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Ray49 Marine VHF Radio
Antenna Mounting Suggestions
Mounting the VHF antenna properly is very important because it will directly
affect the performance of your VHF radio. Use a VHF antenna designed for marine
vessels. Since VHF transmission is essentially line-of-sight, mount the antenna at
a location on the vessel that is free of obstruction to obtain maximum range.
If you must extend the length of the coaxial cable between the antenna and the
radio, use a coaxial cable designed for the least amount of power loss over the
entire cable length.
For optimal radio performance and minimal human exposure to radio frequency
electromagnetic energy, make sure the antenna is:
• mounted as high as possible, but at least located at least 1.5 meters (5 feet)
from the radio
• connected to the radio before transmitting
WARNING: Antenna Mounting and EME Exposure
Ensure that the antenna is mounted so that no one can enter the
maximum permissible exposure radius for RF radiation. See the
Safety Notice entitled “Antenna Mounting and EME Exposure“ on
page 12.
Grounding
While special grounding is not generally required for VHF radiotelephone
installations, it is good marine practice to properly ground all electronic
equipment to the boat’s earth ground system. The Ray49 can be connected to
ground by installing the supplied screw and lock washer into the threaded hole
labelled with the icon, located on the transceiver’s rear panel, adjacent to the
antenna jack. Then attach a #10 AWG wire from this screw to the nearest ship’s
earth ground connection point.
CAUTION: Do not connect this ground connection to the negative
terminal of the battery.
