FM AM Aerial

[Mavis]

I have bought a car radio for my boat and need an aerial for it. I have a VHF aerial at the top of the mast but do not want to spend out a further 30 squid on a splitter or interfere with the VHF reception at all.

I am fitting a second VHF aerial on the aft pulpit for my AIS Engine. I am no techy but the thought occurred to me that as my AIS is a receiver only then could I not just hook up a simple coax Y connector and connect one lead to the AIS and the other to the car radio and use this aerial for the both.

I ran this by the technical people at NASA and they said give it a go!!. It just can't be that simple can it??

 

[Twister_Ken]

"It just can't be that simple can it?"

Possibly, but don't expect much in the way of AM reception. In my case the installer just stuck a cheap car aerial in the corner of a settee-back locker.

 

[Rowana]

I've just got one of these cheap Halfords stubby aerials which goes through the bulkhead into a cockpit locker where it is fixed so that it is up behind the coaming. Works well enough.

Just as an aside, at the end of the season before last when I was lowering the mast, I noticed that the VHF aerial cable looked to be past it's sell by date, so decided to renew the aerial and cable since the mast was down. The difference it made last season was absolutely astounding. It just goes to show that a good aerial/cable is essential.

Jim

 

[markdj]

I'll let you into a secret we discovered a few years ago...

Insulate the screen and connect the core to the bolt that holds your pulpit rail on - works amazing for FM, MW and LW reception. We found that a smaller handrail worked amazing and better than the rail around the boat but YMMV. Best thing to do is to connect a good length of aerial cable onto the radio, cut the end to expose the core and make sure the screen is not touching and go around the boat, touching the centre core to various metallic items, short rails, long rails, even the negative connection worked in one case. Just check that you get good fm and LW reception and you're landed.


Mark
www.boatdoctorni.com

 

[William_H]

Radio antenna

The antenna needs for VHF FM and MF/lf AM are very different. However it is only when you want the best of range that much matters. You should try about 1 metre of ordinary insulated wire pushed into the antenna jack hole on the radio.Hide it behind the furniture. This will very likely work Ok in a fibreglass boat.
The shielded cable used on cars is to get the signal only from outside the car away from electrical interference.The metal body stopping much of the engine interference.
On a f/g boat if you want better range you need to get the antenna away from the engine and for VHF FM get it up as high as possible.
There is nothing magical about a car radio antenna. usually just a conductor sometimes a longer length wrapped around a f/g rod.So any piece of wire should be just as good. Running it mostly vertical may help VHF F/m rather than horizontal. good luck olewill

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

Most cars do not have their aerials up very high and they seem to work fine.

Our aerial was just under the deck and reception was fine. We improved it slightly by connecting it to a chain plate which happened to be in the same locker.

I guess it will get fried if we are hit by lightning, but that will be low on my list of worries.

 

[rogerthebodger]

I got one of the type that can be attached to the windscreen of a car and found it worked very well inside the hull of my steel yacht, infact better than a wire out the window.

 

[Ade99]

As an after thought entry to this old thread. But in case it’s still read and people are looking for solutions. I installed this on my yacht (RG Tech Monach Am/FM/DAB indoor antenna ) and it has significantly improved my FM radio reception. Blurb says invented by NASA Hall of Fame scientist Dr. Argy Petros. It is certainly better than the OEM powered (internal) antenna and also better than the FM signal from my TV/FM Glomex splitter. It’s thin and flat (about 50cm x 7cm and I simply attached to the top of my cupboard near a window. Doesn’t require power and claims to have a 60 mile range With 2.2dbi gain. It’s amazing for only £20