4' or 8' VHF antenna for 20' open bow?

[chris_from_cincy]

Hi All, just ordered a cobra ship to shore with GPS emergency function. We have a SR3 2000 20'. Is the 8' shakespeare antenna overkill or is there such a thing? I like the low profile look of the 4' but if it's going to be useless I'll go with the 8' Just curious what everyone is running

[donald]

8 ft has a higher gain in dbs much better choice.
Higher dbs means better range.
Don

[chris_from_cincy]

Thanks for the reply!!!

[mmwjr]

VHF works on line of sight. The higher/ taller the antenna the greater the range of coverage.

[chris_from_cincy]

Thanks for the responses, just went with the 8 footer

[AACoPD05]

My 2200SR3 was missing the antenna when I got it, I just put a 4' on, kinda wish I saw this earlier, but at least I have something right?

[mmwjr]

Originally Posted by AACoPD05

My 2200SR3 was missing the antenna when I got it, I just put a 4' on, kinda wish I saw this earlier, but at least I have something right?

Have any coverage is better than none. Maybe a Christmas wishlist item. 😇

[jparsons121]

I prefer an 8’ as Mike mentioned for the gain, but good performance can be had by a shorted or even base loaded antenna. A goos installation is key for any antenna. Poor connections or low quality connectors/coax will make a great 8’ perform terrible.

I run a short Shakespeare base loaded whip on my small Key West and have no issue hailing CG or Towboat up to 25mi. That’s due to the height of their antennas. Contacting another boater on the water isn’t as good as the 8’ mounted high on the 3000.

[AACoPD05]

Originally Posted by mmwjr

Have any coverage is better than none. Maybe a Christmas wishlist item. 😇

Agreed, I think I went for aesthetics vs functionality thinking the 8' would look ridiculous. Oh well, lesson learned...moving on.

[2004_3300_SCR]

I had an 8 foot whip on my old 89 Wellcraft 230 ... I thought it looked good, actually think a stubby one may have looked weird.

[AACoPD05]

Bah you're right damn it, failure! Lol I guess thats how we learn.

[2004_3300_SCR]

lol to be honest I kind of cheated ... when I bought it it had an 8 foot in the same location AND a 4 foot on the corner of the transom. Both were broken, but I knew I wanted the 8 foot since I got a preview of both

[AACoPD05]

Lucky! Well if you ever see me out there with my stubby antenna feel free to point and laugh, hopefully my cell phone will still work if I ever run into a jamb, lol.

I actually had a mount on my boat when I got it but the p/o broke the antenna mast off running it into the dock so it was missing.