Installing a Wind Speed Indicator

[Tim]

I just bought an Raytheon wind speed indicator, now the hard part, I need to install it. Can anyone give me some pointers on how to do this? I'd rather not remove the mast. I can't tell if the wires that currently go up into the mast (a coax for the vhf antenna and a few wires for the mast lights) are attached inside the base of the mast or not. If not, I could pull the coax down through with a return line attached. The lines then run through the compression post, but are so tight at the exit point I can't move them. Any Ideas??Regards,Tim

 

[Mike Cummings]

Wind

Just put one in this summer, but I had the mast down and the compression post out. (Thats why I put one in). The Raytheon indicator requires a box to be mounted at the top of the mast, wire traveles down into the compression post and exists and then meets another box whereby you join the cable from the indicator. So the only way to really install it properly is to take the mast down. My VHF and all other wires run up the compression post thru a tub into the base of the mast. This tube is sealed "tight", so unless you dig out the old sealent no pulling will get anything thru.Good Luck.MikeWindswept (H-34)

 

[Jim Rushing]

35.5 Mast

Tim, I had the marina install my ST-50 wind instrument on the mast. At my next bottom job, I had the mast pulled so I could install a TV antenna and every halyard that I could think of. There are 2 pvc conduits going up your mast. One stops at the deck light location and the other goes all the way to the top. It will be necesary to pull a "pull cord" to the top by pulling out the wiring cable to the mast light with the cord tied to the bottom of the cable. Now the tough part. The wiring passes through the cabin roof inside a pvc tube,which is full of sealer, and makes a drip loop before intering the pvc tube. Oh yes, the other reason that I had the mast pulled was that it leaked rain water through the wiring tube in the ceiling. You can't really reseal the ceiling tube except from the top side. Sooner or later you will have to pull the mast.