Re-connecting Cut Radar Cable - Help Please

[FlyingCloud1937]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Lloyd, it seems that a big fraction of your posts laud hiring a professional to do some job or another. For some things I agree, but sheesh, hiring a pro to install 84 bucks worth of connectors (from your link) at a hundred bucks an hour... we're looking at a two hundred dollar bill for a job that can be accomplished by a typical yottie for less than twenty five, using good materials. And from my experience, and that of other posters as well, our non-professional efforts have worked in the real cruising world for many many cumulative years.

On a different subject... those connectors in the ad that you linked look pretty good, but what in the hell do they have to do with agriculture? I'm surprised that any farmer needs 20+ pin cable connectors very often!

Cheers,

JIm

Note I said sometimes. In this case a DIY'er could buy the right products and tools and be done with it. That's why I posted the pic. Sometimes a DIY solution is made absent the knowledge of whats available.

I often go to a boat to do a couple hrs work on something of this nature. My rates are $85-125.. per hour depending. I don't know anyone charging a couple of hundred per hour.

Putting the proper plugs on for mast stepping, will allow the future R&R of the mast by simply unplugging a 2 second job.

A terminal strip requires going into the strip removing all the wires and cable glands, and the repeat to go back together. .5 to 1 hour.

The plugs will be corrosion resistant for ever, equal to or better then the manufactures.

Lloyd

[gordwedman]

Originally Posted by Guy

It's interesting, you get all this anecdotal info about poor crimps, corrosion, maintenace required to keeep it from corroding yet people still defend the practice.
I love how we can do almost anything to our boats and nobody can stop you. A Zarpe and a full tank of fuel and some food and we are good to go.

And you can gaurantee that a connector plug will never corrode? If I really wanted wiring to stay corrosion-free I would solder the connections and use two layers of heat shrink, the type with the glue.

[FlyingCloud1937]

Originally Posted by gordwedman

And you can gaurantee that a connector plug will never corrode? If I really wanted wiring to stay corrosion-free I would solder the connections and use two layers of heat shrink, the type with the glue.

I warrant my work daily, I don't have call backs to re-do a job. I have call backs to install something new.

100% of my business is either repeat or referral. I don't advertise anywhere.

Lloyd

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by FlyingCloud1937

Note I said sometimes. In this case a DIY'er could buy the right products and tools and be done with it. That's why I posted the pic. Sometimes a DIY solution is made absent the knowledge of whats available.

I often go to a boat to do a couple hrs work on something of this nature. My rates are $85-125.. per hour depending. I don't know anyone charging a couple of hundred per hour.

Putting the proper plugs on for mast stepping, will allow the future R&R of the mast by simply unplugging a 2 second job.

A terminal strip requires going into the strip removing all the wires and cable glands, and the repeat to go back together. .5 to 1 hour.

The plugs will be corrosion resistant for ever, equal to or better then the manufactures.

Lloyd

Well, if you charge 100 dollars per hour, and take an hour to do the job (and that is quicker than I would expect the average tradesman to require) and the connector costs 42 dollars for each of the two sections, that comes pretty damn close to two hundred.

And it doesn't take me a half hour to undo the radar cable wires on my terminal strip, either!

You have your way of looking at things, perhaps influenced by the fact that you rely on folks needing professional help. My point of view is from the offshore cruising yottie's position: not so much disposable income, frequently in places where there is no professional help whatsoever, having seen far too many "professional" jobs botched, and a history of being able to do many things non-professionally that have worked out well.

I guess we will just have to disagree.

Jim

Jim

[model 10]

Originally Posted by Paul Elliott

Which practice is that? A properly protected terminal strip is no more vulnerable than any other connector. A poorly-installed one is a problem waiting to happen. Poor crimps are poor crimps. Nobody is defending that.

I think you are seeing what you want to see, and ignoring everything else. There's more than one way to make good connections.

Do you really believe that? Your experience is aparently a bit limited. I can just see all these airliners falling out of the sky because they decided it was to much trouble to install cannon plugs. And they would too because intermittent problems would run rampant. As to why Ag needs a proper plug, they use some of the most corrosive chemicals you can imagine ( think salt on steroids) and they really want it be dependable. If you do wiz bang work, very good but not everyone does nor do they have the skill to .

