Forums > Sailing General

VHF radio repair.

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Created by samsturdy > 9 months ago, 19 Sep 2018
sirgallivant
NSW, 1529 posts
27 Jan 2019 1:43PM
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If the SH is on special again, buy it! It is US made, good quality, reliable gear.

samsturdy
NSW, 1659 posts
27 Jan 2019 2:24PM
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OK, good work you two. The special is in the current 2019 Summer discount bargain book.

samsturdy
NSW, 1659 posts
27 Jan 2019 3:11PM
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I rang the Mona Vale store and got them to put one aside for me.

samsturdy
NSW, 1659 posts
27 Jan 2019 3:21PM
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By the way, I'm going to mount the radio in the same place as the other but I've decided to demount it when I leave
the boat and put it in a plastic bag. I've noticed every time I open up the boat humidity is 100% and this is what got
to the previous radio so I'm now putting items such as multimeters etc in plastic bags to keep them safe. My mate
on the Bavaria has lost his very expensive Nikon camera to humidity because it was constantly left out in the cabin.

Ramona
NSW, 7421 posts
27 Jan 2019 6:03PM
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Select to expand quote
samsturdy said..
By the way, I'm going to mount the radio in the same place as the other but I've decided to demount it when I leave
the boat and put it in a plastic bag. I've noticed every time I open up the boat humidity is 100% and this is what got
to the previous radio so I'm now putting items such as multimeters etc in plastic bags to keep them safe. My mate
on the Bavaria has lost his very expensive Nikon camera to humidity because it was constantly left out in the cabin.


I would suggest keeping the radio installed. Install at least 2 of these www.theboatwarehouse.com.au/deck-fittings-hardware/vents/ventilator-seabird/ and also a vent down near the stern to let the air escape. I have 5 on my cabin top! Laptop has survived for at least 5 years.

sirgallivant
NSW, 1529 posts
27 Jan 2019 9:31PM
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If you lock up your boats air tight it is going to rot inside, guaranteed !
Mould is going to develop in a week, it's going to stink in a month also guaranteed.
If you put your gear in plastic bags while hot, it is going to end up in a pool of water in a day.
Boats should be left open for air circulation. Deck hatches not locked down but left open 1/2 inch with a deck cover on top like this.



samsturdy
NSW, 1659 posts
28 Jan 2019 10:24AM
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Yes ventilation is a must. I've only got a 28 footer remember, but I have a solar vent (working ) on the
front hatch and a healthy gap between the cabin hatch and the storm boards plus a boom tent. So
it's not air tight by any means, but it still gets humid in there.

shaggybaxter
QLD, 2495 posts
28 Jan 2019 9:37AM
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Hi Sam,
Nearly all skippers I know in Brisbane with a keelboat have one of those household portable dehumidifiers sitting inside the boat running all the time it is at dock.
I wasted a couple of years trying to find a 12V version, till I swallowed my pride and asked around.
Turns out you buy the 240V versions and run it on shore power as you're at the dock anyway.
You just run the drain into the sink. Makes for a hot boat when you first open it up though.
Cheers,
SB

samsturdy
NSW, 1659 posts
28 Jan 2019 12:30PM
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shaggybaxter said..
Hi Sam,
Nearly all skippers I know in Brisbane with a keelboat have one of those household portable dehumidifiers sitting inside the boat running all the time it is at dock.
I wasted a couple of years trying to find a 12V version, till I swallowed my pride and asked around.
Turns out you buy the 240V versions and run it on shore power as you're at the dock anyway.
You just run the drain into the sink. Makes for a hot boat when you first open it up though.
Cheers,
SB


Hi Shags. I'm on a swing mooring mate so no shore power for me. We do use hippo's in the boat but they
don't last all that long, although they do help, we have about three on the go but when they're done then
it's back to humidity until the recharge.

LooseChange
NSW, 2140 posts
28 Jan 2019 1:10PM
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Select to expand quote
sirgallivant said..
If the SH is on special again, buy it! It is US made, good quality, reliable gear.



Made in China and have been for yonks

wongaga
VIC, 604 posts
28 Jan 2019 1:14PM
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This works for me in Melbourne, but might not in Brisbane.

On my swing-moored 28 footer, I have a snorkel vent in the forehatch, with a 4" computer fan blowing through it, and a gap at the top of the washboards to allow air in. The combination of induced flow from the backward facing vent plus the fan maintains a constant airflow whether windy or not. The boat always smells very fresh and humidity and mould are kept way down.

I'm sure it is more complicated in a berth, with wind from varying directions.

