Enhanced Performance Tram VHF Marine Antenna for Reliable Marine Communication Review

Very high quality antenna, especially for this price. I actually installed it on my truck for Coast Guard use so it's in 75mph winds all the time and holds up great. Good signal and range too.

Installing the antenna was easy. I have larger tubes to clamp on so the included hardware didn't quite work so I welded my own plate and used a larger U-bolt. The set screws holding the whip in place were very tiny, and the bushing on one of them was almost ripped off with the supplied Allen wrench, so I'd suggest using your own.

While I found nothing wrong with the antenna itself, it was fairly easy to install despite the original hardware being cumbersome. What struck me as odd was the length of the cable that was sent along with the antenna. Who has a place to keep the access cable? I ended up buying a shortened version that cost more than the original antenna. ($32.50)

Today I received and installed a VHF tram antenna. I live about 9 miles from Charleston Harbor and have received Harbor radio traffic without interference. I have several marine weather radios and mostly the reception is bad. After installation I started receiving a crystal clear N0AA weather channel and three other weather channels that I was never able to receive. I can't confirm the transmission capability at the moment, but the reception is excellent. I am very happy with this purchase.

Have bought these for various boats over the past 10 years. I use it on a pontoon boat and don't like attaching the stainless steel bracket directly to the boat's aluminum railing (other metals will corrode) so I usually find a thin piece of rubber to isolate the metals and use zip ties to secure it to the railing. I know it sounds ghetto, but wherever I can keep stainless steel from coming into contact with aluminum I do it, and usually with zip ties if they can handle it. These are the…