Amateur Radio Antennas/Rigs

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What kind of rigs and antennas do you hams use on your boats?
VHF or HF. While I don't do this on my current boat, I would like to on my someday (soon) CD.
Thanks - WD4GOZ
Bill
 
Hi Bill, I haven't done it either but have HF/VHF and UHF in the truck and may move it to the boat. Several of us will be at Langford, hope you can join us.

Charlie K4KBA
 
On Sirena our Tayana 37 I used the backstay with a Icom AH-4.
I'm thinking about hooking up my Icom 706 Mk-ll to our CD. The AH-4 only needs a 16' length of wire to have an HF antenna for all 9 bands plus 6 meter. It has a second antenna hook up for 2 meters.
 
Yaesu FT-1500 2 meter, little mag mount that lives on top of the microwave (yes, Bill, I have FINALLY found something that the microwave is good for!). I get surprisingly good range with this setup. HF when/if they ever let us have HF privileges without the dang code test (I know, this is heresy to the "real" hams).
 
HF when/if they ever let us have HF privileges without the dang code test (I know, this is heresy to the "real" hams).
Click to expand...

To pass the test for a General License you should at least be able to send and receive SOS in code at 50 WPM!
 
I just did some checking on this and Diamond Antenna makes a HF antenna for boats, and Comet makes the 2 meter antenna which needs no ground plane. N9UHK
 
FYI, there is NO code requirement any more except for the Amateur Extra Class. You can get a General Class license just by passing the written test. That has full HF priviliges except for a few KHZ that only the Extra's can use...

Charlie K4KBA (Since 1956)
 
Charlie -

What a bummer! All the fun in ham radio is in the CW!!! :roll:

Dusty (ex W7BQX, W1SAW, W4SAW, K6RSR... and four or five more)
 
I've got an old Alinco 110 2 meter rig I modified so it also transmits and receives on marine VHF freqs. Eventually It'll go on the boat.

Dusty, CW was my first love. Got a kick out of working tons of russkies on 20 back in the early '60's in contests. (sigh) Too long off the air now, doubt if I can copy 13 wpm solid anymore. Had a friend who was a Navy spook (CT) He could copy 55 wpm in cyrillic while paging through Playboy mag and drinkin coffee. Awesome. Now even Navy radiomen don't have code requirements.

Don WA6WKL ex KJ0P ex WA3LKH
 
Now here's an antenna I'd like to have on the boat, only the boom was 8 feet longer than the boat is and the longest element was 36 ft long. It's a log periodic good for 10-30MHZ and was on our home in Downeast Maine until a winter storm and 80 knots of wind brought the whole thing down in December 2003.

P9150038.jpg

This pix was taken from the water about a half mile away with a 2500MM telephoto lens.

Charlie
 
Thanks, Charlie - I obviously didn't know that, there was still a code requirement for General when I did the No Code Tech thingee a few years ago. Guess I better get studying for that written test! And start saving my allowance for that Yaesu FT100D!!!! I would LOVE to have HF onboard! Yippee!!!

BTW - any particular recommended study guide for the General exam?

KD7OAC



Captains Choice":3dsvl13m said:
FYI, there is NO code requirement any more except for the Amateur Extra Class. You can get a General Class license just by passing the written test. That has full HF priviliges except for a few KHZ that only the Extra's can use...

Charlie K4KBA (Since 1956)
Click to expand...
 
Pat, I stand corrected, you do need 5WPM for General and above. Used to be 13 for General, 20 for Extra. A good source of info/study guides is

Here

They've got practice exams and lots of other stuff. BTW, I've got an FT-100 for sale with an ATAS 100 auto tune antenna. PM me if you're interested. I also have an FT-1000D for sale and a Henry 3K amplifier!! You'd need lots of batteries and a humongous inverter for those underway though....

Charlie
 
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