I'm not a price-is-no-object kind of guy, but I don't mind parting with a little cash in exchange for quality. I know absolutely nothing about radios. Dependability and durability initially come to mind to top the list of desired features for a piece of safety equipment. What about antenna length? In-dash or gimbal mount? Help please.

Clueless, G

LOL...I am reminded of how mine is currently mounted. My wife and I could not agree on a location so I stuck the bracket down on top of my center console with double sided tape about 1.5 years ago ...she was obviously right...

The "bigger is better" for the antenna definately applies here - get the 8 footer if you want max distance. My little 3' stainless steel one works fine and if the guys are further away we just hit the cell phones.

I bet you will find that this place has the best prices. I bought the Uniden Oceanus and like it just fine.

http://www.seacloset.com/

I have two uniden solara units with the short
steel antenna. have one in the house with the
antenna mounted on the roof, the other under the
passenger side console in the boat with the
antenna next to the winshield out of the way
(most of the time). This setup works well for
me to communicate with the house when I am on
the lake, If I needed longer range, I would have
to go with the 8 ft antenna, The radios have been
trouble free and no problems for two years.

I'm a big fan of ICOM but there are lots of good brands. Higher is better for antennas.

Mine is gimble mounted because I strip the electronics off the boat when I put it in storage.

I just gave a presentation on marine radios 2 weeks ago. If you have questions, please feel free to email me. flotilla4 at mchi dot com

Dave

Dennis,
What kind of range do you get with your Solera setup? I am considering a similar setup between my home and boat but Richland Chambers is so big I am sure there would be many dark spots on the lake.

Stu

Get an 8 foot antenna and dont worry about it. I have a Uniden Oceanus and it works great. Your satisfaction will revolve around your choice of antenna.
I also recommend a racheting mount for your antenna so you can lay it down easily. I got the mount that grabs on to one of the rails on the boat real easy to set up if you know anything about soldering. (you have to solder the connector on your antenna wire after you run it so you dont have to drill a huge hole in the boat.)

Good luck!

I agree with Dave M. Antenna height is more important than length. The length has to do with the resonant length, which in turn has a lot to do with the gain of the antenna. Whatever antenna you have, place it as high as you possibly can on your boat so as not to interfere with anything. Do not place your antenna next to a metal railing or upright. This will serve to absorb some of the energy from the antenna and will not "get out" as well as it should. I have one of those antennas that are "base loaded" with a 3 foot wire out of the top of it. I have it mounted on above my windshield on top of the metal railing around the windshield. It works well and I know I can transmit 15 miles across water (on the bays) with it. Height and unobstructed installation are the more important factors when buying an antenna.
As far as radios are concerned, buy the one you can afford, do not buy a handheld, do not put extra money into more bells, gongs and whistles in the radio. That is just that much more you have to monkey with when you are trying to navigate your boat. All radios are 25 watt and if any of the radios for sale nowdays are attempting to "get out" via a poorly placed antenna , it is wasted money. Marbravo

Thanks for the replies. I'm learning alot.
G

Antenna length is of UTMOST importance!! AN antenna too short or too long and you will have HIGH VSWR (reflected power) This will not only decrease you ERP(effective radiated power) but also burn up your radio. I'm a FCC certified radio tech for the railroad. If you need any more help hollar.

To Mr Rules

My range covers Lake Graham without any problem
but the furthest I can get the boat from my
house is probably 4 to 5 miles, and it still
works fine, if I lived on a large lake, I would
use the Long antenna on both units, you should
be able to reach 10 to 15 miles with ease if not
too many obstructions. Also note that both my
radios are 12 volt so I had to go to radio
shack and spend about 75.00 on a 10 amp regulated
filtered power supply that runs off house current
but have had no problems with that either, I am
well satisfied with the performance of the setup.
and it is handy as all get out. The only problem
is the wife only seems to call me when I am on
fish so I have to tell her to wait a bit. ha ha

To MrG and Slabnshad, if you read the rules, you must have a license for your "base" station. I would not advertise it if I were in your position. Your free license for your boat is just that, but to have a land based station requires just a bit more money and paperwork. I know, I read the rules. Marbravo

I know this post is a little outdated but I thought Id add that if you use a MURS frequency you do not need a license as long as you ERP is under 5 watts.

Not too late ensignjason, in fact, thanks for bumping it back up. I bought one back in june and still haven't installed it. It is a Lowrance(??model#). I got the 3' steel antenna, using the reasoning that most of Lake Belton is surrounded by steep banks and very few places have more that a mile line-of-sight. Plus, there are so many people fishing the bays these days I don't think I'll be out of range of someone, ever.

Next question: Where to mount the radio? I have a Bay Stealth with the standard height console(no electronics box). Any Bay Stealth folks have any suggestions?

I have a similar center console and mine is mounted on top of the console. Leave some space between it and the GPS unit. My mounted GPS (332c) doesnt interfere with my radio, but my handheld unit (Lowrance H20) does.

I have it mounted on top because I strip the electronics off the boat when Im not on the water.

I would add one more thing to the comment about a license for a "base". True... Marine VHF is for on the water use only. Technically speaking, you should not even broadcast while your boat is on the trailer (on the ramp). Lots of folks do... but to broadcast from land requires a license.

Dave