H31 Mast Wiring Questions

[jssailem]

Ok Bummer... I have seen folks take 20lb monofilament fishing line and attach a fishing pencil lead to the end.

We use them for Steelhead fishing up here in the PacficNW. Drop the lead into the hole let it pull down the fishing line to the bottom of the mast. Attache the wire to the fishing line and pull the wire down thru the mast and conduit.

Not sure if you can make that work.

Another idea... Run a stiff piece of 12awg solid copper wire up the conduit from the bottom. When it pops out the top near the hole in the mast then snag it with a U-bent coat hanger like you were trying to break into a locked car. Then you can use the copper wire as a messenger line for your wire. I would take the base of the old light off so I could get at the hole directly.

It is an interesting task. Made all the more exciting being 25 feet in the air hanging from a rope.

 

[pateco]

@jssailem Unfortunately, there is no old wire at the steaming light. You can see my current steaming light fixture in the attached picture. The small hole in the mast where the wire is supposed to go is visible. Inside the mast there should be a conduit just below this hole to one side. That conduit is visible from the bottom, and is empty.

The other conduit in the mast runs all the way to the top and has our new VHF cable and anchor light cable.

Both conduits are visible in the photos @jmce1587 posted above.

For reference, my current steaming light fixture in the attached picture is at my highest spreaders, facing forward on the mast.

I might suggest a Bendable Copper shaft Magnetic retriever that Fits into tight spots



and some steel sash chain.



Attach about 12" of chain to the end of your fish, and push it up beyond the end of the conduit. Then use the magnet to pull just the chain out so you don't have to force the fish tape around a 90° bend. Attach the new wire to the chain, and pull the fish tape chain and new wire down your mast conduit.

 

[Manly]

@jssailem, good idea with the 12awg solid copper wire and a coat hook.

Alternatively, the easy option is to forget the conduit for the steaming light and just run it through the center of the mast. To keep it from slapping I could attach zip ties to it every 5' or so. Because I wouldn't be able to fit the zip ties through that little hole at the steaming light fixture, I'd simply drop a string down that hole and then pull the new steaming light wire up with zip ties attached from the bottom.

This is tempting, but the steaming light wire may interfere with the halyards, which wouldn't be good.

Attached here is a picture looking down at the top. This picture was a bit precarious to take, for the record. You can see the starboard conduit on the fwd wall of the mast with the messenger string I had through at the time. Note how close it is to the halyards. The steaming light conduit is not visible in this picture, but is mounted on the other aluminum extrusion and terminates, I presume, about 10' down.

 

[Manly]

@pateco, genius. I'll try that!

 

[pateco]

@pateco, genius. I'll try that!

As a commercial Satellite/AV guy for over 20 years, I have had to find all sorts of creative ways to get wires to locations where you cant get wires. LOL

Installing Satellite Internet in Puerto Rico after last years storms.