VHF antenna ripped off; replacement?

[Cool Hand Luke]

My VHF antenna on my 2011 Jeanneau SO409 was ripped off during a passage. See below...

Would the Shakespeare 5400-XT be okay?
https://www.westmarine.com/shakespea...a-1186097.html

And, with my basic electrical/cabling skills, would I be able to install it myself with a friend hoisting me up and a bosun chair?

Thanks!!

[SailingHarmonie]

If you have never installed a connector on coax before, I’d suggest that the top of a mast is not the optimum place to learn.

Also, if you have gotten water down into the braid of the coax, and want to do the job once, I’d recommend replacing the wire. Otherwise it will corroded and you’ll be chasing radio gremlins before too long.

But once you have a reliable connector, the ready is easy.

[Jammer]

Radio performance wise they're fine. But it will not fit your existing mount. You will need a new mount (it doesn't come with one), and you will have to drill out the rivets on your existing mount in order to make room. The fiberglass half wave antennas like that have more windage than a wire whip.

You might want to look at the Shakespeare 4400 or 5215 antennas, or the Metz Manta 6, or GAM SS-2, all of which may fit your existing mount. They are whip type antennas with less windage. The radio performance is theoretically somewhat less but in terms of practical real-world communications they're fine.


For good communications, the quality and condition of the feedline and connectors matters much more than the antenna you choose.


There is likely a connector inside the mast that you can disconnect so that you do not have to try to splice something onto the remnant of coaxial cable however you will not be able to feed coaxial cable through the small hole at the top of the mast with the connector on it. You will have to attach a connector to one end of the cable while working at the top of the mast.


Shakespeare makes twist-on connectors as do others but they are all unreliable. Your best bet is a crimp-on connector, with the proper crimp tooling, dxengineering.com has connectors and crimp tools that are reasonably priced. New coax is much easier to get a reliable connection to than weathered coax.

[stormalong]

Most masthead antennas are stainless steel spring wire to reduce windage and weight. There are many out there and I am not going to recommend any particular one.

The coax and the connector are very important to a good radio installation. Moisture in the coax will damage it and cause very poor performance. Looking at the picture says to me the coax is about shot. This is a much bigger deal than replacing the antenna. Pulling a new coax through a standing mast depends a lot on how the existing coax is installed. Figure that part out first and then pick an antenna - the easy part.

Don't use a fast install coax connector. The best connectors are crimped shield and center pin soldered or both the shield and center are soldered. They are also silver plated. Amphenol makes very good PL-259 connectors.
They are much easier to install on the ground that sitting in a bosun's chair.

So my suggestion to you as to put a new connector on new coax and then pull it through the mast from the masthead so that you have all new. You can buy coax, cut to length with a PL-259 attached from amateur radio suppliers. DX Engineering is good at this. Not cheap but good. Call them and tell them what you need. The second PL-259 lives in a much friendlier environment and is easier to attach sitting at your nav station.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Thank you for all the info, guys!!

I've crimped RG-8 and RJ-45 and RJ-11 cables in the past. I guess this may be harder since it's at the top of the mast.

I'd love to run new coax, but I wonder if I can just pull it down the mast using a skinny line or if I'll hit some snags.

I'll be on the boat next week... I guess I'll find out when I go to the top.

Shakespeare 5215 ordered, along with Amphenol PL-259 connectors.

[edit]
Is there a difference between VHF and AIS antennas? Will the 5215 work with my AIS, as well?
[/edit]

[stormalong]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

Thank you for all the info, guys!!

I've crimped RG-8 and RJ-45 and RJ-11 cables in the past. I guess this may be harder since it's at the top of the mast.

I'd love to run new coax, but I wonder if I can just pull it down the mast using a skinny line or if I'll hit some snags.

I'll be on the boat next week... I guess I'll find out when I go to the top.

Shakespeare 5215 ordered, along with Amphenol PL-259 connectors.

[edit]
Is there a difference between VHF and AIS antennas? Will the 5215 work with my AIS, as well?
[/edit]

Dependent on the size of your coax you will also need ferrules (spacers) to go with the connectors.

VHF and AIS can use the same antenna BUT you will need a splitter that protects the AIS from damage when the VHF is transmitting. If using an AIS transceiver it is best on a separate antenna on a different plane than the VHF antenna. This has been covered in many threads on this forum.

[Brian.D]

One other option is to practice. Get some cable (preferably the same that is in the mast), and get some connectors (preferably the same type you are going to use) and start practicing installing the connector. Else, get someone else to do it.

But you have to learn this stuff. Just like learning how to tie a knot or run new halyards or sheets.

Practice

[Pete7]

Originally Posted by Cool Hand Luke

Shakespeare 5215 ordered, along with Amphenol PL-259 connectors.

Good choice.

We have the XT5400, but on the stern for AIS and emergency vhf if needed. However, I don't think it would stand contact with a bridge and you have some low ones on the Eastern seaboard.

How old is the existing coax? Doesn't matter, if you are going to replace the antenna, do the coax as well, then its done and you don't have to worry about it.

[George_SD]

1 Install a proper good performance antenna (stainless whip).
2 Yes, you can do it - but you should practice installing connectors.
3 It's the place where issues come up the most probably.
4 You can just add a new mount and antenna without removing the old mount
5 You can pull new wire by attaching to the old and pulling it through that way
6 it's totally doable, and you have no other option but to do it since the old one is already gone.

My recommendation is to first try to install just a new antenna after taking off the tip of the wire and making a new, clean crimp on a fresh section. Attach a proper sailing antenna and test it. If you have any distance or quality issues - pull a new wire.

Working up the mast is a hassle, but not a huge deal. Make sure to learn about proper safety gear and techniques. Take a tool bag, make sure tools have tethers, have a radio or a phone, have a knife, have a self-arresting device on a backup line, use a separate halyard to bring a bucket or bag up and down with any tools or things you may have forgotten, so you don't need to go up and down yourself.