Vesper GPS antenna question.

[partingclouds]

I've installed a new Vesper XB-800 transponder. I'm wondering if it's really necessary to have the antenna open to the sky. I'd like to keep it in a location below deck, mostly because l don't want to drill another hole in my boat. The GPS antenna for my VHF radio is below deck and works very well. So, l wonder...

[HeywoodJ]

We had our Vesper GPS antenna installed in the electrical panel right behind the unit for six years (until we sold the boat) and never once got a "can't get position" alarm other than the normal one immediately at power on, which then went away within a minute or so after position was acquired.

I think, however, that this depends entirely on exactly where "below deck" is on your particular boat, what the boat is made of, what is between the antenna and the sky, and a whole host of other factors that are very specific-installation dependent.

[sv_pelagia]

We had our Vesper without external GPS antenna in our pilothouse, until...

One night anchored at Isla San Francisco (Sea of Cortes), winds reversed, the Corumel winds came up and we started bucking up and down at 3am. wouldn't be a bug issue EXCEPT the Vesper kept losing its GPS signal so kept setting off our anchor alarm. A tiring night.

We ordered and installed a Vesper external GPS and never had that problem again.

[Knotical]

Vesper manual states “GPS antenna should be situated in a way that it has an unobstructed view of the sky above”

I installed my Vesper antenna at the place of my old Loran antenna which I didn’t have any use after I got a CP with internal GPS, I can even use Vesper’s signal as everything is networked.

My nav station located VHF has trouble getting a fix at times, I would recommend to install the Vesper antenna outside.

[WatchingWaves]

Mine, with the external antenna, works perfectly from inside my salon. It sits on a little shelf on the side of the cabin, just a few inches under the deck.


Just pick a spot for it where there is not a lot of metal above it and it should be fine. I have never seen it lose position, but I don't use it as my primary GPS or for an anchor alarm.