[Paul Elliott]

Originally Posted by Guy

Do you really believe that? Your experience is aparently a bit limited. I can just see all these airliners falling out of the sky because they decided it was to much trouble to install cannon plugs. And they would too because intermittent problems would run rampant. As to why Ag needs a proper plug, they use some of the most corrosive chemicals you can imagine ( think salt on steroids) and they really want it be dependable. If you do wiz bang work, very good but not everyone does nor do they have the skill to .

Are you telling me that no crimp-lug and terminal connectors are ever used on aircraft, military ships, spacecraft, etc? Every connection uses a Cannon plug??? If so, I stand corrected.

I think I've said all I'm going to say. Thanks for the discussion.

[model 10]

No lots of terminal boards, so many you can hardly find them all, just none for a radar or anything complicated that are out in the open.

[FlyingCloud1937]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

Well, if you charge 100 dollars per hour, and take an hour to do the job (and that is quicker than I would expect the average tradesman to require) and the connector costs 42 dollars for each of the two sections, that comes pretty damn close to two hundred.

And it doesn't take me a half hour to undo the radar cable wires on my terminal strip, either!

You have your way of looking at things, perhaps influenced by the fact that you rely on folks needing professional help. My point of view is from the offshore cruising yottie's position: not so much disposable income, frequently in places where there is no professional help whatsoever, having seen far too many "professional" jobs botched, and a history of being able to do many things non-professionally that have worked out well.

I guess we will just have to disagree.

Jim

Jim

Just so we are on the same page.

I believe a DIY'er can do a professional job. When they take the time to acquire the knowledge to do a professional job, and then take the time to do it professional. But I see a lot of DIY'er Hack Jobs.

Also, I agree that some professionals can and do Hack Jobs. But then they really aren't professionals now are they. The Hallmark of a Professional is the professional work they do...it's that simple.

So as I've always stated before hiring a professional for any job including brain surgery get references.

So what I posted originally was a product that allows both Pros and DIY'ers to do a professional job.

And stated in some cases it pays to hire a Professional...such as where a DIY'er doesn't have the knowledge or skills to do a professional job.

Now if you've paid professionals for a hack job, then it really is your fault now isn't it?

Lloyd

[montenido]

Wow, lively discussion . Thanks for the advice everyone. I finished with the reconnect today and everything works fine. I ended up going with a very long terminal strip, but I would love to use plugs next time if I can find them. Here is a pic of the finished job.

Thanks again and cheers! Bill

[model 10]

That looks pretty nice. Can I assume there is a lock washer on every screw?

[Emmalina]

Personally I have joined a lot of cables of this nature and i would use solder and heatshrink tubing then rap it all in alufoil then another heat shrink over that so you get very little signal loss.

[FlyingCloud1937]

Originally Posted by montenido

Wow, lively discussion . Thanks for the advice everyone. I finished with the reconnect today and everything works fine. I ended up going with a very long terminal strip, but I would love to use plugs next time if I can find them. Here is a pic of the finished job.

Thanks again and cheers! Bill

Now that's a good job for the circumstances.

I Just reinstalled an obsolete MFD, on a job where the owner did the same-thing you did. He also didn't mark the wires 1,2.3 etc.

When he re-stepped the mast, he confused 2 wires, they were the 250 volt power and ground to the scanner.

It fried the trace on the MFD, and required the magnetron to be replaced

$4,500.00 plus labor, about what he paid for the Nav. system used

Lloyd

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Guy

As confident as some of you sound about taking these kinds of short cuts, you will never find a critical piece of equipment that leaves the ground or goes into war using an exposed terminal board. I think this is another rationalization for doing it the easy way and just another reason sailboat equipment is so undependable.

I guess you never worked on a BAe J31 then
I am sure I could think of many other examples but really no need to as just one disproves your claim.

[donradcliffe]

Originally Posted by FlyingCloud1937

Now that's a good job for the circumstances.

I Just reinstalled an obsolete MFD, on a job where the owner did the same-thing you did. He also didn't mark the wires 1,2.3 etc.

When he re-stepped the mast, he confused 2 wires, they were the 250 volt power and ground to the scanner.

It fried the trace on the MFD, and required the magnetron to be replaced

$4,500.00 plus labor, about what he paid for the Nav. system used

Lloyd

Its a good idea to use a pro if you are color blind.

[model 10]

Hey Wotname: Give me a TB# from the radar airframe wiring diagrams. I would like to check into this. Maybe the Britts are still using 1942 technology and thats why they don't sell many fixed wing A/C anymore.