VHF radio questions

Hi all,

I recently bought a Warrior 150. I inherited an old VHF radio with it and want to use it until I can get something else. Unfortunately I'm not sure if it works! The guy I bought it off told me he had it connected once to listen to a tall ships event down in Waterford and that it worked then. He never bothered with it again.

How can I test if it works? A friend tried it recently but got no reply so I don't know if it's transmitting or receiving. I can get squelch but haven't heard anyone Else's transmissions. I have tried it on channel 16.

I have an aerial fitted on the boat , the outer casing is broken but usable. There is a proper piece of insulated Aeriel type cable running up the inside of tubing; is this what should be there? It looks right to me but I'm no expert.


Cheers

How can I test if it works? I have tried it on channel 16.

I have an aerial fitted on the boat , the outer casing is broken but usable. There is a proper piece of insulated Aeriel type cable running up the inside of tubing; is this what should be there? It looks right to me but I'm no expert.

Cheers

Firstly if the antenna is damaged in any way replace it. If you transmit into a damaged antenna YOU WILL blow the output transistors or Power Amplifier (PA) module whichever type your radio model has due to very high reflected RF power. It will not be worth repairing an older or most of the cheaper new radios if you do this.

When you replace the antenna you could check it with another boat. If you have a multi meter check the current draw in receive and transmit you should draw about .5 to 1.5 amps on RX and 4-6 amps in TX depending again on the model of radio. This will give you a good idea if it is transmitting ok but you can't beat a good ol fashioned test with another boat or borrow a hand held vhf etc.



Jim

Thanks for the prompt reply.

I actually got it to work! I suspect the aerial connector may have not been making a good connection. A bit of abrasion seems to have done the trick.

Thanks once again.