Typical antenna installations

	Long wire antenna	Whip antenna
Ship station		Power boats
On ship stations, the long wire antenna is spanned		On power boats, selection of a mounting location
between supporting structures. The length of the		for a whip antenna is much easier, since there is
horizontal wire should be between 6 and 15		no mast or deck fixture to worry about. A whip
meters. And the length of the vertical wire should		antenna can be installed almost anywhere,
be no less than 5 meters, the longer the better		again the higher the better. If your boat has a
transmission.		flybridge, install it there. If not, install it atop the
		cabin. Make sure the mounting location is
		sufficiently apart from any nearby objects
		which might affect communication.

Sailboat

On sailboats, the long wire antenna is mounted on the backstay using special high-voltage insulators. Make sure the selected location is sufficiently apart from any metal riggings which might cause detuning. If a wire topping lift is used with an insu- lated backstay, special care must be taken to ensure the topping lift does not get caught in the backstay since the antenna may be shorted to ground— damaging the transmitter.

Fishing boat/Sailboat

For whip antenna installation on a fishing boat or sailboat, the mounting location must be chosen carefully so as not to interfere with vessel operation. In case of a sailboat, locate the antenna away from the spinnaker, jib and of course the boom. Stay especially clear of the backstay. The taffrail is a good location in the event of dismasting, since the antenna won’t be carried away. The best location, however, is atop the mast, the higher the better for effective communication. It is always a good idea to keep spare wire or an emergency antenna onboard in case of an emergency.

Figure 1-6 Typical antenna installations

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