Antenna Questions

[PNW_Grady]

A friend helped me pull my boat out last weekend so I could power wash the bottom, I was in a rush towing back to my in-laws house and forgot to do something. Anyway, enough about that… I’m looking at new antennas for the boat.

I have two antennas that I need to replace. The first is straightforward, the vhf is a galaxy 5400-XT. The second has me confused, what looks to be a Shakespeare classic with a gps receiver on top.

A couple questions:
1) The damaged unit is a garmin 17x, is the garmin 19x backwards compatible? I don’t know anything about gps antennas other than my chart plotter is a garmin and relatively new (maybe 5 years old?)

2) The mast it was on has Shakespeare stripes but no model number. Is a 4ft mast with a large threaded top the same thing as an antenna extender?

Any help is much appreciated! So long as you don’t make fun of me for my absentmindedness…

 

[Halfhitch]

You have just been initiated into a large club. Welcome. There are a lot of us here. There are others here that can advise you better than I about which GPS antenna is best. If you have a newer MFD, I would guess it has a built in GPS unit but listen to others that will be wiser about this.

 

[Hookup1]

Most newer Garmin units have built in GPS antenna. Post model number or look it up. The GPS 17x is a good basic GPS. The 19x is NMEA200. I have a GPS 24xd which has NMEA2000, expanded satellite system coverage and a heading sensor. Mine is mounted directly on the hardtop (no mast).

I busted my fiberglass antenna up on bridges in the Keys. Switched to a stainless tip antenna. OK for inshore radio coverage. A taller one will give you better range (if it hasn't been damaged internally by a bridge).

 

[SkunkBoat]

The GPS "antenna" is actually the GPS electronics also. Your old 17x may have been a NMEA 0183 connection.(they came in both NMEA0183 and NMEA2000)
If so, you'll need to add a NMEA2000 connection if you want to use a newer N2k model.
There is no point in buying an older model. The 24 has faster refresh and gets more satelites and has a heading sensor.

Sounds like you had the GPS up on a stick? Do you have a hardtop? You can mount directly to hardtop without the extender.

The 5400xt is a 4 ft 3dB fiberglass VHF antenna. If you stick with a 3 dB antenna, I would recomment a 4400 3 ft SS whip

 

[Ky Grady]

I joined the club last week in the Keys!! Leaving Islamorada sandbar and heading back to the gulf side to run back down to Marathon and misjudged my clearance on a bridge and got both antennas. Drug off the black tips and skinned them up pretty bad, skinned the ole ego a bit as well. I try and be vigilant about stuff like this, but it happens.

Debating on going back with the Galaxy's like I have or the Digital brand? To the OP, Shakespeare makes an extension mast with the standard threads.