I suspect that my Marine VHF radio is a little lacking in range, even on the
25W setting.

It's an older style Navico, I only get about a 10 mile range out at sea,
Yacht to yacht, although I can just reach the Coast Guard from around the
Eddystone (about 15 miles to the coast) This woulnd't seem so bad, except
my brand new ICOM M31 portable gives exactly the same range, both
tramistting and receiving, and that's using it down at deck level, and at
only 5W output! whereas my Main boat VHF has an aerial on the top of the
mast.

Does anyone have any thoughts about what range I can expect yacht to yacht
on a 32 footer sailing boat with mast head antenna with 25 Watts.

I am considering purchasing the ICOM M421, do you think this is the best
bet, or could the aerial be faulty. I have checked all the deck level
connections and these seem OK.

Tips and hints welcome.

Cheers,

John

I had the same problem on my Pearson 303. I was told that the antenta wire
going up the mast had chaffed through and was shorting out. I replaced the
wire and now it works fine. It is the original radio from 1985 on the boat.

"MazingTree" wrote in message
.uk...
I suspect that my Marine VHF radio is a little lacking in range, even on
the
25W setting.

It's an older style Navico, I only get about a 10 mile range out at sea,
Yacht to yacht, although I can just reach the Coast Guard from around the
Eddystone (about 15 miles to the coast) This woulnd't seem so bad, except
my brand new ICOM M31 portable gives exactly the same range, both
tramistting and receiving, and that's using it down at deck level, and at
only 5W output! whereas my Main boat VHF has an aerial on the top of the
mast.

Does anyone have any thoughts about what range I can expect yacht to yacht
on a 32 footer sailing boat with mast head antenna with 25 Watts.

I am considering purchasing the ICOM M421, do you think this is the best
bet, or could the aerial be faulty. I have checked all the deck level
connections and these seem OK.

Tips and hints welcome.

Cheers,

John

Ah that's encouraging. Another reply in UK.rec.sailing (didn't see the
electronics group!) concurs with this thought. I think I shall replace the
antenna and aerial, unless I can get the Vtronix Antenna apart to replace
just the cable. Sounds worth doing first anyway.

John

"Richard" wrote in message
...
I had the same problem on my Pearson 303. I was told that the antenta wire
going up the mast had chaffed through and was shorting out. I replaced the
wire and now it works fine. It is the original radio from 1985 on the
boat.

"MazingTree" wrote in message
.uk...
I suspect that my Marine VHF radio is a little lacking in range, even on
the
25W setting.

It's an older style Navico, I only get about a 10 mile range out at sea,
Yacht to yacht, although I can just reach the Coast Guard from around
the
Eddystone (about 15 miles to the coast) This woulnd't seem so bad,
except
my brand new ICOM M31 portable gives exactly the same range, both
tramistting and receiving, and that's using it down at deck level, and
at
only 5W output! whereas my Main boat VHF has an aerial on the top of
the
mast.

Does anyone have any thoughts about what range I can expect yacht to
yacht
on a 32 footer sailing boat with mast head antenna with 25 Watts.

I am considering purchasing the ICOM M421, do you think this is the best
bet, or could the aerial be faulty. I have checked all the deck level
connections and these seem OK.

Tips and hints welcome.

Cheers,

John

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On 2005-06-06 said:
I had the same problem on my Pearson 303. I was told that the
antenna wire going up the mast had chaffed through and was shorting
out. I replaced the wire and now it works fine. It is the original
radio from 1985 on the boat.
THat was my first thought. Check your feedline and the antenna, make
sure the feedline is good and your antenna system not corroded or
otherwise less than optimum. IF your antenna on the mast with 25
watts can't outperform your portable then you've got a problem
somewhere. I note you didn't say waht kind of antenna you were using
with the portable. However I'd do some real servicing to the antenna
system before I rushed out and bought a new transceiver.



Richard Webb, amateur radio callsign nf5b
active on the Maritime Mobile service network, 14.300 mhz
REplace anything before the @ symbol with elspider for real email

--



agood captain is one who is hoisting his first drink in a
bar when the storm hits.

In article ,
"MazingTree" wrote:

I suspect that my Marine VHF radio is a little lacking in range, even on the
25W setting.

It's an older style Navico, I only get about a 10 mile range out at sea,
Yacht to yacht, although I can just reach the Coast Guard from around the
Eddystone (about 15 miles to the coast) This woulnd't seem so bad, except
my brand new ICOM M31 portable gives exactly the same range, both
tramistting and receiving, and that's using it down at deck level, and at
only 5W output! whereas my Main boat VHF has an aerial on the top of the
mast.

