View Full Version : Marine Radio/antenna location
Wkndbum
06-02-2009, 06:56 AM
Installation manual says do not mount antenna closer than 39" to radio but does not say why. Also has a section on operator staying 3' away from antenna to avoid radiation effect. Is this the reason for not mounting the antenna closer than 39" or does the close mounting cause interference?
My preferred mounting location will be about 18".
Tks
Terry
39" = 1m = "a number out of their heads". Try it before you drill holes. It might or might not work depending on the radiation efficency and and pattern of your antenna. If you've got a well matched 8' antenna it will probable be ok. The problem is that stray RF can get back into the circuitry of the radio and remodulate things, making your transmissions garbled. On receive you'll be fine. Its only the transmit that will get screwed up.
Being too close to an antenna during transmit can also be a safety issue, but 25W isn't a whole ton of power and the radiation, even at 18" isn't going to hurt anything (0.25W cell phones 0.1" from your ear are far worse). The lawyers are just covering their bases. Grabbing the antenna while transmitting can cause a minor burn on your hand if you hold on long enough, but you're not going to end up with cancer or anything like that.
Wkndbum
06-02-2009, 09:36 PM
Tks for the info.
Guess I'll mount the antenna & try it before I make a permanent mounting for the radio. Not a lot of choices on where the antenna will go.
Terry