Guess that kind of answers all our questions, thanks Gus.

John S.

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Replying to:

You can buy the PL 259 from Radio Shack for assembly instructions.

The shorter the cable, the less RF energy will be lost in either transmitting or receiving which is what you want, RF cable has a fixed amount of loss per foot which is dependent on the way the cable is made, the diameter and with what kind of dielectric material is used. Leaving a minimum of 3 ft or more is a good idea incase a repair is needed.

VHF 8 ft marine antennas do not require matching, the antenna is matched by design of the antenna, 3 footers require matching, couplers, that is that hunk of metal that you see at the base of the antenna.

Marine CB antennas are sometimes matched using the coax cable; do not cut, because it is part of the antenna. Automobile CB antennas are fine tuned by adjusting the antenna height in a particular installation.