Fixed VHF on P21

[talbot]

Looking to upgrade my VHF from handheld to fixed. Antenna is installed. Ran power to the port bolster near the companionway. Now then, the radio . . . Leaning toward Standard Horizon 1400G (G for GPS). Around $190. On another forum, a user said I might as well upgrade to the 1800G with a remote full-function mic (another $150). Argument is, in any situation where I really need a full function radio, I will need to be at the helm, not in the cabin. Thoughts?

[Riggerdood]

Following, as I also have the 1400G. I have mic clips on both the inside and outside of the companionway bulkhead, and the mic is easy to reach from the helm. However, I'm thinking of installing an external speaker in the cockpit, as it can be difficult to hear the radio's speaker when motoring.

[Krusen]

Looking on the internet, the 1800G seems to be compatible with the RAM4 remote mike, but does not include it.

1400G is not compatible with remote speaker/mike.

Remote speaker/mike is nice, but as Riggerdude says, a remote speaker will meet most of your needs, along with the second mike hanger outside the cabin.

[talbot]

Yeah, the 1400 has all the features I expect to need, but Riggerdood isn't the first to tell me they can't hear from the cockpit. Others have said to just keep my handheld with me at the helm, but this whole quest started because the handheld doesn't always do the job. Because this is entirely a safety device (I won't be chatting with fishing buddies), I'm inclined to overbuy for a worst case scenario. I just have to wrap my brain around $350 for something I hope not to use much. I guess it's cheap compared to a $1000 life raft that a person would hope not to use at all.

[tjspiel]

The previous owner installed a VHF radio on my boat with a whip antenna because he wanted to enter a race on a largish lake that required the participants to have radios on their boats. Not sure why he just didn't get a handheld but maybe the rules said they had to be fixed for range or some other reason.

Having the radio in the cabin is next to useless as far as I'm concerned. If I were going to do anything other than get a handheld, I want to make sure I could use it from the helm. Maybe a remote speaker and a 2nd hanger would be sufficient. Everyone's got their budget constraints they have to work within.

[Brian N.]

Long Island Sound where I sail is not the open ocean, but fairly big. Communication with the Coast Guard is reliable and most often there are other boats within sight. I mention this because I find a handheld radio is all that is needed. Most often it is clipped to my belt, and I can see how having a remote mike/control head makes sense.

[Quantico Frank]

I bought the remote mic which has its own speaker and have never looked back. Everything is at hand in the cockpit.

[Riggerdood]

Frank, do you have the 1800G? I can't recall which model you installed. The 1400 has the connection for the remote speaker, but not the remote mic/speaker.

[Quantico Frank]

Tim, I have the GX1400: https://defender.com/en_us/standard-horizon-eclipse-gx1400-fixed-mount-vhf-radio. And this is the remote: https://defender.com/en_us/standard-horizon-ram4-microphone-ssm-70h

[Riggerdood]

I must be missing something here Frank: how did you connect the remote mic/speaker to the 1400? Through your NMEA backbone? The 1400 has no connection for the remote. I know you explained it all at the time, but I'm drawing a blank now.

[Quantico Frank]

Tim, you're exactly right. I was going through my Defender orders, and found an order there for the 1400 that I apparently returned—- very likely because it didn't have the remote mic jack, and I went through my Amazon orders just now and found that I ordered the 1850B that does. I get my GPS location to the radio from my chart-plotter via NMEA 2000. Thanks for fixing this for me!

How soon we forget!

[Riggerdood]

Ah, yes, OK, that's right. Don't feel too bad - I'd forgotten all that too!

[talbot]

Thanks for all the advice. I went for the 1800 with RAM. All parts and cables now piled on my workbench, waiting for a break in work so I can go install them. Unclear how much sailing will happen this summer.  So far, it's  mostly been amateur electronics.

[Quantico Frank]

Unclear how much sailing will happen this summer.  So far, it's  mostly been amateur electronics.

I know the feeling, Talbot. Lots of hole-drilling. But did you say you already have the cable fished through the mast? That was half the battle for me. Hopefully, at least you have a slightly chubbier mast than I have on my P165.

BTW, now that I have the VHF project completed, after towing my boat to Norfolk a couple weeks ago, I found that that Perko connection at the end of the cable coming from the mast for the mast light had... vanished. That's twice in four years. IMHO, that particular electrical connection is the sketchiest one on the boat. Having replaced it once with another Perko fitting, I'm at least going to have to splice the cable to make it longer this time. I haven't sailed at night yet, but I want to have that light just in case.

[talbot]

Frank -- I have lost those electrical fittings from the cable and the deck. In my case, it was caused by the Genoa sheets running around the forward edge of the mast. What some of us have done is put a cowling over the whole connection. Since doing that, I have not had any problems at the connection. (Now, the Perko masthead light...but that's another story.) See attached photo:

BTW, it seems we can no longer upload images to this site. Is that correct? I had to put the above image on another web page and then link to it.