--When I said the the 6 DB gain antenna outperformed the taller 

--In the last year, I traveled over 8,500 NM with this boat (Florida 

--If the two antennas are not defective, can you tell me why they 

--As a consuimer, where do I go from here?

--Nearby metal: none of these antennas is closer than 10 feet to any 

FYI, here's what I received from Digital Antenna a bit more than 24 hours after posting my problem with on the DA website. My response follows. --Milt =================== > Milt, > > Everyone at Digital Antenna is very attentive to returning inquiries. > During busy times replies may take up to 24 hrs especially during trade > show time. > > An 8' antenna can outperform a 16' antenna in certain situations. A 16' > higher gain antenna is for long range communication and may overshoot a > close signal where the 8' antenna has a lower radiation pattern and can > pick up a closer signal; thus the reason for having two antennas of > different height and gain on the boat. > > To test performance and installation, go out to sea and the 16' VHF > should out distance the 8' VHF. > > Another area to examine is the mounting of the 16' VHF. The 16' VHF must > be clear of all metal by 3'. If the 16' VHF antenna is close to metal it > may de-tune. > > We test every antenna before leaving our facility. Each antenna is > precision tuned. It is highly unlikely and almost impossible that two > 16' VHF antennas would be defective. > > It is important to choose the proper antenna for each installation. It's > possible that you may be better suited with an 8' VHF on top of an > extender depending on your mounting options. Your dealer should be able > to determine which type of antenna to use. > > Best Regards, > Al White > Technical Sales and Support > support@digitalantenna.com > www.digitalantenna.com ==================== Al, Thank you for your e-mail. I don't mean to be confrontational, but it definitely is off-putting when a customer is told that tech support is not for customers but for dealers only, then to have to wait more than 24 hours for a response. To the points you made: --When I said the the 6 DB gain antenna outperformed the taller 9 DB gain antenna by 50%, I noted that it was not a nearby station that we used as a yardstick but, rather, we judged it by bringing in a weak and distant station--we used a NOAA weather station many miles from the boat's location. Both the 6 and the 10 perform fine with nearby stations. --In the last year, I traveled over 8,500 NM with this boat (Florida to Venezuela to Bermuda to New England to Florida) using both the 16-footer and the 8-footer. Consistently the 8-footer out-performed the taller antenna. That's why I said in my initial post that it appeared to me that something had gone wrong with the taller antenna, so we purchase a new model 532 WV-R gain antenna and tried it but received identical results. It does not seem to matter: at sea and in port, the performance of the taller antenna is poorer than that of the shorter one. --If the two antennas are not defective, can you tell me why they are not performing like they should? If nothing else, clearly a taller antenna should receive more distant stations than a shorter one, assuming both are mounted at the same level (they are) and all else is identical (it is as far as much tech and I can determine). --As a consuimer, where do I go from here? By the way, I failed to mention that we tested the VSWR of all three antennas and found it perfect. Standing by, --Milt Baker, Nordhavn 47 Bluewater, Fort Lauderdale ============================== Al, Sorry, but one point you raised that I failed to address: --Nearby metal: none of these antennas is closer than 10 feet to any metal other than rigging wire. When we tested the new 16-footer, we moved it around to several locaions on top of the pilot house with no noticeable change in reception. Thanks, --Milt