Special Report: How to Prevent AIS and VHF Antenna Malfunction

Power loss can plague poorly installed systems.

By
Darrell Nicholson
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2
Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) ships—including tankers, passenger vessels and cargo ships over 300 gross tonnage—must be equipped with Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). In the U.S., carriage requirements also includes vessels over 65-feet. AIS can allow you to “see” a distant ship, but is not a substitute for radar.
Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) ships-including tankers, passenger vessels and cargo ships over 300 gross tonnage-must be equipped with Automatic Identification Systems (AIS). In the U.S., carriage requirements also includes vessels over 65-feet. AIS can allow you to see a distant ship, but is not a substitute for radar.
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Special Report: How to Prevent AIS and VHF Antenna Malfunction
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Darrell Nicholson
Darrell Nicholson
Practical Sailor has been independently testing and reporting on sailboats and sailing gear for more than 50 years. Its independent tests are carried out by experienced sailors and marine industry professionals dedicated to providing objective evaluation and reporting about boats, gear, and the skills required to cross oceans. Practical Sailor is edited by Darrell Nicholson, a long-time liveaboard sailor and trans-Pacific cruiser who has been director of Belvoir Media Group's marine division since 2005. He holds a U.S. Coast Guard 100-ton Master license, has logged tens of thousands of miles in three oceans, and has skippered everything from pilot boats to day charter cats. His weekly blog Inside Practical Sailor offers an inside look at current research and gear tests at Practical Sailor, while his award-winning column,"Rhumb Lines," tracks boating trends and reflects upon the sailing life. He sails a Sparkman & Stephens-designed Yankee 30 out of St. Petersburg, Florida. You can reach him at darrellnicholson.com.

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2 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks for this. Attracted by the idea of a watertight connection, I’ve looked around for the Shakespeare V-Tronix MD20N, but it seems it’s not available in Nrth America. Any other recommendations?

  2. I understand the concepts of antenna placement and vertical/horizontal separation. However my boats uses an air terminal at the masthead which is necessarily higher than the vhf antenna. For RF purposes (VHF/AIS) it would be best to remove the air terminal. For lightning protection, it would be best to keep it as it provides a more attractive path to ground than the VHF antenna system. Any thoughts on this?