Sir Reel
Well-Known Member
Sorry to derail.Excellent advice on here - just do it! The whip antenna for fixed shore/boat-based marine VHFs along with the increase in output wattage from the base station more than doubles the range (5-20km) compared to handheld VHFs. Height of antenna is also a factor. Handheld only have ~2-5km range - altho the big antennas that Coast Guard have can often still pick up the signal farther away. Today both design constructions come with Digital selective calling & GPS feed for AIS. Don't forget to register to get a MMSI #.
Posted this back in May.
VHF radio is for the most part line of sight. Higher the antenna the farther the range