Btrayfors can answer about the antenna question...
As for grounding the unit, I'd recommend brazing/welding a tinned copper lug or tab to the steel frames, not stainless steel, since stainless steel is a poor conductor and has about 30 times the resistance of copper. Then bolt the copper strap to the lug, and you'll have a pretty good ground plane.
Just remember for the radio signal, the wider the copper strap, the better the signal conduction is to a point. I'd think a 1.6 mm x 3" strap would work quite well.
Do not put the copper lug or strap down in the bilge if you have a wet bilge, since they'll effectively turn your boat into a battery. But if you have a wet bilge on steel boat, you got other problems anyways.
Epoxy coating the copper to help protect it is probably not a bad idea.
__________________
Sailingdog
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Telstar 28
New England
You know what the first rule of sailing is? ...Love. You can learn all the math in the 'verse, but you take
a boat to the sea you don't love, she'll shake you off just as sure as the turning of the worlds. Love keeps
her going when she oughta fall down, tells you she's hurting 'fore she keens. Makes her a home.
—Cpt. Mal Reynolds, Serenity (edited)
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