Here's more grist for the mill. The achilles heel in any VHF transciever installation is the transmission line (i.e., coxial cable). Even IF the transceiver is generating 25 watts of RF and assuming the mike is fully functional, and assuming the operator is speaking into it properly or not covering the active mike hole with his thumb, the transmission line WILL attenuate the RF signal. Little things like a kink in the cable, or a ding in the cable, or a crimp from an over-tightened cable clamp can and will cause signal attenuation, primarily from increased standing wave issues. And the length of the transmission line in and of itself will attenuate the RF signal, both in and out. The redeeming grace is that most VHF marine attenae do have a gain factor of 3 db to 6 db which in theory can double or quadruple the effective radiated power (ERP) from the attena. Then there are issues such as attenna placement relative to other antennas, masts, or superstructure as well as antenna height, all of which influence signal propagation. All of this will influence the overall performance of a VHF installation. David Sorenson Duluth, MN ____________________________________________________________ Cheap Diet Help Tips. Click here. http://thirdpartyoffers.juno.com/TGL2141/fc/BLSrjpTMerqwWrn2xVcQdo5siNjLFaYLQPmsVW7iW8cuKOwyWY0oFc3orJ2/