Shakespear 8' vhf antenna repair?

[seratime]

I have a Shakespeare 8" vhf antenna that has the coax badly worn near the base...can I repair this or do I have to buy a new whip. I have not taken it off the mount yet because the boat is having repair work done in the shop...it looks like the coax is permanently fixed to the mast therefore it may not be something I can just unscrew and replace with a new coax...please advise.

 

[JoLin]

I don't believe the coax inside the antenna can be replaced. You might be able to make a splice, but given that it's a safety item that you really need when you're in trouble, I wouldn't recommend a repair.

How old is the natenna? Their signal strength deteriorates over time, so it might be time for a new one. I recently replaced my old shakespear with a 5225-XT and there was a noticeable improvement in clarity and range.

 

[seratime]

Thanks again JoLin...I will spring for a new one...but...I am a firm believer in fixin before buying a replacement. Darn things are pretty expensive but they are soooo necessary.

Fred

 

[kanteen]

I'm not familiar with that particular model, but it's almost certainly one piece, and for a good reason. Every connector or splice can affect the power of your radio. More importantly, it's never a good idea to splice an RF connection because it will be nearly impossible to have correct impedance. Something that only receives and doesn't transmit (car radio antenna) might be OK, because the worst result is poor reception. On something that transmits, a bad splice could send power back the cable to your radio. Then like a scene out of a bad movie, the radio dies just as your calling for help and now it's just you VS jaws.


Check out the Shakespeare 5101, or if you can spring for it the 5102.

 

[alldodge]

Sounds like there isn't enough room to cut and install a connector, in that case I would recommend the model 5225-XT 5/8 wave. Have had several antennas of the years, and the 5/8 wave is superior to the 1/2 wave models