On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:18:16 -0400, "Reginald P. Smithers III"
wrote:

Short Wave Sportfishing wrote:
On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:40:58 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:

"Larry" wrote in message
...
John H. wrote in
:

Another question: Most antennae seem to come with about 20 feet of
wire. Mounted on a console with the radio right there, I could get by
with about 3 feet of wire. Is all the extra wire necessary?


No, it's not. If you're not a solderer, find someone who can put a new
connector on the radio end of your cable or make up a new cable. The Metz
does NOT have a cable attached to it....one of its great features. YOU
put
the cable on it so the cable can be replaced....not hard wired into the
plastic, like the little whips from Shakespeare come.

The farce of "tuning" the antenna with cable length is nonsense....
True, you don't "tune" the antenna with cable length, but you need a certain
amount of it to properly tune the antenna. My memory is rusty and I'd have
to go dig out the books, but I think you should have a 1/2 wavelength or so
in cable length. Maybe it's a 1/4 .... can't remember. Too short will
cause the antenna not to load properly (assuming it is the correct length)
and result in an excessive SWR value that reduces effective transmitted
power and, in the worst situation, cause damage to the output stage of the
radio.

If you have matching problems with the antenna and are fairly certain
that the antenna, connectors are known good and the radio is
presenting power properly, then the suspect is the length of the
feedline.

End result - you trim the feeline to bring the antenna to the correct
match. Thus you are tuning the antenna using the feedline.

That's why God invented antenna tuners. :)

That is the beauty of rec.boats, even when you think every possible
boating discussion has been beat to death, a new informative topic will
arise, that we can learn from.

Of course, we will beat this one to death.



Well, it's not beat to death yet. I'm getting conflicting views on this
antenna cable length. I really don't like having 20' of cable coiled up in
the console. There's not much space there already.

But, I'll do what I have to do.

On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:33:34 -0500, John H.
wrote:



Well, it's not beat to death yet. I'm getting conflicting views on this
antenna cable length. I really don't like having 20' of cable coiled up in
the console. There's not much space there already.

But, I'll do what I have to do.

Hang in there John. It'll wash out. Maybe.

--Vic

"John H." wrote in message
...


Well, it's not beat to death yet. I'm getting conflicting views on this
antenna cable length. I really don't like having 20' of cable coiled up in
the console. There's not much space there already.

But, I'll do what I have to do.


Don't worry about it. Cut it, but leave about 12 feet total.

Eisboch

On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:52:37 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"John H." wrote in message
.. .


Well, it's not beat to death yet. I'm getting conflicting views on this
antenna cable length. I really don't like having 20' of cable coiled up in
the console. There's not much space there already.

But, I'll do what I have to do.

Don't worry about it. Cut it, but leave about 12 feet total.

Agreed - if it's really bothering you that much, do as Dick suggests.

Sometimes people with some knowledge can confuse the issue for those
with less than perfect knowledge.

I'm as guilty of that as anybody.

"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...

Sometimes people with some knowledge can confuse the issue for those
with less than perfect knowledge.

I'm as guilty of that as anybody.

Me too, plus my memory is getting bad. Some folks focus on politics. I
am more of a technology nerd, but with a fading level of competence.

Eisboch

On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:09:13 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
.. .

Sometimes people with some knowledge can confuse the issue for those
with less than perfect knowledge.

I'm as guilty of that as anybody.

Me too, plus my memory is getting bad. Some folks focus on politics. I
am more of a technology nerd, but with a fading level of competence.

Heh - I'm right with you on that one.

I used to be able to rattle stuff off as quick as I could talk - after
a few, well more than a 'few", years away from the radio and building
"stuff", the more I seem to need refresher on.

For example, I fired up the Collins S-line the other night just to
hand out some Qs for a state CW contest that was going on and I had to
look up how to load the transmitter properly.

Used to do that in my sleep. :)

On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 23:32:51 GMT, Short Wave Sportfishing
wrote:

On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 18:09:13 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
. ..

Sometimes people with some knowledge can confuse the issue for those
with less than perfect knowledge.

I'm as guilty of that as anybody.

Me too, plus my memory is getting bad. Some folks focus on politics. I
am more of a technology nerd, but with a fading level of competence.

Heh - I'm right with you on that one.

I used to be able to rattle stuff off as quick as I could talk - after
a few, well more than a 'few", years away from the radio and building
"stuff", the more I seem to need refresher on.

For example, I fired up the Collins S-line the other night just to
hand out some Qs for a state CW contest that was going on and I had to
look up how to load the transmitter properly.

Used to do that in my sleep. :)

Tom, I didn't realize Shakespeare made a stainless whip antenna. Now the
antenna choice is narrowed to either the 5242A or the 5247A.

http://tinyurl.com/yuqaux

As they're both the same price, I'd guess the '47 would be the way to go
unless I'm missing something.

Thoughts?

On Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:52:37 -0400, "Eisboch" wrote:


"John H." wrote in message
.. .


Well, it's not beat to death yet. I'm getting conflicting views on this
antenna cable length. I really don't like having 20' of cable coiled up in
the console. There's not much space there already.

But, I'll do what I have to do.


Don't worry about it. Cut it, but leave about 12 feet total.

Eisboch


Hey, almost half the problem is gone! Let's continue please...