Splicing Standard Horizon RAM4 Mic Cable?

[Nord Sal]

I'm installing a new remote mic for my new standard horizon vhf. The trouble I'm running into is that the ends of the cable for the remote mic are bulky and won't allow me to fish the cable in place. I can cut the cable and route the cable from both ends and then splice it.

Does anyone have any recommendations for making a splice in the remote mic cable? There are four small wires plus the shield. I'm not sure of the size of the wires, but they've got to be small, perhaps smaller than 20 AWG?

I'm now headed to the boat to give it a try without cutting the cable (preferred solution) but realize this may not be viable.

Thanks for any help

[Lake-Effect]

If it's a one-time cut & splice, and there's enough cable and boat-space that the splice can be strain-relieved,secured and protected, then the simplest is to:

• cut the cable where you intend to later splice,
• strip back about 2" of outer jacket and shield from each side,
• strip about 1/4" from each insulated wire
• twist the ends of same-colour wires together, then solder each twist
• cover each soldered joint with a short piece of tiny heatshrink, shrink it, and immediately pinch the open end with pliers to seal it
• for bonus marks slide a larger piece of heatshrink over the whole splice.

Do the splice inside a waterproof box with wire-glands if you need protection from weather or spray. Protect joints with dielectric grease or other protectant.


You might also consider some sort of waterproof multiconnector set close to where the remote mic will live. This would allow you to disconnect and store the mic when not needed.

[Nord Sal]

Thanks for the detailed reply L-E. I appreciate it. I wondered if there was something special I might have to do to maintain the shield and if there might be a special connector.

I managed to get the entire cable in place without cutting it. I was able to do some boat yoga with my hole saw. Job is complete other than securing the wire and putting a few locker shelves back in place. Remote mic works great and will be really nice to have.

[Lake-Effect]

Originally Posted by Nord Sal

I wondered if there was something special I might have to do to maintain the shield and if there might be a special connector.

The cable's shield wires are of course also spliced together.

As I mentioned, a multipin connector is a possibility, and the metal-jacketed ones are a bit better at preserving shielding. But I've found that the small amount of unshielded cable in the splice isn't usually a problem. The splice itself could be in a grounded metal project box, or wrapped in some foil, to preserve shielding.

I managed to get the entire cable in place without cutting it. I was able to do some boat yoga with my hole saw. Job is complete other than securing the wire and putting a few locker shelves back in place. Remote mic works great and will be really nice to have.

For sure. Glad you sorted it out.

[Pandor]

Originally Posted by Nord Sal

I'm installing a new remote mic for my new standard horizon vhf. The trouble I'm running into is that the ends of the cable for the remote mic are bulky and won't allow me to fish the cable in place. I can cut the cable and route the cable from both ends and then splice it.

Does anyone have any recommendations for making a splice in the remote mic cable? There are four small wires plus the shield. I'm not sure of the size of the wires, but they've got to be small, perhaps smaller than 20 AWG?

I'm now headed to the boat to give it a try without cutting the cable (preferred solution) but realize this may not be viable.

Thanks for any help

Glad you were able to fit it in without cutting/splicing. I recently spliced a RAM4 and believe there were around 10 wires all smaller than 24 awg.

Soldering that many in a confined space was too much for me. I used Solder Seal Wire Connectors (solder and heat shrink in one) and they worked well for this application.

[goboatingnow]

The current RAM 4 has a lot more then 4 wires. Just installed one myself connect to a nmea2000 GX1850