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Post by truenorth on Oct 11, 2012 16:03:48 GMT
I have owned a DS43 for a number of years with Raymarine radar on the mast. Stored indoors last year and rigger cut the radar cable. Looking for long term solutions. Now using a terminal strip . Any ideas on connectors for the radar to make it easy to step the mast. Any help would be helpful for ways to connect the coax, radar, instrument and mast lights.
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Post by rxc on Oct 11, 2012 16:10:42 GMT
I'm surprised that they were not all cut/spliced/connected before you took the mast down. All of my cables enter the boat thru waterproof glands fwd of the mast that need to be tightened up periodically, and are all spliced in the fwd hanging locker, or in the small space under the mast. Even the radio coax has a splice there. They were originally installed this way, because the mast has not (yet, I think) been down.
I would just suggest that you trace them out, and look for a convenient place to cut, and then install the splices in a nice protective box. I will be moving all of my splices to the hanging locker the first time I take the mast down.
Oh, and what I mean by "splice" is to use a terminal strip or other mechanical connection. No soldering.
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Post by Anwen (Deep Joy) on Oct 11, 2012 19:04:38 GMT
My Raymarine radar has a joint in the cable in the void above the saloon ceiling at the top of the compression post. I used chocolate block connector otherwise known as terminal strip with some trepidation, but it worked out fine. The cable is the thick one with several separately screened cores, and was installed through a cable gland added to the collection at the base of the mast.
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Post by sailbleu on Oct 15, 2012 5:22:37 GMT
I was always reluctant to splice my radar cable since I was told that would create interference in the signals.
My mast is down now and I am (again) considering in splicing the cable because I had to disconnect the radar and pull the cable through the mast so he could be separated from the ship.
Not very handy of course , but I keep hesitating cutting the cable .
Are there any more sailors who cut their radar cable without consequences ?
Just looking for some reasurance you see.
Regards
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Post by rxc on Oct 17, 2012 22:04:08 GMT
Sailbleu,
How old is your radar? The cable for mine (Raymarine 2kW-2003) is just a bunch of small wires. None of them carry RF energy, like a coax or a waveguide would. So, cutting them and reconnecting them at a terminal strip is the way they were designed to work.
Looking at the manual, there is a comment made that if you cut an hsb2 cable (a proprietary Raymarine network cable), you should not splice it because it might cause signal degradation. Do you know if you are using a hsb2 cable as a connector? My radar uses a multi-part radar connector cable, not hsb2 (which I believe is now obsolete).
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Post by sailbleu on Oct 18, 2012 7:43:20 GMT
Sailbleu, How old is your radar? The cable for mine (Raymarine 2kW-2003) is just a bunch of small wires. None of them carry RF energy, like a coax or a waveguide would. So, cutting them and reconnecting them at a terminal strip is the way they were designed to work. Looking at the manual, there is a comment made that if you cut an hsb2 cable (a proprietary Raymarine network cable), you should not splice it because it might cause signal degradation. Do you know if you are using a hsb2 cable as a connector? My radar uses a multi-part radar connector cable, not hsb2 (which I believe is now obsolete). Hi rxc , it's a white cable with a bunch of small coloured wires , my main plotter is indeed connected via an hsb2 cable to another unit inside, but that has nothing to do with the radar cable of course . By the way , it's a pathfinder radar and main plotter , so I guess it's old(er) system However , if I remember correctly , this cable is shielded. But no doubt they are all shielded no ? Regards |
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Post by rxc on Oct 19, 2012 12:46:23 GMT
My radar is also a Pathfinder. It was built in 2003 (I believe), and was one of the first ones that can now be connected to the C- and E- series displays. I won't be able to get to the boat till mid-Nov, but I will check the cable to see where it is cut/spliced, and whether they did anything special. I think not.
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Post by rxc on Nov 26, 2012 1:27:17 GMT
Just back from winterizing the boat, and I can report that the cable for my unit is just cut, and the wires re-connected using a euro-style terminal strip. About 10 individual wires, and the shield. Very simple cut and connect job. Nothing sophisticated about the connections.
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Post by sailbleu on Nov 26, 2012 7:51:24 GMT
Thanks for the feedback rxc.
I will bear that in mind and when the time comes and the sitruation requires I can cut the cable and feel good about it.
Regards
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