Archive for November, 2009
You Might Get Wet on the Water…
Just like anything else, the best laid plans sometimes go array when trying to listen to the weatherman and coordinate the weather with a fun day on the water. Over the years, I have come to realize that those folks that predict the weather are apparently allowed a larger error margin around a large body of water as it seems to do strange things to normal weather patterns. I guess we’ll cut ‘em some slack.
Since that possibility of getting wet is a good one, though, one must plan for a wet day when outfitting your boat. Make sure your system incorporates marine speakers as they are waterproof and can prove invaluable in the event of a dousing rain. Whether you choose a dual cone speaker, a coaxial speaker, component speaker, or a Marine SubWoofer, one thing is for sure – you need them to be waterproof. Although they are not known for the high “studio quality” reproduction of sound, they are widely used because they are so affordable.
Make Sure Your Speakers Speak!!!
There are some ways to at least protect your system a bit from normal corrosion. Let’s talk a bit about that. When choosing what wire you intend to use when installing your speaker system, there are a couple of things you should be considering.
it’s a good idea to look for an oxygen free composition wire as this will tend to resist tarnishing over time. Always select a “multi-strand” wire that is
specifically designed as speaker cable. The further you want to run your wire, the thicker (referred to as the “guage” of the wire) the wire you want to choose.
For most applications, 16 guage is just fine and a good rule of thumb is that it will work for just about any application up to 50 feet away from the Marine Radio or CB Radio. If your speakers are closer than 25 feet from the receiver, you can probably get away with 18 guage speaker cable. Don’t waste your money putting anything but a marine speaker on board as you will be only replacing it in very short time.
Thinking back a few years…
It was a beautiful day on the North Shore of Lake Superior. A friend and I decided to do a bit of fishing. We had his dad’s 18 foot wooden skiff available. The only equipment on board was our fishing gear and an 18hp Evinrude outboard motor. Seas were calm with a slight breeze in the air. We were teenagers at the time and the last thing we pondered on was any safety equipment (other than life jackets, that is).
As if it wasn’t bad enough that we hadn’t even had any bites, a frontal system came through and within about a half hour, we found ourselves in a real mess. We were about a half mile out and waves were splashing over the bow. It took us about 25 minutes at full throttle to make it back to shore which looked really, really good to us when we got there.
That outcome may not have been so good under other circumstances. The motor could have quit, or we could have capsized, etc. The point I’m trying to make is that you would be wise to outfit your boat with a marine radio to get updated weather alerts, or a VHF radio to signal help, or possibly even a CB Radio to alert someone on shore of your dilemma.
Let’s Talk Safety!
Besides the normal run-of-the-mill safety items you might have on board like paddles, life jackets, ladders, lights, rope, anchor, first aid kit, etc, there are other items that are equally important.
Of those items, there is one that stands out at the top of the list. That item is a VHF Radio
. Why?… …because VHF Radios are equipped with Digital Selective Calling (DSC). This allows you to call the Coast Guard or other boaters close to your area. I doesn’t matter whether you have a hand held VHF Radio, many choose to have one installed on their boat. It’s totally up you , but you’ll be glad you didn’t overlook it if some emergency came up and you needed it. It’s one of those things that you hope you never have a use for, but is priceless if ever needed.
Let’s plan for tomorrow with safety equipment on board today!
Safety always seems to always hit amongst the top ranking reasons for outfitting your boat with what you may consider “necessary equipment”. There are many “extras” now available for boating – particularly in the electronics area.
Hi-tech items are now available to make your day on the water more enjoyable and safer. Some of those items that are considered popular extras include fish finders, waterproof equipment, GPS systems, VHF Radio, and maybe one of the newest design marine radios` which offer MP3 adaptable plug-ins to allow you to have your favorite recorded music play through your speaker system, or even a CB Radio. These items may be fun and may entice the best of “button-pushers”, but they actually can help save your life as well. Don’t take this information lightly!
Let’s Talk VHF!!
