T&T: VHF Antenna

[Milt Baker]

Following is the latest installment from Digital Antenna in the VHF antenna saga.

Am I being paranoid, or is this (a) patronizing and (b) defensive?

I am in Fort Lauderdale, perhaps 10 miles from Digital Antenna's headquarters.  
And they want me to uninstall the antenna and send it to them so they can 
test it--yet they believe the problem is with the installation.  Does that make
sense?  Somehow DA and I seem to be on different wavelengths!  

On the other hand, input from the Trawlers and Trawlering board has been
both helpful and informative--you guys have the practical, hands-on 
knowledge PLUS the theoretical knowledge to back it up and you seem to
be far more on target.  Ron Rogers, Bob Peterson, Brent Hodges, and others
I've already acknowledged seem to be light years ahead of what I am 
getting from DA.

Glad the Miami boat show is coming up . . . a good opportunity for me to 
look DA in the eye, even if they won't return my phone calls.  

--Milt Baker

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Milt,

I conferred with our PhD RF antenna engineer who is out of the office
this week before replying. 

When moving the antenna around the boat it can not be held by a person.
A person touching the antenna will detune it.

All antennas including our 16' VHF antennas are tested on a network
analyzer before leaving our facility and have a perfect match in the VHF
frequency range. Our quality and design has been honored with many
industry awards. If the antenna is not properly working, there is a
problem with the installation. Something, whether a metal rail runs
parallel, the cable is crushed, a bad connector was installed, an
improper stabilizing mount was used, any of a myriad of things could be
responsible. 

Could you send a digital photo of the installation and maybe that will
provide some insight?

We deliver our products through qualified dealers and distributors. The
installing dealer should be providing you with technical support. Please
have your installing dealer contact us or provide us with their name and
we will evaluate their installation.

Also, your dealer can send us the antennas to re-test on our network
analyzer. Both I and our engineers believe the problem is in the
installation or you need an 8' VHF antenna on an extender. Please have
your installing dealer contact us or provide us with their name.

Best Regards,
Al White
Technical Sales and Support
support@digitalantenna.com
www.digitalantenna.com