HappilyRetired
Member
I am curious as to what make and model number VHF antenna is used on both commercial (as in Deadliest Catch) or U.S. Coast Guard vessels?
Coast Guard VHF Antennad
- Thread starter HappilyRetired
- Start date
AUXCOM
Member
I believe the CG are using the MORAD #9123 for mast mount / deck mount ( depending on the mount ) and the MORAD #9124 for fold down with the 9076 fold down adapter https://www.morad.com/collections/antennas
HappilyRetired
Member
Those are just ABS or PVC mounted coaxial antennas. I would challenge their ability up in the Alaska fishing grounds. I noticed on Deadliest Catch with 100 mph winds the antenna State completely vertical. I'm a helping a buddy of mine rebuild his boat and we got to talking about the best antenna.
prcguy
Member
One of the main antennas on USCG vessels is the Shakespeare HS-2774 series which covers 136-174Mhz and used on many fed frequencies besides VHF marine.
W1TJM
Member
Hi! I retired from the Coast Guard last year after serving 30-years on active duty mainly in the boat forces-shore station community. Over the years, we used various VHF antenna manufacturers depending on use-case and competitive bidding with contracts. In my time, we've mainly used Metz, Shakespeare, Celwave, and Morad on boats. The legacy shore 'high-sights' used Commscope DB2xx or StationMasters (depending of site specifications) and the Rescue21sites use a mixture of exposed dipole or omnidirectional antennas based on location.
Hands down the most durable antenna of the bunch for small-boat use was the Morad. Shakespeare antennas have a tendency to snap just above the ferrule at highspeeds in short chop. The Morads can withstand a pounding and excessive vibration without degradation. Morads were used for years on both the 44' and 47' Motor-Life Boats (MLB) and serve as a primary AIS antenna on many other cutter/boat classes within the USCG. The MLBs are designed to capsize and then re-right themselves and were spec'd with exterior fittings with would continue to operate post-rollover. You'll also see Morads on many fishing vessels in the PNW. My only complaint with Morad is that there is extra effort involved with weatherproofing the coax connection at the base of the antenna when mounting directly to a ratchet mount. When using a longer support pole, this is not an issue.
Hands down the most durable antenna of the bunch for small-boat use was the Morad. Shakespeare antennas have a tendency to snap just above the ferrule at highspeeds in short chop. The Morads can withstand a pounding and excessive vibration without degradation. Morads were used for years on both the 44' and 47' Motor-Life Boats (MLB) and serve as a primary AIS antenna on many other cutter/boat classes within the USCG. The MLBs are designed to capsize and then re-right themselves and were spec'd with exterior fittings with would continue to operate post-rollover. You'll also see Morads on many fishing vessels in the PNW. My only complaint with Morad is that there is extra effort involved with weatherproofing the coax connection at the base of the antenna when mounting directly to a ratchet mount. When using a longer support pole, this is not an issue.
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