Just what are some of the capabilities and characteristics of a VHF Radio? These radios are available in fixed units, hand held units, and submersible units. It is not out of the question to have more than one onboard. VHF Radios require minimal power to transmit. The lower power should be used whenever possible as all units have the capability of transmitting on either 1 Watt or 2 Watts.
Most VHF sets only allow only one person at a time to talk, unlike the cell phone you probably have on your hip. When transmitting, the user must depress a “transmit button” on the microphone. This process of only one at a time talking is called simplex. Duplex sets are also available, but usually are much more expensive.
When mounting your VHF antenna, it is advisable to mount it has high as possible since VHF radio waves travel in a straight line.
Let Communication Be Your Lifeline
Maritime squalls and choppy seas can put boaters at serious risk, and it certainly pays to stay in touch with authorities back on dry land. If you suspect that your vessel is on the verge of being tossed about like a ragdoll by the mercilessly pounding wind and waves, it’s nice to have a lifeline. A submersible marine radio
Final steps of installation for Marine Radio…
Here are the final 3 steps of installing your marine stereo or CB Radio on your boat or pontoon…
Third: You will want to connect the speaker wires to the stereo quick connectors and feed them through the previously drilled holes in the console or dash. Wherever possible, leave the wires the same length to each speaker. This becomes more critical when the speakers are spread out in a wider pattern.
Fourth: Its time to place put the “self-sticking” plastic raceways in place. When you have decided a good place to run your raceways to the speaker locations, remove the sticky back on the raceway sections and press unit against the side (or under the top lip) to fasten in place. When completed, repeat this step for the other side of the boat or pontoon. Your wires can now be laid into the plastic channel and the plastic cover can be snapped in place to protect your wires and to give you a very neat completed wiring job.
Fifth: Now – mounting the Marine Speakers…
Since there are a lot of speakers out there, you must follow the directions for each individual style, but
you will find most of them have simple clips with which to fasten your speaker wires in place. Speakers have a wide range of capabilities and I hope to address those items in the near future. In short, you get what you pay for in a speaker. It’s a combination, really, of the output capabilities of your marine radio and the wattage and ohm ratings of the speakers. Distortion will occur in the speaker sound quality if the speakers are under rated as compared to the marine radio or CB Radio on board.
Now turn on your tunes and begin a fun day on the water!
Break out the Installation Tool Belt – let’s go!
Are you ready for the first couple of steps for installing your Marine Radio or CB Radio on your boat?
First: You will have to decide where you want to place your radio. Usually you will locate it in some central location to the boat’s console. Marine Radios are much more sophisticated than they used to be. I the past few years, many have included an MP3 plug-in to allow for your own recorded music to be played through your stereo system.
Drill holes to mount the splash cover if you chose to have one – allowing enough extra wire length to reach from your radio to the power bus (located in your boats console or dashboard). Make the holes just large enough to allow the bolts or cords to pass through. In the case of most pontoon boats console or the type found in a Boston Whaler, you will need to drill two more holes, one on each side of the bottom of the console to allow for the speaker wires.
Second: It’s time to tie your Marine Radio or CB Radio into the boat’s power supply. To do this, attach the power cord to the common power bus located in the console or under the dashboard. Your stereo will have its own fuse, but that fuse protects the stereo, not your boat’s electrical system. Most installers follow the generally well accepted practice of attaching an “in-line” fuse between the common bus and the power cord using common electrical wire nuts.
You are now ready to run your raceways – check my next blog for steps 3, 4, and 5…
Ready to Install a Marine Radio?
How about a few ideas on the proper installation of a marine radio in your boat? It’s not hard – just a couple of basic things to keep in mind…
First: Most boat stereos are “water resistant” – not water proof. They will resist a lot of moisture, but it really helps to have them installed into a “splash cover” which keeps your stereo dry. The waterproof stereos exist, but are much more expensive. Protect your equipment as best you can to insure many trouble free hours of listening enjoyment.
Second: When wiring, keep in mind that you will have guests on board, so keep your speaker wires concealed so they won’t be tripped over while they move around on the boat.
Over the next couple of days, I’ll lay out the 5 basic steps required to properly install your boat stereo. The basic list of materials you will need is a follows…