Destroyed mine not long ago, and looking for an inexpensive replacement. My old one was like 8 or 10’ long, made by Shakespeare I think. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
How much is inexpensive? You can get one at west marine for around $50.
Do you want a cheap one, or one that works good? You can’t have both. VHF antennas are like life jackets, buy the best one that they make, which is usually the most expensive 
It only seems pricey until you need it in a place that you can’t buy one:wink:
Capt. Larry Teuton
Cracker Built Custom Boats
Marine Surveying & Repair
I have a Shakespeare 8900 8’ brand new never mounted. West Marine has them right now on sale for $164.99+tax. I’ll take $150 cash.
“Nanny Goat” 1980 Malibu 14’, 25 Merc
Looking for a 8-10’ Jon
Get the Galaxy model.
got mine off of Amazon.com
They sent me any empty box first, but quickly sent the correct product (8’ Shakespeare).
J-16 Carolina Skiff
The reality is that you wont know notice any difference in range between a $50 antenna and a $200 digigal fancy one unless you break out some test equipment.
What you REALLY get by spending more money is quality and robust construction. This means more expensive internal components that will be less succeptible to corrosion and transmit a cleaner signal. It wont go tits up on you randomly when you are 50 miles offshore and can take more abuse. Will pretty much last forever.
I’d reccommend a Shakespere 5225.
quote:
Originally posted by dreamin-onThe reality is that you wont know notice any difference in range between a $50 antenna and a $200 digigal fancy one unless you break out some test equipment.
What you REALLY get by spending more money is quality and robust construction. This means more expensive internal components that will be less succeptible to corrosion and transmit a cleaner signal. It wont go tits up on you randomly when you are 50 miles offshore and can take more abuse. Will pretty much last forever.
I’d reccommend a Shakespere 5225.
Agree. There is some basic physics at work that dictates the max performance of any antenna, don’t be fooled by claims of miracles. All 8’ VHF antennas are going to have the same geometry and same theoretical performance. Crappy antennas are crappy because they have high losses between the elements and the radio. Good antennas are good because they use better materials and higher quality connections, cable, etc to minimize those losses (and improve durability.) Also, those losses are much higher for transmission than reception, so you may receive a signal fine from the USCG at 40 miles with a cheaper antenna, but they will never hear you if all your output power is sucked up by cheap cables and poor connections.
that said, the Galaxy series are probably the best all-around for the $, but if you’re not going offshore a lot the Mariner series (the ~$50 ones at West Marine) will work just fine if you pay attention to proper installation and keep the plug to the radio free of corrosion. Just make sure you get the one with the brass base, not the really cheap-o plastic one - it will break pretty quickly.
Angler 204 FX
Yamaha 150