I completed my AIS-on-the-cheap installation today, and that’s what it cost. Here’s an itemized list:
| Item | Price paid |
| Milltech Marine SR161 | $189.00 |
| PL259 to BNC Adapter | $6.75 |
| Shakespeare 4190 stainless steel antenna mount | $38.36 |
| Shakespeare 5206C 8′ VHF antenna | $20.00 |
| Perko Clam Shell Ventilator | $3.36 |
| Weld Mount wire tie mounts | $9.99 |
Except for the antenna, everything came from The Offshore Store and Fisheries Supply, two of my favorite places to spend money.
Not included: Anything I already had, such as a partially used tube of LifeCalk polysulfide adhesive/sealant, leftover wire for the NMEA signal I had to reroute, solder, cable “zip” ties, and the like.
Also, the antenna rail mount I used was not the cheapest available, but I already had it from an earlier project, and it looks a lot better than the nylon alternative.
One genuine bargain really made up for that shiny antenna mount, though:
I got an 8-foot VHF antenna second hand (a few years old, but still new in the tube) for $20 off Craig’s List. One good alternative that wouldn’t require installing another antenna—the VHF antenna splitter mentioned in a comment by ActiveCaptain’s Jeffrey Siegel—is $119.
Today I installed the antenna, ran the wire, and soldered the connector onto the end of the cable. A little Perko clam shell ventilator covers the hole I drilled in the cabin roof, just like on the other side of the boat.
But I couldn’t see a reason to drill three more holes just to hold the cover, the only purpose of which is to protect the first hole I drilled. Seems like one hole in the cabin top is better than four. So I attached the clam shell and sealed the cable entry with polysulfide. Here’s how I left it to cure…the wood block is just holding the cable down so it doesn’t lift the clam shell off the fiberglass:
Will it hold up? I don’t know. The clam shell isn’t expensive enough to worry about, and in the worst case, I just end up drilling the three holes for the replacement clam shell after the first one falls into the ocean. Stay tuned!
3 responses so far ↓
Sarge // Feb 25, 2008 at 8:32 pm
Tim,
I had my radar arch added after I had already mounted my GPS antenna, but I wanted the GPS antenna raised, so I had it moved. Instead of drilling a hole in the roof, the guy drilled a hole in the side of the cabin, close to the roof overhang and ran the wire out from there. He covered the wire hole with a clamshell. The advantages to this that I saw were:
1. The hole was covered from any rain, etc. by the roof itself.
2. The clamshell protected the hole even more from any water that may approach from the horizontal.
3. Any water that wanted to get through the hole would have to approach directly from the bottom and fight gravity in the process.
Something to think about next time.
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