A new hobby
I’ve been struggling to get a VHF antenna mounted atop the mast on my sailboat. The mast is down so no climbing involved (which would have been impossible). I had to run the coax cable through the 40′ mast. I used the stiff wire electricians use to pull electrical wires inside a wall.
Sounds easy right? Well, not so much.
The cable got caught every few feet so I had to walk to one end, push it in a little further then walk back to the other end of the mast and pull, then walk back… It took awhile.
But before all that I had to find the right parts/connectors for VHF type cable. Different salesmen at different stores all had different ideas on what parts I needed. Ater many days, poor advise, and buying the wrong parts, I finally got what I needed.
So, with the antenna attached, cable run, radio mounted I tested it and got the marine weather channel. Since the mast is still down, the antenna is very low so I could only receive that channel. I’m hoping that once we raise the mast the radio will work with more channels. Otherwise I have to redo things – meaning the mast would have to come down!
It was a good day, no dizzies. The boat has given me a good hobby to take my mind off Leuk. I was raised by the sea. I think the salt air is therapeutic for me. Living inland has dried me up a bit.
Jim, your antenna story sounds suspiciously like my retirement. Takes most of a week to do a 30 minute project. I don’t get much done, but I sure am busy doing it!
Happy Sailing!
Tom, you just described the story of my life!
So happy we got the boat. Love you so much. Also love your boat stories!!