Marine Electronics help

[Still Learnin]

I hope someone has already solved this problem. I am setting up my old VHF radio as a base at my home and I have an issue: when I attached the new anntenna that I purchased it works fine as long as I only tough the center coaxe pin to the radio connection, as soon as the shield connector touches the radio connector it stops working. The radio still appears to work, channel lights on and such, but the anntena acts like it has been disconnected??

Any help would be apprecicated.

 

[knucklebuster]

Can't help with that but I can tell you that you can't transmit from your home. I believe its not permitted to use a vhf radio from a land base. Except for marinas or rescue centers etc. I think its o.k. though to listen.

 

[Kildonan]

What you describe could indicate there is a short somewhere in either your coax, coax connectors or the antenna.

Do you have another piece of coax to try? Try another piece, if it solves the problem, the coax was pooched. I've seen many problems with coax where often the connectors where not attached to the coax cable properly resulting in these types of issues.

In any event, don't transmit with it as is. If you have a short resulting in the antenna being not tuned properly for the frequency your are transmitting on, it could do damage to the transmitter portion of your radio.

 

[Still Learnin]

Thanks for the help I will check out the anntena to see if it has a short. Since it was new I never thought to test it out.

Thanks again

 

[Tanglefoot]

I'm in a jocular mood tonight[)] Remember, if you use your marine vhf to transmit from shore, look for the radio fuzz; they will probably be in a vehicle that resembles a small moving van, olive brown in colour, and the give-away will be the antennae, you know, the circular one on top of the van that rotates to home in on your transmission? Most of the occupants will have heavy German accents and little esses on their collars. They'll come and take you away by golly but only if you use your street address as your call sign

Oh dear...[xx(] Tom