

[CYQK]

Followed up on the coax cable
Contacted Glomex. They said useRG-6 75ohm cable from antenna to base and RG-62 93ohm to fm radio

Where do you buy coax from??

 

[Rich Stidger]

Seems like a strange answer from Glomex. I agree that RG-6 is a good choice for the mast length because is is very low loss and the mast is a long run.
But I don't get the RG-62 since it would be a miss-match with the 75 ohm cable. I would have expected RG-59/U instead.

Did they explain the reasons for their recommendation?

 

[CYQK]

Rich
Well based on the recomendation from Don s/v was expecting 50 ohm coax to be good and they definately said no,75ohm
The guy said to use the RG-62 from their converter to the fm radio sorry didnt ask why

 

[Rich Stidger]

Rich
Well based on the recomendation from Don s/v was expecting 50 ohm coax to be good and they definately said no,75ohm
The guy said to use the RG-62 from their converter to the fm radio sorry didnt ask why

OK, I think I misunderstood. The recommendation is to use RG-6 (75 ohm) from the antenna to the power insertion box and then continue the RG-6 to the TV. But use RG-62 (93 ohm) from the FM radio to the power insertion box.

Is this correct?

 

[CYQK]

Yes thats the way i understood it but dont have the unit here yet to see for sure
And thanks for your recomendation for this antenna getting ready to run wires up the mast now and now is a good time to figure all this out