Can't see the forest for the trees...

[Joe Dickson]

We had work done on our boat recently that involved pulling the stick, rebuilding the cross-member and re-working the electrical in the mast. My VHF radio now does not appear to be transmitting or receiving. I know the antenna WAS re-connected when the mast was stepped, because the stereo and the television, which run off the same antenna, have good reception. If the antenna were not connected neither would have any reception. I've checked the antenna connection to the VHF radio, and it's fine. It still acts like there is no antenna attached however. Have I missed something obvious? Perhaps it was a coincidence that the radio croaked at the same time I had the work done? Any ideas would be appreciated...Thanks,JoeS/V Charis

 

[Steve Dion]

How do you KNOW you know.

Joe:How do you know that you know there is a continous line from the top of the mast to the radio. I suggest that you have the company that did the work do a continouity test on the cable. You may be getting good Radio/TV reception for other reasons(antenna for these does not need to go all the way to the top).

 

[Don Alexander]

SWR

Jo,I suggest you need a SWR (Standing Wave Ratio) test on your installation. The SWR meter is an inexpensive gadget normally used by ham radio enthusiasts and you need one which covers the VHF band - approx 156 MHz. You install it temporarily between set and antenna cable and make a test transmission. The meters will tell you if you are transmitting and whether any power is going up the antenna lead. Usually these gadgets will not handle full power so it is best to work on 1 watt. If you are transmitting on 1 watt it is a reasonable bet you are okay on 25 watts. The antenna works the same on either power.Also there is a reciprocity theorem which states any antenna which can transmit can also receive, so see if you can receive normally or is this not working also.If you don't fancy it the technician should be able to do this test in only a few minutes - after that you are at his mercy!

 

[Michael O']

Cross Member re-Construction

Joe: What prompted you to do the cross member repair work? Can you describe for us what work was done to rebuild and correct the problem? Also, what year and model of Hunter do you own?Oh, and how much did the repair cost you?(welcome to the Compression Post Repair Club)-Regards,Michael O'"Irish Mist"

 

[Joe Dickson]

Leak....

I had a leak, the result of which was that the cross member got wet and soft. The guy who rebuilt it used Allan Haddad's post in the archives as a go by and like Alan I now have a bullet proof structure. Our boat is a 1984 31. In addition to the cross-member work I had the electrical in the mast re-worked. Tax tile and drive out it cost $2,600 but as I say, part of that was the mast work. If I remember correctly the crossmember alone was about $1,800. If like Allan you attempt to do this yourself, good luck. If you are looking to have the work done for you, check around. You will be amazed at the range of prices you will be quoted...

 

[Forrest Clark]

splitter

If you are still having trouble with this, you could look at the cable between the splitter that splits the cable to both the TV and the VHF, or the splitter itself. If you have a handheld VHF, you should be able to copy a signal from it keyed in the proximity of your unit even without an antenna. This will determine if your VHF is receiving t all. I would not recommend keying your transmitter if you are unsure about the antenna. This can damage the transmitter.