Does anyone have any thoughts about what range I can expect yacht to yacht
on a 32 footer sailing boat with mast head antenna with 25 Watts.

I am considering purchasing the ICOM M421, do you think this is the best
bet, or could the aerial be faulty. I have checked all the deck level
connections and these seem OK.

Tips and hints welcome.

Cheers,

John




I would suspect the antenna and or coax cable in your case. Sounds like
a simple case of old tired coax, or detuned, ort failing antenna.
Here in the North Pacific, we usually are getting 50+ miles boat to
boat with 25 Watts and 10db antennas on 0ver 300 ton Coastal Freighters,
with some paths reaching out to 90+ miles. Of course your milage may
vary, as to Actual Tx Power, and Receiver Sensitivity, and Antenna
losses.


Bruce in alaska
--
add a 2 before @

If your boat is fiberglass or wood, make certain you have a ground plane for
the antenna. The earth connection of your transceiver needs to connect to
large matt or screen on the hull which is connected electrically with the
water. Some boat builders bond the screen into the deck. As a check, borrow
a VHF base station antenna and see if it performs correctly. If it does, you
have found your problem. Now fixing it, is another matter.
Steve

"MazingTree" wrote in message
.uk...
I suspect that my Marine VHF radio is a little lacking in range, even on
the
25W setting.

It's an older style Navico, I only get about a 10 mile range out at sea,
Yacht to yacht, although I can just reach the Coast Guard from around the
Eddystone (about 15 miles to the coast) This woulnd't seem so bad, except
my brand new ICOM M31 portable gives exactly the same range, both
tramistting and receiving, and that's using it down at deck level, and at
only 5W output! whereas my Main boat VHF has an aerial on the top of the
mast.

Does anyone have any thoughts about what range I can expect yacht to yacht
on a 32 footer sailing boat with mast head antenna with 25 Watts.

I am considering purchasing the ICOM M421, do you think this is the best
bet, or could the aerial be faulty. I have checked all the deck level
connections and these seem OK.

Tips and hints welcome.

Cheers,

John

Used my VHF for a 1300 nm contact today.
krj

Steve Lusardi wrote:
If your boat is fiberglass or wood, make certain you have a ground plane for
the antenna. The earth connection of your transceiver needs to connect to
large matt or screen on the hull which is connected electrically with the
water. Some boat builders bond the screen into the deck. As a check, borrow
a VHF base station antenna and see if it performs correctly. If it does, you
have found your problem. Now fixing it, is another matter.
Steve

"MazingTree" wrote in message
.uk...

I suspect that my Marine VHF radio is a little lacking in range, even on
the
25W setting.

It's an older style Navico, I only get about a 10 mile range out at sea,
Yacht to yacht, although I can just reach the Coast Guard from around the
Eddystone (about 15 miles to the coast) This woulnd't seem so bad, except
my brand new ICOM M31 portable gives exactly the same range, both
tramistting and receiving, and that's using it down at deck level, and at
only 5W output! whereas my Main boat VHF has an aerial on the top of the
mast.

Does anyone have any thoughts about what range I can expect yacht to yacht
on a 32 footer sailing boat with mast head antenna with 25 Watts.

I am considering purchasing the ICOM M421, do you think this is the best
bet, or could the aerial be faulty. I have checked all the deck level
connections and these seem OK.

Tips and hints welcome.

Cheers,

John

In article ,
krj wrote:

Used my VHF for a 1300 nm contact today.
krj

Can you say "Troposhperic Ducting", with a straight face???


Me

Me wrote:
In article ,
krj wrote:


Used my VHF for a 1300 nm contact today.
krj


Can you say "Troposhperic Ducting", with a straight face???


Me
Can you say satellite communications?
krj

"krj" wrote in message
. ..
Me wrote:
In article ,
krj wrote:


Used my VHF for a 1300 nm contact today.
krj


Can you say "Troposhperic Ducting", with a straight face???


Me
Can you say satellite communications?
krj

Twenty years ago I used a 2 meter ham handheld running 1 watt to talk from
Portland, OR to China...it was via repeaters in the pacific NW intertie and
then commercial (Boeing Aviation?) satellite link from Seattle to China and
back out on a ham repeater. I must admit it surprised me greatly at first,
but then I figured out what was going on.
Troposcatter? Ionized meteor trails? Tropoducting? Aurora bounce? All of the
these can result in long distance VHF marine communications but none last
for long or occur very often.
Tropscatter should remind Bruce in AK of the old White Alice systems up
there.

73
Doug K7ABX