Coax for antenna/cable TV 280 express cruiser

aero3113

Here you go @YYZRC , and free shipping. I just bought one, now I need to figure out what size TV to upgrade to. I think a 24” will fit pretty well.

https://www.boemarine.com/shakespeare-seawatch-reg-19-marine-tv-antenna-12vdc-110vac.html

YYZRC

That is an amazing price!! $60 shipping tho

aero3113

Ah, that’s too bad. Free shipping in US for orders over $75.00.

aero3113

My new 3019 antenna arrived today. Seems to be better made than the original that is on the boat now.

YYZRC

Does it come with the power supply?

aero3113

Yes it does.

aero3113

YYZRC said:

Does it come with the power supply?

It has gain control also.

aero3113

Amazing!! Just dropped anchor and was able to install the antenna and amp without my wife getting mad, LoL! . I was shocked that it worked so good and how many channels we’re receiving!

YYZRC

Wow!!! Amazing. Did you replace the cable from the antenna thru the arch to the fuse panel?

I just ordered on eBay. 

aero3113

No, it came with new cable but I didn’t replace it, yet....

YYZRC

aero3113 said:

No, it came with new cable but I didn’t replace it, yet....

I will check back in 1/2 hour...!

aero3113

LoL!

aero3113

One thing everyone needs to do when receiving off an antenna is set the TV for “Antenna” or “on Air” not “cable” in settings.

reneechris14

Put rag rats on for the kiddo . Nice goes right on the original mount. I get 6 channels with my antenna on the shore of CT.

reneechris14

I see you have the same clouds as I do.

aero3113

reneechris14 said:

I see you have the same clouds as I do.

She’s trying!!

aero3113

@reneechris14 , what antenna do you have installed? I highly recommend the 3019

reneechris14

Its the original seawatch disc.

aero3113

@reneechris14 , maybe you should try the 3019. It’s supposed to pull in channels from 60-70 miles away.

MarkB

aero3113 said:

No, it came with new cable but I didn’t replace it, yet....

before you change the cable, just change the ends, very easy job to do, use good quality (gold plated) ends, and the wire in the middle ... sand off any oxidation, or re terminate it if you have enough cable slack. I doubt the cable itself needs to be replaced.

aero3113

Yea, I don’t think I have to change the cable since it’s working really well.

Cableguy Greg

Be careful sanding the center conductor on the cable. The signal rides on the outside and relies on it being clean. Scraping it or sanding it can cause some issues. If the signal is strong enough, you probably won't notice it.

MarkB

Cableguy Greg said:

Be careful sanding the center conductor on the cable. The signal rides on the outside and relies on it being clean. Scraping it or sanding it can cause some issues. If the signal is strong enough, you probably won't notice it.

Woah, I didn't know that!  You mean the solid copper wire in the very middle of the cable?? How do they get the signal to only transmit on the surface, instead of through the full cross section??

Cableguy Greg

MarkB said:

Cableguy Greg said:

Be careful sanding the center conductor on the cable. The signal rides on the outside and relies on it being clean. Scraping it or sanding it can cause some issues. If the signal is strong enough, you probably won't notice it.

Woah, I didn't know that!  You mean the solid copper wire in the very middle of the cable?? How do they get the signal to only transmit on the surface, instead of through the full cross section??

Most coax cable is copper clad steel. Riding on the outside of the center conductor is the property of the cable. The higher the frequencies, like 750MHz and up to 1GHz have less tolerance for any variations in the cable. I used to work in a 300MHz system and we could get away with scraping the black center conductor when it was analog. When we went digital and upped the bandwidth to 860MHz, all of that old cable reared it's ugly head with digital tiling, or pixelation. The digital data goes crazy when the medium isn't perfect. 

MarkB

Huh, didn't know that. But when I reterminate the coax and say splice the end of the cable, when I cut through the copper wire in the middle of the cable, the full cross section looks like copper, doesn't it mean it's not copper coated?

Black_Diamond

I ditched my TV antenna. Worthless IMO. Went with a DISH Tailgater system. 

tk1973

@Rk1985 so... did it help? I’m also in Cooks bay with the same boat and thought I would start looking into why I can’t get any channels... all original save for a digital converter box. 

Let me know how you fixed it when you have a chance. I’m stuck. 

YYZRC

aero3113 said:

YYZRC said:

Does it come with the power supply?

It has gain control also.

Curious - what did you set the gain control at? I did about 3/4. 

aero3113

From the pic I took, I set it pretty high.

YYZRC

I wonder how much power this thing is using when not in use.