Vito....not TOO MUCH gain on the mast.....won't work while heeled over or
waving about in high seas due to narrow angle radiation.. Use the sailboat
type antenna (which is a 1/2 wave design) meant for masthead mounting.
IMPRESSIVE performance on VHF. My ham VHF / UHF dual-bander (a Larsen
knock-off) is an NMO mount clamped to a spreader, and works very well from
there, despite the mast and shrouds nearby. I did not want to crowd the
masthead with too many things.....STILL have to add a light!

I use my marine H-T at the helm for exactly the reason you want a second
antenna....and STILL receives "too well." Works fine for local comms, and,
to me, more economical than adding a "command mike" (remote speaker / mike)
at the helm. Now I have a second radio aboard.

Joe
"Vito" wrote in message
...
JAD wrote:

Yup Rodney, we sailors, for the most part, have masthead antennas, which
definitely trump most other designs with both transmit and RECEIVE
performance. I guess it might be part of my "problem." Altitude is
everything in VHF performance.

Right! So the solution could be two antennae, a gain antenna on the mast
for emergencies and a 1/4 wave on the deck for local chats. I might look
at that since I'm going to install a ham rig anyway and have some
switches in my junk box.
73, K3DWW