troubleshooting VHF

[Claryce35]

My VHF is acting funny. She is crystal clear with water level Line of sight. She Transmits As she should. However, I cannot receive from any significant distances.

I replaced the Antenna. No dice. Could it be my Cable?

[ka4wja]

Claryce,
1) The short answer is, yes...it could be your cable...

2) The medium-length answer is, yes...it could be your cable, and connectors, and any "splices"/"connectors"/"adapters", etc...
(and, if your cable / connectors are > 10 years old, the odds are good that this is likely a proximate cause...)

Could also be your VHF radio....
Or any number of things!!
But, since we don't know exactly what is happening on-board, we cannot be more specific...yet!


3) The long answer is:
What radio do you have?
How old is it?
When is the last time you yourself personally saw/experienced your VHF radio system working correctly?
When did you start to notice this problem?
Is this constant/consistent, or intermittent?
How is the radio wired (12vdc and RF)?
What type, brand, model, and size coaxial cable do you have?
How long of a run of coaxial cable do you have?
Where does the coaxial cable run from the radio to antenna?
Is there a "splice" connector at the mast base / in the bilge?
What type/brand/model/size antenna do you have now? and what was the one that you replaced?
Where are you located, exactly?


And, please have a look at this recent discussion about VHF Range and VHF Radiowave Propagation:
http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ge-149499.html


And, now the "hard" questions:
Can you explain exactly what you mean by what you wrote....see my requests here in red...

Originally Posted by Claryce35

My VHF is acting funny.
Please explain what "funny" means...

She is crystal clear with water level Line of sight.
I have no idea what this means....please explain...
Can you make contact fine with other vessels, both your transmit and receive is fine within easy "line-of-sight", up to approx. 17.5nm? (which is radio line-of-sight for antennas 50' above the water)
But, once you try to communicate over longer distances, you have trouble????
Please explain...
And, please tell us who these other stations are???
Are they shore stations, other vessels, etc...and what type of systems are they using???

She Transmits As she should. However, I cannot receive from any significant distances.
Can you make contact fine with other vessels, and your transmitted signal is fine getting to them???, even when communicating beyond your "line-of-sight", say up to 25 - 30 miles or so...but, you cannot hear them??
Please explain...how do you know they are hearing you, if
you cannot hear them??
Please explain...
And, please tell us who these other stations are???
Are they shore stations, other vessels, etc...and what type of systems are they using???

{And, if you have access to it (?), have you tried to use the SeaTow Automated Radio check system??? And, what are the results??}

I replaced the Antenna. No dice. Could it be my Cable?

Further, please note that if your VHF radio is > 15 years old, you REALLY NEED to replace it anyways, as it doesn't have any DSC features....
(but, you must answer all of the above questions, AND further explain what you mean in your post, in order for us to give you any real specific recommendations!)


BTW, if you're not aware of the Sea Tow Automated Radio Check Service, here is the info...
https://www.seatow.com/tools-and-edu...ed-radio-check


Sorry, I could not be more specific until I get a lot more info...I do hope I helped some!

Fair winds..

John

[Captain Bill]

I had this problem a couple of years ago. I replaced the cable and all was well. I could not receive from more than 2 miles away. People told me they heard me more than 10 miles away, but I could not hear their answer.

[S/V Illusion]

Cable. -unlikely but possible.

Connector(s) are the most likely problem.

Start with the easy stuff like inspect the pL259 joints, voltage, etc.

This isn't rocket science but rather common sense.