Antenna placement ???

[DrElectron]

Hi Gang...

I am finishing up a Soling 1 Meter for my wife and wonder what if any suggestions you might have on antenna routing and placement... The radio gear in this boat is on 75 Mhz... My thought was to either run it up the side of the wooden mast or to go to the backstay and use the backstay as an antenna ???

Thanks for your time...

Bruce... :cool:

[Climate]

Bruce,
With modern radios, antenna placement is far less critical than it was years ago.
Since I do not like the look of the antenna wrapped around the mast or backstay, and feel that another hole in the deck of the boat is just one more place for water to get in, I leave mine inside the boat.
A plastic tube running the length of the hull makes a nice place for the antenna wire, and keeps it away from any moving parts or lines.

Some people may try to tell you that having the antenna inside the hull will reduce your range. While this may have some small bit of truth, modern radios transmit much farther than you can see, and your boat will be a small dot on the horizon before it ever gets close to sailing out of range.

Make sure your antenna wire is straight. Do not coil it up or loop it back on itself. Try to keep it away from the servos or other electric motors, and you will be fine.

Peter R.
www.climatemodels.com

[DrElectron]

Peter...

Many thanks for the tips... I have the receiver mounted on the front of my servo board so I can run it straight into the bow with no problem and keep it away from the servos...

Take care and have fun...

Bruce... :cool:

[DrElectron]

Hi Gang...

Just a short follow up on my antenna question...

I installed my antenna as suggested in Peter's post... I installed it in the bow of the boat using a piece of tubing as a guide to keep it straight... We have since put in many hours of sailing and I must say that range has never been a problem save for the one time my wife forgot to extend the transmitter antenna... I did not say anything to her thinking it would be a good practical lesson... Well, except for one exceptionally long tack, it worked just fine even with the antenna retracted... Thanks for the good advice Peter...

Keep-em-Sailing...

Bruce... :cool:

[Johnnie]

I have been very sloppy with my antenna, sometimes I tape it up the mast , sometimes lay it across the deck, sometimes its half on the deck and half in the water, I've never had a problem. you just don't deal with ranges like you get with airplanes. especially with a smaller sailboat