VHF Weak on Range

[Dasch Boat]

I have a Raymarine 230 radio, at the end of last lastseaeson I noticed that the radios range was not what it should be. Works fine if you are within a few hundred feet but thats it. I would like to start trouble shooting at the antenae connection, where is the base station unit located on the 380 DA ?

 

[Odyssey]

I had a similar problem. It turned out to be the antenna cable connector at the radio end. I cut the cable, put a new crimp connector on the cable and it fixed the problem. I was about to send my unit back to the manufacturer until someone told me to check the end.

 

[Pseudomind]

I have a Raymarine 230 radio, at the end of last lastseaeson I noticed that the radios range was not what it should be. Works fine if you are within a few hundred feet but thats it. I would like to start trouble shooting at the antenae connection, where is the base station unit located on the 380 DA ?

Mine is mounted behind the chart plotter/switch panel at the helm.

 

[Dasch Boat]

Thanks Guys, I will pull the panel and check the antenae connection first.

 

[Redhook98]

Corrosion on your conector......

 

[Four Suns]

Before you take out the radio and check connections, you may want to check and make sure you have not set the radio to "Local Mode" and/or reduced the power output (those are two different things but can make you think you don't have any range). My Raymarine 230 has the ability to switch between 25w and 1w output power so when you are in a harbor/marina area, you can broadcast at 1w and not blast your arrival to the whole world around you... You may have accidentally set it to low power...

 

[jpk33]

Also you should be able to check the connectors from the service/storage panel under the steering wheel IIRC. Open it up and pop the retaining strap and you should has access (if you can bend a little). - Jeff

 

[Dasch Boat]

Thanks guys, I will check the low power and local mode settings before I start investigating the antennae connections this weekend.

 

[Odyssey]

Before you take out the radio and check connections, you may want to check and make sure you have not set the radio to "Local Mode" and/or reduced the power output (those are two different things but can make you think you don't have any range). My Raymarine 230 has the ability to switch between 25w and 1w output power so when you are in a harbor/marina area, you can broadcast at 1w and not blast your arrival to the whole world around you... You may have accidentally set it to low power...

Good call!

RB

 

[Alex F]

My Raymarine 230 has the ability to switch between 25w and 1w output power so when you are in a harbor/marina area, you can broadcast at 1w and not blast your arrival to the whole world around you... You may have accidentally set it to low power...

That's a great tip Gary. I just learned something new about these units and more effecient way to use them.

 

[Nehalennia]

...I'll add a piece that I'm shocked Gary didn't bring up. Angle. Make sure your antenna is straight up. We all know how cool the raked back antennas look, but they work as well as the hunk of concrete blocking the oil spill in the gulf is doing right now.

 

[tobnpr]

Could be an electrical issue. VHF's pull a decent number of amps when transmitting. A weak battery, or loose/corroded connection that prevents the radio from getting the juice it needs would cause your symptoms.

What about reception? Does the radio receive properly?
If not, the radiator in the antenna may have broken. I had a Shakepspeare where the wire element had become detached from the top of the antenna (internally) and had fallen into a pile at the bottom of the antenna. Cheaper VHF antennas are nothing but a hollow fiberglass tube with a wire suspended inside. Vibration over time often causes them to break. Better antennas (I have Digital) are foam-filled to prevent this from happening.