VHF Antenna - what's wrong with this picture?

[ttmott]

 

[Garintheair]

View attachment 106986

Well, that doesn't look right...

 

[jmauld]

Is that a Shakespeare?

nevermind: it’s a glomex. Post the photo on their Facebook page.

 

[Craig]

View attachment 106986

Looks like someone put their old glomex in a shakespeare tube and returned it.

 

[ttmott]

Looks like someone put their old glomex in a shakespeare tube and returned it.

Nope that's not it. The Shakespeare tube is my new Galaxy antenna. The Glomex is the old one removed from the boat... Keep looking...

 

[Windjammer]

Lightning Damage?

 

[hughespat57]

Ok you got me I was thinking damaged in shipping.

I cant tell much from the photo
All they are is a hollow tube with a wire dipole inside. Foam just to keep it from rattling

 

[ttmott]

Lightning Damage?

Ok you got me I was thinking damaged in shipping.

I cant tell much from the photo
All they are is a hollow tube with a wire dipole inside. Foam just to keep it from rattling

Keep looking it's very obvious.

 

[jmauld]

I see it, but I won’t give it away.

I spotted it because I’ve seen this issue posted on other sites before.

 

[KevinC]

Old antenna shorter than whip length?

-Kevin

 

[hughespat57]

Ok, so you made me go upstairs to my PC and big monitor....

1. either you cut it open or it fractured at the base
2. the element is considerably shorter then the over all length
this could be when you took it apart the top portion is still inside
or
the upper element detached from the tip inside and sagged down, corrosion or fatigue

As I was saying they are just a vertical di-pole that hangs inside a hollow tube.

I gave up on fiberglass whips, look at mine, I settled for 3db gain but stainless base loaded. (Correction 6db would be the 8ft)

 

[ttmott]

Old antenna shorter than whip length?

-Kevin

That's it - 8 foot advertised antenna is really only 4 feet effective. I took it apart to try and isolate why I am having receiving and transmitting distance issues and wanted to see if anything obvious like broken wire. The dipole is only about 4 feet up inside of the 8 foot fiberglass pole.... Not that this was my issue but an issue none the less

 

[alnav]

Tom, shrink-wrappers damaged my antenna so I am in the market for a new whip. Which Shakespeare model did you settle on?

 

[hughespat57]

That's it - 8 foot advertised antenna is really only 4 feet effective. I took it apart to try and isolate why I am having receiving and transmitting distance issues and wanted to see if anything obvious like broken wire. The dipole is only about 4 feet up inside of the 8 foot fiberglass pole.... Not that this was my issue but an issue none the less

Any marine vhf vertical dipole is half a radiating element and half a counterpoise element. So I’m sure it was full length originally. But a common failure is the tip breaks loose and collapses on itself. An SWR meter would show a high reflected signal when this happens.

 

[ttmott]

Tom, shrink-wrappers damaged my antenna so I am in the market for a new whip. Which Shakespeare model did you settle on?

I bought a Shakespeare Galaxy 5225XT antenna. I wanted the 5225XT-AIS but there is not stock out there.
https://shakespeare-ce.com/marine/product-category/leisure-products/marine-antennas/galaxy/vhf/

 

[ttmott]

Any marine vhf vertical dipole is half a radiating element and half a counterpoise element. So I’m sure it was full length originally. But a common failure is the tip breaks loose and collapses on itself. An SWR meter would show a high reflected signal when this happens.

Nope, nothing more inside of the pole; just what you see in the pic.