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VHF radio question


icefisherman

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The other day while testing the boat and equipment I've noticed that when transmitting others are hearing what they have described as "helicopter background noise", something like puk-puk-puk while transmitting.

Tried to stop the motor theat is connected to the same battery, to move wires arround...no result...anyone knows how I can try to solve the problem. Others can hear me, but with this constant helicopter sound in the background....would like to eliminate it if possible.

 

By the way - my left brake light is acting again - the fight to try to fix it continues...

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

Edited by icefisherman
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It's possible that your picking up electrical noise from your depth finder or GPS unit. Did you try turning these off while transmitting.

 

Yes I did turn off the fishfinder - same problem with the VHF though.

My GPS is a hand held/AA battery powered one and it was on the dash at the time...not sure if it could have contributed to the problem?!? The VHF is mounted kind of under the dash....say 2 feet from the GPS and fishfinder.

My VHF antenna cable passes by the AM/FM antenna like 1"-2" away, but the AM/FM was also off at the time....maybe this has something to do with it....but I have really no way to change this.

The only other thing I can think of is to try powering the VHF from the other battery, but not sure if this will make any difference...

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

Edited by icefisherman
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Ha ha ha yes Bud it was me and my buddy.

Appreciated trying to help me on the water.

 

Sorry, I couldn't take part in the soccer/hockey discussion :blahblah1:

Radio Shack said they don't sell this filter any longer....track stop might be selling it they suggested...

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

Edited by icefisherman
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radioworld will have them

 

http://radioworld.ca/index.php?&cPath=73_20

 

however if nothing is running, there should not be interference..there has to be some type of radio harmonic to cause it......

you might also try to run a ground wire from the battery to the radio, attach it to a screw on bottom or to the mount or tape it onto where the antenna screws on

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Yep like Terry says.. if you had absolutely everything else turned off.. and you do't wear a pacemaker..it's the radio and a power filter isn't gonna help it.

 

One other thing though... did you have a cell phone in use in the boat..laying near the radio etc. as I can't put mine anywhere near my portable airplane radio.

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I've had cell phone with me in my pocket while sitting at the helm. I'll try it later today when pull the boat on the driveway and see what will happen with the ground wire. I am starting to hate this "ground" issue all together big time!

 

Spoke to Cobra, spoke to their service center in Montreal. The service center said the same - ground issue possibly but to connect wire from somewhere on the boat to ground it on the radio (not directly from the negative on the battery).

 

Cobra said to check SWR - apparently something to do with the antenna....I guess everyone tries to send the ball in the other half...

 

The service center said if the ground wire doesn't help I may have to send the radio back to Bass Pro (where I bought it from)....pain in the butt....I am sure....as it came as package deal together with the antenna...and I don't want to separate it now and having to uninstall/reinstall new antenna later....and new radio....brrrrrrrrrr....why me always with those ground problemssssssssssssssss.............had enough already!

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

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'Checking SWR' means checking your antenna connections - take em apart, all the way from your transmitter connection to the antenna, inspect for anything that looks odd, and try again.

 

SWR is short for VSWR, Voltage Standing Wave Ratio, and is a measure of how much of your transmitter power is being reflected back from your antenna, or some other spot in the transmission path, back to your transmitter. Most transmitters don't like this, sorta like constipation, and the 'puk puk puk' might be the circuitry grunting, and trying again.

 

Sry if that comparison was a little too good.

 

I need more fiber in my diet.

Edited by douG
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well I would say it's an internal problem...take the radio back......

marine antennas are matched at the factory, there can be some variation, but most times there are pretty good because they have a built in ground plane, but if it is the swr then as you add power the problems should increase not decease ....

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Took the antenna connector apart AGAIN....sauldered it again, played with the ground any and all ways possible, change the battery source, even disconnected the AM/FM from it's battery source, then pull the VHF antenna all the way out of it pathway (it'll take me hours to fish it back in again....same story....noise in Low no noise in Hi...

I guess I am to naive to believe things should come out of the box and WORK....

 

The way I look at it the best way to PROVE I got bad radio is to connect another radio to the same antenna set up....should the other radio work fine then it's time to send this one back to Bass Pro in the US...then I'll decide to replace with the same one and risk same problem...or spend more on a better one....

 

But I want to make sure it IS the radio before spend money to send it back... the whole exsersise will not be cheap.

 

So, I have to ask for a favour....anyone in the Brampton/Mississauga/Oakville/Milton/Georgetown area that has proven working VHF and can loan it to me for 5 min test please PM me.

 

Have few neighbours fishermen but none of them has VHF...

 

Thank you.

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

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just to let you know many portable marine radios use different adapters to connect to the coaxial cable and marine antennas can have 2 different ends on them..........

so just because you get a guy with a radio........... it may not connect.....

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Thanks Terry.

Point well taken.

I guess I should have specified mine is fixed mount (Cobra MR F55) VHF radio (not portable), so I am hoping one of those will connect to my antenna easily for a 2 min test. Brian has told me his antenna connector is the same but maybe the power one is not....but we should always be able somehow to power it directly from my battery just for the test.

 

Cheers,

Ice Fisherman

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