"HK" wrote in message
. ..
Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
. ..

You're kidding about the difficulty in putting a connector on properly,
aren't you? I've done it at least a dozen times over the years the old
fashioned way (never used one of the quickie "crimp" connectors).

Harry, the connector is not the issue (assuming it's done in a decent
manner).
The proper loading of any RF antenna is a complex relationship of the
designed output impedance of the radio, the characteristic impedance of
the transmission line (cable) and the impedance of the antenna.

Higher powered RF transmitters have tuning boxes between the radio output
and the transmission line/antenna arrangement that effectively changes
the length with capacitors and inductors to optimize power transfer.

I agree that at 25 watts and a on typical boat installation it isn't
going to make much difference.
To an RF engineer, it will all look and operate like trash anyway.

Eisboch

As I said, so long as I can reach the Coast Guard, I don't really care
much about VHF communication. We have really good cell coverage most
everywhere on the Bay.


Until that Yamaha coughs, you drop your cell phone overboard, the wind is
picking up, water splashing over that LT, and your radio's output stage
sizzles because the SWR ratio is 4 to 1 or something. :-)


I am a nerd about this stuff and set the boat's radio systems up with SWR
meters because I can't help it. The result though is that I can
communicate easily with boats 20 miles away.

Eisboch

Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
. ..
Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
. ..

You're kidding about the difficulty in putting a connector on properly,
aren't you? I've done it at least a dozen times over the years the old
fashioned way (never used one of the quickie "crimp" connectors).
Harry, the connector is not the issue (assuming it's done in a decent
manner).
The proper loading of any RF antenna is a complex relationship of the
designed output impedance of the radio, the characteristic impedance of
the transmission line (cable) and the impedance of the antenna.

Higher powered RF transmitters have tuning boxes between the radio output
and the transmission line/antenna arrangement that effectively changes
the length with capacitors and inductors to optimize power transfer.

I agree that at 25 watts and a on typical boat installation it isn't
going to make much difference.
To an RF engineer, it will all look and operate like trash anyway.

Eisboch
As I said, so long as I can reach the Coast Guard, I don't really care
much about VHF communication. We have really good cell coverage most
everywhere on the Bay.


Until that Yamaha coughs, you drop your cell phone overboard, the wind is
picking up, water splashing over that LT, and your radio's output stage
sizzles because the SWR ratio is 4 to 1 or something. :-)


I am a nerd about this stuff and set the boat's radio systems up with SWR
meters because I can't help it. The result though is that I can
communicate easily with boats 20 miles away.

Eisboch




I've listened to the usual channels on VHF for hours at a time and
hardly ever hear much conversation. I can call the CG on my VHF, and
maybe with all the breaks some other boater within range will come by
for a look see. But unless you are in one of the higher boater density
areas, you're mostly all along out there. Where I fish for flounder, I
can go half the day without seeing another boat.

Frankly, I think we need something a lot better than VHF, some variant
of marine cell (not satellite) for in shore and near shore. The bigger
offshore boats that sink, well, we need more fishing reefs anyway, right?

HK wrote:
Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
. ..
Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
. ..

You're kidding about the difficulty in putting a connector on
properly, aren't you? I've done it at least a dozen times over the
years the old fashioned way (never used one of the quickie "crimp"
connectors).
Harry, the connector is not the issue (assuming it's done in a
decent manner).
The proper loading of any RF antenna is a complex relationship of
the designed output impedance of the radio, the characteristic
impedance of the transmission line (cable) and the impedance of the
antenna.

Higher powered RF transmitters have tuning boxes between the radio
output and the transmission line/antenna arrangement that
effectively changes the length with capacitors and inductors to
optimize power transfer.

I agree that at 25 watts and a on typical boat installation it isn't
going to make much difference.
To an RF engineer, it will all look and operate like trash anyway.

Eisboch
As I said, so long as I can reach the Coast Guard, I don't really
care much about VHF communication. We have really good cell coverage
most everywhere on the Bay.


