Hi everyone,
I'm a new user here, though I've been reading posts on the forum for years. I've got a situation that I can't seem to find a solution for.
Our local Sea Tow office (for which my bother works) needs to set up a radio for their very small office that they can talk to the greater marine world. Because they are in a historic building, they are unable to put any kind of exterior antenna up.
What I need is an indoor option that will give them the best possible range so they can keep in touch with the CG and the area traffic.
Thanks for your help on this.
A couple of things to consider…
Marine VHF radios transmit with 25 watts. That's kind of high to use in close proximity to humans. You can often turn the radios down to 1 watt, which would be safer.
Or, you move the antenna to a location that is several feet away from the occupants.
However, it's really going to depend on a number of variables.
Depending on the building construction, having an indoor antenna may not work. Metal roof, siding, reinforced concrete, masonry, conduit, plumbing, drop ceiling frame work, metal studs, HVAC ducting and other materials all run the risk of blocking the signals.
Only way to know if it's going to work is to give it a try.
You don't need a big marine VHF antenna, you can try something smaller and less expensive. A simple mount with a 1/4 wave antenna would be an easy approach:
This antenna:
https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-technologies-qw152-720
This magnetic mount:
https://www.theantennafarm.com/catalog/laird-technologies-gmb8pi-7517
The magnetic mount antenna will have the correct connector already installed to match the antenna connector on the back of the VHF radio. Screw the antenna onto the mount, hook the cable up to the radio, and try putting it on top of a file cabinet, on the drop ceiling frame, or other metal base (doesn't need to be steel, other than to hold the magnet.) The metal under the antenna base is necessary to act as the ground plane and help the antenna to work properly.
Try the antenna and see if it works. You can try moving it around to different locations to find one that works.
Inside a building, it might have issues, and getting it outside might be your only option. Since this antenna is pretty small, you might find a place you can put it where it will blend in.
If that doesn't work, there are ways to remotely control a radio, where you could install the radio and antenna at another location and connect to it remotely. That gets more expensive and complicated, so try the magnet mount antenna first.