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Is there an easy way to check the VHF coax
in the mast while the mast is down? Last year while sitting at the dock, I
noticed that I got terrible reception on the VHF. My radio check messages weren’t
ever responded to, so I guess I wasn’t transmitting at all. Any advice
would be appreciated. Regards, JKB Launched yesterday!! -----Original Message----- The exposed insulation of the wires
at the base of mast of my 1978 Catalina 27 has gone bad - so bad that the
exposed wires are shorting together. There are two main cables, one that goes
to the top of the mast for the anchor light, and another that goes up to
mid-mast for the bow light and etc. The cables are four wire and connected to a
four pin connector that looks like a trailer connector. The main cable outer
insulation looks good (it's rubber covering), but the insulation on the exposed
individual wires is bad. I did reinsulate the exposed wires
with "liquid insulation" and tape. All wires check out with
essentially zero resistance, except the mast head wire that still has a bit of
conductance between one wire and ground (yes, I did remove the bulbs before
checking the conductance). Since the cables look good, plan B
is to take off the light fixtures, get down to the cables and look for the
problem. Any thoughts? Plan C is to replace the
cables. From the bottom of the mast it looks like the cables are in a
plastic pipe/conduit. It is supported at the bottom by a T and screw in the mast.
I don't see any other screws through the mast that would support this plastic
pipe/conduit. If I have to replace the cables, my
guess is that one needs to take off the mid-mast light fixture and the top of
the mast. Any suggestions? Thanks. Bob on the North Coast - where
friends are performing the rites of Spring in the boat yards. |
- RE: catalina27-talk: Rewire the mast - advice request John K. Bedford