Until that Yamaha coughs, you drop your cell phone overboard, the wind
is picking up, water splashing over that LT, and your radio's output
stage sizzles because the SWR ratio is 4 to 1 or something. :-)


I am a nerd about this stuff and set the boat's radio systems up with
SWR meters because I can't help it. The result though is that I can
communicate easily with boats 20 miles away.

Eisboch



I've listened to the usual channels on VHF for hours at a time and
hardly ever hear much conversation. I can call the CG on my VHF, and
maybe with all the breaks some other boater within range will come by
for a look see. But unless you are in one of the higher boater density
areas, you're mostly all along out there. Where I fish for flounder, I
can go half the day without seeing another boat.

Frankly, I think we need something a lot better than VHF, some variant
of marine cell (not satellite) for in shore and near shore. The bigger
offshore boats that sink, well, we need more fishing reefs anyway, right?

Harry how often do you fish for flounder. It is one of my favorites,
and if I had founder available, I might just take up fishing.

Reginald P. Smithers III wrote:
HK wrote:
Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
. ..
Eisboch wrote:
"HK" wrote in message
. ..

You're kidding about the difficulty in putting a connector on
properly, aren't you? I've done it at least a dozen times over the
years the old fashioned way (never used one of the quickie "crimp"
connectors).
Harry, the connector is not the issue (assuming it's done in a
decent manner).
The proper loading of any RF antenna is a complex relationship of
the designed output impedance of the radio, the characteristic
impedance of the transmission line (cable) and the impedance of the
antenna.

Higher powered RF transmitters have tuning boxes between the radio
output and the transmission line/antenna arrangement that
effectively changes the length with capacitors and inductors to
optimize power transfer.

I agree that at 25 watts and a on typical boat installation it
isn't going to make much difference.
To an RF engineer, it will all look and operate like trash anyway.

Eisboch
As I said, so long as I can reach the Coast Guard, I don't really
care much about VHF communication. We have really good cell coverage
most everywhere on the Bay.


Until that Yamaha coughs, you drop your cell phone overboard, the
wind is picking up, water splashing over that LT, and your radio's
output stage sizzles because the SWR ratio is 4 to 1 or something.
:-)


I am a nerd about this stuff and set the boat's radio systems up with
SWR meters because I can't help it. The result though is that I can
communicate easily with boats 20 miles away.

Eisboch



I've listened to the usual channels on VHF for hours at a time and
hardly ever hear much conversation. I can call the CG on my VHF, and
maybe with all the breaks some other boater within range will come by
for a look see. But unless you are in one of the higher boater density
areas, you're mostly all along out there. Where I fish for flounder, I
can go half the day without seeing another boat.

Frankly, I think we need something a lot better than VHF, some variant
of marine cell (not satellite) for in shore and near shore. The bigger
offshore boats that sink, well, we need more fishing reefs anyway, right?

Harry how often do you fish for flounder. It is one of my favorites,
and if I had founder available, I might just take up fishing.



If the Bay is calm or at least absent hard chop, I run the nine miles
over to the other side (the western shore of the Eastern Shore, as it
were), and fish the drop-offs (where the underwater depth transitions
sharply from 20' to 30' usually with live bait, such as minnows. I'd
love to try live shrimp, but there aren't any that I've been able to
locate for sale up here. If I go out four or five times a month, I'll
try for flounder two or three times, assuming appropriate conditions.

The flounder fishing in NE Florida is about 1000% better in the ICW and
in its creeks and under its docks. The fishing in the Bay up here is no
better than mediocre, compared to Florida. It's significantly better
down at the mouth of the Bay, near Virginia Beach, where the Bay flows
into the Atlantic Ocean.

HK wrote in
:

Frankly, I think we need something a lot better than VHF, some variant
of marine cell (not satellite) for in shore and near shore. The bigger
offshore boats that sink, well, we need more fishing reefs anyway, right?



http://www.globalcomsatphone.com/glo...ited_plan.html

Done! $50/mo in what's left of 2007. $40/mo in 2008. $20/mo in 2009 and
2010. UNLIMITED AIRTIME TO ANY PHONE IN THE US AND CANADA INCL PR.
Reasonable rates to other places.

