WA
69 posts
Icom all the way
1. Service available all over the world.
2. Proper communications company with confirmed technical specifications, standards and performance.
3. Widely used professionally and commercially.
4. Many parts and products still made in Japan with Japanese quality standards.
5. Manuals readily available.
Most other VHF brands are just rebadged junk made in the same factory. You cant seem to find acceptance certificates for meeting EU EMC, FCC and ACMA standards.
People think that a VHF is VHF however when you measure critical performance like receiver sensitivity, transmitter VSWR tolerance to damage, receiver dynamic range, spurious output you will find brands like Icom are well ahead of the pack.
WA
69 posts
There were 2 version of the Vancouver 27. The ones built in Canada and later built in the UK. There was an extended one built called the Vancouver 28.
The only issue that I have read about is the skeg being a bit flimsy and that its prone to cracking. Years ago I looked at a Canadian one in New Zealand for my son. The owner withdrew it from the market. I also looked at a Contessa 32 however it was a early version with osmosis problems. I had a contact in shipping who could put it on a ship for a very cheap rate thats why I looked at it.
It is very small inside however the layout and storage is very well planned on such a tiny yacht.
WA
69 posts
4mm2 is more than adequate and almost overkill. Losses are very low at audio frequencies. I would not worry about it. Dont fall for the scam called "oxygen free" audio cable promoted by the Audiophools.
Copper is copper and tin plated wire is a logical choice. Dont forget to add some silicone greases onto the terminals.. Vaseline will also work! The wire is tin plated however the wire from the speaker cone is ordinary non plated copper and gets corrosion and kills the speaker. I have never seen a "marine grades speaker " with tin plated connections. Most of the commercial and military communications gear use a conformal coating which is a tropical varnish to protect connections from the dreaded rot. If you dont have silicone grease like Dow Corning DC4 ask your wife if she has clear nail polish and paint the connections with it after you screw them down after testing.
Before you connect it to your audio source just use a multi-meter and check that you are getting a reading anywhere from 4 ohms to 32 ohms depending on the speaker configuration.
