Got the boat launched, got all the little problems fixed and everything working. Went to do a radio check on 5 year old VHF that has always worked, and it just throws out squelch noise that I can control with the volume. Checked all fuses, conections at the mast an the back of the radio and checked the archives, zip on all. Any suggestions? Any way to check antenna without droping the mast?
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LaDonna Bubak - CatalinaOwners.com
Squelch control?
Ok, that seems obvious but sometimes it's the obvious things that we miss. Is there a squelch control? LaDonna
Ok, that seems obvious but sometimes it's the obvious things that we miss. Is there a squelch control? LaDonna
J
JIM
POSSABLE CORROSION
IF YOU DONT HAVE A SQULECH CONT. YOU MIGHT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CORROSION INSIDE THE UNIT. I MIGHT GET BAD RESPONSES FOR THIS BUT IVE HAD A LOT OF LUCK WITH TAKING THE COVER OFF AND SPRAYING WITH "CORROSION BLOCK" ITS A LITTLE PRICEY BUT WORTH IT. I TAKE APART ALL OF MY ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS 2X A YEAR AND SPRAY THEM WITH IT. AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS AT ALL, I ALSO USE IT TO CLEAN AND POLISH MY MAST AND OTHER ALUNINUM GEAR ON BOARD.
IF YOU DONT HAVE A SQULECH CONT. YOU MIGHT HAVE A PROBLEM WITH CORROSION INSIDE THE UNIT. I MIGHT GET BAD RESPONSES FOR THIS BUT IVE HAD A LOT OF LUCK WITH TAKING THE COVER OFF AND SPRAYING WITH "CORROSION BLOCK" ITS A LITTLE PRICEY BUT WORTH IT. I TAKE APART ALL OF MY ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS 2X A YEAR AND SPRAY THEM WITH IT. AND HAVE HAD NO PROBLEMS AT ALL, I ALSO USE IT TO CLEAN AND POLISH MY MAST AND OTHER ALUNINUM GEAR ON BOARD.
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Ken Palmer
Checking your antenna
Back to your original question. Borrow or buy a VSWR meter for VHF. You can ask most hams about where to locally get one. Place the meter in-line with your coaxial cable to the antenna. Key the radio, using low power mode, and read the VSWR. If it is more than 3:1, you have a problem with the antenna, connectors, or coax to the antenna. Many VHF antennas will appear to be electrically shorted if measured with an ohm meter, so be aware of that if you get to that stage of troubleshooting. You can check the connectors and coax by going up the mast and placing a 50 ohm dummy load at the end of the coax. Measure the VSWR, and you should get 1:1. For further troubleshooting hints, there are many books available to buy or at your library. Think of your marine radio as similar to an amateur radio 2-meter radio in your search for books. This is not the same as CB. Good luck. Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty
Back to your original question. Borrow or buy a VSWR meter for VHF. You can ask most hams about where to locally get one. Place the meter in-line with your coaxial cable to the antenna. Key the radio, using low power mode, and read the VSWR. If it is more than 3:1, you have a problem with the antenna, connectors, or coax to the antenna. Many VHF antennas will appear to be electrically shorted if measured with an ohm meter, so be aware of that if you get to that stage of troubleshooting. You can check the connectors and coax by going up the mast and placing a 50 ohm dummy load at the end of the coax. Measure the VSWR, and you should get 1:1. For further troubleshooting hints, there are many books available to buy or at your library. Think of your marine radio as similar to an amateur radio 2-meter radio in your search for books. This is not the same as CB. Good luck. Ken Palmer, S/V Liberty
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Larry W.
VHF trouble
Tom; You might want to check the microphone where it connects to the radio. Remove it and slide it in and out several times, tighten and try it again. Worked for me.
Tom; You might want to check the microphone where it connects to the radio. Remove it and slide it in and out several times, tighten and try it again. Worked for me.
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Tom
F
Forrest Clark
A few mor esuggestions
Tom, You might try borrowing a handheld VHF and keying it nearby to see if you can rx a signal. Even if your antenna is bad, you should still hear that radio's transmission as long as it is near your transceiver. If you hear nothing, you probably have a problem with the transceiver. If it is the antenna, it is almost certainly a connector. You can easily replace this with spares from Radio Shack - most use PL259's. They are cheap and all you need is a soldering iron, solder, and wire cutters. I would start with the connector that attaches to the radio first since it is the one that is connected/ disconnected most. If you have a multimeter with continuity function, you can check for continuity between center pin and outer shield of coax. Just attach one meter probe to center pin of connector and the other probe to outer housing of the same connector. There should be no continuity. If there is, this means there is a short somewhere in the cable to the antenna - again usually a connector. If you replace connectors, seal any that do not have to be disconnected regularly. Good Luck.
Tom, You might try borrowing a handheld VHF and keying it nearby to see if you can rx a signal. Even if your antenna is bad, you should still hear that radio's transmission as long as it is near your transceiver. If you hear nothing, you probably have a problem with the transceiver. If it is the antenna, it is almost certainly a connector. You can easily replace this with spares from Radio Shack - most use PL259's. They are cheap and all you need is a soldering iron, solder, and wire cutters. I would start with the connector that attaches to the radio first since it is the one that is connected/ disconnected most. If you have a multimeter with continuity function, you can check for continuity between center pin and outer shield of coax. Just attach one meter probe to center pin of connector and the other probe to outer housing of the same connector. There should be no continuity. If there is, this means there is a short somewhere in the cable to the antenna - again usually a connector. If you replace connectors, seal any that do not have to be disconnected regularly. Good Luck.
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