I just installed a VHF on the boat with a stancion mounted antenna. The radio is a Raymarine DSC VHF and the antenna is a 8 foot Shakspeare with RG 8x coaxial cable. The range that I have been able to aachieve is right about 13 miles +-, definately further then my handheld VHF. I went the route of mounting the antenna on the stern pulpit because I did not want to run the additional weight in the mast and have to deal with the cable every time I dropped the mast for trailering. You could of course run a connector at deck level but you will increase the interferance by doing so. With the antenna on the stern pulpit I leave extra cable coiled below deck and simply pull enough cable up through the deck to lay the antenna on the deck for road travel.. In all it works REALLY WELL. Tom

:: What do folks do with their vhf radio antena?- nothing?
:: masthead? off the stern stancions?