Cheers, Graeme

sirgallivant
NSW, 1529 posts
28 Jan 2019 5:15PM
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LC, if you are right - and you might be - l am grossly disappointed in the blurb l read about SH products.

sirgallivant
NSW, 1529 posts
28 Jan 2019 5:15PM
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LC, if you are right - and you might be - l am grossly disappointed in the blurb l read about SH products.

Ramona
NSW, 7421 posts
28 Jan 2019 6:07PM
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Select to expand quote
samsturdy said..
Yes ventilation is a must. I've only got a 28 footer remember, but I have a solar vent (working ) on the
front hatch and a healthy gap between the cabin hatch and the storm boards plus a boom tent. So
it's not air tight by any means, but it still gets humid in there.


My boat is a small 30 footer. 4 dorade scoops in the saloon. one in the heads plus a mushroom vent. opening front hatch. exhaust in the cabin hatch and another at the rear of the cockpit. Those Seagull vents cost $13 and they out perform all the larger dorade vents. Could not use the cabin with out them this time of the year. Just installed two in the rear of the cabin and I can sit comfortably at the chart table. Laptop has a vinyl cover over it when not in use and when I fit my new big screen nav set up shortly I will leaving it uncovered. I would not put electronics in a plastic bag.

cisco
QLD, 12315 posts
28 Jan 2019 10:22PM
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Bunnings sells some fairly good moisture absorbant products. Buckets or bags.

saltiest1
NSW, 2478 posts
31 Mar 2019 4:14PM
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Something with my vhf too
Every time I depress the button to talk the thing shuts down. Anyone seen this before?

Ramona
NSW, 7421 posts
31 Mar 2019 5:30PM
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Select to expand quote
saltiest1 said..
Something with my vhf too
Every time I depress the button to talk the thing shuts down. Anyone seen this before?


Undo the microphone plug, clean and re install.

Trek
NSW, 1074 posts
31 Mar 2019 8:46PM
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Bad power wiring or fuse. When in receive current demand is very low and a high resistance bad connection not much problem, but switch to transmit and need 20A instead of 0.1A bad wiring causes such a big voltage drop radio shuts down. Unless transmit half of radio is actually faulty suspect the power wiring.

shaggybaxter
QLD, 2495 posts
31 Mar 2019 8:19PM
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Select to expand quote
Trek said..
Bad power wiring or fuse. When in receive current demand is very low and a high resistance bad connection not much problem, but switch to transmit and need 20A instead of 0.1A bad wiring causes such a big voltage drop radio shuts down. Unless transmit half of radio is actually faulty suspect the power wiring.


HI Trek,
As a troubleshooting step, would switching to low TX power prove anything? If it wiring related?
I still get confused with this weird electricity thingammy.

Trek
NSW, 1074 posts
1 Apr 2019 1:15AM
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Select to expand quote
shaggybaxter said..

Trek said..
Bad power wiring or fuse. When in receive current demand is very low and a high resistance bad connection not much problem, but switch to transmit and need 20A instead of 0.1A bad wiring causes such a big voltage drop radio shuts down. Unless transmit half of radio is actually faulty suspect the power wiring.



HI Trek,
As a troubleshooting step, would switching to low TX power prove anything? If it wiring related?
I still get confused with this weird electricity thingammy.


Yes. If radio works OK on low power but not high it even more indicates the wiring back to battery.

Trek
NSW, 1074 posts
1 Apr 2019 7:27AM
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Select to expand quote
Trek said..







shaggybaxter said..








Trek said..
Bad power wiring or fuse. When in receive current demand is very low and a high resistance bad connection not much problem, but switch to transmit and need 20A instead of 0.1A bad wiring causes such a big voltage drop radio shuts down. Unless transmit half of radio is actually faulty suspect the power wiring.










HI Trek,
As a troubleshooting step, would switching to low TX power prove anything? If it wiring related?
I still get confused with this weird electricity thingammy.









Yes. If radio works OK on low power but not high it even more indicates the wiring back to battery.


The physics is ohms law. Say for example the power wiring has an 1/2 ohm bad connection. (ie Corroded crimp terminal or similar). When the radio is receiving and say its current demand then is 0.1A, the voltage loss caused by faulty terminal is volts = ohms x current which is 0.5R x 0.1A which is a voltage loss of 0.05V. Not too bad and radio works. If the current is 20A when transmitting voltage loss is 0.5R x 20A which is 10V. So in a 12V boat you only have 2V left. Not good! It can get worse if the faulty connection heats. Of course the transmitter part of the radio could be faulty. A crook antenna can destroy the output part of a radio. They are designed not to but thats not guaranteed. Depends who designed the radio and how important they thought that was at the time. The antenna can get tested for that with an SWR meter.



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"VHF radio repair." started by samsturdy