Installation of DSC VHF radio to the stock GPS antenna

[tdonoughue]

I just tapped into the radio for mine. But I may be re-routing that now...

 

[fiendi5h]

Sorry to resurrect an old post.

I am looking at the same antenna setup as @Captbob.

Does anybody know if the antenna when not in use (ie folded down) will interfere with the yamaha mooring cover?

Thanks
Tom

 

[Captbob]

[ The antenna does not interfere with my Yamaha mooring cover.[/ATTACH]

 

[fiendi5h]

@Captbob Thanks so much!

It never occurred to me to look at any room from the INSIDE of the boat.

Tom

 

[Captbob]

The VHF radio has the GPS built into the radio. I was concerned that where I located it would interfere with the ability of the built in GPS to contact the satellites, but it works perfect. The radio is an Horizon 1700 with built in GPS. The picture shows the first radio I put in before I sold the radio and purchased the Horizon 1700 GPS. The new radio fit into the same spot as the old West Marine radio.

 

[fiendi5h]

Any idea on how much range you get with that setup?

 

[Captbob]

That is a question that you will never get an exact answer. It is a line of site communication. Somewhere I read that under ideal conditions and depending how high your antenna is, figure 1 mile for every watt of power. That is probably based on open water. Boat to boat. Weather could effect the distance. The Coast Guard tower may be high up, so your transmission to them should be farther. Unless you are going far out to sea, 25 watts is all you can get without going to an expensive UH radio which requires a license. I once did a test on my boat in the back yard to the marine operator for a radio check. The distance was at least 15 miles or more and it was not line of site with many trees. It worked.

 

[DGap]

That is a question that you will never get an exact answer. It is a line of site communication. Somewhere I read that under ideal conditions and depending how high your antenna is, figure 1 mile for every watt of power. That is probably based on open water. Boat to boat. Weather could effect the distance. The Coast Guard tower may be high up, so your transmission to them should be farther. Unless you are going far out to sea, 25 watts is all you can get without going to an expensive UH radio which requires a license. I once did a test on my boat in the back yard to the marine operator for a radio check. The distance was at least 15 miles or more and it was not line of site with many trees. It worked.

This statement isn't true at all. You can calculate the precise range for a particular setup using the following formula:

d = 1.17 ∗ √hf

where d is the range in nautical miles and hf is the height of your antenna in feet.

Want to calculate in statue miles or kilometers? Use the following two formulas respectively:

dsm = 1.345 ∗ √hf

dkm = 3.57 ∗ √hm

All that time engineering navigation, weather and radar systems in the Air Force has to count for something, eh?