And, you can carry it in your car and use it at home, too!

Really cheap satphone for coastal USA/Canada and most of the Caribbean.
Look at the maps.

Anybody who can afford to feed those outboard monsters can afford a
satphone from Globalstar, now.



Larry
--
Search youtube for "Depleted Uranium"
The ultimate dirty bomb......

Larry wrote:
HK wrote in
:

Frankly, I think we need something a lot better than VHF, some variant
of marine cell (not satellite) for in shore and near shore. The bigger
offshore boats that sink, well, we need more fishing reefs anyway, right?



http://www.globalcomsatphone.com/glo...ited_plan.html

Done! $50/mo in what's left of 2007. $40/mo in 2008. $20/mo in 2009 and
2010. UNLIMITED AIRTIME TO ANY PHONE IN THE US AND CANADA INCL PR.
Reasonable rates to other places.

And, you can carry it in your car and use it at home, too!

Really cheap satphone for coastal USA/Canada and most of the Caribbean.
Look at the maps.

Anybody who can afford to feed those outboard monsters can afford a
satphone from Globalstar, now.



Larry


I looked into that. The phone itself was about a grand. At the moment,
my cell provides the coverage I want while out on the Bay. Works good in
Virginia Beach to a decent distance offshore and it worked offshore in
Hawaii, too.

On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:57:43 -0400, HK wrote:

I looked into that. The phone itself was about a grand. At the moment,
my cell provides the coverage I want while out on the Bay. Works good in
Virginia Beach to a decent distance offshore and it worked offshore in
Hawaii, too.

We are usually OK with cell phones out to about 10 miles or so, after
that nada. There are some massive dead zones however, particularly in
the coastal Carolinas. We found a big one today in the middle of
Delaware Bay about 1/3 of the way north from Cape May, NJ.

VHF to USCG or SeaTow seems to be OK 30 or 40 miles out in most
places, sometimes a great deal more. Their antennas are well sited on
high towers or buildings.

"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 20:57:43 -0400, HK wrote:

I looked into that. The phone itself was about a grand. At the moment,
my cell provides the coverage I want while out on the Bay. Works good in
Virginia Beach to a decent distance offshore and it worked offshore in
Hawaii, too.

We are usually OK with cell phones out to about 10 miles or so, after
that nada. There are some massive dead zones however, particularly in
the coastal Carolinas. We found a big one today in the middle of
Delaware Bay about 1/3 of the way north from Cape May, NJ.

VHF to USCG or SeaTow seems to be OK 30 or 40 miles out in most
places, sometimes a great deal more. Their antennas are well sited on
high towers or buildings.

And you start sinking, and you manage to call the CG. How do they know
where you are? If you can not get to your GPS or it failed in the fire
causing the sinking, you die. And you might have been saved by someone who
heard your VHF call.

Wayne.B wrote in
:

We are usually OK with cell phones out to about 10 miles or so, after
that nada. There are some massive dead zones however, particularly in
the coastal Carolinas. We found a big one today in the middle of
Delaware Bay about 1/3 of the way north from Cape May, NJ.



I have this 3 watt (800)/2 watt (1900) bi-directional, full duplex amp:
http://cellantenna.com/Boosters/da4000.htm
and it now comes with a high gain antenna you can haul up the yardarm for
more altitude. $199. You must have a cellphone with an antenna connector
and adapter cable, of course. My phone is a Motorola E815 on Alltel, which
is the 800B carrier here. Amp/antenna plugs into the back easily.

Range to shore cell at 3W up 50' is about the same as VHF marine
radio...20-30 miles. I can raise the ERP and receive sensitivity with my
11-element DB Products 800 Mhz paging antenna but pointing it ashore up
there is always iffy...(c;

Larry
--
Search youtube for "Depleted Uranium"
The ultimate dirty bomb......

HK wrote in
:

The phone itself was about a grand.

$645. $495 if you buy a demo unit.
add $30/mo for repair insurance.

Iridium phones are MUCH more!

Larry
--
Search youtube for "Depleted Uranium"
The ultimate dirty bomb......