Choice between Icom and Standard Horizon fixed mount VHF's

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Reiheld

...... Do we need to rethink our higher-is-better assumption?

Nope, height trumps everything.

If you have to increase the coax run, just buy better (i.e. lower loss) coax but remember, height is king, all else is supplemental.

[ka4wja]

Chip, et al,
1) I'm 99.99% sure that is a typo in the M-605 spec sheet....
The receive current draw is 0.8amps, not 8.0amps!!



2) And, hsi, I know this was meant tongue-in-cheek....

Originally Posted by hsi88

For the same money why not get the SH GX6500 commercial grade radio and get an AIS transponder in addition to NMEA 0183/2000...certainly a step above the IC M605... ;-)

But, quite honestly, I prefer a radio to be a radio.... And, not have an AIS transponder built-in...(I know this goes against the modern norm...
Actually, I don't even like the idea of an AIS receiver built-in...but, it's certainly not a big deal...

Yes, these are just my opinions, and my own thoughts....and this doesn't mean that you cannot "integrate" things together, just that I prefer to have some things that are more mission-critical, to be more dedicated to one major job...
(you can have your AIS transponder integrated seamlessly into your on-board electronics, including your VHF radio, and have the capability to send a VHF-DSC call to an AIS target, etc., such as with Vesper and Icom, but, you still have separate devices that will work find separately, as well...)



3) And, puffcard, while I love the story about your Icom VHF surviving the lightning strike, I wouldn't recommend everyone trusting a lightning-struck radio...
(I sent my original M-602 into Icom, after a direct strike myself, in late 2006....and while Icom did a minor repair and checked it out, and gave it a 90-day warranty....it's my back-up VHF, stowed in a locker....'cuz, I won't trust it to be my primary VHF....and I'd caution everyone the same...not a big deal if you're just a day sailor / coastal sailor, where you can get by without a VHF radio for a day, and can easily buy a new one, but for those of us that sail offshore / more remote locales, please consider relegate a "lightning stuck" radio to a back-up, not your primary radio...)



Fair winds...

John

[ka4wja]

Reiheld,
Put your new antenna up as high as you can....and use as short length of high-quality cable as you can (+/- 10' of coaxial cable will make no real difference, so no need to get too extreme in this regard!)
But, please do take caution in regard to the coaxial cable connectors, and their assembly/installation (as this is what makes or breaks the whole system!)

I think you'll be happy with the S/H 2200 radio and new antenna, if your run of coaxial cable is less than 40' to 50' (which I assume it is), you can place the antenna in the most convenient location, as high up as possible!!
I agree with the others....unless you get VERY unlucky, an antenna 14' high is nothing to worry about in regards to lightning...

Originally Posted by puffcard

VHF reception is dependent on antenna height and a lesser degree the dB gain of the antenna. I would put the antenna as high as you can mount it and then dock next to a bunch of big sailboats.

But, if you're concerned, just disconnect the coaxial cable from the back of the radio when laying the boat up for a few days, etc...not usually done for daily use, but I unplug mine if I'm leaving for a week or two...


Just curious though, you DO have a ground system on board, for safety sake???
I assume a good AC / DC electrical ground to the water?? Thru the engine / prop shaft?? etc.??
I say this, as you mention it is a home-built houseboat....so assume you're wired to ABYC standards, in order to get insurance, and since most marinas require insurance, etc...



Now, if you want the low-down on VHF radio range, VHF Radiowave propagation, etc....please have a look here:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ge-149499.html
(if you read the whole thing, and understand/remember only part of this, you'll still know more than 90% of your fellow sailors!)



Fair winds..

John


P.S. just understand that you will not be able to read much of the AIS data on the small 2200 radio display when in sunlight, but it appears that the radio will be in your pilothouse, so this is probably a moot point, for you...

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by ka4wja

(...)

But, quite honestly, I prefer a radio to be a radio...

(...)

Yep. Yours is a good and time proven take.

My only and biased (because mine) objection is when you want to quickly and surely raise one of those AIS ships.

On our AIS/VHF combo you simply highlight the AIS ship and press CALL. The rest is done by the unit.

So there is no need to look up mmsi, no need to type the mmsi into the vhf, etc. etc.

I know some vhf units do the same when cable connected to some ais units. Just that not many do, and not many people are good at wiring such stuff up.

At times too, equipment space is at premium (on small boats, that is).

Cheers,
b.