Hello RR, my buddy and I have a sailboat we are getting ready for trips along the California coast. Currently it's docked in the LA harbor and we have it tied up in a dock while we work on it.
Among many projects, the one I'm currently working on is setting up the radio for marine VHF usage. I have some experience with scanners, as i have a Whistler 1040 to listen to police/fire units, but no experience with marine radios.
My friend has a Raytheon Apelco 4500. It's no longer being built by the company or the company went out of business.
https://www.govdeals.com/index.cfm?fa=Main.Item&itemid=208&acctid=604 < This is the radio.
The radio has a pre-existing antenna cord that ends after several feet. It's currently residing in the center of the boat below 2 feet of water. It is NOT connected to any antenna.
Wait, explain this to me, "below 2 feet of water"? Is the radio submerged, or do you mean it's mounted below the water line?
This is where we begin to have questions:
1. We want to put the antenna on the top of the 30 foot mast, and then attach a wire from it to the radio- is this RIGHT way to set up a boat radio?
For sailboats, it's common to mount the antenna at the top of the mast. Since VHF Marine radio frequencies are (for the most part) line of sight, you want the antenna up as high as you can. You want the antenna at the very top of the mast, not mounted adjacent to it. The antenna needs to be fully in the clear.
2. We want to pick up AND send out radio signals 40 miles away, what kind of antenna would do this (budget is $120)
This might be expecting a bit too much. As I said above, VHF is mostly line of sight, so you can only talk as far as the horizon. From 30 feet up, the horizon is about 6.7 miles (
Distance to the Horizon Calculator ) You can get better distance if the station you are trying to talk to has their antenna up as high as they can. Two sailboats with their antennas at 30 feet will get you 13.4 miles. If the other station is higher than that, distance will increase.
Good news is that the USCG has their radio systems high atop the coastal mountains, so getting 40 miles is
usually possible.
3. What kind of wire do we want to connect the radio to the antenna? Does anybody got a brand they could recommend? (budget $70)
You want a marine grade cable. This has a jacket that will stand up to ultra violet light (sunlight) salt water, etc. It's usually white. West Marine will sell what you need (at high prices, but they'll have it). You might want to look at RG-8, which is about 0.405 inches in diameter. You can go with a smaller diameter cable if space is a concern, RG-58 might be a good solution with some very minor reduction in performance.
The trick is you want the connectors installed properly. This isn't easy for someone who has not done it before, and you don't want to put your life on the line with a "think I got it right" or YouTube video instruction. I'd strongly suggest getting a professional to do the installation. While it'll cost some money, you really need to be able to rely on that radio.
Toss the old cable. Don't try to splice it. Use all new cable from end to end with NO splices. If there is existing coax running up the mast, avoid the temptation to use it. Instead, use it as a pull rope to pull the new cable in.
4. Is this simple as step #1 buy a marine grade wire and attach it to the radio, step #2 attach that marine grade wire to the antenna, step #3 place the antenna on top of the mast? Help me out is this all I really have to do?
Not really. The connectors are the trick. They must be installed correctly and properly waterproofed. Not something you wan to take a chance on. When routing the cable, you'll find it is much easier to do without the connectors on unless there is a very clear path for the cable. However, once you have the antenna properly installed and have the right cable, it's as simple as just connecting the radio to the antenna. You -really- need to pay attention to waterproofing the connector at the top of the mast.
5. Where or who could I go to in order to get more information about this project? Any random marina or boat store?
Thanks RR!
The West Marine website has some good resources that will teach you a little bit.
They will sell you what you need, however they will probably sell you some cheap twist on coaxial connectors, which are not a good option. This part, as well as getting to the top of the mast, might be a really good place to hire a professional.
As for the antenna….
They make a specific type of antenna for these sorts of installs. They are a shorter, half wave design. The reason they use these is that have a very round radiation pattern which works well on a sailboat mast when the boat is rocking around or heeled over. Using longer high gain antennas like you'll see on power boats can work against you. The higher gain is accomplished by focusing the energy at the horizon. Good choice on a boat that spends most of it's time fairly level. On a sailboat, though, the energy focused at the horizon won't be, with the mast heeled over, it'll be shooting off into space or into the water. That will perform poorly.
Don't go cheap on the coax, radio or antenna. It's all a "system" and it's only as good as it's weakest link. If things go wrong, you don't want that weak link keeping you from getting help. Use quality components, installed correctly and properly tested before you go out.
You can wing it on the install, do it all right and "assume" it'll work. In reality the antenna system should (at minimum) be tested with an SWR meter, or better, an antenna analyzer. This is where getting a professional involved can save you some money and some headaches. You can pick up a suitable SWR meter for $100 or less, but you have to know what you are doing with it. No offense, but from the questions you are asking, you really should be getting some help with this.
Now, relying on a VHF radio off the coast of California can usually work, but the coastline up past Morro Bay can get pretty rugged, and coverage form the USCG systems is not 100%, especially if you are 30 miles out. Up past San Francisco, if you are going all the way up to the Oregon border, there's some weak spots, too.
Also, relying on one form of communications for emergencies is risky. You should be carrying an EPRIB on your boat. These are a good backup in an emergency. You can get small ones that will cost a bit over $200.00. A real good investment. You can even rent them.
Other option would be an HF/SSB marine radio. Costly ($1500 and up), but you'll have more reliable long distance communications. Takes some additional skill to work, but it's an option. Probably overkill for what you are doing.
In addition:
Since it sounds like an older radio, you should get it checked out.
