Earlier this year, I purchased a 23' O'Day, which was equiped with a VHF radio, antenna, etc. The radio worked fine for the first few months. Now, when I key the mic to send/talk, the whole radio shuts off. Any ideas on what to check first?
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Justin - O'day Owners' Web
what kind of radio is it?
What kind of radio is it? How old is it? Does it receive? I haven't had this go wrong with my VHF, but I used to run an FM radio station and our transmitter did the same thing. Powered up, show lights, etc. Give it an input and it would shut off. Turned out to be a shorted power supply to the transmission elements. It wasn't in use until you flipped the unit from stand-by to transmit, at which point it would overload and cut itself out. Seems likely that a VHF could do something similar. I assume you've checked all your fuses? There may be one in-line, one in the radio itself, one at the switch in the panel (which you shouldn't have because your VHF should be wired to a clean source). If its a currently available brand, its likely someone can fix it for you, but it would be a dubious allocation of funds. A new Horizon Eclipse can be had for ~$100 and you would know everything was set with it. Justin - O'day Owners' Web
What kind of radio is it? How old is it? Does it receive? I haven't had this go wrong with my VHF, but I used to run an FM radio station and our transmitter did the same thing. Powered up, show lights, etc. Give it an input and it would shut off. Turned out to be a shorted power supply to the transmission elements. It wasn't in use until you flipped the unit from stand-by to transmit, at which point it would overload and cut itself out. Seems likely that a VHF could do something similar. I assume you've checked all your fuses? There may be one in-line, one in the radio itself, one at the switch in the panel (which you shouldn't have because your VHF should be wired to a clean source). If its a currently available brand, its likely someone can fix it for you, but it would be a dubious allocation of funds. A new Horizon Eclipse can be had for ~$100 and you would know everything was set with it. Justin - O'day Owners' Web
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Bob Gravenstine
Check your power.
I had a friend with the same problem. I believe it was fixed by rewiring the radio directly to the battery with the proper wire size and making sure the battery is fully charged. Hope you find the problem and let us know what the fix is. Bob s/v Gravyboat
I had a friend with the same problem. I believe it was fixed by rewiring the radio directly to the battery with the proper wire size and making sure the battery is fully charged. Hope you find the problem and let us know what the fix is. Bob s/v Gravyboat
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Tom Ehmke
Is is an older radio?
Mike, If it is an older VHF radio and you accidentally keyed it w/o the antenna being hooked up, you probably fried the transmit side of the transciever. I had that problem shortly after I bought my 272. The radio was a Ray Jeff and the repairman I took it to told me to buy a new one. Some of the newer ones (maybe all of them) can be keyed accidentally w/o the antenna hooked up and not go kaput. If you buy a new one, be sure to ask about that feature.
Mike, If it is an older VHF radio and you accidentally keyed it w/o the antenna being hooked up, you probably fried the transmit side of the transciever. I had that problem shortly after I bought my 272. The radio was a Ray Jeff and the repairman I took it to told me to buy a new one. Some of the newer ones (maybe all of them) can be keyed accidentally w/o the antenna hooked up and not go kaput. If you buy a new one, be sure to ask about that feature.
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Ken Palmer
Check the 12 VDC input
When you key your radio, it draws a lot more current. If your battery is low, or if the connection to the DC source is not clean and solid, the voltage may drop when you key up, possibly shutting down your radio. Check the DC voltage on the input to the radio while keyed. If the voltage drops below 12 volts, check all splices and connection between the radio and the battery. Also check the ground connection to make sure it is clean and tight. Just like a car, if your battery connection isn't clean, the starter will not start your car. Another problem might be the connection to the antenna. If the VSWR to the antenna is too high when you transmit, it might be possible that your radio is shutting down to protect itself. Most modern radios reduce output power rather than shutting down, but an older radio might act differently. To check this, you need a VSWR meter inserted in the transmission line. You might borrow one, or look at Radio Shack for a meter meant for ham radio 2-meter operation. Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty
When you key your radio, it draws a lot more current. If your battery is low, or if the connection to the DC source is not clean and solid, the voltage may drop when you key up, possibly shutting down your radio. Check the DC voltage on the input to the radio while keyed. If the voltage drops below 12 volts, check all splices and connection between the radio and the battery. Also check the ground connection to make sure it is clean and tight. Just like a car, if your battery connection isn't clean, the starter will not start your car. Another problem might be the connection to the antenna. If the VSWR to the antenna is too high when you transmit, it might be possible that your radio is shutting down to protect itself. Most modern radios reduce output power rather than shutting down, but an older radio might act differently. To check this, you need a VSWR meter inserted in the transmission line. You might borrow one, or look at Radio Shack for a meter meant for ham radio 2-meter operation. Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty
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Mike Basham
Thank You !!!
Thanks to all of you for the help! Hopefully, I'll be able to give the suggestions a try this weekend, and will definitely report back when we figure out what the problem is/was. Thanks again!
Thanks to all of you for the help! Hopefully, I'll be able to give the suggestions a try this weekend, and will definitely report back when we figure out what the problem is/was. Thanks again!
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Mike Basham
Problem Fixed, I Think !
Thanks again to all of you, for the guidance on fixing my VHF radio. It's working fine now! I checked all the coax connections, and they were fine. I then started checking the power connections with a volt/ohm meter, and found that the power to the radio was going on and off, as the wires were "jiggled". The problem was apparently corrosion on an inline fuse close to the radio. While I had the volt/ohm meter out, I also figured out that the problem with my motoring light is that the switch has gone bad. Ah, the joys of owning an old boat! Thanks again for all the guidance! Fair winds!
Thanks again to all of you, for the guidance on fixing my VHF radio. It's working fine now! I checked all the coax connections, and they were fine. I then started checking the power connections with a volt/ohm meter, and found that the power to the radio was going on and off, as the wires were "jiggled". The problem was apparently corrosion on an inline fuse close to the radio. While I had the volt/ohm meter out, I also figured out that the problem with my motoring light is that the switch has gone bad. Ah, the joys of owning an old boat! Thanks again for all the guidance! Fair winds!
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