Suitable antennas for offshore Motus stations

Stations
,
1

Hi everyone,

I was wondering what experience people have with antennas for offshore stations. So far we’ve done testing with Laird Y1505 and Y1503 antennas, and a Sirio WY 140-6N antenna. Both of these seem too flimsy to be used offshore, though. The elements on the Laird antennas are attached with bolts that might get shaken loose in strong weather conditions, and the Sirio antenna has its elements attached with plastic pieces that possibly wouldn’t survive that long either.

It seems like Laird also sells welded antennas, which would be more sturdy for offshore deployment, but from our experiences so far with Laird antennas we’re not exactly enthusiastic about their quality.

If anyone has worked with offshore stations, I’d love to hear which antennas have (or haven’t) been successful. How much damage do they sustain from the weather conditions, and how often do they need to be replaced?

2

Hi @Lynn_ten_Napel,

I have installed SAMCO SAM-160 (and SAM-470) antennas on offshore islands off the coast of California and they have held up well. SAMCO claims the SAM-160 is rated for 100mph winds and they use nyloc nuts to address vibration issues. Loctite or a split washer could be used as well to help in high wind/vibration applications.

SAMCO SAM-160 is the same antenna that Pam Loring used on offshore stations in the Atlantic where they likely experience higher winds than in California.

https://motus.org/groups/atlantic-offshore-wind/