Dead VHF Radio?

Status
Not open for further replies.
J

Joel

Just need some confirmation before I spend some more money. Launched the H23 last week. Successfully fixed almost all the various electrical problems. Bow lamp = blown bulb. Mast head light = dirty contacts at mast base connector. Autohelm = dirty connectors. Final one is the VHF radio. The radio receives but does not transmit. Initially suspected the antenna / coax. Bought one of the small emergency antennas (which isn't a bad thing to have anyway). That also doesn't allow it to transmit. Borrowed an inline power / VSW meter. No power detected from the radio when the mic is keyed. The radio is over 10 years old (which shouldn't cause it to fail). Does it sound like the radio is dead and needs to be replaced?
 
M

Mic Fry

Dark and stormy nite

Just some food for thought. Think about that dark and stormy nite with the wind speed so high that you cannot put up a sail and the motor is dead and you need to call for help to get your family to safty. The price of a new two way is chump change.My opinion is don't mess with it buy a new one. "MIC" in Calif.
 
A

a. glasson

Finals Blown

It sounds like some one has keyed the mic. with out the antenna hooked up. This burns out the finals on your radio. That means you can not transmit. What happens is the power has no place to go, which is usually through the antenna. This power stays in the radio and does damage. Buy a new one!
 
J

Joel

I'm on my way

Luckily, I had my handheld VHF with me when I found out the fixed mount VHF was not working. Would have been much tougher getting past the railroad bridge. I'm off to the store to buy a new fixed mount. Thanks.
 
S

Steve O.

had same problem

on my radio it was a blown transmit module. Cost more to repair than replace so I replaced it.
 
E

Ed Isenberg

radio problems

Had the same problem last year. Like you I used a handheld to get thru the railroad bridge. I spent two weeks sailing out of Gloucester. Still have the problem But it turned out to be the antenna cable had small break. Sometimes it would work (always when I had a pair repairman looking at it) sometimes naught. Right in the middle of the replacing the cable.
 
Jul 1, 1998
3,062
Hunter Legend 35 Poulsbo/Semiahmoo WA
SWR Meters

Just for general information to others reading this thread, an electronics friend of mine said that the SWR meters used on CB radios should not be used on a marine VHF for antenna tuning purposes. Since the radios transmit in different frequencies the CB SWR meter will give a false reading when used in the marine band range. However, for this case, to test a marine radio just to see if it works one would think the needle should at least come off the peg. As I remember the needle scale was calibrated on a log scale so if there was any output then it should budge a little bit.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.