Re: VHF Antenna lengths
John123 andCaymonboy are right, 8' antennas generally get you 9 dB output radius which is genereally farther than 3-4 dB assuming mounting height above the water is approximately the same. I believe that there is a 8-9 dB output 3-4' antenna out there, but I might be wrong. A typical arch will not make that much difference in terms of range in this application. (A 35-65' mast on a sailboat would.)
That said, an 8' antenna on an arch would be ideal, especially if you have a strip of 1 x that you could lash it to during a trailering trip for support. You could leave the wood in the truck/car or at the house/hotel where you stay for the ride home.
Good luck. This is all explained in the 'buyer's advisor' pages in a West Marine catalog, or it used to be anyway.
Good luck.
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Plan accordingly!
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