Trimming VHF coax

[Gypsyjon]

I am a ham radio operator and i think I know the answer but would like sage advice.

I am putting a new VHF antenna on my boat and I only need about a 2 foot run of coax to the radio.

If I cut off several feet of coax on the antenna, am I going to mess up the SWR on said antenna?

I think not but welcome other thoughts.

TIA

[tkeithlu]

Nope, you're right. That's why it's coax.

[MBWhite]

I don't think you'll "mess up" the SWR, but there is a chance it will be affected and be aware the SWR could go in either direction.

[a64pilot]

Different lengths of Coax should not affect SWR

[Doodlebug]

Before anyone can answer your question correctly we need to know which antenna your asking about. Some VHF marine antenna use a tune length of coax, other do not and can be shorten. I can’t remenber which antenna manfacture said not to use less than three feet of coax. Three feet or 5 feet you can’t measure the loss with normal equipment.

[Brian.D]

Am I right in reading that you only need 2' of coax to connect your antenna to your radio? I would recommend a longer length. It will not hurt anything but if you decide to move either radio or antenna you are good to go.

[tkeithlu]

Marine VHFs are remarkably robust relative to SSB and ham radios when it comes to the antenna. A commercially made up coax for your antenna will be more than two feet, and probably cost less than buying the wire and the connectors. So, could I recommend that you use the shortest commercial coax, and hide the extra wire?

[Bycrick]

If I remember my antenna theory correctly from long ago, when coaxial cable is properly matched to the load, it’s length is irrelevant except for increasing loss with greater length. There are also some antenna designs that depend on the coax shield as part of the antenna system. In this case, making the cable "too short" might have a bad effect. "Too short" in this context is something less than one wavelength at the operating frequency, I.e., about 2 meters (6’).

If the manufacturer of an antenna says the cable shouldn’t be shorter than 1/4 wavelength, I’d believe them.