Shakespeare Galaxy inflatable VHF antenna
When asked to review an emergency antenna, I didn’t even know that there existed such a piece of safety equipment. As you probably well know by now, we at team NORTHSEAKAYAK are always busy with safety, both on the level of training, testing, and the use of equipment. So, it was an honour to field test this one out! Don’ tell anyone, but I felt like a kid with a new toy. To be completely honest, I’m not a ham radio specialist that knows everything about radio waves and the way they behave once transmitted. I’m going to highlight this particular antenna in the light of use for sea kayakers.
An inflatable what?
This antenna is the first of its kind, hence why we never heard of this before. The Shakespeare Galaxy Inflatable VHF antenna comes in a very convenient package, measuring 24cm by 12 cm, and about 7cm thickness. The weight is about 600 grams. The bag comes in bright orange, which is perfect as we like it with safety equipment. The bag opens in four directions; closings are Velcro. As the bag extends, the antenna is easy to grab and operate. The pack also contains an extra adapter, so that the antenna connects with most VHF-radios.
Shakespeare is a well-known brand within the general boater community as the producer of high-quality VHF antennas. Most of their products are built for use on ships, sailing yachts, motorboats. With this one, Shakespeare is aiming at sea kayakers, jet skiers, dinghy sailors and other small watercraft. That’s where we come in!
Field testing!
You can find a lot of interesting articles on the internet regarding the behaviour of radio waves through the air, mostly written by passionate ham radio amateurs. To be short and keep this necessary, ideally, you will need a clear line of sight between two or more antennas to transmit radio waves and to communicate. That means that the curving of the earth will block the radio signal at the horizon.
Did you know that for sea kayakers, line of sight is about one-metre above the surface, and ‘our’ horizon is at about 5kms? If we are sitting in our kayak, we cannot see any further than this unless the object we are looking at is higher than the surface of the sea. That’s the reason why we sometimes see the bridge of taller ships, without being able to see the hull of the vessel.
I have conducted the field tests together with my wife, and sea kayaker, Sylvie. Also, and I’m grateful for that, I got help from Sandra, who is a radio operator at Ostend Radio. Ostend Radio is a part of the Belgian Coast Guard; the radio operator sits in the same room as the MRCC radio operator (Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre) as they work together. We were able to conduct several radio tests with and without the use of the Shakespeare Galaxy VHF antenna, to make a comparison.
We have made use of the Standard Horizon HX300 VHF radio, which we have reviewed in an earlier edition of the Paddler magazine (https://paddlerezine.com/standard-horizon-hx300e-vhf-radio-review/).
Deployment
The use of this antenna is easy, even if you are in a real distress situation, you really cannot miss. The antenna comes with an extra adaptor. Make sure that you check if this adaptor needs to switch to screw onto your radio. This will save you some time when deploying the antenna when the need arises. Before deployment, make sure you have you VHF radio at hand and that you unscrewed the standard radio antenna. Make sure not to lose this one, secure it in your PFD or elsewhere. Start to unpack the antenna from the bag. Start to unfold the antenna in front of you. Make sure that there are no obstructions. Pull the little piece of cord firmly; the antenna will self-inflate within seconds due to the CO2 canister (under pressure).
The antenna has now become very solid and has a total length of 1,5m. For the record, the size of the standard antenna of my VHF radio is only 15cm. I can hear you thinking, and what now? You’re there now with a 1.5-metre stick in your hands unable to do anything else. Shakespeare has provided the antenna with two Velcro straps which open a lot of options.
During the test, we attached the antenna to an upstanding paddle, to our PFD while on the water and to the branch of a small tree when on land. Use your imagination, and you can almost attach this antenna everywhere. Even if you can place your antenna in a high place (like in a tree), the antenna provides a cable no less than six metres in length! So, you don’t have to sit or stand next to the antenna with your radio. It’s handy if you carry a spare CO2 canister, just in case. The antenna can also inflate manually. Only a few mighty blows are enough. The downside is that the antenna is not as rigid as it is when deployed with the CO2 canister, but it will still do the job (with a little support).
Mayday-mayday!
Now about the effective use of the emergency antenna! During the testing, together with Ostend Radio, we stayed about 7 km away from the closest antenna (Ostend Radio has a few antennas positioned along the Belgian coast). As usual, we were able to get in contact on High power, which is five watts, without the help of the Shakespeare antenna. When we made use of the Shakespeare Galaxy antenna, Ostend Radio received us noticeable clearer. So, let switch to Low, which is only one-watt of output.
At this point, without the use of the Shakespeare antenna, we could not reach Ostend Radio/MRCC anymore. Even after several attempts, only dead silence. So, we unscrewed the standard antenna and replaced it again with the Shakespeare Galaxy antenna. We came through at Ostend Radio immediately, clear, and powerful. We are glad we could test the antenna, and we will conduct even more tests in the future. However, the box didn’t lie when it stated, “Up to three times better range.”
Why should a sea kayaker carry this?
We have given this also some thought. Isn’t it already enough when one carries already a cell phone, a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) and a VHF (with standard antenna)? Well, we like to think out of the box. We are not the average equipment geeks, and we want to travel/paddle light. I think you need to see the use of this piece of equipment from a brighter perspective. If you are paddling in an area where emergency services are very far away, the Shakespeare antenna can come in very useful. Even if you have a PLB at hand, a VHF is still a two-way communication.
Everything can fail, so we like to give ourselves options. We never rely on only one piece of safety equipment. If for example, you are paddling as a leader or coach with other groups in remote areas, or even with a basecamp, then the Shakespeare Galaxy can come in very convenient for inter-group comms. In our case, when going very far offshore, this one can be used as well to give through our position and status to the Coast Guard (just for monitoring reasons, as I did with my two North Sea crossings).
I hope to have shed some light on this particular piece of safety equipment. It will be part of my safety kit when going on offshore trips or crossing, and we certainly are eager to do some training scenarios with it in our NORTHSEAKAYAK team.
Have fun and take care of each other on the water!
Average cost around £145.00
