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VHF Antenna Wire Interior Routing

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DonaldM
Deckhand

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USA
21 Posts

Initially Posted - 05/11/2011 : 22:36:14

I’m looking for suggestions as to how to route the coax wire inside the cabin from the thru-deck connector (which will be near the existing thru-deck mast light wiring connector) to my VHF radio mounted near the 12V circuit panel (near the galley). This is a new installation, so there’s no antenna wiring in place. I’d like to keep the wiring out of sight, running between the inside liners and the deck and hull (such as the wiring for the mast lights).

There’s a gap of about two inches between the inside cabin top liner and the deck near the mast. I can get access to this gap (near the existing connector) by removing the starboard interior spot light fixture. The cabin top liner also has a molded bulge running down the starboard side (between the windows) that contains the mast light wiring and wiring for interior spot lights. It looks like this bulge would be ideal for the antenna coax. Unfortunately, I’m not able to run a fish tape through it. It feels like the bulge may have been filled after the wires were in place (before the liner was installed).

Any suggestions as to how to route the antenna coax through this bulge, or other ideas how to route the antenna coax inside the cabin?

Thanks,
Don

2007 C250 WK, #911
Road King Trailer
Camarillo, California

Edited by - on

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/11/2011 : 22:59:26

Don,
I'm almost positive I've got a post with photos about this, but I can't find it. Plus searching on a phone is less than optimal.

The coax can be fairly easily run to the starboard side of the transverse buldge in the overhead where your light is. The trick is getting your fish tape from the light mounting hole down to meet the deck joint. I found that I had to clip off end of my fish tape, feed it through (this takes patience and a bit of finesse to work it around the bolts for the stanchion), then bend it again so you can pull the coax back through the light hole. As I recall, you had to drive the fish tape a bit forward to get it to go through. I remember taking photos of it's exit point so I could post about it, so at worst I should have those photos somewhere.

Edited by - delliottg on 05/11/2011 23:00:50

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 03:34:51

That pretty well describes my coax routing David.
I installed a [url="http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=442338&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=10103&subdeptNum=10278&classNum=11106"]Coax Cable Deck fitting[/url] but after reading the recent thread on Butyl Tape for sealing such connectors to the deck, I intend to remove it and rebed it. Convinced that is where we get a bit of rain water ingress after long rainy periods. I have a pig tail passing through the connector and matching connector on the end of the cable from the mast. Never had any issues with the connection despite having to make and break it every trip to the ramp.

Paul

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Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 07:15:54

I took the same route as David. Fish slightly forward. It takes a while but you'll get it.

Here is my original post: [url="http://www.catalina-capri-25s.com/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=16696&SearchTerms=cable"]VHF Cable Run[/url]

Edited by - Nautiduck on 05/12/2011 07:19:00

delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 07:27:09

Thanks guys. As I recall, I figured out how to reroute mine after you guys had blazed the trail.

Edit: Woohoo! [url="http://www.catalina-capri-25s.org/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=17042"]Found it.[/url] Again thanks to the folks like Randy & Paul for figuring out how to do this, I just followed in their footsteps. It's so much easier doing a search on a 23" screen than a 3" screen.

And like Paul, I bought a roll of butyl tape for any further installs in the deck. The reviews I've read indicate that it's almost bullet proof, even years & years later.

Edited by - delliottg on 05/12/2011 10:19:06

Tradewind
Admiral

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USA
531 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 14:12:06

Where did you find the Butyl tape? I checked Home Depot and couldn't find anyone who'd ever heard of it?

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Tradewind
Admiral

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USA
531 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 14:39:39

Randy, reading your earlier post concerning the connections inside the overhead light, did you use solderless PL 259 male connectors on each end connecting through a PL 258 double female connector? Then remove the PL 259 when you drop the mast to pull the coax through the clam thrudeck connector?

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 15:01:15

I don't remember where I bought mine, I think it was Lee Valley, but not sure. I found this on Amazon: [url="http://www.amazon.com/Gulf-States-30-Butyl-Tape/dp/B0009MBC9C"]butyl tape[/url]. It's cheap!

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TakeFive
Master Marine Consultant

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2272 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 19:58:56

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Tradewind
 Where did you find the Butyl tape? I checked Home Depot and couldn't find anyone who'd ever heard of it?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">
I found it at a local RV store. They had all kinds - some were non-butyl "putty tape," so I had to read all the labels carefully to get the butyl stuff.

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DonaldM
Deckhand

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USA
21 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 20:21:43

Thanks for all the suggestions and links. It's good to know that it is possible to run the coax through the tunnel. I cut off the end of the fish tape and filed it smooth. I then worked on feeding it though for about 2 hours tonight, going in from the spotlight hole. Unfortunately I couldn't get the tape down past the lower end of the tunnel. So close! I tried it from the other direction, sliding it up behind the teak trim, but couldn't get it past the hull/deck joint (only a few inches up).

I'll keep trying this weekend.

Thanks again,
Don

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Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 05/12/2011 : 21:31:10

Steve I used this [url="http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=17353&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=10103&subdeptNum=10278&classNum=11106"]thru-deck fitting[/url] . The coax with connector fits through this fitting. No need to remove the coax connector.

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Tradewind
Admiral

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USA
531 Posts

Response Posted - 05/18/2011 : 17:09:16

Randy, I can see how the coax could fit thru the thru deck fitting but I don't understand how the connector fits thru it, maybe I'm thinking of a different type of connector. The only connector I know of is a PL 259.
http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?productId=12234&catalogId=10001&langId=-1&storeId=11151&storeNum=10103&subdeptNum=10278&classNum=11106

Thanks for any help.

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delliottg
Former Mainsheet C250 Tech Editor

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USA
4479 Posts

Response Posted - 05/18/2011 : 18:56:28

I think he disassembles the puck in the clam connector so he can pass the PL connector through to the interior. The puck is slit so that the coax can can be popped into it afterward. Put the clam back together with the cable already routed through the hole via the slit and you have a water tight connection.

I don't bother with this, although I can see Randy's reasoning. I used good gold plated connectors and then I tape them with silicon fusible tape creating a water tight seal. This seems easier to me, although it does the expose the connector to the elements where Randy's method does not, at the cost of opening and closing the clam each time (2x a year). In the end, I think the effectiveness of both methods is a wash.

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Nautiduck
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
3704 Posts

Response Posted - 05/18/2011 : 21:11:05

Setting the cable through the puck is a one time event not once each year. The puck is the upper part of the fixture so when we take the mast down the puck stays on the coax hanging from the mast. It is hard to visualize but if you have the fitting you will see how it works. It was designed for this.

Now I do have to remove my starboard interior light fixture each year to make the coax connection in the hollow area under the mast. That is a bit of a hassle. If I had to do it over again I would use the same clam fitting but have the connection outside like David does. In fact If I have enough extra coax in the cabin I may do that.

Edited by - Nautiduck on 05/18/2011 21:12:17

britinusa
Web Editor

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USA
5404 Posts

Response Posted - 05/19/2011 : 03:18:33

FYI, we have a coax connector on the pig tail that comes out of the deck fitting with it's mate on the pig tail that comes out near the base of the mast. No choice for us as we have to break the connection every trip. As Dave mentioned, we too have a good quality connector.

Paul

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