How difficult is it to replace a marine radio?

[davefromoregon]

My ICOM radio is 15 years old and works unreliably. Should I also expect to replace the cabling/antenna?

If I hire someone who knows what they are doing, is this a 2, 4, 8 hour job?

[Tupaia]

It probably is the coax, but why not check the radio on a spare antenna to confirm.


If you can pull the cable without any trouble then an hour. If the cable is tangled, loose, not in a conduit, breaks when pulled it could take all day. Worse case you have to take the mast down, depends what's in there and what tangles there are.

[Pandor]

When you say unreliable, do you think the symptoms are in the radio unit or the coax or the power source?

That makes a big difference. But both wiring and head swap out are very easy. I’d just tackle that yourself.

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by davefromoregon

My ICOM radio is 15 years old and works unreliably. Should I also expect to replace the cabling/antenna?

If I hire someone who knows what they are doing, is this a 2, 4, 8 hour job?

Typically the feedline (cabling) is first to go, then the antenna, then the radio.


I would think in terms of 4-8 hours including climbing the mast to replace the antenna and cable. Yards that are particularly well set up for mast work, that can do it from a bucket lift on a quay without hauling the boat, could perhaps do it more quickly.